Anodizing

[Joshua Genberg]

Hey guys, I'm looking to get a couple titanium parts anodized, but I have no experience going about that and want to be sure I can do it safely. Anybody familiar with the process?

[Dennis S]

I've attempted to get into finishing my own parts in the last year, including sandblasting, Cerakote, etc. If you're doing everything by the book, including proper disposal of chemicals, I've learned that it's more cost/time effective to just let the pros handle it. Even a small setup for parts finishing is a sizable investment and you'll need more materials/time than you think, due to the learning curve. 

Probably not the answer a DIY person wants to hear, but a proper finish is not an easy thing :(

D

On Mon, Jun 27, 2016 at 12:52 PM, Joshua Genberg <jjge...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hey guys, I'm looking to get a couple titanium parts anodized, but I have no experience going about that and want to be sure I can do it safely. Anybody familiar with the process?

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Thanks,

Dennis

[Joshua Genberg]

Recommend anybody? I've had trouble finding someone who doesn't have a relatively large minimum order size.

[Nathan Bryant]

I haven't done it myself, but was looking at doing a titanium bike a long time ago, looked into it a bit and it seems pretty straight forward. You just need a something like a solution of borax and a 10-120v DC power source (depending on the color you want), right? A current limited, variable voltage benchtop power supply like those at the shop should be able to do this at a small scale. Sometimes, the best way to learn something like this is to start small and scale up.

This page seems to be useful: http://www.mrtitanium.com/anodizing.html

Some safety warnings. You'll probably generate hydrogen gas (through electrolysis), so you'll want to do this somewhere well ventilated (like outside). Also, you should start with distilled or reverse osmosis water (and add your Borax to that) so you don't off-gas chlorine (chlorine salts are also bad). Finally, with electricity and wet skin, you should be careful and do things like unplug the power when you're messing around the bath. That's all I can think of to be careful of. 

On Mon, Jun 27, 2016 at 5:13 PM, Joshua Genberg <jjge...@gmail.com> wrote:

Recommend anybody? I've had trouble finding someone who doesn't have a relatively large minimum order size.

[Tony]

We got rid of all the equipment at work for doing our own anodizing, it just isn't worth the mess and upkeep of the system. I highly reccomend going to a local company, if you don't need a small batch of parts right away, you can usually have them hold them until they have a larger batch of parts. otherwise you can order the complete setup for titanium here. http://www.caswellplating.com/anodizing-products/anodizing-kits/titanium-niobium-anodizing-kit.html 

Either way the chemicals are toxic, and the voltage needed can kill you, don't be stupid about it and you should be fine.

[Nathan Bryant]

Borax (if you use that as your electrolyte) is pretty benign. But, yeah, the voltage is dangerous.

I think this is probably the power supply in that kit ($120): https://www.circuitspecialists.com/benchtop-power-supply-csi12001x.html

I’m not sure exactly what the magic “Titanium Anodizing Powder” included with that kit is, but there’s a good chance it’s borax or tsp (mentioned in that page I linked to in my last post).

Anyways (Joshua), it's not clear what you know already and what you're uncertain of. If you post more about what type of titanium thing you're trying to anodize and what aspects of it you are unfamiliar with (dc power supplies? voltage? chemicals? electrolysis?) we might be able to offer you more targeted advice. 

Other thoughts:

Seemingly well-researched thoughts on borax safety (including links to the msds, always a good place to start with unfamiliar chemicals):

http://www.crunchybetty.com/getting-to-the-bottom-of-borax-is-it-safe-or-not

Anodizing titanium using 9V batteries and coca-cola:

https://www.nycresistor.com/2012/07/06/9-volt-battery-chain-anodizer/

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[Arclight]

We've done it at 23b.  We used a Variac with a current-limiting resistor and a rectifier. About any mildly-basic solution will work for the fluid - I've used Windex before.  Just be sure to hang you part from a scrap of Titanium wire or sheetmetal, as anything else will immediately cause trouble.

You aren't actually adding a pigment to the metal. What you are doing is more or less passivating it - forcing it to accumulate a thin layer of oxide that makes it appear colored by causing constructive or destructive interference to light.  It does not change the dimension of the part measurably, but it does wear off fairly easily.  The voltage applied determines the color, and it only take a few seconds to anodize something like a ring.

Arclight