We do quite a few pieces in 2011. I like the way it machines in the turning centers, the chips are short and don't tangle in the tools and around the part which can cause a poor machine finish. But, I am not fond of the anodizing characteristics, 6011 is much nicer. For one, everything being equal, the 2011 will be duller. But if you have a nice polish it should still look quite nice if done correctly.
I don't know what you normally use to clean with, but if the part has been freshly stripped and polished a good degreasing to where the water sheets should be adequate prep. Leaving 2011 in too hot of cleaner too long hurts the final appearance, as does etching in lye. Our 2011 parts are completely machined, and we get the nicest results by just degreasing them at 140ยบ or so in SP cleaner until the water sheets. It the parts darken at all, we place them in warm desmut only long enough to brighten them up. In any case, if any of the prep leaves a dark dull look, aoppearance will suffer even though the desmut seems to clean them up.
I have found that 50-60 minutes at 10 amps CD works best for us, going on ease of dying and color depth, in addition to retaining a decent gloss when done. But that can vary according to part prep and desired color depth, if you don't need a real dark color depth less time should leave a cleaner and brighter finish.
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