[cameraman]

The most important part (imo) to anodizing is good connections. Coming in a close second is clean parts.

While it's possible that your problem is pH, it's much more likely that you're not getting a good anodic layer; the dye needs something to 'stick to' - if the pores aren't there, the dye isn't going to come out well. The teal looks ok because it's such a light color that you don't realize that the layer is thin.

PAR is peak anodic resistance and deals with the relationship of the growth of the anodic layer versus the dissolution (the dissolving of the layer into the solution). The manual explains it better than I can; I started off using CC (constant current) to minimize problems.

I've noticed different results with different alloys, but have always managed to get something out of each; cast parts generally look darker and with lower consistency. 6061 gives the best results of the alloys I've used. 5052 does well, has a golden hue to it out of the ano tank but dyes well (most of my stuff is shades of blue). I have some unknown alloy from the hardware store that comes out looking dark with black streaks, but dyes ok (albeit to a darker color).

I suggest bolting the wire to your parts for awhile, as opposed to jamming it into holes and relying on tension to make the connection, to minimize that as a problem source. Make sure the metal is clean and passes the water break test. Now that you've done a few runs, look back over the manual - things that you may have glossed over before will probably make more sense now. Make sure you've got good agitation and your various solutions are in their respective temperature ranges.