[krymis]

My start into setting up an anodizing line:
1. I researched on the net. I wanted to know how feesable it really was to set up a home system. I found many shops have started out this way. Two names kept coming up in my research, Caswell and Ron Newman.
2. Since I was registered on the forum for info and i supported Caswell with my Black Oxiding I felt I was able to use the forum for reference to home lines. Being I only live 30 min from Ron I picked his brain and looked at his setup.
3. While at Ron's I picked up His book: A Practical Guide To Anodizing Aluminum at Home, 2005 Ed., and I picked up all the chemicals needed including deox/desmut.
4. Over the next two weeks i read and reread that book and continued with research.
5. I used my shopping list from the book to assignstores to get everything. All the stuff was had at Ron's, Wal-mart, and Radio Shack.
Since i was only doing smaller self designed brackets and turbo parts i figured i only needed a 2 gallon setup with the exception of my sulfuric acid which i made in 4 gallons and my stripper/etcher that i made in 3 gallons.
6. Well I made my way up to wal-mart and spent $353.57. I bought my 5 air pumps, 200ft of air lines, 13 20 qt. buckets found in thestorage/ kitchen department( they are not polypropelene but they will work when braced right.), 3 5 gallon buckets, 3 ss crockpots, 1 dryer vent kit, 3 tubes of silicone, 1 cabinet handle 3 fish tank thermometers, 1 personal fan, 1 16 oz can of draino, 3 gallons of distilled water, and a multi pack of ss bolts.
7. After that i shopped next door at the radioshack and got my IR thermometer and my power supply wires; it was 49.98
8. Then headed to Ron's to get my power supply, and cathodes
9. Then went to get lunch but found i was broke......i hate it when you find that out.
10. I got home and started mixing my chemicals. The first ones were the dyes, then the sealer, then the sulfuric acid then the lye(draino). All this was done with chemial resistant gloves, old clothes, goggles, and face mask. I really hated chemicals at first.
11. the next step was to encase the sulfuric acid solution and vent it out of my ano room. There is nothing worse than the smell of rotten eggs.
12. I set up the ano tank in case and wired up the power wires and the air lines.
13. Next i poured all the heated chemicals into the crock pots.
14. I ran all my air lines from the pumps to the tanks.
15. rewired my room for more power and outlets.
16. Did my first test peice which was a blow off valve that was given to me by a friend.
17. tried doing some of my blowoff valves and machined parts.

Now that i have the hang of it i am in the process of upgrading to 20 gallon tanks so i can do bigger and more parts. This is no definitive guide of you have to do it this way. But this is what i did to start out. I hope this can help out some newbs and show even the poor can anodize.

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