[Chunkstyle]

hi guys

i'm going to be trying my first shot at home anodizing soon. i've done a lot of research, but haven't found answers to a few specific questions. if any of you could offer any insight, i'd appreciate it.

1. the part i'm doing is a bmx bike brake, disassembled in 2 pieces. any idea what alloy these typically are, and if it's easily anodizable?

2. the parts are pretty small -- "L shaped pieces about 3"x4" and 3/4" thick.
can i anodize the 2 pieces together (for color matching purposes), or should i run each separate?

3. does aluminum flashing work well as a cathode? do cathodes need to be stripped before use for maximum conductivity in the bath?

4. for hanging wire, i got a 3/32" alum welding rod, per a post i saw here -- planning to bend a j & wedge it into a hole in the part (there's nowhere to bolt to on these parts that won't interfere with the finish). do i need to strip the end of the wire where the hook will be (again, for conductivity)?

5. i'd like to work outdoors, for ventilation, but it's in the 40's-50's here now.
is too low a temp ok for automatic battery charger-type anodizing? as a newbie, i really don't know how much the electricity will raise the bath temp.

6. can you hand-agitate the bath, with a dowel or something? how often does it need to be stirred?

7. when dyeing, can the parts lay on the bottom of the pot (i'd probably heat the dye bath to 140 deg. on my gas stove, so there'd be a flame under the pot where the unsealed parts'd be resting) (too hot on the bottom of the pot -- premature sealing?)? if so, is a stainless steel pot ok for the aluminum to contact when in the dye?

8. for desmutting, i was hoping to use the "scrub with dish soap" method, since this one item may be the only thing i anodize, and it's probably not worth it to buy the official desmutter stuff (plus, i couldn't find it listed by itself on caswell's site -- only as part of a kit). how hard do you have to scrub the part? is it simple to tell when you've got the smut off?

and a really dumb question -- does the smut come out during the anodizing process and needs to be removed before dyeing, or is the smut to be removed before anodizing (like just as part of prep cleaning)?

9. when you want a pretty glossy finish and polish the part after stripping & before anodizing, do you have to re-strip the part immediately before final degreasing & rinsing before anodizing it. i know aluminum oxidizes on its own pretty fast in the air, but is is not a problem in this situation?

sorry for all the questions. thanks for any help you can offer. i downloaded caswell's lcd manual, and am going to print & read it soon.

thank you!