Welcome Chris,
If you've never anodized before, you have a learnig curve that we'll help you with as you go.
Get all your stuff set up, try some experiments, dial in your temperatures, and learn from your mistakes.
As for the finishes, those will come after you have some success, but here is what I do:
Use black compound on a spiral sewn sisal wheel, followed by tan compound on a spiral sewn cotton wheel. You can get it much finer than that, but it will be a waste of time, as some loss of gloss is normal from the ano process.
Medium-fine Glass beads (only), blasted at about 60psi in a small blast cabinet. The trick is to give it a quick dusting without spending too much time in one place, and it will turn out even.
I use this one:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=45411 but had to add a light.