Hello everyone,
Glad to be a new member of this fine group.
I'm just getting started learning how to anodize. I bought Caswell's LCD kit and 5 amp CC. I'm trying to eliminate huge white barrels supplied by CW and will be using the smaller Sterilite tubs that I bought at Wal•Mart similar to what Archimedes set up.
Right now, I will be anodizing small 1" x 1" parts for custom scratch built 1:48 scale sailboats and some tooling for my Sherline Mill and Lathe. I'll have fun with other stuff down the road....
I'm in the process of setting up my tanks and have been testing things with just plain water to see what leaks, what makes a mess, etc. I have a question about the Sealant tank.
By heating up just plain water for now with the 2 ceramic heaters and placing the lid on the tub allows the water to heat up to 210°. However, the condensation and moister seaps out around the perimeter of the lid down the sides of the tub and also up and down the heater electrical cords leaving a mess on the counter top. It's not much but any kind of mess drives me crazy and I know one day I'll have some tools on the bench and not notice they got wet from the sealant bath, and then pick up the tools and get the bath on my hands, rub my eyes or pick my nose – and I'll have a dumb accident happen.
I've attached a diagram. I want to cut some of the blue insulation builders foam you can get at Home Depot to place down about 1" inside of the tub top fairly snug against the sides. This may be enough to insulate the tub
1. Will I be creating some kind of dangerous chemical reaction/fumes with this foam and sealant?
2. Will the foam get dissolved and ruin the sealant
3. I've added some small 1/4" aluminum tubes through the sides of the tube to hang the part on in the sealant. Does the part have to hang in this solution or can it rest on the bottom on the tank or swished around a bit for 15 minutes.
Thanks for the help.
Bruce
