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[Vendetta7]

Hey everyone,

I have been lurking for quite some time; learning. I feel that now is about the time that I may just really go into this thing for myself, just for some fun. I'm not looking to make a business out of it, and I am not doing large parts. My parts are 6-8 sq. in., not quite as big as most of the stuff you guys work on. I only need to do about 1-2 of those parts at a time, since I don't mind waiting. With this being the case, it seems to me that I barely need an Amp to achieve the results I am looking to get using LCD. So, the reason I am posting here is to get some advice about the equipment I need to look into getting. So far, I have the list below, and subsequent questions about those items.

The list:
-Goggles
-Respirator
-Gloves (any type that you prefer?)
-Apron
-Baking Soda
-Power Supply (will the 3A or 5A work for my small batches: Caswell Inc. - Plating Rectifiers)
-Battery Acid (where do you typically get this? I'm about to head out the door to my local auto parts store)
-Dyes (which would you recommend and how much/how many)
-A LOT of distilled water
-Bleach (standard household clorox?)
-Lye
-Small plastic tub (5 litres or so)
-Small plastic containers for dyes and cleaning (~7)
-Aluminum wire for hanging
-Aluminum bar to make rack out of
-Aluminum sheet for cathode (2x as large as my parts, just to be safe?)
-Spray bottles (~2)

Thank you all for your help, this could be an exciting journey!

EDIT: Also, are things like agitation, aeration, mist balls, etc. necessary for such a small scale setup?

[spankey666]

nitrile gloves are the kiddies.
power supply as big as you can afford
i would suggest lead plates to ali plates, (my personal prefference)
airation or agitation is a must, but on small piesces an air pump should suffice,
respirator and goggles are at your own discression, i personnaly dont use either, and to be honest, gloves rearely get used these days (except when i'm handling parts between stencil masking and dying ) but do as you see fit with experience comes complatency

i always have a bucket of bi-carb mixed up near by, so any acid splashes get neautralized immediately

[BobFrapples]

Not sure if such small pieces would cause lots of fumes in the air... It's really all choice. Some say safe than sorry. I personally have a 3M full face gas mask, but I do larger parts, and the fumes can add up quite a bit.
Like spankey said though, as long as you got a mixture of some baking soda near by, your good for splashes if anything happens.
Apron I don't think is necessary, your parts are very small, you won't have to worry much

[Vendetta7]

Thank you all for the help. Before I pull the trigger on a Power Supply, I was hoping I could get some input. To help you better understand my needs, it would be helpful to know that I am working with small circular parts that are approx. 2" in diameter. My math goes a little something like this:

The current needed per part:
surface area = 12 sq. in. (indicated by manufacturer)
surface area x .03 amps/in.^2 = 12 x .03 = .36 amps per part

If I plan on doing 2 parts, I am looking at .72 amps. However, if I plan on maybe one day doing up to 8 parts at a time, I will need about 2.88 amps (for 96 sq. in.). Does all of this sound right? Also, if I have a titanium rack I will be using to suspend the parts, do I need to be accounting for this surface area as well? For the CATHODE, I plan on using the largest piece of aluminum I can fit in my tank.

So, two questions:

1) Will this power supply suffice for what I need? Is that overkill? Should I just save even more money and go with Caswell's 5A rectifier?
Mastech Power Supply HY3020E

2) This is the Ti rack I am considering using. Any considerations I need to make when using this as opposed to just using 16 AWG aluminum wire?

[sswee]

Ti rack is the way to go. Just remember to season the rack by running it empty at a voltage higher than you will use for about 20 to 30 min. with the current turned up. This will ano the racking so it will not draw extra current with parts loaded.
SS

[Vendetta7]

Ti rack is the way to go. Just remember to season the rack by running it empty at a voltage higher than you will use for about 20 to 30 min. with the current turned up. This will ano the racking so it will not draw extra current with parts loaded.
SS

I would have never known or thought of this. Thank you for the advice, it was just what I needed.

Can anyone give the other questions I asked a shot? Thanks in advance guys.

[sswee]

You'll be better off in the long run to go with the HY3020E.
I prefer a lead cathode but which ever you use maintain a minimum of 3" clearance to parts.
SS

[dmiom]

hi,

the Mastech power supply supply you linked to looks OK - many folk on here use those - that's what we used as our first dedicated anodising supply, and they do have plenty of 'headroom' on the voltage (its 30v max, whereas some others have max 15v which can be a limitation and mean you can't use all the current capacity).

Racking - yes, Ti racks are the way to go. Those look like Servisure clips? - the only thing I would just check is that we can't see the spine behind the tape - is it a solid welded/Ti structure - or, if its bolted, just to confirm you're using a Ti spine and Ti nuts&bolts as well. As sswee says, you need to season it first (some refer to it as pickling, we tend to describe it as blueing as that's the colour turns once it is seasoned). Whilst you need to strip Aluminium racking, you don't need to strip the Ti at all - the thin blueing doesn't seem in any way to impede the contact with the workpieces.

PPE - I notice several folk have questioned the need for gloves or goggle etc. Personally, there are are a few things I've only got two of,- eyes included, so we use proper PPE just in case.

Cathode - you mention using Aluminium sheets - if at all possible would recommend you use lead (ordinary new roofing lead is OK) - otherwise your electrolyte will become overburdened with ali if you don't pull the cathodes each time. Having said that, your electrolyte does need a little ali in there, so be fully prepared that a new tank doesn't work properly the first couple of times until you've run a couple of test jobs through it. Several threads on here including cathode material; connecting; and sizing them.

Agitation or aeration - I would say you absolutely need aeration if you're not agitating (and in fact we do both) - some discussions on the board here.

You mention small items and a small 5 litre tank - once you've got the cathode, and aeration, and racked workpieces, and possibly a pyrex acquarium heater in there to get it up to initial temperature, you may find it gets tight - you have to make sure your workpiece has an even exposure to surrounding cathode material (especially if you don't have pumped circulation) so dry-check things in a 5 litre bucket before you start filling it with electrolyte (N.B. always add acid to water - it is exothermic and if you add water to the acid it can splash violently).

Another reason for a bigger tank, if you can manage it, is to have a bigger heat sink - its critical for the LCD method to keep the electrolyte in the range 68-70 F if you can - the bigger your work gets and the more heat you pump into the heat electrolytically, you need to start cooling with a Ti chiller or similar.

Water - you mentioned getting a stock of distilled water. You need to spray briefly over each tank after pulling it out, then rinse in water after each tank, and you can get through a lot of water. The water HAS to be pure - you can use distilled, but a good combined reverse-osmosis/de-ionising plant isn't expensive and will pay for itself in a very short time. Always use a different or fresh rinse-water after each tank - don't be tempted to use the same rinse water after two different process tanks.

Best advice I can give is to follow the Caswell LCD instructions - and once you have a consistently good process, then you can try cutting corners.

Dave

[dmiom]

and ...... have just noticed that you didn't explicitly mention the other process chemicals, their tanks or heaters.

If the parts are pre-made, you'll need, at a minimum, some form of degreaser, which is usually run hot. You must de-grease until the parts pass the water-break test.

After your strip/etch with purpose stripper or just lye, you may well need to dip it in de-ox/de-smut (cold) - some Aluminium alloys, after the strip/etch, can leave the non-aluminium alloy components on the surface (referred to as smut - and in fact the degree of smut can be a diagnostic pointer to the alloy). That smut needs to be removed before anodising.

After anodising and dying, you need to seal the anodising. The ano process forms a matrix of hexagonal tubes like honeycomb sticking up from the surface - that has a very slight tint to it but is basically colourless at the levels we use in the LCD method. When you dye, the dye goes down in the matrix (dye usually run heated but not too hot). Then if you just put the item into service, the dye will leach out from the matrix. The answer is to seal the tops of those cells to trap the dye in. Can be done in steam; but usual method we use is the boiling Nickel Acetate solution from Caswell. There is a lower-temperature seal but is not as hardy.

Dave

[Vendetta7]

and ...... have just noticed that you didn't explicitly mention the other process chemicals, their tanks or heaters.

If the parts are pre-made, you'll need, at a minimum, some form of degreaser, which is usually run hot. You must de-grease until the parts pass the water-break test.

After your strip/etch with purpose stripper or just lye, you may well need to dip it in de-ox/de-smut (cold) - some Aluminium alloys, after the strip/etch, can leave the non-aluminium alloy components on the surface (referred to as smut - and in fact the degree of smut can be a diagnostic pointer to the alloy). That smut needs to be removed before anodising.

After anodising and dying, you need to seal the anodising. The ano process forms a matrix of hexagonal tubes like honeycomb sticking up from the surface - that has a very slight tint to it but is basically colourless at the levels we use in the LCD method. When you dye, the dye goes down in the matrix (dye usually run heated but not too hot). Then if you just put the item into service, the dye will leach out from the matrix. The answer is to seal the tops of those cells to trap the dye in. Can be done in steam; but usual method we use is the boiling Nickel Acetate solution from Caswell. There is a lower-temperature seal but is not as hardy.

Dave

I truly appreciate your help, I really do.

When I started this, I began with misinformed assumptions. I assumed that due to the very small parts I was doing (12 sq. in.), my tanks could be smaller, and some shortcuts could be taken.

Poor assumptions on my part:
-Using an aluminum sheet as a cathode should be okay.
-I could re-use rinse tanks as opposed to dumping and refilling with fresh distilled water.
-I could begin by cleaning my parts with dish soap and warm water.
-Because I am anodizing 12 sq. in. at a time, I could get away without using agitation or aeration.
-I could get away without heaters. (still not sure about this one)
-I could dye without heating. (still not sure about this one)

I'm beginning to wonder how successful this will turn out for me. Regardless, I have ordered a large number of what you guys have suggested, including de-smut, degreaser, sealant, dyes, and psu. I have purchased my bins, spraybottles, etc. locally.

Remaining questions:

-Do I really need heater or coolers? I honestly don't have the means to constantly heat and cool my stuff, so I am hoping there is another way. Which tanks require heat and why?

-If aeration or agitation is entirely necessary for 12 sq. in., what is the easiest and most economical way to approach it.

-I'm not sure if I can obtain lead at the moment. Is it okay to start with aluminum sheets as long as I remove them after each session?

-If I am using battery acid (Napa) that I believe is 37% sulfuric, I would mix it 50/50 with distilled water, correct? If this is correct, I believe my 14x12 tank I am filling 6 inches or so high will require about 2 gallons of acid and 2 gallons of water. Those are rough estimates.

-What do you guys do with your dyes? Do you mix them and then store them in their own container? Wouldn't you end up with a ton of containers at this point? I only ordered red, blue, and black dyes for now to start, and luckily I am only dipping small parts so I should only need small pint sized containers to store and dip in (unless I need to heat them).

Thank you all for you help. I hate to ask so many questions, but I am only thorough in my attempt to be prepared and to be safe.