Newbie needs your help!!!

[Zouky]

Hi all,

I really like Caswell LCD anodizing method but I cannot buy them because I live in Asia, cannot ship those kits back here.

So i try to do by myself: I use nitric acid 5% to clean off the parts and 15% sulfuric acid to anodize the parts then go to dye. I just buy dye from the market and have no idea if they are the right ones or not but they said that's for aluminum anodizing.

After dyeing I put them into the hot boiling water for sealing but my parts didn't take the colors at all.

Anyone can give me some hints what i did wrong and why the parts didn't take the colors.

I use very small parts about 30mm wide, 50mm long and 1mm thick, I use automatic voltage stabilizer 50A max and 300V max.

I try to run them at 10ASF. Am I using too big a rectifier or my dye is not suitable?

Thanks in advance.

Zouky

[mcaswell]

Sounds like you aren't following the LCD instructions.

Your solution should be at:
3 gals distilled water
1 gal battery acid (=33% sulfuric acid)

10 asf is too high.
How long did you anodize for?
How did you make the connection?

Did you check the surface for conductivity?

Did you actually download the LCD instructions?

[Zouky]

Originally Posted by caswell

Sounds like you aren't following the LCD instructions.

Your solution should be at:
3 gals distilled water
1 gal battery acid (=33% sulfuric acid)

10 asf is too high.
How long did you anodize for?
How did you make the connection?

Did you check the surface for conductivity?

Did you actually download the LCD instructions?

Hi Caswell,

Yes I did downloaded it and read it but I did it quite a long time ago so there are a few things I forgot ... the parameters but after a few runs I quitted. Now I determined to come back to see what went wrong.

I hook two sides of the cathode into negative and one anode (parts) into the postitive.

My big question is Can I use the AUTOMATIC VOLTAGE STABILIZER? I just came to the market and they said this one cannot do anodizing. They supply to me some off line knob to adjust the voltage.

i am not sure this is the rectifier or not. please help! maybe they trick me

[sswee]

http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/lcd_ano.pdf

You need to go over the LCD anodizing manual again.

My big question is Can I use the AUTOMATIC VOLTAGE STABILIZER? I just came to the market and they said this one cannot do anodizing. They supply to me some off line knob to adjust the voltage.

AUTOMATIC VOLTAGE STABILIZER, from a brief search on the web, converts 110/120 to 220/240 or the other way and cleans up dirty power. This is dealing with AC current. Anodizing deals with DC current. If you are hooking up AC current to an anodizing tank you are risking personal injury. You need to get your power supply straightened out before attempting to anodize. A rectifier converts AC current to DC current and needs to be constant current capable.
SS

[Zouky]

Thanks a lot, I think that stabilizer doesn't work. That's why I did not have any color! Let me go to find a new rectifier.

Thanks a lot for your helps.

Zouky

[Zouky]

I also have another question, in the LCD manual, it mentioned about degreaser step and de-oxidizer step.

I do not have those chemical from Caswell, can anyone tell me what other generic chemical i can use and specific concentration and temperature.

Thanks,

Zouky

[sswee]

You can use dishwashing detergent and warm water to degrease. The part needs to pass the water break test.
Sodium hydroxide (lye) at approx. 6% for DeOx. It is commonly found in drain cleaners. I use sodium hydroxide as an etch. It will dull or take away any shine if used too long. On low grade alum. it will cause smut, a gray or black film to cover the part. Caswell DeOx/DeSmut is the way to go if you can get it.
When mixing solutions for anodize or rinsing between steps, you need to use distilled water, reverse osmosis filtered water or strained rain water. Using tap water will cause a long list of problems. Best of luck. SS