What do I need thats not included in an ano kit?

[july_favre]

Im looking into getting an anodizing kit and I would like to know what else I would need thats not included and about how much those would cost.
Also, after I have everything, whats the average time until I need to replace supplies and what needs to be replaced then? Thanks

[mcaswell]

You'll need a power supply, some battery acid, some aluminum wire and a few lengths of regular electrical wire to make connections.

Time to replace depends on a wide variety of factors...how many parts did you anodize, how big were they, how thick did you grow the layer. It's really hard to say. But, you will anodizing many, many parts before you need to replace anything.

[july_favre]

How much can I expect to spend on the acid?

What is involved with doing different designs like fades etc. WHy do they cost 2,3 or 4 times the amount of a single color from most shops. Is it the materials cost or the work that your paying for?

[Tim Wiltse]

Jasen,

The acid should cost you about $12.00 for a 5 gallon bucket from your local NAPA store. Like Caswell said all that you will need is the acid($12), distilled water(store $1.00 a gallon), a battery charger(2/6amp $25/$30 Auto Zone)), some aluminum wire in different sizes($2/$5 roll Lowes,Home Depot, Radio Shack), aluminum bar i.e. task bar($5.00 Lowes-Home Depot). Thats about all I needed to get going. Fades cost more because of the time to do them! The acid will last a long time the only real reoccuring costs will be wire, distilled water and dye.

Tim