again hanging issues

[fourkbmx]

hi, could please any one help me with some hanging issues i have. im really new in anodizing stuff, so im really lost here, because sometimes the way i do the hanging works but sometimes it really doesn´t, these are the main parts i anodize, i also would like if someone can post pics of similar parts, and the way they hang them.

ps. if someone knows how calculate APF let me know.

[acidrain]

What is APF?
If you mean amps per foot, we call it CD (current density). YOU pick the current density... I suggest 6 amps per sq ft.
Carefully measure the surface area (SA) of your part.
Use the 720 rule calculator (stickied at the top of the page) to calculate required amps and time (go for 1mil for black, red, and dark colors, .75mil for medium dark colors, and .5mil for light colors).
Adjust your PS to hold the exact current (amps) for the entire time of the run.
Use titanium rod (type 1 or 2) bent into a shape that makes an inside spring clamp like this:

[fourkbmx]

thanks for the reply it was really helpfull, but now i have another question, i just bought a 1/8" Ti grade 2 wire, but i heard that there's a cure procedure that needs to be done to the racks and the wire before anodizing any Al parts, (my racks are made of 6061 Al) please help me out, i dont want to screw my Ti, it was hard to find it in the area i live.

[acidrain]

Run the Ti at full power by itself in your ano tank. For me, the voltage curve starts really high at first, then quickly calms down to nearly zero. The Ti will turn color (blue in my case).
Now it's pickled, and can be used over and over.

[sswee]

Sometimes holding a part without leaving noticeable marks is not easy. If you have 1/8" Ti, you're headed the right way. This part took some thinking and playing with to get a consistent hold method.

http://forum.caswellplating.com/phot...php/photo/1882

You are going to have to get a adjustable CV/CC PS to get the results you want on repeated runs. The non adjustable 13.8V 12A is good for checking electronics but won't cut it for anodizing.

SS

[fourkbmx]

do you think i need to buy a powerfull source?, at the beginning i did runs without controling amps, but then i made a output device that controls amps and volts. what do you think was the issue?, the power of the source or controlling amps and volts?
thanks for the reply on hanging issues

[sswee]

You have a way to control the current now?
If it's not a variable CV/CC PS, you'll need to watch the whole run and adjust the current to the calculated amount for the part.
The uncontrolled way of anodizing, sometimes called let her rip method, is not reliable and often gives results good enough to cause confusion when it does not work but but does not offer consistancy or reliability.
The current is what grows the coating and the more even application of current, the more even a coating can be grown. A PS with a 13.8V limit is only good for approximately a 4.5A current density(CD). A 4.5A CD is .03125A per square inch of part. This means a 12A PS will do 384 square inches of part at a 4.5A CD. The voltage tells what CD a PS is capable of and the amperage tells what size part the PS will do.
SS