Can't get it right.

[myillwillinc]

sell me your kit if u get rid of it......lol

[Empire03]

seems to be the power supply.Also could be the dye temp.They suggest 140.Also the parts don't all the sudden bubble well at least mine don't unless its 2x or 7x alloy.The anodizing process can be a confusing thing.Do you have every little bit of water u use as distilled?Color can also be changed by the run time the longer the run time the better the color in most cases.That rit dye is nothing but trouble.


If you need any help i can more than likely try seeing as i just started and had problems to.

[mkriegs]

You sound almost exactly like me when I first started, and for me it ended up being the rit dye that was doing it. Just get some caswell dye and mix it up with distilled water (the DW is important) and you'd be surprised how much difference it makes.

[LotteryWinner]

I tried again with better connections(threaded the hole and also had a bolt with a hole through it across the top bar. I did get a perfect connection. I was even able to run it at 12v 6a without it disconnecting unlike all the other runs.

I didn't do my time calculation but I ran it for roughly an hour or more. The cathode bubbled somewhat but the anode didn't.

Off to the dye, I let it sit in the bath at 60 degrees(celcius) which is 140 for you americans for again, about an hour. I got the same results as my very first run.

I would show you guys a picture but my camera just died. But the peice I have here IS indeed red. Just very faint, almost like a crappy stain. There are a few spots where the red DID seem to dwelve deeper into the metal and thus darker(too bad it wasn't the whole part tho).

It's almost like the metal I am using isn't the right type. It could be the voltage/amps? Maybe the etching process? I let it etch till the whole surface turned a different color then I scrubbed it off. I did the WB test and it was like a spot free rinse.

Maybe it's just the rit? Though I have seen pictures of parts done with rit and they look way better then this.

One last question. Should the anode bubble? At all?

[LotteryWinner]

And yes, nothing but the distilled water. I use so much of it I might as well invest in one of those reverse osmosis systems. Invest being if I can ever get this to work right.

[Empire03]

Originally Posted by LotteryWinner

I tried again with better connections(threaded the hole and also had a bolt with a hole through it across the top bar. I did get a perfect connection. I was even able to run it at 12v 6a without it disconnecting unlike all the other runs.

I didn't do my time calculation but I ran it for roughly an hour or more. The cathode bubbled somewhat but the anode didn't.

Off to the dye, I let it sit in the bath at 60 degrees(celcius) which is 140 for you americans for again, about an hour. I got the same results as my very first run.

I would show you guys a picture but my camera just died. But the peice I have here IS indeed red. Just very faint, almost like a crappy stain. There are a few spots where the red DID seem to dwelve deeper into the metal and thus darker(too bad it wasn't the whole part tho).

It's almost like the metal I am using isn't the right type. It could be the voltage/amps? Maybe the etching process? I let it etch till the whole surface turned a different color then I scrubbed it off. I did the WB test and it was like a spot free rinse.

Maybe it's just the rit? Though I have seen pictures of parts done with rit and they look way better then this.

One last question. Should the anode bubble? At all?

Its good that you got a nice connection and all but you didn't leave it in long enough.Well I say you didn't but it all depends on the metal type and thickness you want.I can sum it down to 2 things right about now.The etching process(which is not needed at all) or its the dye.When you say the parts are like a stained effect do you mean its mostly cloudy with a few gloss spots?If so, I have found that the cloud effect comes from not cleaning the compound off the part completely.

[sswee]

I tried again with better connections(threaded the hole and also had a bolt with a hole through it across the top bar. I did get a perfect connection. I was even able to run it at 12v 6a without it disconnecting unlike all the other runs.
It's not always easy to get a goo connection. This shows what I was talking about earlier.
I didn't do my time calculation but I ran it for roughly an hour or more. The cathode bubbled somewhat but the anode didn't.
For the low CD you are running, this is not enough time. My runs are 90 minutes at 8 ASF.
Off to the dye, I let it sit in the bath at 60 degrees(celcius) which is 140 for you americans for again, about an hour. I got the same results as my very first run.
You are getting the same results I did with RIT dye. It's a combination of the dye with too thin a coating.
I would show you guys a picture but my camera just died. But the peice I have here IS indeed red. Just very faint, almost like a crappy stain. There are a few spots where the red DID seem to dwelve deeper into the metal and thus darker(too bad it wasn't the whole part tho).
Possibly a metal prep problem

Maybe it's just the rit? Though I have seen pictures of parts done with rit and they look way better then this.
You are getting the same results I did with RIT dye. It's a combination of the dye with too thin a coating.

One last question. Should the anode bubble? At all?
Don't worry too much with this.

[LotteryWinner]

Yeah the acid time must be off because I can easily scratch the surface of the peice and silver shows through.

So more time and better dye. I also have schematics for a better power supply which would be constant current and not constant voltage like my little battery charger. And all the other power supplies I have looked at are in the 3 hundred range and very limited around Red Deer (boonies).

Time for me to order up some of that caswell dye. Looks promising.

[LotteryWinner]

Originally Posted by Empire03

Its good that you got a nice connection and all but you didn't leave it in long enough.Well I say you didn't but it all depends on the metal type and thickness you want.I can sum it down to 2 things right about now.The etching process(which is not needed at all) or its the dye.When you say the parts are like a stained effect do you mean its mostly cloudy with a few gloss spots?If so, I have found that the cloud effect comes from not cleaning the compound off the part completely.

No, the whole part is of the same texture and profile as it went in the tank. I did etch it only enough for the thin layer of oxide to be eaten away (you can pretty much watch it progress within seconds).

But thanks for all the help guys. I'm sure some caswell dye the 720 rule and a better power source will fix all my problems.