problem with black dye

[johnnie7]

hi guys

i wonder if you can help me...i am very stupid and slow and new to this so please bear with me

i got all my full kit from carswell UK and im really happy with it

i use a small 9-14v ni-cad battery charger with varable amp output...it seems only to put out very low ampage but i only colour really small parts ...so maybe i would not want much bigger ampage?

temp here in scotland varys a lot from summer to winter...it may be a factor...ill need do some testing in that area


the problem---the black die on some parts seems to be dark and lush...but on others its more a dark blue


any ideas please let me know

best wishes
john

[johnnie7]

im not heating the dye now...they are at room temperature
how do i heat the die properly without it forming gel

i see in some other posts peeps mention heating the die...how hot are we talking? in degress cenigrade

[mkriegs]

140*F so 60*C.

Heating the dye definitely makes a whole world of difference, when I first started I couldn't get any color at all with the dyes at room temp. For heating dyes, you can either buy a thermostat setup like the one caswell sells (you might have gotten one with your kit but I'm not sure) or just buy a cheap pot and a candy thermometer and monitor the temperature closely.

ps - the temperature varies a lot where I live too and the solution I came up with was to set up a range hood move all my equipment indoors.

[acidrain]

Get a good digital thermometer and for small amounts, just heat it in the microwave.
All of your chimicals are temperature sensitive:
de-smut 120F
SP degreaser 120F-140F
Ano bath 70F
Dye 140F

[johnnie7]

hi guys thanks for the help
i got 2 heaters with the uk kit...look like fish tank heaters

when i used 1 of them to heat the black dye i noticed the black dye formed gel like blobs...could i have had the temp thermostate set at to high a temp?

whats confusing me most is the uk kit has low temp stamped on some of the products l...this differs from the carswell manual descriptions

also do you think my ni cad battery charger is up for the job of powering the system for small match box size jobs?

pic of the bluey black enclosed

best wishes
john

[johnnie7]

Originally Posted by mkriegs

140*F so 60*C.

Heating the dye definitely makes a whole world of difference, when I first started I couldn't get any color at all with the dyes at room temp. For heating dyes, you can either buy a thermostat setup like the one caswell sells (you might have gotten one with your kit but I'm not sure) or just buy a cheap pot and a candy thermometer and monitor the temperature closely.

ps - the temperature varies a lot where I live too and the solution I came up with was to set up a range hood move all my equipment indoors.

mmm thats helped

but at room temp i get some great colours like flouresant pink and bright blue.... and yet i find the gold takes over night to get a deep colour ,...so i must be doing something wrong

i noticed a sticky on checking the dye ph ill check that asap

best wishes
john

[johnnie7]

Originally Posted by acidrain

Get a good digital thermometer and for small amounts, just heat it in the microwave.
All of your chimicals are temperature sensitive:
de-smut 120F
SP degreaser 120F-140F
Ano bath 70F
Dye 140F

ok ill get on to that#

i dont use the supplyed degresser (maybe thats my problem?)...i normally turn the parts from solid and then polish them to a mirror shine ...
then i use a different degreeser..its more water based and leaves the parts quickly when rinsed and water beads dont form on the surface..so hopefully that ok??

the de smut is that the same as the deoxiser in my uk kit?


thanks for putting up with me

john

[acidrain]

You might have the low-temp sealer (forgot to mention that one). If nickel is a controlled metal in your country, that may explain it. Simply steam sealing with distilled water is an option too.
What other chemicals do you have? Are they also low temp?
As for your power source... measure the surface area of your parts, multiply by (for example) 6 amps per sq. ft. (sorry, you'll have to convert) for your power needs. You'll need at least 15 volts, plus whatever amperage is calculated.


Flourescent pink is an instant color, but dark colors like black need heat for sure.

[M_D]

When black dye turns out bluish it is often because the anodizing layer is too thin, so extending the anodizing time or using more amps per square foot will probably help. As far as the gold dye, it should just take a few minutes to a half hour if everything is else is ok, if it takes all night something is not right. The dye PH does make a significant difference on many colors, even some black dyes, so check that out too.

[johnnie7]

ok will look into checking the PH of the dye as well

here is some pics of the stuff im using in the kit