Parts won't even anodize?!?!

[nicschwarzer]

Hey guys,

I just tryed to anodize my first part and it went fine I just left it in there for 15 min not the recomened 90min. So after figuring out if should have been 90 min I tryed it out the next day and none of my parts bubble... anode or cathode... I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. It's set at 12 volts 2 amps.

Any help will be awesome.

Thanks,

Nick

[lcaswell]

You probably have a very thin anodize layer on there. Anodize is an insulator, so you're not able to get any power to your part now.

Strip the thin anodize off, and try again.

[nicschwarzer]

OK I put it back into the lye for a while and they still don't anno. How do I know when it's done? I'm sure there's no layer on it anymore... Any more options would be great...

Thanks!

nick

[destroyer125]

Chances are if your parts are bubbling, you may have the electrical connection backwards.

[acidrain]

Your parts aren't necessarily supposed to bubble... it's not what you look for.
Run the parts with good connections for the entire time, and then dye them. If they don't dye, then you have a problem.

[nicschwarzer]

Hello,

Thank you for the help! It worked after I stripped them for a long period of time. I dyed them and the fast blue came out like a UNC blue or transparent blue. Is there any way to make the dye darker? And is the part done anodizing after the bubbles stop?

Thanks,

nick

[acidrain]

It sounds like you need to go back and study up on the entire anodizing process...
Measure the total surface area of your parts.
Calculate your current and time needs per the 720 rule.
Anodize at the correct current for the time calculated.
I suggest using 6 amps per sq. ft. current density, and anodizing to a full 1mil thickness for good color depth.