Anodize vs. Powder Coat

[cpowellpumphrey]

My wife is making wind chimes. She wants me to anodize and dye aluminum tubes so they will be colored. I am thinking that perhaps powder coating would be a better deal since there are more colors available, or so it seems. To cut to the chase here are my questions.
1. Which method is better for outdoor aluminum coating? I want the process to be free from sun fading.
2. Powder Coating seems to have a wider color availability. Do you agree?
3. The start up costs seem to be about the same or am I mistaken? Power supply vs compressor; guns and stuff vs tanks, tubes, buckets and tubs.
4. I have seen Powder Coated wind chimes but they are always in flat black. Any particular reason that you're aware of?
5. The learning curve seems to be about the same. Meaning that they both will take about the same amount of time to learn to do right. Do you agree?
6. Does powder coating change the tone of aluminum tubing? From what I have seen it doesn't seem to. I know anodizing does not change the tone which is the important thing. The flat black chimes I have seen sound like just fine.

Any help you experienced guys could provide would be much appreciated.

[cpowellpumphrey]

I guess I ought to add that if this works out it will be my retirement job starting next year.

[SCOTTRODS]

I guess I ought to add that if this works out it will be my retirement job starting next year.

Powder will indeed have an affect on the tone,.... it adds mass, and screws with Cymbals too..... If the tubes are cut AFTER coating, the tone will be adjustable to the new density and mass change. Anodized WILL NOT have any adverse tone issues.

The tone issues may be negligible but they will exist with PC.

I haven't a clue what the costs are on the anodizing set-up and operation, but the cost of starting up powder coating can be all over the place, depending on the level of perfection you seek. You can go as cheap as a couple of hundred dollars or as much as several tens of thousands.... The volume and type of powder coating can have a say in how much the start up costs are also.