DIY Anodizing Reel/Rod/Parts

[Maxed Out]

Very nicely done luckyguy

Is there a certain amount of time it takes to anodize fully, and can you make it thicker by double dipping ?

  The reel looks great with the refinished frame.

  Ted

[theluckpusher]

did you have to polish the raw aluminum or did you just wet sand the aluminum frame ----

[luckyguy]

SO here we go:

READ ALLTHESE and tomorrow i will post Stripping procedures with pictures.

Introduction:

Electroplating- is a Science, an Art and a Skill,,,blah ,,blah.. blah..and i advise you who are interested, to do your research more on the subject to be able to gain an additional knowledge and understanding. Search  the electroplating process that you are interested and related topics on the net and view some electroplating videos in you tube.

Important:

Since we are dealing with chemicals in this process, we must always adhere to the Cardinal Rule of Chemistry:
 
Triple A's:  A - always
                 A-   add
                    A-    acid to the water. ( Do not do it in reverse.)It may explode or create hazardous/serious chemical                                                    reactions.


Chemicals are dangerous if not properly handled, so be always aware of safety every time you are doing an electroplating process.
Electrical tools, such as battery chargers, bench grinders,dremel and other rotary tools can create serious injuries too if you don't know how to use it. So , please be careful when operating this tools and body safety protection must be used in every different stages of the process, such as airway filter mask,hand gloves,protection eyeglasses and etc.

It is always great to enjoy fishing while having both eyes and in complete limbs .  

Observe proper safe storage and safe disposal of unused chemicals according to your local laws and ordinances.


In this anodizing process we will be using these chemicals:
                               
                               Chemical name:        Layman's Term
                             
                               Hydrochloric Acid =   MURIATIC ACID
                               SULFURIC ACID    =   Battery Solutions
                               PURE H2O           =   Distilled water

                   and other applicable all purpose cleaners, degreasers, spot removers, common soap, common cloth dye coloring.  

The lists above is only for this demonstration, there are others who uses more than these to achieve more desirable results.        

IMPORTANT TO READ:

The MURIATIC ACID (Hydrochloric acid)-  I really DO NOT RECOMMEND this for the beginners to use. This is highly corrosive and there's a lot of malodorous fumes produced when exposed to air which are highly dangerous to be inhaled.

Then WHY DID YOU PUT IT AMONG THE MATERIALS???

          Reasons: 1.) In my early times in another country, this is the main chemical we used there for initial stripping of those old electroplated  objects and i already have the necessary experienced in using it.

                       2.) Availability, and commonly used as household cleaning agents., ( I use this for demo purposes only to show that it can be use as a last resort if there is no other chemical available in your area provided you do have a previous electroplating experiences.)

But again i do not recommend this MURIATIC ACID for beginners, it needs experience, skills and techniques which you can acquire in later period of time if you continue to electroplate objects.


WHAT IS THE Recommended ANODIZED Stripping Chemicals:

Anodize & Chrome Stripper Solution
$5.99 (CASWELL).

In these modern days, many chemical companies have already developed and produce more safe and user friendly chemicals for different electroplating projects.

*****There is no more need to use the MURIATIC ACID primarily as stripping solutions.

These well known chemical companies such as CASWELL, Brownells and others, are now selling complete packages of chemicals to be use for any electroplating projects that you are planning to do, so go and buy it from them if you can afford for safety purposes as beginners.

The dye colors that they are selling are highly made for anodizing purposes than the RIT dye we are using in this demonstrations.
It means,,if you use their dye colors, there is a guarantee to get to the nearest desired coloring results and color will stay longer .

We just use the basic coloring dyes and chemicals in this demo so that for those who cannot afford, may start to learn anodizing by using only rit dye,,,but please buy the stripping solutions from them it is safer and,,it is only 5.99 USD...whereas the Muriatic Acid is dangerous for beginners and cost more 8.99USD.

However, it does not mean that RIT DYE is not so good because it is cheap....this Rit dye can also produce good results if proper stripping procedures are done,,,,,,and this STRIPPING PROCEDURES is what i am talking about as the MOST IMPORTANT stage in any electroplating process.

As you learn more later, you will understand that all stages are important and why the stripping stage is the most important.

Again, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the modern and proper stripping solutions available  at CASWELL or Brownells or other electroplating companies.


I hope you read all of these before you decide to try the process. Once you learn, you will crave for more knowledge on this and the results on your projects are worth learning as long as you do it correctly and safely.

I also hope that this anodizing topic will continue and I encourage those who try to anodize, to show their project results here for members evaluations and for knowledge sharing among us.

Anodizing process now is so popular that you can get easy informations from anywhere, and the techniques are improving, So, for those who really are interested to DIY, try this and be safe..GOOD luck to all of your projects, be safe,,please show the results by sharing it here if you can.
Thanks again for all of your interest about this topic.

[luckyguy]

Here's the stripping process:

NOTE:

This MURIATIC ACID IS NOT ADVISABLE FOR BEGINNERS: USE THE CASWELL ANODIZING STRIPPING SOLUTION' muriatic was used here for demonstration purposes only.

RATIO: 1:1

Muriatic acid : Distilled water  
(ex. in 1 cup water, add 1 cup acid ),,use measuring cup.

Remember the 3 A's rule..Always Add Acid to the water: Means, water must be put first in the container then add the acid slowly:

WATER FIRST




Prepare a neutralizer solution, in this demonstration i used the common handwashing liquid soap and plain water, boil it up then put it aside near you working area.



For heavy coated / electroplated object prepare a metal pan/basin use the same ratio then heat it for a few seconds only and  dipped the workpiece while it is tied to an ordinary wire to hold.

This process needs a skill, and not advisable if you are a beginner since the acid reacts strongly and quickly to attack and strip the coating/anodized layer of the workpiece. So, you have to be quick to remove the workpiece from the pan to avoid damage. In just a few seconds an active chemical reactions will occur and fumes are emitted , so you have to wear your airway mask protection and do it outside in a well ventilated area. This technique is done in a matter of seconds only,then dipped the workpiece into the hot neutralizer solution that you have prepared as above. You can buy a commercial stripping solutions with the neutralizers included just do your research.




As you can see, there is an immediate stripping effect using this method, but needs a skill on your part. Any delayed movements from taking it away at the right time will damage the workpiece.



Dipped it directly to the heated neutralizer solution you prepared once it leaves the acid bath.



For lightly coated anodized workpiece you can do another technique as above but this time , no need to heat the solution, just put it in a bowl with same ratio as stated, then put the workpiece and move it by rolling the workpiece in the solution while holding the wire. This takes more time to remove the coatings but it is a little easier than the above technique because you can see the reactions much slower and have time to decide when to take it out.




THEN AGAIN PUT IT DIRECTLY TO THE HEATED NEUTRALIZER SOLUTION TO CLEANSE AND STOP THE ACTION OF ACID.



There are some parts in the workpiece that is not totally stripped off, but don't worry, it can be removed easily by sandpaper / rotary tools by now.

Use rotary tools, bench grinders , dremels, needle files, scrubbing pads to remove the old coatings and rust on the workpiece.

THEN do the necessary polishing, buffing, and shining on the workpiece. Never leave a single tiny spots or pittings in the visible areas as much as possible , find the most less visible / hidden area to tie your aluminum wire when it is ready for the next step in the process. It must  look like this.




The workpiece must be clean and wash thoroughly and you can see other videos in you tube on how to do it.


Remember that the beauty of the coatings, will only show as what it has been prepared, so,,the stripping process and metal preparations is one of the most important part of this project to arrived in a perfect anodizing results.

The next step in the process are already available in some you tube videos, it's the same and simple, what i want to emphasize here is the importance of the cleaning/stripping stage of the process.

I hope you enjoy this simple tutorials and tips, you can expand your knowledge by more research on the subject and,,,,do more practice.

Practice first by doing anodizing on scrap aluminum parts, once you have the confidence do it in your reel or other workpiece.

I encourage you to post your project results here for a more learnings on this topic,,,thanks for your interest.

[Marcq]

Oven cleaner works really well stripping anodizing, it's fast and less dangerous.I've done it many times


Marc..

[Ron Jones]

Fantastic job. Thanks for the lesson.
Ron

[Tightlines667]

Great stuff here.. keep it coming.

[Wolli]

found interesting instructions from a German company about anodizing

this the English version:

www.electronic-thingks.de/en/anodising-guide.html

[luckyguy]

@Marcq and Wolli,

  Thanks for the product info and additional content of anodizing information. That will greatly contribute to this topic, so i urge everyone who try to anodize to post your newly discovered related products and additional infos.

   I'm inviting all who tried anodizing to show here the before and after photos of your projects so the other members can see and evaluate what went wrong and what goes right for evaluation purposes and possible remedies.

  Start anodizing safely, have fun and let's make the fishing world happy and help them restore their aluminum reels by having a more colorful and durable reels  to fish.

[gstours]

Hey , I just found out whats going on,   count me in.........  I,m sure it will catch on as people come out of the woodwork.  Thanks for the offer.   We can all learn more everyday!   Colors are endless and I,m excited.   Thanks again.   gst,

[luckyguy]

@gstours,

     Yup, you are welcome, anybody can post the outcome of their anodized project fishing reels and gadgets here for further discussions and tutorial.

Additional info, techniques and procedures that you can share are also welcome to be posted here. We expect to see it in a few days from now, some members maybe just started working on their project.

[luckyguy]

There's a lot more to learn.

Here's another awesome reel from AVET COMPANY ''DORADO REEL''

Very nice colors





CAMOUFLAGE