A guide to Anodize Titanium on a budget

[lunas]

So you filled the cup with water till the top?

do you think the wire is better than alligator clips?

When you did the touchup with the tap water, did the color come out the same as with the borax?

just below the top enough to cover the piece to be anodized without touching the coil i would recommend using a bigger cup and keeping the distance equal across the whole piece im guessing that is the reason for the color gradient i got on my light vs the skull piece

i would use the alligator clips going from the batteries to the wire and still use wire going from the piece to be anodized.

and the touch up the spots i touched with the tap water turned the same color as the surrounding metal. The color you get from this is voltage dependent so if your going for the color 27 volts gives it will be the same color i suppose if you left it sit for long enough at a given voltage it should slowly grow thicker through the full spectrum of color.

The higher the voltage the thicker the anodized layer and the thicker it is changes how it refracts the light.

In the end i would say what substance you use does not really matter as long as it conducts electricity for the electrolysis by using water and borax i ended up with a solution i could watch the piece change color i know the main complaint about using pepsi or coke is you cant see the color change while it is going on.

 

[ChibiM]

with the method you used, is the anodized color bright or rather dull?

 

[lunas]

i would say it is bright it has a mirror like finish on the smooth spots.

 

[ChibiM]

So you mean that it is as bright as these?

from this thread

just curious what the max vibrance is on home made anodizing.

 

[lunas]

i would say yes but mine was singular in color the exception of the flashlight which has a gradient similar to the one on the far left and not as much of the purple and gold.

the other thing is i have been finding my finish is rather easily scratched my skull bottle opener pictured first has lots of wear spots all over it from being on my keys. I have not put the light on anything it sits in my pocket alone so it has fared much better as far as the finish goes.

I would be curious to know if higher amperage results in a more durable coating I know voltage is what determines the color.

If i were to do it more often i would get a bench power supply that i can dial in amps and volts i would prefer to do 27-30v @ .5-1A rather than .15A.

 

[ChibiM]

Interesting!
Maybe I should sand my ITP a3 again, and give it another try.
Just curious how much difference there is between different ingredients.
(but I dont have the time to experiment)

 

[Christoph]

Here is my latest first time using batteries my bolt action pen.
using washing soda dissolved in distilled water SS cathode.



Chris

 

[ChibiM]

Thats not bad! Do you like it? how many batteries did you use?

 

[Mr. Nobody]

Bumping this thread because this is cool !

 

[more_vampires]

100% awesome. Thanks very much, everyone!

 

[hbk_rey]

Chibi, that's really awesome. been watching the video. will take my shot soon.