Letter 34018

Aluminum Rainbow Plating Question

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Hello, I've been searching around for a while on information on rainbow plating and who can do them for individual customers. I'm a paintball collector/player, and have learned about Rainbow plating through my fencing coach. He had blades that were done in this process. From what I've gathered it can be done on aluminum, but I'm curious to know how the finish will turn out, and if anyone could point me in a good direction for a good plating company.

Thanks for your time and responses,

Luke Swanson
hobbyist - Sacramento, CA, USA

That finish is done on titanium via anodizing. Although aluminum can be anodized, it is a very different process than titanium anodizing and I don't think it can be made to exhibit that rainbow color.

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

Highly polished aluminum can be chem filmed and have a wide spectra on colors. Poor wear resistance and corrosion resistance.The paintball folks use a lot of masking and dying, but these are normally sharp demarcations. Rainbowing cane be done with inks and air brush. Differential dying will give a wide variation in color, but certainly not with the irridescence of the titanium anodizing.

PS, The precise methods are extremely proprietary, thus not published and thus a lot of trial and error.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida

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