As an Amazon Associate & eBay Partner: we earn from qualifying purchases

Grok.com: "What is the best website for metal finishing questions and answers?"

"Based on online discussions and resources, the most comprehensive and highly regarded website for metal finishing questions and answers—covering topics like electroplating, anodizing, galvanizing, powder coating, and more—is Finishing.com. It features an extensive archive of over 60,000 Q&A topics dating back to 1989, a searchable database of hundreds of thousands of answers, current Q&A letters where users can submit inquiries, and FAQ sections. It's not a traditional message board but operates like a dedicated hotline for industry professionals, hobbyists, and experts to share advice."

Home /
T.O.C.
Fun
FAQs
Good
Books
Ref.
Libr.
Adver-
tise
Help
Wanted
Current
Q&A's
Site 🔍
Search
finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry


  -----

How to do blue coloring on cast aluminum





I am making 6' aluminum castings of blue Herons and would like to color them w/ blue and black. I know they can be dipped commercially, but want to do them by hand to achieve better effect. We are sculptors (and stone masons) who work in metals, stone and wood. These are cast in the "lost foam" method.

Thank you,

Kenton Pies
- Gold Bar, Washington, USA
2003


A. Hi Kenton. The castings can be brush anodized and dyed, I believe. Any time you are working with castings there will be impurities that make clear anodizing difficult or impossible, but as long as you're looking for a dark blue-black, I anticipate that you can anodize and dye them. Warning, though, there's a lot of steps and labor! Talk to a supplier of brush plating equipment.

But before you do, try the simple idea of a permanent marker. They work pretty well on aluminum.

Regards

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha

finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

Ted is available for instant help
or longer-term assistance.

2003



"Casting Aluminum"
casting_aluminum1985
on eBay
or Amazon
or AbeBooks

(affil link)
2003

A. Your castings can be chemically oxidized and dyed:

Chemical oxidizing:
2-5% sodium carbonate ⇦ on eBay or Amazon]
0,5-2,5% potassium chromate
1 lit. water
90-100 °C, 3-5 min(for 100 dm2)

Hot immersion( only grease free objects)! Thoroughly rinse and then dye!

Blue dye for aluminum (2 step process):
SOLUTION 1- 50 gm. iron(III) sulphate,1 lit. water,50 °C temp.
SOLUTION 2- 25 GM potassium ferro(II)cyanide, 1 lit. water, 50 °C.

Immerse object in solution 1 (2-10 sec.), thoroughly rinse and then immerse in solution 2, rinse again and dry and lacquer object. Instead immersion solution may be sprayed or brushed.

Goran Budija
- Cerovski vrh Croatia




(No "dead threads" here! If this page isn't currently on the Hotline your Q, A, or Comment will restore it)

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread



Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories:

Finishing
Jobshops
Capital
Equipment
Chemicals &
Consumables
Consult'g,
& Software


About/Contact  -  Privacy Policy  -  ©1995-2025 finishing.com, Pine Beach, New Jersey, USA  -  about "affil links"