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Q&As since 1989


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Anodize setup at home

I set up a small anodize tank in my garage, and have had wonderful results thus far.
I am looking to upscale my operation, currently I use a 6 1/2 gallon plastic bucket (o.k. quit laughing) with lead plate cathods, and a d.c. rectifier, and fish tank heaters to maintain temperature. I've seen alot of talk of using aluminum cathods instead, will the time/amperage settings and/or electrolyte solution change when using aluminum? I am currently building new tanks using 10" dia. PVC pipe, I capped the ends and cut out the side, so I can anodize long parts without needing 50 gallons of acid solution, and would like to hear any advise to get the best results. I'd really like to discontinue the use of lead plates. THANKS!

David Kitts
hobbyist and growing - Sterling Heights, Michigan, USA
2005

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Recently there were quite a few letters posted by a gentleman from Manitoba in Canada - use the search engine here on the website to look for letters containing "Manitoba" and you should be able to find a lot of answers to your questions.

Be very aware of one thing though - if by "hobbyist and growing" you mean that you plan on becoming a commercial anodizing shop to any degree whatsoever (do ONE part and charge money for it, and you qualify) there are a large quantity of environmental and legal regulations that you have to follow or face astronomical fines. You will REALLY want to look into making sure that you have all the proper permits before being paid for any anodizing that you do.

Good luck.

Jim Gorsich
Compton, California, USA
2005