anno question (how not to anno part of a part)

[peeeto]

anyone experienced with anno: how to keep from stripping and/or annodizing portions of parts?

specifically, anno'ing barrels - how to keep the interior untouched?

one thought i had would be to dip it in (or fill the interior with) wax, which would also fill port holes, then remove the wax from the exterior (final wipe down with solvent).

unknown if the wax would dissolve during stripping (using NaOH), or during anno process in the acid bath (also would depend on how warm the acid bath got).

any input on my idea, or other methods?

[djellum]

inserts

If you get a barrel kit with inserts like the freak or Scepter you could anno the barrel inside and out since the inserts are what makes the control bore. I would go with the scepter if you look into this since the barrel is beviled to line up the insert to it, making it easier to adjust for differences.

Annoing shouldnt change it a ton (large bore stock barrel probably wouldnt notice), but it can mess up the preciseness of the control bore in good barrels. If you are an overborer anyway it probably doesnt matter.

[peeeto]

for barrel concerns, i've read that strip & anno process could change bore size up to 0.002" (making 0.689 into 0.691). plus, some barrels have coatings (J&J ceramic) and/or are polished inside.

i'm asking the question, though, for a more general answer. after reading more about finishing, the proper term for what i'm asking about is "masking". so i'm wondering what masking agents/techniques are used in anno'ing?

for the dye process, i understand that even a quality masking tape would work for some areas, and sometime a silkscreen process is used.

but my main concerns is the stripping & annodizing processes - what agents/techniques are used to keep portions of parts untouched?

if i ever try anno'ing, i'll definitely be doing some test pieces first, and can test different masking techniques - the wax one intrigues me because i can imagine, for example, using that method to maintain the tolerances of all internal passages while only changing the finish of the outside of a marker body.

argh - too much coffee & typing out loud so will quit typing now...