An easy, DIY alternative to anodizing

[angrysasquatch]

Can you also let us know more about your draino capers? I'm interested in how long you left it in, because a little while back on PBN a bunch of stupid kids left the guns in draino mixture too long and the tolerances were way off. I'm very interested in doing this to my stuff but i don't want any screw ups.

And your stuff turned out great, can anyone think of a way to easily introduce some variance in the colour so it doesn't look like plastic? Not dissing yours but its not the look I'm going for.

Thanks a lot.

[JoshK]

I believe he said he used matte type paint...I could be wrong. You could use a coat of shiney clear coat which would spruce up the gloss

[wjr]

I wonder...how would this coating alone look? You said after it is applied it appears goldish? Do you have any pictures with just the coating, no spray paint?

I could take some I guess. But the coating alone isn't very nice looking. It just sort of gives the aluminum a goldish tinge.

Can you also let us know more about your draino capers? I'm interested in how long you left it in, because a little while back on PBN a bunch of stupid kids left the guns in draino mixture too long and the tolerances were way off. I'm very interested in doing this to my stuff but i don't want any screw ups.
And your stuff turned out great, can anyone think of a way to easily introduce some variance in the colour so it doesn't look like plastic? Not dissing yours but its not the look I'm going for.

Thanks a lot.

Just check the parts periodically. Take them out and wash the smut off of them. I think it might have taken 30 minutes or so for these parts to strip.

If an air brush and high quality paint is used then the parts will probably look less like plastic.

[bryceeden]

No, it doesn't remove the anodize. You have to strip it first.

Here's what you've got to do:

1) Strip the anodize. Do this by putting the part(s) in Drano diluted with water. Dilute it at about a 1:3 drano to water ratio. After stripping it sand it with 320 grit sand paper and continue sanding with higher and higher grits until about 800. Then use steel wool. After that polish the part with tripoli compound.

2) Rinse the part with water and soap.

3) Use a toothbush to apply the alodine. It'll stick onto the aluminum, making it gold.

4) Wash the part again in water to get the excess alodine off.

5) Paint the part using any paint meant for metals. An airbrush would most likely give the best results. You may want to do two coats. You could put a layer of clear gloss on to make it shinier. If you wanted to take the paint off for whatever reason you can use paint thinner without damaging the alodine layer.

Greased Lightning works really well too.