DIY HARDCOAT ANODIZING CHEMICALS KIT

We provide different anodizing kits for hobbyists of their small scale

anodizing line. All our dyes and chemicals in the kits are environmentally
friendly products. Thus, they can be transported safely by air shipment
worldwide.

The Operation Sequences

There are six basic steps in the anodizing process as illustrated in the
above diagram. Depending on the types of alloy, some steps may not be
necessary. If a matte finish is required, the etch process can produce a
matte finish on the anodized parts. The longer the treatment time, the
deeper etch surface obtained. Instead, a chemical or electro-polishing
process can be used to brighten up the parts prior to anodizing.
General process flow

1. Immerse the parts into the non-etch cleaner solution at 55 – 60°°C for 3 -
5 min, rinse

2. Etch the parts, if necessary at around 50°°C in 50 – 100 g/l sodium

hydroxide (caustic) solution for one minute or longer to achieve a
matte finish. rinse
3. If previously etched, desmut the parts at room temp for 1 minute in a
10 % nitric acid solution. rinse
4. Anodize the parts at 1 – 1.5 A/dm2 for 30 – 45 minutes duration at room
temp (20 - 22°°C), rinse twice. The parts should stay in the rinse around
1 minutes or longer
5. Dip the parts in room temperature to 60oC dye solution for 15 seconds
to 15 min (depending on shade desired), rinse

6. Seal the parts at 85 – 90°°C nickel acetate sealant for at least 20 min,
rinse
Cleaning
It is important to clean the parts thoroughly prior to all subsequent
finishing operations. The cleanliness of the parts can be checked by a

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water break test (See following section). After cleaning, do not touch the
parts with bare hands as swear, dirt and oil sticks on the parts making it to
be cleaned again.
Anodizing

The anodizing process involves placing aluminum parts into an electrolyte

solution, a weak sulfuric acid, passing a low direct current through it. The
aluminum parts are connected to the positive (anode) side and the negative
side is connected to the negative cathode side. The cathode can be made
of lead, aluminum or graphite, usually aluminum. By passing a direct
current onto the anode, the aluminum surface is being oxidized to form
aluminum oxide. The oxide layer looks like a honeycomb structure having
many microscopic pores formed from the aluminum surface. These pores
have tube-like structures and therefore accepting dyes to be adsorbed into
them.
Coloring & Mixing
All of our aluminum dyes are water soluble and in power form. There are
many ways to apply the colors onto a fresh anodized surface. The most
convenient way is to immerse the part into the dye solution for a period of
time. There are also other dyeing techniques which include spraying,
brushing, silk screen and etc. Mixing of different dyes (Pre-mix) to form a
full spectrum of colors is possible, e.g., blue plus yellow forms a green
color. The parts can also be over-dye (dye into two separate color tank) to
achieve the same result. It is advisable to dye at room temperature, if pre-
mix or over-dye method is used.
Sealing
Hot nickel acetate type sealant should be used to close the pores of the
anodic coating for dyed parts. The advantage of using hot sealing method
is to minimize the bleeding of the color during the sealing process. Cold
nickel fluoride type sealant should be used to close the pores of natural
color anodic coating. The cold sealing process works at room temperature
(around 25°°C) and thus, can save up a lot of energy cost

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EQUIPMENTS
Tanks & Anodes
Polypropylene tanks in rectangle or circular size can be used for the
anodizing line. Tank bars should be made of copper. Good contacts
between all connections are necessary in anodizing to ensure a uniform
grow of the anodic coating on the anode. The cathodes can be made of
lead or aluminum.
Air agitation
An oil-free air pump is necessary to ensure a good circulation of the
electrolyte inside the anodizing bath.
Bath heating & Insulation
A ceramic type of heater is a good source for heating up a hot sealant
solution. Do not leave the heater in the sealing tank unattended as the
solution boils away the tank will ignite. It may be advisable to use
insulation material to minimize the heat loss of the hot sealant solution.
Power supply
A small rectifier is an ideal power source. Depending on the surface area
being anodized, a 12 V rectifier delivers a current range of 10 - 30 A should
usually be enough for a small scale anodizing line. A current density of 1 A
/ dm2 can be used to size the rectifier for the anodizing line.
Racking
Wiring system can either be made of titanium or aluminum. If aluminum is
being used, it must be strip each time because aluminum is also being
anodized, so, titanium is frequently used. For small parts, aluminum or
titanium wires can be used for racking. For larger parts, a titanium racking
system must be used.

TROUBLE SHOOTING
Anodizing & Coloring

Fault Problem Cost Remedy

Decrease in depth Bath contamination Improve rinsing

Dye use up Add dye & extend dye
time
Replace bath

Color depth change in Inconsistence in film Increase air agitation

same batch thickness

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Depth differences Irregular anodizing Keep anodizing
conditions conditions constant
Different alloys Dye only same alloy

Dark edges Irregular current Reduce current density

leading to heavy
buildup of the film Increase air agitation

Patchy spots Electrolyte carry over Improve rinsing

to dye bath
Strip and re-anodize
Oily
Increase air agitation
Local overheat by
mechanical polishing
Gas bubbles on
anodize pores

Dark dye spots Un-dissolved dye Boil up & agitate dye

particles bath
Clarify dye bath by
filtration

Dull / Chalky surface Inadequate film Reduce anodize

(remove by wiping) thickness / too soft temp/acid conc./time
Increase air agitation

Surface pitting & soft Parts too close to the Increase tank size or
coating cathode place the parts further
away

General Faults & Reasons

Questions Main Reasons

What dyes was used? Wrong type of dyes used
Dye bath concentration? pH and Dye time too short
temperature?
Anodic coating too thin
Anodic coating thickness
Wrong sealant type
Immersion time?
Poor sealing
Type of Sealant? Concentration?
pH and temperature? Avoid direct sunlight and strong
heat source
Parts cleanliness? Etch and

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desmut? 99% of the time, cause by poor
Parts expose to sunlight and heat? rinsing, poor sealing or anodic
coating too thin

NOTES
Safety equipments
Personal safety equipments such as goggle, hand glove as well as
laboratory gown must be used all the time for operation in the anodizing
line. When handling acids, a face mask to protect the breathing system is
strongly advisable.
Bath make-up
For all make-up baths wit the exception of dyebaths, fill tanks 2/3 full of
water. Add the required amount of products slowly with mild agitation.
Add water to the operate level and mix again. NEVER add water into acid as
this will cause excess heat generation and spattering to cause serious
injuries.
For the make-up of dyebaths, fill tanks with 1/3 of water and raises to the
dyeing temperature. Add the measured amount of dyes into the water with
stirring for at least 10 minutes. Add water to the final volume and
continuous stirring until the dye solution is fully homogenized. Check the
pH of the solution and adjust to the correct pH, if necessary.
Water quality
Whenever possible, de-ionized water should be used for all bath make-ups
and rinsing operations. If de-ionized water is not available, clear tap water
with low hardness can also be used for the make-ups with care. Special
attention should be taken to see that the water should be free from
chlorides, phosphates, silicates and iron. Hard waters and inferior water
quality do cause a lot of problems in a metal finishing operation. These
may include inhibitions of dye uptake from a fresh anodic coating, heavy
bleeding in the sealant solution, bath turbidity, corrosion pits due to the
presence of sterilized chloride ions, etc.
Rinsing & Water break test
The rinse following each operation is an important step in each finishing
sequence. If not rinse thoroughly, acid residues clinging on the dyed parts
are liable to cause spotty dyeings. They also contaminate the dye bath
which leads to inactivate the dye bath and may result in break down of the
dye structure. De-ionized water should be used for make-ups and rinsing
after each bath operation. The parts should stay in each rinsing bath for at
least 2 minutes to ensure for adequate cleaning of the parts.

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The water break test is probably one of the most important steps in any
metal surface operation. To pass the test, water should be sheet off the
part rather than beads off when withdrawing from the rinsing bath. Water
beads off means oil residues remains on the metal surface.
pH control
A pH meter is needed to check the pH values of the working solution. It is
better to use those pH meters that can self regulated with temperature
variation. Acetic acid should be added to lower the pH of the dye solution.
Sodium hydroxide should be added to raise the pH of the dye solution.
Sodium acetate can also be used as a pH buffer of the dyebaths. The pH
adjustment of hot sealant solution can be also done in the same way.
Activation of anodized parts before dyeing
Fresh anodized parts should be dyed without un-necessary delay. If parts
become dried up, the adsorptive capacity for dyes diminishes. The parts
need to be treated in 10% of diluted nitric acid in about 30 seconds to re-
activate of the anodic pores.
Stripping of dyed anodic coating

Stripping of colors before sealing
If the dyed parts are found to be off-shade prior to sealing, they can
normally be stripped or lightened in depth by treatment in dilute nitric acid
or sulfuric acid. These acids cause no serious damage to the anodic
coating, which can be re-dyed after the treatment. However, there are some
dyes that can not be stripped or lightened in this way. The anodic coating
has to be stripped in order to remove the colors on the parts. Trial and
error should be used to confirm the strip ability of each dye on the anodic
coating.

Stripping of colors after sealing
If the color fault is one that cannot be corrected by stripping and re-dyeing,
or is only detected after sealing, then the coating as well as the dyeing will
have to be removed and reprocessed again. The easiest way to remove the
anodic coating is by immersion in a 10 % caustic soda solution at 60oC.
However, the underlying base metal is also attacked in this process, which
may need a new pre-treatment to regain the original surface structure.
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HARD ANODIZING CHEMICALS KIT comes with our most versatile

aluminum non-etch cleaner, our top quality black dye - Black SL, hot
sealant CK and cold sealant SE.

A 25 liters anodizing solution make-up kit at USD 108.00 (The package
includes 2.5 liters of 11 D non-etch cleaner, 100 grams of the black SL,
2.5 kgs of hot sealant CK)

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A 50 liters anodizing solution make-up kit at USD 220.00 (The package
includes 5.0 liters of 11 D non-etch cleaner, 100 grams of the black SL,
5.0 kgs of hot sealant CK)
LARGER CUSTOM HARD ANODIZING KITS ARE AVAILABLE. PLEASE ASK
THE DETAILS
PRODUCT& PROCESS DETAILS
Color – Black SL is supplied in power form to achieve a jet-black tone at
room temperature for hardcoat anodized aluminum. Black SL has a high
light fastness of 8 and a high heat fastness of 5.
Hot sealant CK – If the hardcoat anodized aluminum is dyed black, hot
sealant CK must be used to close the anodic pores at around 90°°C.
Cold sealant SE – Although natural hardcoat aluminum is not normally
sealed, in some cases, it may be an added advantage to seal with a cold
sealant to provide a protection of the surface away from the environment.

REPLENISHMENT PRODUCTS
All chemicals and dyes can be purchased separately at the following prices

5 liters of non- etch cleaner 11D at USD 35.00

All colors in 100 grams at USD 16.00

100 grams of Black HLF at USD 12.00

100 grams of Black SL at USD 22.00

1 kg of Hot Sealant CK at USD 30.00

1 kg of Cold Sealant SE at USD 30.00

COLOR CARD
A set consists of two color cards can be purchased at USD 50. All the
colors inside the color cards can be purchased separately at the above
price. Please ask for details.