anodizing aluminum

[jpdesign]

Over Christmas I am going to check with an anodize processor to check on getting the frame trigger guard, and ejector housing on my bearcat redone. depending on what I find price wise, would anyone else be interested in this, or aluminum grip frames?

Jimmy

 

[rugerguy]

good luck, we've tried for years, all the local shops and have YET to get one come out any REAL shade of 'black'...mostly 'grey'....I've heard that "someone " down there Texas way does a fine job and I've yet to send one to Alan to have him send it out for me..( never get to keep on elong enough to have it done...use them up ,fast as we find them.......

 

[Enigma]

Back when completing an 80% AR-15 receiver was all the rage, some guys were doing their own anodizing and getting pretty good results. At least one recipe called for using RIT fabric dye to achieve the black color. Most of this info was posted on the Internet, and it might be worth looking into.

Alternately, have you considered powder coating?

 

[jpdesign]

anodyzing is a finish that eats into the surface of the metal and deposits dyes. It doesn't add to the metal. Powder coating puts the color in a layer over the metal. This layer is thicker than paint by a good deal. I will change the deminsions of the parts.

Jimmy

 

[WOB]

This company does mil-spec(type III) or decorative (type II) anodizing and they can do it black if you want black. I had them do an AR-15 lower in Type III and it is exactly the same color and texture as commercial uppers.

http://www.usanodizing.com/index.htm

BTW, anodizing only goes half way into the alum surface. Example: a 3 mil thick coating will use up 1.5 mils of aluminum and will increase dimensions by 1.5 mils. This is usually not a problem unless you have some tightly fitted pins. Military parts have this factor built into the part dimensions.

WOB

 

[Rob72]

anodyzing is a finish that eats into the surface of the metal and deposits dyes. It doesn't add to the metal. Powder coating puts the color in a layer over the metal. This layer is thicker than paint by a good deal. I will change the deminsions of the parts.

Jimmy

Mmmm...that's a bit simplistic. Any coating builds up the surface being coated, from hard chrome to anodizing to powder coat. Ideally, that buildup is measured in microns, rather than 1/1000s, but either way...

Hard chrome and anodizing have the least build up because they are bonding to the surface of the metal. Powdercoat/moly coat, properly applied is probably the "next best", as it is applies to a surface that has been agressively blasted and it is baked on, fractionally reducing the total volume on the surface. Duracoat and similar paints really add too much to be used on tightly fitting parts. It can be done, but it won't last as long as one of the hard coats or even one of the bakes (on close fitting surfaces).

 

[jpdesign]

didn't know about the knolwedge base of metal coatings here, so simplified, still should have said "less build up with anodizing.

JImmy

 

[kevin seyer]

jimmy anodizing will have vertually no build up what so ever.we run alot of anodized parts at work and cant measure any diff. with a caliper most of us would have. a black to my reloclution is# 313 -2step. if you can find someone who runs alot of black shouldn't be very expensive.Kevin

 

[kimberguy2004]

Seriously consider KG Guncote. It's very easy to use, air brusheson and bakes in the oven at 300 degrees for 15 minutes.. Done deal and it's very durable..

 

[Flash]

jimmy anodizing will have vertually no build up what so ever.we run alot of anodized parts at work and cant measure any diff. with a caliper most of us would have. a black to my reloclution is# 313 -2step. if you can find someone who runs alot of black shouldn't be very expensive.Kevin

Correct, there isn't any dimension change with annodizing since it's a dye, not a coating.

 

[Greebe]

This is a very good site about this subject.

http://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize.html

Greebe