Is anodizing really necessary?

[rubyist]

Well clear anodize is just anodizing it and not giving it any dye color! Black anodizing is when it gets anodized then dipped in a dye solution. My suggestion is getting a thin type II sulfuric anodize that one leaves a clearer coat than type III hard anodize

First question: How closely do you think that would look to my photoshopped photo above?

Second question: What would I tell to an anodizing professional to give him instructions on how to do this? I doubt I'll be attempting this myself.

[Krewztoe]

Well depends how deep the design is machined in if you touch it can you fell the design? If not there is a chance it won't be there after but I have seen some machined parts with minimal plating come out with the design but definitely type II anodize

Well I would ask for the thinnest oxide thickness possible and a good cleaning before anodizing if they have a nitric acid dip that works well and cleans most smut that the deox misses

[Cali Mike]

If you do decide to go with clear ano. It will be way too thin and will wear off (I'll explain)

Hard clear (Type III class I) is a sweeeet looking greyish olive color (not really clear). Type III is what everyone else puts on lowers (or claims to put on them). It lasts a long time. It's the actual "mil spec" anodize. It's .002 thick (as thick as 1 hair, but strong sh1t)

Regular clear (Type II class I) is actually clear. But it's only .0002 thk. It eventually wears and doesn't do much to protect the aluminum.

I recommend type III. But if you want the mill marks still in it, do not bead blast it. That's what is removing the mill marks, not the anodize.

I commend you for wanting the mill marks on your lower. I sell glass bead blasted and hard black anodized lowers..... But my personal lower that I use has no bead blast, and mill marks all over it. I'm proud of my programming, and love to show it off.

[rubyist]

If you do decide to go with clear ano. It will be way too thin and will wear off (I'll explain)

Hard clear (Type III class I) is a sweeeet looking greyish olive color (not really clear). Type III is what everyone else puts on lowers (or claims to put on them). It lasts a long time. It's the actual "mil spec" anodize. It's .002 thick (as thick as 1 hair, but strong sh1t)

Regular clear (Type II class I) is actually clear. But it's only .0002 thk. It eventually wears and doesn't do much to protect the aluminum.

Thanks for the warning. If I'm going to go through the trouble of putting a translucent coating on this, I'd sure hope it doesn't just scratch off in the first few months of use.

I recommend type III. But if you want the mill marks still in it, do not bead blast it. That's what is removing the mill marks, not the anodize.

So you're saying the mill marks will make it through the type III anodizing process? Would the grayish "hard clear" show the marks better than normal black? Could you share a photo of what "hard clear" looks like on a LR? Are the milling marks deep enough that you're able to feel them with your fingertip, as Krewztoe asked? Obviously I want to avoid the situation where I invest a lot of time and money into a lower and then it comes out solid black or some color I didn't anticipate.

[rubyist]

If there're people who anodize stuff frequently reading this, do any of you happen to have a chunk of scrap aluminum around that has milling marks on it like the 80% lowers in the OP? If it's not a PITA to do, I'd love to see what happens if you throw it into the solution next time you're doing a type III batch to see how well the marks show through.

I'm sure there are others who'd find the experiment's results interesting. Science!

[Cali Mike]

Yes, you will see mill marks. I'll explain.

When you take a part to the anodizers, they clean the part by "etching" it, prior to anodizing it. From what I understand they dip it in acid for a quick dip. It actually removes material. But just slightly. I've sent parts for hard anodize that came back with all mill marks removed. And sometimes they are still there. That's not because of the thickness of anodize, but the time it was etched.

Side note: they have different ways to seal after anodizing. Most common are DI seal (deionized water). And Nickel Acetate seal. Most anodizers do DI seal because its cheaper. I can't tell the difference. But most of my semiconductor customers request DI seal. No idea why.


I have the experiments, and took pictures of them earlier today when I was at my shop. But I don't know how to get the pics from my iPhone to this post. Explain how, and I've got all your answers.

[CrippledPidgeon]

No it will not "rust". It forms an oxide layer almost immediatly after cleaning.
That is why anytime I weld aluminum, it needs to be cleaned with a Stainless brush and acetone. If it sits for more than, say 15-30 minutes, it needs to be at least wiped with acetone again.

You apparently missed the sarcasm, because aluminum doesn't rust, corrosive 5.56 is not industry standard, and clear paint does exist.

[rubyist]

I have the experiments, and took pictures of them earlier today when I was at my shop. But I don't know how to get the pics from my iPhone to this post. Explain how, and I've got all your answers.

It's funny how such a simple a task can be frustratingly difficult on an iPhone. You will probably need to get them onto a PC or Mac and then use a service like imgur.com to host them. To send them to a different computer, your best options are to share it via email or text message. Open the photo viewer on your iPhone so you see your grid of photos, hit the share button in the top right (looks like a rectangle with a curved arrow coming out of it pointing to the right), tap each photo you want to share, then press the button that says "Share" in the bottom left. You can choose "Email", "Message". It may ask if you want to resize them before sending -- sending actual size would be ideal to see the marks.

Since I suspect you're at work and can't do this from a computer easily, I'll PM you my email and iPhone phone number. You can send them to me and I'll upload them to imgur.com and post them here.

Thanks, btw!

[Cali Mike]

Left lower: Type III black ano (no beadblast)

square part: Type II clear ano

"L" part Type: III clear ano

Right lower Type: Type III black ano (yes beadblast)






second pic is a closeup of the non beadblast lower

[Cali Mike]

The non beadblasted lower is deep black, and shows mill marks more than you see in the pic.

[Cali Mike]

And just for the record. My favorite plating is hard clear anodize. Its a deep grey, and would look SWEEET on a gun with a stainless steel barrel.

[rubyist]

That looks awesome, Cali Mike!

So I just have to buy an 80% lower in the raw, do the machining to complete it, then take it into a shop that can do anodizing and have them anodize the whole thing? Do I need to tell them anything besides black type III anodizing?

BTW, what brand are those 80%ers in your pics?

[Cali Mike]

Those are the ones I make.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=752442