Thanks for this, doing the calcs on the run with a calculator down the shed with a piece of scrap paper was leading me down a rabbit hole of failures. Ill give it a run
Thank you for doing this taking the efforts, we downloaded your chart for the aluminum anodizing after watching both of those and now this explanation of the chart. Lance & Patrick.
There is an update to the spreadsheet. I found an error in one of the main calculation formulas that determined the current setting based on the surface aria. The new version 2.5 is now downloadable on my website. Sorry for any inconvenience.
@@ActiveAtom Please delete V 2.5. I am so sorry but I was misled by someone saying that the calculations in my original spreadsheet were incorrect. However I have re-checked them and they were NOT so I have now uploaded V2.6 that takes it basically back to where it was. I have however added a little reference conversion that also shows the final surface aria in inches. This is not used in the calculation part but does allow checking the result using an on line 720 rule calculator. So sorry for any inconvenience in you having to download again :(
Thank you for sharing your experience! I just downloaded your spread sheet but I noticed an error in the Amp manual calculation on the first column. If I set the "input" column and the "comparison" column with the same values, the result in current are different.
Hi, firstly thanks a lot, I watched your vids and successfully made my first parts. Then I tried to anodize 200 micron Al foil. My goal was to make it a complete insulator, so, I performed a test and noticed that the edges are not completely insulator. I tried to reduce current density/longer anodizing time, polishing and ... But still, there are some defects on the edge. Is there any way to solve this problem? I don't know electropolishing is a solution, or this is a problem with all anodizing methods.
I have never tried to anodise aluminium foil, I am not surprised that this is happening. The anodising process creates aluminium oxide into the surface so as the edge of foil is so thin I would expect it to erode a little and not actually anodise as such. The thinnest aluminium I have anodised is around 0.5mm.
can i ask for my anodizing proses, i will anodize circle plate part, dia. 1.8cm, i have power supply only 1 (15 volt, 1 ampere), want to black deep. can help how long time should i process?
You don't say what the thickness of the part is. That is needed to calculate the total surface aria. How deep the black will be depends on the black colour dye you intend to use. Also the grade of aluminium. All these factors contribute to the end result you will achieve. You can download the spread sheet to do your calculation. www.hamrx8.com/Home_Anodising.html Or please use the Contact Me form on my website so i can help you further. www.hamrx8.com/Contact_Me.php
@@hamrx8 thickness material just 1mm sir. want to coloring black glossy or just looks black. i has been try 60 minutes for anodizing process, when dyeing the color becomes very rough and easy to fall off :(
@@redhaab9145 OK I calculate 0.04A (40mA) 90minutes (80mA 45min) I think your problem might be whatever you are using to colour the anodised part. Is it proper aluminium anodising colour or something else like a clothing dye? Clothing dyes or similar don't work as the particle size is too large to properly penetrate the pores of the anodised aluminium. It will look ok but just rub off easily. I got my dyes from: caswellplating.com/
@@hamrx8 thanks a lot for your answer, i bought anodising colour in here, but i dont can or not work to anodised aluminium. Thanks again for that link, will ask can ship to her or not to here.
Current Density is the amount of electric current traveling per unit cross-section area it is expressed in amperes per square meter. The more the current in a conductor, the higher will be the current density.
@@grahamham3398 thank you for replay but I don't think I still get this. I have power supply which handle from 0-30v and 0-10A. Machined part is around 40cm2 aluminium 5083 . I have 20% solution (around 1.5l ). I am using two stainless steal plates 10x15 cm. Lets assume I like to make black color (coating thickness =1) in 2h. How I get from my inputs into 6 or 12 current density is it constant of 6a/1m2, my part is 0.04m2 so 6a*0.04 =0.26a and 12V on the power supply ? I play around with excel and I can see only dependency on time and amp settings. Are there any specific optimal range of current density depended on type of alloy type or this is just to prevent too much heat generation during the process ?
@@zieluch For the home anodising I do on various grades of aluminium I don't distinguish between these in my calculations. That is not to say it is relevant but I have not read anything that relates to it. Certainly different grades of aluminium will give varying surface results and appearance. For instance extruded 6000 grades produce really a very nice shiny finish where as other grades like cast 2000 and 4000 grades can produce varying dull shades of a grey like finish. This is due to other materials for example silicon being present reacting to the anodising process. Sorry I am not a professional anodiser so can only speak from my own personal experience over the past 16+ years anodising in my workshop. I also note that you are using Stainless Steel plates in your bath for the -ve supply. Even though I know SS can be used. I use Aluminium sheet plates around 18g, same plates for many years, titanium screws and wire to the outside of the bath where I connect the power supply, one at each end of the bath. I assume you are using a very pure grade of SS, no idea what effect that might have on your results. My acid bath sits inside another bath filled with water that can be circulated through a refrigerated cooling system. Same as is available for tropical fish aquariums. As I only anodise small parts I rarely have to use it these days. I am sure you have watched my other anodising video to see my setup and explanation. Please try not to over think the whole process and learn as you go along. When I started well over a decade ago there was virtually no information available for the home anodising enthusiast so I just figured it out as i went along. Take care and best of luck.
@@rogierius From what i understand current density is kind of the marker correlated to time and current, Voltage is always the same. But the higher the current the shorter anodising process and higher heat. And What you like to achieve is as stable environment as you can. I actually have different problem. Most of the parts which i tried to anodise are cnc machined so I know exact surface area exactly but when I am setting up the PSU (both on Ali express) according to the spreadsheet to anodise in 2h My PSU is not pushing all the current. usually it is around 60% of it and when i trying more parts I having similar result more current but not what i Setup. Not sure where is my problem, maybe PSU can't be inteligent and need to push whatever is setup or I don't really know. For example If I connect to led 1m led strip which is taking 10w and i setup psu to give 25w it will still push only 10w, but If I connect another meter on the fly with same setting it will push around 20w.
I don't check it. This is more a concern for commercial anodising business not for casual home the hobbyist like myself that only anodise occasionally. If I ever noticed pitting that indicates the chloride level is too high then I would replace the bath solution. I have never come across that situation.
Yes you would if it is significant. If just a few minor slots holes etc that's why I included the additional% input as an overhead to allow for these. However if it is a larger cutout square or round then use the other inputs for Cylinder, Square or Rectangle to add that aria to the total calculation. However you also need to subtract the flat surface aria of that cutout as well. Quite often say for instance a block has a hole cutout in it the subtracted aria makes up for the wall sides. You just have to dissect the part into all its surfaces and treat these as individual inputs. Its not a matter of being absolutely exact but close within about 10% or so. In time experiance will take over and it will be a lot easier than when you first start out. My spreadsheet is a guide to help that's all.
I checked and my website is down, Unfortunately I am overseas at the moment but will contact the host company and try to get it back up as soon as possible. I will let you know when this is done. If the problem persists I will find another way.
Awesome spreadsheet! Thank you so much! This is a great tool😊
Your Welcome 🙂
Great spreadsheet, what a time saver!!! Thank You
Thanks for this, doing the calcs on the run with a calculator down the shed with a piece of scrap paper was leading me down a rabbit hole of failures. Ill give it a run
Thank you for the resource. Trying anodizing for the first time today; I'll put it to work!
THANK YOU SO MUCH
Thank you for doing this taking the efforts, we downloaded your chart for the aluminum anodizing after watching both of those and now this explanation of the chart.
Lance & Patrick.
There is an update to the spreadsheet. I found an error in one of the main calculation formulas that determined the current setting based on the surface aria. The new version 2.5 is now downloadable on my website. Sorry for any inconvenience.
@@hamrx8 Thank you will download again no worries and hey thank you. L&P
@@ActiveAtom Please delete V 2.5. I am so sorry but I was misled by someone saying that the calculations in my original spreadsheet were incorrect. However I have re-checked them and they were NOT so I have now uploaded V2.6 that takes it basically back to where it was. I have however added a little reference conversion that also shows the final surface aria in inches. This is not used in the calculation part but does allow checking the result using an on line 720 rule calculator.
So sorry for any inconvenience in you having to download again :(
@@hamrx8 All is fine and thank you. L&P, things happen.
Thank you very much, you really helped me. + RESPECT
Very informative video. Thank you.
Thanks :)
direct to download, thanks
Awesome Excel sheet. I just love a well made sheet like that.
Is this sheet for type III (3) anodizing / hard anodizing?
Thanks for your comment. I only created the spreadsheet with type 2 anodising in mind as that's only what I am setup to do.
@@hamrx8 thanks. I just happen to find somewhere hidden in Google a perfect guide to type 3.
Thank you for your excellent video, this is going to help me with anodizing
: ) , Thanks for sharing !!
amazing work. Well done. How can one get in touch with you?
You can contact me via my website, there is a link.
www.ghqp.com.au
Thank you for sharing your experience! I just downloaded your spread sheet but I noticed an error in the Amp manual calculation on the first column. If I set the "input" column and the "comparison" column with the same values, the result in current are different.
Thank you for the feedback and yes there was a calculation error. I have now fixed it and an update is now posted on my website.
Hi, firstly thanks a lot, I watched your vids and successfully made my first parts. Then I tried to anodize 200 micron Al foil. My goal was to make it a complete insulator, so, I performed a test and noticed that the edges are not completely insulator. I tried to reduce current density/longer anodizing time, polishing and ... But still, there are some defects on the edge. Is there any way to solve this problem? I don't know electropolishing is a solution, or this is a problem with all anodizing methods.
I have never tried to anodise aluminium foil, I am not surprised that this is happening. The anodising process creates aluminium oxide into the surface so as the edge of foil is so thin I would expect it to erode a little and not actually anodise as such. The thinnest aluminium I have anodised is around 0.5mm.
@@hamrx8 Thanks, excel file works great for me!
How would you figure out a surface area of a brake calliper for example.
can i ask for my anodizing proses, i will anodize circle plate part, dia. 1.8cm,
i have power supply only 1 (15 volt, 1 ampere), want to black deep.
can help how long time should i process?
You don't say what the thickness of the part is. That is needed to calculate the total surface aria.
How deep the black will be depends on the black colour dye you intend to use. Also the grade of aluminium.
All these factors contribute to the end result you will achieve.
You can download the spread sheet to do your calculation.
www.hamrx8.com/Home_Anodising.html
Or please use the Contact Me form on my website so i can help you further.
www.hamrx8.com/Contact_Me.php
@@hamrx8 thickness material just 1mm sir. want to coloring black glossy or just looks black. i has been try 60 minutes for anodizing process, when dyeing the color becomes very rough and easy to fall off :(
@@redhaab9145 OK I calculate 0.04A (40mA) 90minutes (80mA 45min)
I think your problem might be whatever you are using to colour the anodised part. Is it proper aluminium anodising colour or something else like a clothing dye? Clothing dyes or similar don't work as the particle size is too large to properly penetrate the pores of the anodised aluminium. It will look ok but just rub off easily.
I got my dyes from: caswellplating.com/
@@hamrx8 thanks a lot for your answer, i bought anodising colour in here, but i dont can or not work to anodised aluminium. Thanks again for that link, will ask can ship to her or not to here.
I have question related to current density is is fancy name for voltage or there is something completely different?
Current Density is the amount of electric current traveling per unit cross-section area it is expressed in amperes per square meter. The more the current in a conductor, the higher will be the current density.
@@grahamham3398 thank you for replay but I don't think I still get this. I have power supply which handle from 0-30v and 0-10A. Machined part is around 40cm2 aluminium 5083 . I have 20% solution (around 1.5l ). I am using two stainless steal plates 10x15 cm. Lets assume I like to make black color (coating thickness =1) in 2h. How I get from my inputs into 6 or 12 current density is it constant of 6a/1m2, my part is 0.04m2 so 6a*0.04 =0.26a and 12V on the power supply ? I play around with excel and I can see only dependency on time and amp settings. Are there any specific optimal range of current density depended on type of alloy type or this is just to prevent too much heat generation during the process ?
@@zieluch For the home anodising I do on various grades of aluminium I don't distinguish between these in my calculations. That is not to say it is relevant but I have not read anything that relates to it. Certainly different grades of aluminium will give varying surface results and appearance. For instance extruded 6000 grades produce really a very nice shiny finish where as other grades like cast 2000 and 4000 grades can produce varying dull shades of a grey like finish. This is due to other materials for example silicon being present reacting to the anodising process. Sorry I am not a professional anodiser so can only speak from my own personal experience over the past 16+ years anodising in my workshop.
I also note that you are using Stainless Steel plates in your bath for the -ve supply. Even though I know SS can be used. I use Aluminium sheet plates around 18g, same plates for many years, titanium screws and wire to the outside of the bath where I connect the power supply, one at each end of the bath. I assume you are using a very pure grade of SS, no idea what effect that might have on your results.
My acid bath sits inside another bath filled with water that can be circulated through a refrigerated cooling system. Same as is available for tropical fish aquariums. As I only anodise small parts I rarely have to use it these days.
I am sure you have watched my other anodising video to see my setup and explanation.
Please try not to over think the whole process and learn as you go along. When I started well over a decade ago there was virtually no information available for the home anodising enthusiast so I just figured it out as i went along.
Take care and best of luck.
@@zieluch have you figured out the volt setting? I'm equally confused. Or do you just set the amperage and whatever voltage is needed is irrelevant?
@@rogierius From what i understand current density is kind of the marker correlated to time and current, Voltage is always the same. But the higher the current the shorter anodising process and higher heat. And What you like to achieve is as stable environment as you can. I actually have different problem. Most of the parts which i tried to anodise are cnc machined so I know exact surface area exactly but when I am setting up the PSU (both on Ali express) according to the spreadsheet to anodise in 2h My PSU is not pushing all the current. usually it is around 60% of it and when i trying more parts I having similar result more current but not what i Setup. Not sure where is my problem, maybe PSU can't be inteligent and need to push whatever is setup or I don't really know. For example If I connect to led 1m led strip which is taking 10w and i setup psu to give 25w it will still push only 10w, but If I connect another meter on the fly with same setting it will push around 20w.
How can check chloride contant in anodizing bath??
I don't check it. This is more a concern for commercial anodising business not for casual home the hobbyist like myself that only anodise occasionally. If I ever noticed pitting that indicates the chloride level is too high then I would replace the bath solution. I have never come across that situation.
Would you also need to add in the surface wall of the cutout?
Yes you would if it is significant. If just a few minor slots holes etc that's why I included the additional% input as an overhead to allow for these. However if it is a larger cutout square or round then use the other inputs for Cylinder, Square or Rectangle to add that aria to the total calculation. However you also need to subtract the flat surface aria of that cutout as well. Quite often say for instance a block has a hole cutout in it the subtracted aria makes up for the wall sides. You just have to dissect the part into all its surfaces and treat these as individual inputs. Its not a matter of being absolutely exact but close within about 10% or so. In time experiance will take over and it will be a lot easier than when you first start out. My spreadsheet is a guide to help that's all.
That looks like an extremely helpful sheet, but the link doesn't seem to work, is there anywhere else I can get it form?
I checked and my website is down, Unfortunately I am overseas at the moment but will contact the host company and try to get it back up as soon as possible. I will let you know when this is done. If the problem persists I will find another way.
@@hamrx8 Thanks a million, have a good trip.
@@adamcarway5927 Hi. You can now download the file via the following link:
drive.google.com/file/d/1IMK7QT7RVsX3FIg_5B8ppx3oQtTdZcar/view
can i contact with you plz (important)
There is a contact me page on my website.
www.hamrx8.com/Contact_Me.php