My first job circa 1982 was in an architectural metals factory where they anodized aluminum parts for buildings. Popular because the end product was light, easy to shape and provided excellent protection from the elements. If I walk around some part of London now I can still see parts we made on places like the Chelsea Harbour development.
this was a fun watch, when I was roughly 20-21 I used to work in an aluminum anodizing factory and it was one of the few jobs I would go out of my way to learn the science behind because anodizing the multiple ranges of colors and depths we could do really intrigued me. hot dangerous work, but scientifically amazing!
I live on a sailboat. After paint failed on some aluminum fittings on the boat, a rigger friend recommended that I black anodize the parts which I did. When I brought the anodized parts to the boatyard, an old timer friend recommended that I coat the parts with lanolin (sheep fat) which I did. The lanolin seals the pores and keeps saltwater out. The anodizing protects the aluminum. More lanolin is re-applied when the parts look a little chalky. It's a little pricey but the anodizers usually charge per batch, not part, so plan accordingly.
"It's a little pricey but the anodizers" And there ends your comment. TH-cam... is it _so hard_ so display a few words or what? How can they fail at such simple tasks like showing comments?
While it is true that rust is the oxide of iron, you need to remember that Bill is talking to the masses. The masses are not into the finer points of corrosion. Bill is just trying to get a concept across in a short video. So, try to cut him a little slack and let that slide even though it grates on your more precise tendencies.
Yes, most people don't know what oxidation is, but everyone knows what rust is. This could cause future confusion with people that are really trying to learn how things work. It would've been better to say "it's similar to rust" or "sort of like rust". This isn't a criticism, I love Bill's videos.
Actually, that’s not quite true guys. While the term is mostly used for iron and steel corrosion, rust is often used to describe similar action on other metal surfaces. Look it up, and don’t make assumptions.
You are sooo right! And I thought I was the only one. As soon as the video started, I started thinking, "Hmm, I haven't played Sims for some time." (Starting the Sims...)
Which is why the AR rifles introduced in the mid 50's by Armalite were so advanced. Armalite used manufacturing advances it took from it's parent company, Fairchild aircraft. The anodized aluminum upper receiver is harder than the steel bolt carrier that reciprocates inside it. It's the steel carrier that wears out first.
Except that exactly what makes the rifle a very expensive and ineffective piece of toy. Its nice for sport shooters and consumers, but terrible for the military which requires mass production of cheap yet durable tools.
robert karas No, not really. The AR-15 can be cheap if you want a cheap one. The anodized aluminium receiver isn't the source of failures or low accuracy in cheap rifles, or in expensive rifles, or in any rifles. The smaller parts that require high precision tools to manufacture typically fail long before the receiver. From an engineering standpoint, the AR-15's receiver is excellent: it's durable because of the anodization process, rigid because it has relatively thick walls and still lightweight because it's made from aluminium.
You carry on where popular TV shows came to a halt almost 20 years ago, replacing things like this with cheap and revolting persuasion techniques like ridiculously deep voices, extatic screaming and camera shaking describing what is essentially bad science. This is awesome. Keep up the good work.
As an interesting note: Type III aluminum anodizing (sometimes called "hard coat") has a surface hardness similar to steel. With Type III hardcoat, you can have the weight, rust-free nature, and cost of aluminum matched with the hardness of steel. While this doesn't have much use from a structure perspective, it works great for sliding pieces as the finish will not wear off easily like bare aluminum or Type II anodizing (standard anodizing) or show scratches from normal use.
1:43 This is also the how pearlescent pigments are made. A layer of TO2 is deposited on very small mica (or borosilicate) platelets so the color is produced is by the thickness of the layer. TO2 exists in two crystal types, Anatase and Rutile and they give different results.
Many, many years ago, I worked at a company that made photosensitive plates for printers. They took huge reels of aluminium of varying thickness, pulled them through a 30 yard long bath and used huge currents to anodize the material. Controling the speed and current controlled the thickness of the oxide layer. It was then coated with a photo sensative layer. After exposure and developing the plates, the pores that were not closed by the remaining photo sensative layer take up and release the ink on the paper. Clever stuff.
I went on a field trip to a plant that anodized aluminium. The plant was very professional to the point that everything was clean, so clean that their vats of acid was crystal clear to the bottom of their four foot depth. It was like looking at pools of clear, cold water, and to my dismay I felt an urge to put my hand in there, luckily my fore brain kept control and I took the idea of working at such a place off the list.
I've noticed anodizing is used in cookware. I'd love to see Bill present the different surface engineering of cooking materials to explain their different properties.
After seeing the last video he released, I bought his book, and really enjoyed it. Recommend others do the same, many more interesting stories, and things to learn about our everyday life.
I have always loved anodizing- racing BMX bicycles as a kid the coolest looking parts were anodized. I've always wondered how the process was completed and have even tried to find other videos to explain so I could try to accomplish myself. This video is fantastic. Thanks for posting! Don't know if I can pull the process off myself though.
As a chemist, I really didn't expect to learn a whole lot when I clicked on your video. I was wrong!!!! :) Thanks so much. It's so rare to find videos that talk about science in such a concise yet useful way.
I used to work at an plating company doing aluminum anodizing. There were two types of anodizing they did, soft and hardcoat. Two different processes. Only soft anodizing will accept the dyes. Hard anodizing would be either natural which are different shades of brown or dyed black. Bill explained it better than my former boss. Bill, do a hard anodize episode for your fans.
Just subscribed last night, and a new video comes out? I love this channel so much.. Mainly the host who happens to somehow make everything understandable and entertaining. lol
I love the way this man speaks, often modern science videos have a "whhoaaduude" tone to them and don't really get the point. His videos are quite the long due throw back to the informative, straight forward, information videos you see from the 1940s-1970s. Really refreshing.
That is the ethos I am aiming for. Of course I fee up on ascent of man, cosmos etc. I have never been too interested in doing US TV in its current incarnation: it isn't designed for anyone to pay attention to!
engineerguy Wow, and you're active in the comments. You're doing something that's very needed and in short supply, I'm buying your book as soon as I get paid. Thank you for all thay you do :)
This is really cool. You are simultaneously educating us on a fascinating topic, while earning a lot of free advertising for your book. I was forwarded here from a tech blog, who I doubt has any affiliation with you.
Not all aluminum parts should anodized, If a part is under cyclical stress it may fail in less time due to the affect on the surface. micro fractures will occur from the the altered surface. Thinking of aircraft components.
And boats. Yes it's true on thin aluminium, not on thick pieces as the ratio layer thickness on piece thickness gets smaller and amaller. The main problem is how to control the galvanic effet on a big complex piece to get a uniform thickness of anodization. And secondary problem cost and lack of durability of a soft anodization.
One thing that is interesting to note is that anodizing and alodining (a similar chromate conversion process) are the basis of corrosion resistance used on all aluminum aircraft.
1:35 I was a welder for 5 years and I always loved the beautiful colors when joining Stainless Steel. Now the dummy answer they give us when teaching TIG welding is it's oxidizing (despite the argon shielding gas we use to prevent oxidation and the nickel and chromium). It follows the same pattern of a light hay color through the red blues and purples. Can I make an assumption about how much penetration I am getting based on the color of the weld? Is this the more detailed answer of what is happening? I don't have a ton of experience welding Aluminum but I have done it a handful of times. However I have never seen the color change on aluminum. The procedure is much different we use AC current and a pure tungsten electrode that we intentionally ball up instead of sharpen to a point.
Nice video but a small correction: with aluminum the current doesn’t “push” into the aluminum to make channels, the process is actually chemical. What’s missing here is that you anodize in an acid, typically diluted sulfuric acid. The anodizing process is a tug of war between the acid that keeps digging holes and the current that keeps forming oxide. Where the acid is winning, you get the long empty tubes, where the current is winning, you get the oxide walls. Without enough acid, you never get past the nanometer thin barrier layer. Without enough current, the acid eats away all the oxide. Keeping everything balanced is the hard part. Love your channel!
So putting it very basically, ignoring specific steps and materials, you run a current through the metal you want anodized, which 'primes' the metal with a coating that is ready to accept a dye to intensify the color and finally, the finish is sealed by boiling the piece to lock in that color? I don't know why, but 20 years ago I missed a program on Discovery Channel, and never tried to find out, but it kept gnawing at me to figure out why things like carabiners came in various colors. Now, 20 years later, I can sleep well knowing how it's done. Bless you Bill - my sanity is partially saved! 🙏
Exceptional video. it told me exactly what I wanted to know regarding WHAT anodizing was, but what to expect. Thanks for for such a complete, and easy to understand explanation!
This video has sealed the deal, I'm going to get the book. ....done. I do cold metal casting of resins. I have a silicone mold of an item. I will sometimes brush in powdered aluminum to the mold so that the liquid resin will grab that and have an aluminum coating that is bound to the outside layer of the resin. From there I can use some steel wool and give it a very real brushed metal look. This video makes me wonder if I could try and anodize it at all. I'm not sure but to have a colored aluminum finish would be great for the decorative pieces I cast.
You don't want to anodize that because it's not pure metal. The resin might produce a nasty reaction. You could try just coloring the aluminium powder with alcohol dye, let it evaporate completely and then coat your mold with that powder.
It could be worth mentioning that anodized aluminium is used not just for aesthetic purposes (different colors which don't wear so easily) but also to increase heat radiation from surface. 'Clean' aluminium is so bad in emitting IR, so the only way it can lose heat is through convection. Not bad if there is some fan attached. But if you expect your surface to be a passive heatsink, there is great advantage to make the surface black in IR region. The best way to do it with aluminium is to anodize it. You can see a lot of dark aluminium heatsinks which are anodized exactly for that.
Yes. Almost any dye is 'black' in thermal infrared range. For example, centralized heating radiators made of aluminum are almost always of white color, but in IR they are black, so they emit pretty well. Another example is International Space Station heatsinks: they are also white, but of course they emit very well, it's the only way to get rid of heat in vacuum of space! And they are white because this way Sun can't heat them!
Delightful video illustrating great engineering. Consider doing a video on engineering humane, healthy workplaces. I've experienced dangerous building air quality problems (poor engineering), repetitive stress issues (solved with an ergonomic, programmable keyboard, which is good engineering), and dangerous air pollution in Los Angeles because of failure to engineer transportation intelligently for a rapidly growing population, I see repeatedly why we need great engineering to save lives.
Thank God they are still working on new stuff! As this video they posted on vimeo demonstrates: vimeo.com/89656135 They are working on some kind of a clock or automaton or something with a series of gears in it.
I wish you would've taken a pair of calipers (micrometer) to measure (any one) dimension(s) of the Ti strip before and after the anodizing, so we at home could in fact see that there is something being added. Otherwise, phenomenal video. I tip my hat off to you.
and if you stick a fork in the positive terminal of a power socket (has to be titanium or aluminum), pour water on top, you can anodize the fork and turn it different colors.
powder coating is more corrosion resistant especially in the salt air environment while anodizing is more wear resistant where scratches are expected. that's one of the reason why personal electronic products are anodized.
To give an idea how fast the oxidation effect is. When we weld aluminium and we brush the oxide layer we have bit less than 10 minutes to weld or we need to brush it again.
It seems strange to focus on the colours created by anodising if the main colour in a finished product is just by dye added. Surely the colour of the corrosion then becomes superfluous since it is masked by whatever dye is used?
+Ryan Vickers Actually I think Carlos is right, and in extent you as well. I believe this isn't used on car bodies because it reduces milage and as you said, dirt does too. An uneven surface is going to let dirt build up much faster and further reduce milage. In combination - not worth it.
+Brandon Hall Because the paint manufacturers would have a shit-fit and petition the government to sue the auto companies into switching back. Or something.
+Brandon Hall Anodizing adds weight to the bodies. You're synthesizing oxygen with the metal in order to create an oxide. This by result adds matter, and therefore weight. This isn't the only issue.Paint/finish needs to stick to something, and metal is horrible for that. Metal conducts electricity, and you need a primer in order for paint/finish to stick to anything. Some cars don't have universal body panel material all the way around either, so anodizing won't look very good since the bumper material may differ from the door paneling, etc. There's also the minor things that include fixing scratches in the metal/paint, people wanting to change the colour of their paint (you need to sand down paint between coats for a good finish), and businesses trying to protect themselves and whatnot.
I want to make a aluminum sword, with 2 diffrent colors. The blade and the handle. I want to know, how do i do this the right way, without bleeding the colors into each ends. Do i just tape up the end im not dipping yet, with maybe duct tap. Then dunk it in boiling water for maybe 10 min, then duct tap the other end and repeat the same thing. Will the color pass the water line at all? Does it lose color when i put it in boiling water? Thanks
i was production foreman at a Anodizing company...fun WOW! Bright Dip Tank = Nitric, Sulfuric, and Phosphorus Acid mixed with water and heated to 97 degrees. full body PPE. hand in, bone out.
My first job circa 1982 was in an architectural metals factory where they anodized aluminum parts for buildings. Popular because the end product was light, easy to shape and provided excellent protection from the elements. If I walk around some part of London now I can still see parts we made on places like the Chelsea Harbour development.
"Don't do this at home"
Me: "Hmmm convince me not to"
"This can be lethal"
Me: "Hmmmm how much lethal are we talking"
You're welcome for the 69th like. Also, nice comment.
@@thomascrouson6085 nice 😏
this was a fun watch, when I was roughly 20-21 I used to work in an aluminum anodizing factory and it was one of the few jobs I would go out of my way to learn the science behind because anodizing the multiple ranges of colors and depths we could do really intrigued me. hot dangerous work, but scientifically amazing!
I live on a sailboat. After paint failed on some aluminum fittings on the boat, a rigger friend recommended that I black anodize the parts which I did. When I brought the anodized parts to the boatyard, an old timer friend recommended that I coat the parts with lanolin (sheep fat) which I did. The lanolin seals the pores and keeps saltwater out. The anodizing protects the aluminum. More lanolin is re-applied when the parts look a little chalky. It's a little pricey but the anodizers usually charge per batch, not part, so plan accordingly.
...boat stuff...you could try 'hard anodizing'....very hard and only available in black....but quite a bit more durable than the regular anodizing.
I agree. My goal is less maintenance.
have your pieces powdercoated or ceramic coated
Also, stay away from black anodizing as that soaks up the most UV and will ultimately turn brow (unless of course you desire this)...
"It's a little pricey but the anodizers"
And there ends your comment. TH-cam... is it _so hard_ so display a few words or what? How can they fail at such simple tasks like showing comments?
his red shirt was actually made from anodized aluminium. true story
dont worry, I believe you, after I saw a rich indian make a golden shirt after gold metal threads, it's possible to create anodized shirts
Indeed, his shirt is actually red [ product ]
It is not red, it reflects red.
omg XD
So we're both of his prosthetic eyes
all rust is oxidation but not all oxidation is rust
dion759 i thought rust was a bunch of naked people running around killing eachother
+Sponge Boob also an unfinished game
While it is true that rust is the oxide of iron, you need to remember that Bill is talking to the masses. The masses are not into the finer points of corrosion. Bill is just trying to get a concept across in a short video. So, try to cut him a little slack and let that slide even though it grates on your more precise tendencies.
Yes, most people don't know what oxidation is, but everyone knows what rust is. This could cause future confusion with people that are really trying to learn how things work. It would've been better to say "it's similar to rust" or "sort of like rust". This isn't a criticism, I love Bill's videos.
Actually, that’s not quite true guys. While the term is mostly used for iron and steel corrosion, rust is often used to describe similar action on other metal surfaces. Look it up, and don’t make assumptions.
I'd say you met the standard! You never cease to BLOW MY MIND! Your content is what Discovery, TLC and History USED to be! THANK YOU!
The music makes me want to play the sims
Good one! The Sims had such fitting music.
woah
You are sooo right! And I thought I was the only one.
As soon as the video started, I started thinking, "Hmm, I haven't played Sims for some time." (Starting the Sims...)
These videos keep getting better and better! I just tell me friends to watch these and they feel smarter! Great job!
didnt expect you here
IMAGINE HAVING FRIENDS... yeah... imagine :(
Which is why the AR rifles introduced in the mid 50's by Armalite were so advanced. Armalite used manufacturing advances it took from it's parent company, Fairchild aircraft. The anodized aluminum upper receiver is harder than the steel bolt carrier that reciprocates inside it. It's the steel carrier that wears out first.
Cool! I'll have to take measurements on mine.
Except that exactly what makes the rifle a very expensive and ineffective piece of toy. Its nice for sport shooters and consumers, but terrible for the military which requires mass production of cheap yet durable tools.
robert karas No, not really. The AR-15 can be cheap if you want a cheap one. The anodized aluminium receiver isn't the source of failures or low accuracy in cheap rifles, or in expensive rifles, or in any rifles. The smaller parts that require high precision tools to manufacture typically fail long before the receiver. From an engineering standpoint, the AR-15's receiver is excellent: it's durable because of the anodization process, rigid because it has relatively thick walls and still lightweight because it's made from aluminium.
Smith & Wesson made model 39 semi auto with an anodized frame around 1950.
robert karas yeah, so terrible the most effective and powerful military in the world has been using it for what, 50+ years?
You carry on where popular TV shows came to a halt almost 20 years ago, replacing things like this with cheap and revolting persuasion techniques like ridiculously deep voices, extatic screaming and camera shaking describing what is essentially bad science.
This is awesome. Keep up the good work.
As an interesting note: Type III aluminum anodizing (sometimes called "hard coat") has a surface hardness similar to steel. With Type III hardcoat, you can have the weight, rust-free nature, and cost of aluminum matched with the hardness of steel. While this doesn't have much use from a structure perspective, it works great for sliding pieces as the finish will not wear off easily like bare aluminum or Type II anodizing (standard anodizing) or show scratches from normal use.
1:43 This is also the how pearlescent pigments are made. A layer of TO2 is deposited on very small mica (or borosilicate) platelets so the color is produced is by the thickness of the layer. TO2 exists in two crystal types, Anatase and Rutile and they give different results.
Many, many years ago, I worked at a company that made photosensitive plates for printers. They took huge reels of aluminium of varying thickness, pulled them through a 30 yard long bath and used huge currents to anodize the material. Controling the speed and current controlled the thickness of the oxide layer. It was then coated with a photo sensative layer. After exposure and developing the plates, the pores that were not closed by the remaining photo sensative layer take up and release the ink on the paper. Clever stuff.
Yet another amazing video Bill. Thank you very much for all of your work! I look forward to my book arriving tomorrow!
I went on a field trip to a plant that anodized aluminium. The plant was very professional to the point that everything was clean, so clean that their vats of acid was crystal clear to the bottom of their four foot depth. It was like looking at pools of clear, cold water, and to my dismay I felt an urge to put my hand in there, luckily my fore brain kept control and I took the idea of working at such a place off the list.
I've noticed anodizing is used in cookware. I'd love to see Bill present the different surface engineering of cooking materials to explain their different properties.
😮
After seeing the last video he released, I bought his book, and really enjoyed it. Recommend others do the same, many more interesting stories, and things to learn about our everyday life.
I have always loved anodizing- racing BMX bicycles as a kid the coolest looking parts were anodized. I've always wondered how the process was completed and have even tried to find other videos to explain so I could try to accomplish myself. This video is fantastic. Thanks for posting! Don't know if I can pull the process off myself though.
Throw a BMX frame into the bathtub with attached wires, stand back and connect it to the mains. What could go wrong.
I'm a teacher, my students text was brief on electrochemical processes. This is an excellent resource. Thank you.
As a chemist, I really didn't expect to learn a whole lot when I clicked on your video. I was wrong!!!! :) Thanks so much. It's so rare to find videos that talk about science in such a concise yet useful way.
Why was I recommended this 8 years later? Either way, good video.
because itbis perennial
How does "boiling the aluminum in hot water" "seal" the layer? Glossing over that is bad form.
Hardens the resin in the dye. Causes oxidation of any flaws in the aluminum surface.
I used to work at an plating company doing aluminum anodizing. There were two types of anodizing they did, soft and hardcoat. Two different processes. Only soft anodizing will accept the dyes. Hard anodizing would be either natural which are different shades of brown or dyed black. Bill explained it better than my former boss. Bill, do a hard anodize episode for your fans.
I remember black being the only option for hard anodizing.
Just bought your book! Thank you for being awesome
- A perpetually curious software engineer
Been 11 years since released, the video still keeps me satisfied with the accurate information I wanted
So that's the deal with all this "anodized' craze - thanks for the very good explanation!
Just subscribed last night, and a new video comes out?
I love this channel so much.. Mainly the host who happens to somehow make everything understandable and entertaining. lol
I love the way this man speaks, often modern science videos have a "whhoaaduude" tone to them and don't really get the point. His videos are quite the long due throw back to the informative, straight forward, information videos you see from the 1940s-1970s. Really refreshing.
That is the ethos I am aiming for. Of course I fee up on ascent of man, cosmos etc. I have never been too interested in doing US TV in its current incarnation: it isn't designed for anyone to pay attention to!
engineerguy Wow, and you're active in the comments. You're doing something that's very needed and in short supply, I'm buying your book as soon as I get paid. Thank you for all thay you do :)
I wish I had known about this channel sooner. These are great.
The engineerguy would make an outstanding teacher. Great video's. I have my kids watch them.
I'm pretty sure he's a professor at a college.
Love these videos. Too bad you took out the humor of the first year - that made the videos not only informative, but also entertaining.
Why does this guy remind me of Luke Skywalker?
+Brad M I am Luke Skywalker ... I cannot make enough money with voice overs for batsman cartoons so I have to make these videos too.
Hey engineerguy! hahah love the videos!
+Brad M thank you!
He killed his own father?
Because u prolly want to see him in a lightsaber fight against bill nye.
These videos change the way I look at the world. I look forward to many many more in the future.
This is really cool. You are simultaneously educating us on a fascinating topic, while earning a lot of free advertising for your book. I was forwarded here from a tech blog, who I doubt has any affiliation with you.
Not all aluminum parts should anodized, If a part is under cyclical stress it may fail in less time due to the affect on the surface. micro fractures will occur from the the altered surface. Thinking of aircraft components.
And boats. Yes it's true on thin aluminium, not on thick pieces as the ratio layer thickness on piece thickness gets smaller and amaller. The main problem is how to control the galvanic effet on a big complex piece to get a uniform thickness of anodization. And secondary problem cost and lack of durability of a soft anodization.
How thin would be not ok
@@christopheryee4850 one third of an inch
I love those videos. Wish there were more of them coming.
I will not lie to you Bill.
Sometimes I click for the music.
One thing that is interesting to note is that anodizing and alodining (a similar chromate conversion process) are the basis of corrosion resistance used on all aluminum aircraft.
1:35 I was a welder for 5 years and I always loved the beautiful colors when joining Stainless Steel. Now the dummy answer they give us when teaching TIG welding is it's oxidizing (despite the argon shielding gas we use to prevent oxidation and the nickel and chromium). It follows the same pattern of a light hay color through the red blues and purples. Can I make an assumption about how much penetration I am getting based on the color of the weld?
Is this the more detailed answer of what is happening? I don't have a ton of experience welding Aluminum but I have done it a handful of times. However I have never seen the color change on aluminum. The procedure is much different we use AC current and a pure tungsten electrode that we intentionally ball up instead of sharpen to a point.
Wish I had this chap as my science teacher ... mine just shouted at me a lot and made me cry!
I remember learning about this in Electrochemistry. I remember telling my best friend about this fascination and she just dozed off! XD
Such a shame these talented guys don't post they awesome videos anymore
I will: see Engineerguy.com … just finished book, video series to go with it.
Ive been trying to learn how to anodize aluminum but the sources I've been looking at have all said something different, what do I do?
Nice video but a small correction: with aluminum the current doesn’t “push” into the aluminum to make channels, the process is actually chemical. What’s missing here is that you anodize in an acid, typically diluted sulfuric acid. The anodizing process is a tug of war between the acid that keeps digging holes and the current that keeps forming oxide. Where the acid is winning, you get the long empty tubes, where the current is winning, you get the oxide walls. Without enough acid, you never get past the nanometer thin barrier layer. Without enough current, the acid eats away all the oxide. Keeping everything balanced is the hard part.
Love your channel!
So putting it very basically, ignoring specific steps and materials, you run a current through the metal you want anodized, which 'primes' the metal with a coating that is ready to accept a dye to intensify the color and finally, the finish is sealed by boiling the piece to lock in that color?
I don't know why, but 20 years ago I missed a program on Discovery Channel, and never tried to find out, but it kept gnawing at me to figure out why things like carabiners came in various colors. Now, 20 years later, I can sleep well knowing how it's done.
Bless you Bill - my sanity is partially saved! 🙏
Exceptional video. it told me exactly what I wanted to know regarding WHAT anodizing was, but what to expect. Thanks for for such a complete, and easy to understand explanation!
Oh another great video, Just about to read this chapter tonight.
Coincidentally I will be working as an Anodizing intern for Apple this summer, cool stuff!
The book is really nicely written, you should check it out. Of course there is an e-book version if you don't like dead tree.
One of the best videos you guys have done so far, and I MUST have that book! ^.^
This video has sealed the deal, I'm going to get the book. ....done.
I do cold metal casting of resins. I have a silicone mold of an item. I will sometimes brush in powdered aluminum to the mold so that the liquid resin will grab that and have an aluminum coating that is bound to the outside layer of the resin. From there I can use some steel wool and give it a very real brushed metal look.
This video makes me wonder if I could try and anodize it at all. I'm not sure but to have a colored aluminum finish would be great for the decorative pieces I cast.
+Jason Parker I would buy the book, but then I wouldn't be able to hear his soothing voice paired with the quirky music.
You don't want to anodize that because it's not pure metal. The resin might produce a nasty reaction. You could try just coloring the aluminium powder with alcohol dye, let it evaporate completely and then coat your mold with that powder.
I sincerely miss these videos...
Short, sweet, and informative! Thanks!
seriously, i want this guy to teach me chemistry. far better than the damn boring class i went though in high school.
So since certain colors are a thicker layer of oxide, those colors are more durable than the others?
It could be worth mentioning that anodized aluminium is used not just for aesthetic purposes (different colors which don't wear so easily) but also to increase heat radiation from surface. 'Clean' aluminium is so bad in emitting IR, so the only way it can lose heat is through convection. Not bad if there is some fan attached. But if you expect your surface to be a passive heatsink, there is great advantage to make the surface black in IR region. The best way to do it with aluminium is to anodize it. You can see a lot of dark aluminium heatsinks which are anodized exactly for that.
Does that still work after the dye is applied?
Yes. Almost any dye is 'black' in thermal infrared range. For example, centralized heating radiators made of aluminum are almost always of white color, but in IR they are black, so they emit pretty well. Another example is International Space Station heatsinks: they are also white, but of course they emit very well, it's the only way to get rid of heat in vacuum of space! And they are white because this way Sun can't heat them!
+AllMyCircuits did not know that! Cool.
incredible video. This was perfect, thank you!
Just one of the most awesome channel on youtube, KEEP UP !! :)
I absolutely love your channel
Creative video to understand engineering concepts
Appreciate that informative presentation 👍
Great video. It would be nice to hear a bit about the cost of the process though, but i guess that's outside the scope of this channel.
Wonderful red anodizing job on your shirt!
Excellent explanation
Awesome work...something to learn from every video..keep up the good work.
Excellent explanation.
Clearly demonstrates the value of anodized aluminum in high-end consumer goods.
Thanks for sharing this knowledge~ With you, this world is becoming a "brighter" place : )
I would love to meet this guy, he seems so interesting and knowledgable. I would love to meet him.
"durable" and hinges attach to paper-thin sheet of aluminum instead to rigid case.
Delightful video illustrating great engineering. Consider doing a video on engineering humane, healthy workplaces. I've experienced dangerous building air quality problems (poor engineering), repetitive stress issues (solved with an ergonomic, programmable keyboard, which is good engineering), and dangerous air pollution in Los Angeles because of failure to engineer transportation intelligently for a rapidly growing population, I see repeatedly why we need great engineering to save lives.
you know this is an old video when apple is being called durable
WOW THIS VIDEO WAS SO GOOD I LEARNED SO MUCCH MY MIND IS BLOWN RIGHT NOW🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯!!!!!
Your latest video dates fro a year ago. Why have you stopped doing those nice videos?
Thank God they are still working on new stuff! As this video they posted on vimeo demonstrates:
vimeo.com/89656135
They are working on some kind of a clock or automaton or something with a series of gears in it.
I wish you would've taken a pair of calipers (micrometer) to measure (any one) dimension(s) of the Ti strip before and after the anodizing, so we at home could in fact see that there is something being added. Otherwise, phenomenal video. I tip my hat off to you.
Excellent video!
I'm glad i found this TH-cam channel :]
and if you stick a fork in the positive terminal of a power socket (has to be titanium or aluminum), pour water on top, you can anodize the fork and turn it different colors.
this sounds like suicide
@@Sillimant_ is suicide if you stick another one in and hold both of them with different hands
Fantastic video, very interesting.
What are your thoughts on anodizing vs powder coating?
+Joe Schmoe powder coating creates a rougher surface than anodizing
+Steven Guan thank you.
powder coating is more corrosion resistant especially in the salt air environment while anodizing is more wear resistant where scratches are expected. that's one of the reason why personal electronic products are anodized.
Oh. I think in terms of car parts. I live In central hellinois. Prime rust belt area. Thanks for sorting that out.
I'll definitely be buying the book!
Beautiful Video... Thank you very much for posting, would like to have that book.
To give an idea how fast the oxidation effect is. When we weld aluminium and we brush the oxide layer we have bit less than 10 minutes to weld or we need to brush it again.
I like the music. It makes for an intelligent kind of feel. :J
Soft anodizing, so it's not as hard, but still fares better than paint. They use the same anodizing techniques for iPods as with the iPhone.
It seems strange to focus on the colours created by anodising if the main colour in a finished product is just by dye added. Surely the colour of the corrosion then becomes superfluous since it is masked by whatever dye is used?
I want more vids from you love this
Really good video. Thank you for it!
Why don't they use this on cars with aluminum bodies?
+Ryan Vickers Could it be that this texture also affects drag, and thus fuel consumption to an extent.
+Ryan Vickers Actually I think Carlos is right, and in extent you as well. I believe this isn't used on car bodies because it reduces milage and as you said, dirt does too. An uneven surface is going to let dirt build up much faster and further reduce milage. In combination - not worth it.
+Brandon Hall Because the paint manufacturers would have a shit-fit and petition the government to sue the auto companies into switching back. Or something.
+Brandon Hall Anodizing adds weight to the bodies. You're synthesizing oxygen with the metal in order to create an oxide. This by result adds matter, and therefore weight. This isn't the only issue.Paint/finish needs to stick to something, and metal is horrible for that. Metal conducts electricity, and you need a primer in order for paint/finish to stick to anything. Some cars don't have universal body panel material all the way around either, so anodizing won't look very good since the bumper material may differ from the door paneling, etc. There's also the minor things that include fixing scratches in the metal/paint, people wanting to change the colour of their paint (you need to sand down paint between coats for a good finish), and businesses trying to protect themselves and whatnot.
+rivengle I'm sure paint weighs more than anodization, it's a much thicker layer of material.
Is this oxide layer similar to tempering steel, where you get colours from light straw to purple?
SHJ Gaming yes
What do you use to add color ? How do you control the specific hue and value ?
I want to make a aluminum sword, with 2 diffrent colors. The blade and the handle. I want to know, how do i do this the right way, without bleeding the colors into each ends. Do i just tape up the end im not dipping yet, with maybe duct tap. Then dunk it in boiling water for maybe 10 min, then duct tap the other end and repeat the same thing. Will the color pass the water line at all? Does it lose color when i put it in boiling water? Thanks
Great explanation!
Telling the whole history of aluminium would be interesting too!
This is so brilliant
=) Had no idea what Anodizing was.. now i do. Awesome process.
That's great and all, but will it blend?
holy shiet this was 5 yrs ago? better than 99% of videos on science even TODAY
i was production foreman at a Anodizing company...fun WOW! Bright Dip Tank = Nitric, Sulfuric, and Phosphorus Acid mixed with water and heated to 97 degrees. full body PPE. hand in, bone out.
Swing and a miss sunshine.
@@malcontent7976 you obviously know squat about the anodizing process. like i give a shyt what you have to say anyways.