AR Sponsor
Posted: 9/29/2015 8:10:10 PM EDT
|
So I milled an 80% lower and tried my hand at home anodizing. The anodizing looked as if it went well until I got to the dye step. I could tell that the lower had a gold tint to it after anodizing. I put it in black dye (rit, and I think it might be the problem) but it isn't black at all. Instead, the gold just got deeper with small little black spots in a lot of areas. What could cause this or what could I be doing wrong?
Scott |
|
The gold is the anodizing layer, so it sounds like you got one.
I used black RIT dye and it worked fine. Was the dye at the right temperature? If the dye was too hot, you could have sealed the pores before the dye got absorbed. Did you rinse the lower with distilled water before putting it in the dye? What temp was the dye? How long was it in the dye? |
|
I don't have my notes handy, but the dye solution should be warm, I forget the temp, maybe 60 degrees C but I am guessing
Then after about 45 minutes or more, you dunk it in boiling water to seal the anodizing pores and seal in the dye. Is that what you did, or did you do something different. |
|
Quoted:
The gold is the anodizing layer, so it sounds like you got one. I used black RIT dye and it worked fine. Was the dye at the right temperature? If the dye was too hot, you could have sealed the pores before the dye got absorbed. Did you rinse the lower with distilled water before putting it in the dye? What temp was the dye? How long was it in the dye? I think you might have hit the nail on the head with your third sentence. I didn't have enough distilled left, so I used tap water (well) for the rise and dye baths. Also, I used hot water and my "hot" water can get hot enough to scold. I did two lowers today after work. The first one is straight gold, the second (which went in the same dye bath, but a little bit later) turned out gunmetal/gold. It would appear that it sealed in the rise as that should have been cold water... Thanks for the advice |
|
Quoted:
If you want to try to dye again, just strip the anodize with NaOH, desmut, reanodize and dye. I have been finishing with Gunkote after anodizing, but I have to try dying the next one. Where did you source your blk dye? He used RIT, ( like I did ) any fabric store sells it. |
|
Quoted:
Thanks, I was reading on my phone and didn't pick that up. I have heard mixed reviews on RIT to get a solid black result. Has it worked out well for you? I was considering Caswell because of the feedback on the results. Its about $50 with shipping. It did work out well. However, I am sure Caswell dye would be better, I was just too lazy and cheap to order it. |
AR Sponsor