Anodization

Everything I know about anodizing Titanium I've learned on the internet.

I think it all started in 2009 with a video Don McLeish posted on YouTube about how to anodize a flashlight clip.  I saw the magic color change, and knew I had to be able to do this myself.

After a bit of research, I got a power supply from Harbor Freight, and some alligator clips. I got an AC-DC voltage rectifier, and made a dipping solution of water and sulfuric acid that I pinched from a dead car battery in my garage. I poured the solution into a small pickle jar and added a spool of galvanized wire as a cathode.

This setup has worked up until now, BUT there is a HUGE difference between anodizing 5 of something and anodizing 5000 of something. I knew I needed to upgrade my anodization station, and thanks to a bit of luck,  and a whole lot of good will, I got an encouraging message from Brad from Iowa. Brad is the guy on Kickstarter who ran the wildly successful bottle grenade, and WTF campaigns, and is currently running an (already past it's funding goal) TiKey campaign. If you're a Titani-o-phile like me, you will NEED his stuff.

I asked him about how he anodizes his parts, and in the exchange of emails that followed, Brad was kind enough to outline in detail the equivalent of a small book on the finer points of his years of experience.

So, the EpicGrip anodization station, version #2 involves a few new steps, like a pre-bath of Multi-Etch, and a more targeted ~2pH  anodizing bath. with intermittent dips into distilled water. Etched picks that won't be anodized immediately will be stored in Acetone so the bare Titanium stay fresh until the colorization process. This should yield much brighter, and more predictable colors.