How To Anodize A Titanium Fountain Pen (Ensso Italia)

[@harrybaals7715]

Mine are hairy, his are made of titanium!

[@JSGilbert]

I like that pale lilac color. Good job.

[@Doodlebud]

I'm happy with the too, but will redo the section to match. Then probably change the colour like 10 more times!

[@johntoledo4438]

Fantastic! You take things that seems mysterious or difficult and make them seem so simple. Thanks for the another good explanation and example. Great pen by the way.

[@Doodlebud]

This anodizing is the easiest one to do

[@michaels3429]

Still getting thru all your vids. Your are on the level of interesting as Nick Shabazz. Best wishes

[@Doodlebud]

Haven't heard of him but I assume he's cool 😉

[@philnaunton7181]

Hooray! Another level of fountain pen hobbymanship. Wonderful spontaneous anodizing. Who says fountain pens are just collecting other people's ingenuity.

[@Doodlebud]

Make it easy if you can decide on what colour pen to get. Can change it anytime you want

[@lucm6476]

the final result looks pretty cool.

[@Doodlebud]

Im pretty happy with it. Will give it several more goes and play around and see what kind of results I can get.

[@vageli]

DB, that took some guts! I'd never do that to my Italia; I'd be too worried I'd mess it up. Thank you for ever crossing barriers in our hobby and sharing with the world 🌎!

[@Doodlebud]

If I didn't like it I can just use a little chemical etch to remove it so wasnt overly worried. Will be fun playing with different colour combos

[@Mtmtmtmtmtmtmtmtmtmtmt]

This man's an absolute legend 🦾

[@Doodlebud]

LOL, just having fun messing with my pens 😁

[@strshooter7399]

Excellent job DB! WoW and Whoaaa!!! Ya, maybe not perfect as you wanted first time out of the gate, but hey, what a fantastic result. The plain “color “ of the Ti pen is emmmm….. not so stunning IMO, but I think the blue and the gold, really anything different is so cool. 👍😎🤗. Great job with a handful of 9vdc batteries, baking soda, and a few other items. Wow, really cool 😎

[@Doodlebud]

Its such a simple process that doesnt require many specialty parts I just had to give it a try!

[@gadgetstop321]

It turned out really nice! I now have a greater appreciation for the technical skill necessary to mass produce anodized pens that are uniform in color.

[@Doodlebud]

Going to be playing around some more. Have some stuff to remove the anodize and does a light etching which will better prepare the surface and hopefully yield better results.

[@gregcooper8466]

I really like that colour that you ended up with. I have the same pen, and was thinking of doing the same thing to it. Thanks for walking me through the process! I was thinking of flaming it, but this looks safer, and less likely that I'll burn down the house!

[@Doodlebud]

Yeah flaming does work, but very tough to control the colour as the heat is still in the pen. With this method you can stop the reaction at a desired point by voltage, or just take the pen out/disconnect and it stops instantly.

[@slo_carry]

Very cool. Guess I should try it on my Refyne EP1

[@Doodlebud]

Would be fun to try it out

[@damek7471]

Tres cool. Love the colour you ended up with. The blues were nice as well.

[@dashsunil]

That light lilac color is quite good. Positive outcome of the experiment. Great job. 😁

[@Doodlebud]

Not to bad for the first go, figuring it out on the fly and recording the process LOL I could have tried it first, got the hang of it, then showed the process. But liked the idea of recording it first time not knowing anything and making mistakes as well.

[@ichirofakename]

I like the idea of making each part (cap, section, barrel, possibly clip) a different even color.

[@Doodlebud]

Yup, can be like some of those multicolor volkswagen golfs you see every now and then. Can make the pen look however you want.

[@tobymulder196]

You are Amazing!,! It’s so great that you have such skills, teacher, engineer, and fountain pen lover. Thanks.

[@Doodlebud]

Skill is debatable, but I'm just having fun with fountain pens and chucking up vids on KZbin. Hopefully helps others out or answers some questions people have

[@13noman1]

Cool! Appreciate the lessons and the guts. I've concluded that I like my bare titanium just fine! Or, to quote from 'Dirty Harry', "A man's got to know his limitations!". I'm pretty good at chemistry conceptualizations but much less so at the applied end!

[@Doodlebud]

Knowing your limits is a good thing. Cool thing with this process is its not permanent. Just picked up some stuff that can take it off very easily. Will do a video on that too.

[@fountainpeninsanity3344]

You make this hobby fun!

[@Doodlebud]

I always like to experience, tweak, and try things out. I like customizing and personalizing my pens.

[@fountainpeninsanity3344]

@@Doodlebud That is really cool!

[@MarcSaegesser]

What a great experiment! That was fun to watch.

[@Doodlebud]

Was also fun to do!

[@xerxiusmaximus]

Excellent…. Awesome….loved this first attempt…. Love the the serendipity

[@Doodlebud]

Fun going into it unsure of how it will turn out.

[@chrisdaniels6523]

Inexpressibly cool! I don't have a titanium pen, but if I ever do, I'll try this.

[@Doodlebud]

A titanium pen is already kinda cool all on its own, but this makes it really unique.

[@pauloalmeida3243]

Congrats. Excellent outcome @ first try. I'm impressed by your improv.

[@Doodlebud]

Thank you very much!

[@joshuatardiff1531]

I should try this on my Muji pen some time. Apparently anodizing aluminum is pretty straightforward too

[@Doodlebud]

Aluminum does take a bit more too it. Also have to select the correct dye to give the desire colour. With Ti, you just adjust the voltage which is really neat.

[@JuceePeachz67]

DB, AWESOME video!!!!! Great idea and I do like the color on the pen, not too crazy about the section. Great science project to do at home. Thank you for sharing.

[@Doodlebud]

Im going to redo the section to start over and blend it with the rest of the pen. Will do a vid on that too

[@paulmchugh1430]

Thanks for the video. I did not know the process of anodizing. Vaguely similar to electroplating. I did not realize that the amount of voltage changed the color.

[@Doodlebud]

This method makes it much easier to control than using a flame

[@1xsandrax1]

Thank you for another fantastic video 😊! I will have fun trying this!

[@Doodlebud]

Hope it goes well!

[@1xsandrax1]

@@Doodlebud thank you! 😊

[@DigitalMoonlight]

That’s pretty neat, always thought anodizing required more than household items. Might have to hook up the bench supply and have some fun. As an aside the voltage drop probably had more to do with the carbon zinc batteries than the wire. I suspect when you first drop the part it the current is higher and CZn batteries are pretty anemic. Cheapo Amazon alkalines might hold up better without as much Vdroop

[@Doodlebud]

Aluminum anodizing requires much more work, but Ti is VERY simple. Yeah, these super cheap batteries can't handle the load, power supply would be much better or at the very least, better batteries like you mentioned.

[@DigitalMoonlight]

@@Doodlebud I was going to bring up NiMH but there’s a few problems, who has that many spare rechargeable 9V, NiMH 9V vary in voltage depending on what brand and when it was made. Ranges from 7.2V to 9.6V and lastly on a new setup it’d be prohibitively expensive vs just buying a good quality bench that can do up to 110V (wonder if gutting an old, pre LED laser printer would work, can’t find a chart showing what colours you get in the kilovolts range) NiMH should have no problems keeping up with current draw if any future readers happen to see this comment and have like a dozen or so rechargeable 9v from a fleet of multimeters.

[@sven-erikrose5732]

So cool; thanks! I think it turned out great.

[@cynthiaalvarado8610]

Not too shabby for a first attempt. This beats out the flame method 100% and watch the color change while it’s in the bath. Another suggestion would be to go full beans on voltage till you get to green. I prefer the purple, but that’s all personal preference.

[@Doodlebud]

I think I need to do a quick etch on the metal before I put it in to better prepare the surface. Also, this "power supply" has limits on going full beans. But will grab a few more batteries and see what I can do.

[@ilikepens]

Looks so good!

[@oscarmedina1597]

Nice job, DB. I’ve anodized a few different knife scales. The cathode wire doesn’t make that big of a difference, so folks can use steel or copper. The anode should be steel though for best results. It was very lucky that you removed the non-titanium clip from the cap. You would have had very different results otherwise. One other suggestion is to use a deeper container and not remove the item from the solution during the anodization process.

[@Doodlebud]

Thanks for the tips. I had to remove it from the solution as the voltage drop on the batteries would just right down to zero if I left it in too long. I put a meter across the leads and I could see when the batteries needed time to recharge. Having a 120V variable DC supply would be Skookum!

[@kari.bullet.journal]

Genius idea 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@robmc120]

Revisiting this video always makes me want to jump in & blue/teal my own Italia. Are you gonna get the pocket titanium ensso is selling? Maybe anodize that? Any chance you'll anodize the Majohn ti200? Do you have one? Dave Rathbun & Chrisrap52 are unsure it's actual titanium so this might verify. God bless! Always great videos, pushing the limits of the hobby!

[@Doodlebud]

Yup I have the Ti Piuma on order. I chatted with Doug about giving his a go at titanium and if he has any questions to reach out. Won't anodize the Piuma right away as I already have my Italia done. But possibly down the road. There are some other ways to test if something is Ti

[@syedafahd]

I think it looks great. I mean for the first try ever, you did an amazing job. 👍🏻 is there anything you can’t do?! 👏🏻

[@Doodlebud]

My wife has list of all the things I can't do 😉 LOL

[@Matto5433]

Could you please do a review for the hero 616?

[@Doodlebud]

If I get one I will. The pen isnt really on my radar though. If you look there are PLENTY of reviews on that pen that I'm sure will give you all the info you're looking for.

[@TheNibNerd]

Do you think this would work on nibs?

[@Doodlebud]

It could for sure, just dont know if the make up of the Ti nibs. Not sure if its 100% Ti or an alloy

[@grandmiapens]

Interesting result on the pen, very similar process to gold plating. Thanks for sharing.👍

[@Doodlebud]

Very different from resorting a vintage beauty. Part of what makes the hobby so fun. Can do fun stuff with old and new pens

[@Matto5433]

Love the look of it!And could you do a review of the kaweco al sport?

[@Doodlebud]

If I ever get a Kaweco AL I will do a review.

[@gristlevonraben]

very cool, I too would have favored the green and or tri-tone gold colors. It's sad that just reversing the current flow couldn't reverse the color... I fear the acid wash is going to pit your titanium, but I hope not!

[@Doodlebud]

Nope, it wont pit the TI, its all good! Only needs a few seconds in the bath

[@mrN3w7]

Pretty cool :). I guess this will be the one way to test that Moonman FP to see if is titanium. Really odd that they did the inside screw as titanium, but the clip not lol :D.

[@Doodlebud]

Yeah kind of odd. I connected with them to find out, will see what info I get back.

[@BenRogersWPG]

This is amazing

[@Doodlebud]

Fun way to make the pen custom. Can easily change the colour anytime you feel like it.

[@wendyholiday2021]

Great tutorial 👌 thank you. I like the purplish color. I want to try anodizing, just need the Ti wire. Could I use stainless wire?

[@Doodlebud]

I think SS will work, but don't know how well. Everything I look up says to us Ti wire. Ideally, I would habe a piece of titanium for both electrodes as well (instead of the fork). Ti wire can be bought on amazon but also like I did, visited a vape shop and had what I needed $5 later.

[@wendyholiday2021]

@@Doodlebud I'll try vape shop, I live in NYC they're all over.

[@Doodlebud]

Definitely do that, super cheap. Just call ahead or check their website to see if they stock the wire to make coils. Not all shops up here did. Had to call a few to find one near by that did

[@robmc120]

Do you have an updated graph for desired color now that you know the graph is wrong? i'd really like a teal or something similar. God bless (Matthew 5:45)!

[@Doodlebud]

Here's a site that has some good info & voltage/colour chart chemistrytalk.org/titanium-anodizing/

[@robmc120]

@@Doodlebud Hey thanks for the quick reply, i'm fascinated & truly tempted to do this, i already wrote down the instructions so i can quick reference when i get to do it myself. If i can ask one more question, my pen doesnt have the Delrin plastic in the cap, could i dip the cap as is since it's pretty much just Ti then? God bless again, i pray you get to 1 million subs with your informational & fun to watch videos, not just reviews.

[@Doodlebud]

If yours is just straight Ti its good to go. The other materials won't anodize from this process. To remove the anodizing afterwards if you want to change it you need to get Whink rust remover which has Hydrofluoric acid in it. NASTY stuff so be VERY CAREFUL. Gloves, glasses, outside for ventilation! But it takes off the TiO2 layer in a jiffy. Waiting for the US/CAN border to open so I can get some. We carry the same brand up here but our regulations don't allow HF acid in it. Ours has phosphoric acid which removes rust, but won't touch the TiO2 layer. Very frustrating! In the US you can walk into a Walmart buy some Hydrofluoric acid, and a 40 Oz of Jack Daniels all at the same time LOL🤣. Can't do that up here 😆

[@tomshult3044]

How about the Ti nib?

[@Doodlebud]

Could be done, depends on the grade of the titanium. Not sure if it's 100% Ti or an alloy

[@robmc120]

That's a brilliant idea! I'm totally doing this!

[@jakesong266]

This is stunning! How can I polish out the oxidized surface of the pen after doing this? Will it be easy to do as well?

[@Doodlebud]

It has to be etched off with chemicals. Common one is HF (hydrofluoric acid) which is nasty stuff. If you're in the USA it's easily obtained in a product called whink rust cleaner. Here in Canada we don't have it. So waiting for the border to open to get some. Will be doing a follow up video. If you do buy some BE VERY CAUTIOUS and follow all the safety precautions. HF acid is VERY DANGEROUS stuff!

[@SirIsaacTheRed]

Love this kind of stuff! Science applied to pens. Thanks Doodlebud. First mechanical engineering (custom grind) and now chemical engineering. What is it you cannot do?

[@Doodlebud]

SITUPS!!!! Not very good at situps right now... 😔

[@technoraptor7778]

😲 does kaweco have a titanium sport? If so...I know what I'm doing next.!

[@Doodlebud]

Not that I know of. But there are many titanium pens on the market

[@technoraptor7778]

Hmm. "Kaweco!" Could be a good idea

[@santauxia]

I think it looks great, and its just a first attempt.

[@Doodlebud]

Going to be messing around with this some more and see what colour combos I can get

[@meowkoshka9578]

Would the colour ever fade/chip?

[@Doodlebud]

Wouldn't fade but does have its limits when it comes to getting scratched. It's a very hard layer but also very thin

[@shadow.chicken]

I wonder if it is possible to anodize titanium nibs. I've been debating making my own fountain pen body, because I have access to 3d printers, and I think it could be cool to do an anodized titanium nib. The bock nibs have that matte finish, but I wonder if that could be polished off.

[@shadow.chicken]

oh wait, you already have a video about this.

[@Doodlebud]

@@shadow.chicken LOL yup... But the flame + acid method is a bit crazy. The electrolyte + batteries is much safer 🤓

[@brettsmith1655]

Forgive my lack of knowledge, but why not just use copper wire for both leads?

[@Doodlebud]

I haven't spent time testing that out. But if I were to guess, I'm thinking you'd want the wire to be titanium so it behaves the same. Ti is not a good conductor of electricity. For example, if you were to rank copper as say 100/100 on conductivity, in relative terms titanium would then be 3/100. So I think if you had a much higher conductive wire, the electrons would flow to that metal instead of the titanium and the process wouldn't be as efficient. Just me guessing, so not sure.

[@brettsmith1655]

@@Doodlebud Got it. Thanks

[@RONSPOTZ]

You should try aluminum next.

[@Doodlebud]

Aluminum is a bit more involved and requires dyes for different colours. Kinda why I chose this pen and Ti is super simply do and can get whatever colour you want with just a voltage change. Possibly will do Al in the future.

[@davidmcguigan5497]

Give my creation LIIIIIFE!!! Great job, DB. Could you have left the clip on since it wasn't titanium? Would the plastic disc have been ok? You had your color, did you continue dipping it, or does it continue to change after you rinse? Very cool demo, thanks!

[@Doodlebud]

Could have left the clip on I guess but don't know if it damages the surface just running it without being coated. Also increases surface area which requires more energy from the batteries which are being strained already. I don't think the process would damage the delrin disk, but if I need to etch the surface to remove the coating and try again, not sure if that will damage the part. Just a good idea to only put titanium parts into the anodizing bath since that's what its setup for.

[@paulchristie2118]

Watches to see the method - not as a preference on any of my pens, and if I'd done that with any of her forks I'd never be able to sleep soundly again (or only once)

[@EVILLASER]

Hey, do you know AvE? Is he like a blood relative of yours? lol

[@Doodlebud]

Lol, every time someone mentions that I take it as a compliment. If I can grow the chanel to 1/10th his size that would be unbelievable!

[@victorgyulnazaryan2265]

I found it ;)

[@Doodlebud]

That's the basic method....I stepped it up a notch with a other method: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXuyopqHf7aFl6s kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXexl3aPeLmSatU

[@ichirofakename]

!!!

[@scriptkeeper8243]

Doodlebud: say my name

[@Matto5433]

Breaking Bad crossover

[@Doodlebud]

Im trying to get my hands on the right stuff to remove the coating. Access to his highschool chem lab would be handy!