How I Anodize Aluminum Parts at Home

I show You How I Anodize My Aluminum Parts I Make For My Projects.
Anodizing aluminum is a relatively simple process, although it requires some specialized materials and equipment. Here is a step-by-step guide to anodizing aluminum at home:
Clean the aluminum: The first step is to thoroughly clean the aluminum part you wish to anodize. This can be done using soap and water, or a degreaser if there is oil or grease on the surface. You can also use a solvent such as acetone to clean the surface.
Prepare the anodizing solution: To prepare the anodizing solution, you will need to mix a solution of sulfuric acid and water. The concentration of the sulfuric acid will depend on the desired thickness of the anodized layer. A common ratio is 1 part sulfuric acid to 3 parts water. Be sure to add the acid to the water, and not the other way around, to avoid splashing.
Set up the anodizing bath: The anodizing bath should be set up in a plastic or glass container, as the acid can corrode metal containers. The part to be anodized should be suspended in the bath using a hanger or wire.
Connect the power supply: A power supply is needed to create an electric current that will cause the anodizing process to occur. Connect the positive lead of the power supply to the aluminum part, and the negative lead to a piece of aluminum foil or another conductive material in the bath.
Anodize the aluminum: Once the part is suspended in the anodizing bath and the power supply is connected, turn on the power supply and let the part anodize for the desired length of time. The longer the part is left in the bath, the thicker the anodized layer will be. Typically, anodizing times range from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Rinse the part: After the part has anodized for the desired length of time, remove it from the bath and rinse it thoroughly with water to remove any remaining acid. Be sure to wear gloves and eye protection during this step.
Color Part If Desired: While the anodizing process is going on, heat your dyes. For most colors, 140° F works best for most colors, but some work better at cooler temperatures. You’ll have to experiment with your brands and colors.
Prepare one tank of distilled water and another with your acid neutralizer.
Seal the anodized layer: The anodized layer can be sealed using a variety of methods, such as boiling the part in water or using a commercial sealer. This step helps to improve the corrosion resistance of the part.
Dry the part: Once the anodized layer has been sealed, the part should be allowed to dry completely before use.
That's it! With these steps, you should be able to successfully anodize aluminum at home. However, it's important to note that anodizing involves working with hazardous chemicals and high voltages, so be sure to take appropriate safety precautions and wear protective gear.

[@JRo250]

Awesome video. No lengthy channel intro, no "sponsor" to please, no unrelated chit-chat, or telling us about your feelings lol. Straight facts condensed into a quick how-to, leaving superfluous details out. All how it should be. Thank you!

[@geeljireoomaar6140]

Bro you getta be a bit patient! People are giving a useful information for free. Don't they deserve for your patience

[@abishopish]

tbh no@@geeljireoomaar6140

[@eat_a_dick_trudeau]

​@@geeljireoomaar6140 no, and no. A how to video shouldn't be a biography.

[@SwissplWatches]

Perfectly stated!

[@BadThrusher]

Never begged for likes, subs or comments...

[@phillipthomas4489]

Perfectly concise, this is great and more stuff like this would be rad. No filler.

[@palmer_fabrication_]

Thank you for getting straight to the point! This was very helpful

[@rpan5441]

Two thumbs up. Short and precise. No useless yapping. Great video indeed.

[@gregorywootton3870]

and no brain numbing music 10 thumbs

[@Leonardokite]

Now that was a thing of beauty! Very nice job.

[@travis.napier]

Can't wait for your next video! Thank you for sharing Matt. I still hope to learn more about your magical clear material and custom built LED some day.

[@WarpedLab]

Oh man, I need to get on my slow motion videos now, after I finished that light I didn't put out a video using it yet... Just this pandemic and all these crazy things but, I got one more Mr Beast project and then I'm going to start pumping my videos out

[@travis.napier]

@@WarpedLab Yeah I understand, life has been a bit hectic here also. Hopefully the pair with Mr. Beast is bringing in some extra cash for you to have fun with though!

[@titmusspaultpaul5]

That turned out fantastic. Very well done.

[@jbaker8871]

Great video for ppl that are mechanically inclined. Straight to the point. Well done.

[@ColinDyckes]

Been anodising aluminum parts like this for years. Very satisfying once you get it right and use genuine dyes. Just a quick point on the turbine flames at the end; 'hot' starts are definitely to be avoided! Lift the front of the kart to drain excess fuel from the gas turbine.

[@WarpedLab]

Agreed, as for the hot starts I like them sometimes it gives a good light show haha.

[@slushedpuppy8044]

What are the correct dyes for this?

[@ColinDyckes]

@@slushedpuppy8044 Sorry if this sounds like a stupid response, but Google Anodising Dyes and buy whichever colours you want. I found that bright red works extremely well. Some people attempt it with clothing dyes but that gave an awful result when I tried it.

[@Ont785]

What a great video! Well done!

[@AzzasBuildsandadventures]

Wow thats cool..always wondered how that was done and now i know....thank you.

[@Rekoyl116]

I’ve been anodising titanium exhaust piping with dc power in a baking soda bath. Been wondering how to do aluminium and this popped up. Neat

[@WarpedPerception]

Yeah titanium is pretty simple anodizing aluminum is more complicated but very rewarding.

[@JDye-youtube]

Wow, that was refreshing and satisfying all at the same time! Great video. I don’t have enough work to justify the investment, but knowledge is power!!!

[@diyfireking]

What a great project to work on. 👍👍

[@geeljireoomaar6140]

Thank you brother. Very clear explanation. Thank you for the effort youbtook to write this article. It is easy to follow Thanks

[@grovermatic]

That was satisfying to watch 🙂

[@prolfinator]

hell yeah, straight to the point

[@user-pv6vw3ft2r]

Really nice video , thank you very much for share your knowledge.

[@jamesbarisitz4794]

No expensive Multi Etch needed. I like it! 👍 😃

[@WarpedPerception]

Exactly

[@dickjohnson5025]

I would think you can use oven cleaner for etching.

[@KACPER050599]

@@dickjohnson5025 any product containing sodium hydroxide should work for etching

[@andyanderson7712]

I heard soaking in muriatic acid for 20 min is a great etching solution prior to painting / dying.

[@tomswift3938]

What dye do you recommend for various colors?

[@daniel-is6zf]

Also mate thats bloody good quality work 🤜🤛👍

[@titusllewelyn]

Yep! Amazing.

[@shanehook1010]

sweet video, have you tested it in sun to see how long it takes to fade? or does it fade? Thanks

[@CarLoverPhotography]

This is going to save me money, thank you.

[@WarpedLab]

Nice thing is, you can do any color and any shade of color that you want exactly the way you want it.

[@jesuslovesyou5819]

Now that’s a COOL video!!!

[@Luftbubblan]

What would you est the cost for this setup to be, looks like something fun to try!

[@LordPenny95]

What metals can you use to make it work

[@user-np7jv1hf3s]

Great video. Great job! I'm thinking; *While it's in any bath, give it a few taps, swirls or shakes to remove bubbles and possible voids in the coatings.*

[@phild8095]

we used a slow circulating fluid to do this. Because shaking may disrupt the current which messes up the anodize.

[@abishopish]

@@phild8095would you mind explaining the slow circulating fluid step? Informative video thank you

[@phild8095]

@@abishopish Actually it was done with very fine aeration. These plastic tubes were run through the tank and low pressure air was pumped in. The plastic tube walls were porous, not drilled holes. The bubbles were small, like beer bubbles. It just slowly moved the fluid up one side of the tank so that it circulated in the tank. Once you have established current you don't want to interrupt it until the step is completed.

[@nahuelise4055]

What do you use to dye the part?

[@arthurfelix3711]

Hello. Props on your set-up. Thank you for the information. I am considering going into business for myself anodizing parts for local companies in my area. I'm going to have to watch this video a few times to get the process you have down pat. thanks again.

[@WilXliFY]

Can also follow up with hot nickel acetate sealing bath (200 F) for a better seal on dyed parts.

[@bee_creator]

perfect ❤

[@hockeyman2274]

That is really cool. Could use that for some guitar parts.

[@andyb7754]

No, it doesn't look pretty good, it looks FANTASTIC!!! Thank you for this video.

[@WarpedLab]

Haha... Thanks

[@reedmadespeed1344]

What dye are you using?

[@user-asyoulike]

Hi i like what you doing so keep up greet work. A friend from North Africa Libya alkhoms..i well 😊try make like you

[@WarpedPerception]

Thanks !!! Good luck

[@user-asyoulike]

@@WarpedPerception thanks

[@keenedgedesigns]

When you do the final rinse after the color do you also use distilled water?

[@youtube-handle-are-a-joke]

Nice concise video, I'm concerned how the bearing falls in place though.

[@jeffbaker655]

The bearing dropped into place coz the hub had grown a bit with the heat,it will tighten up when it cools.

[@Iowa599]

What kind of power supply are you using? Does it regulate or limit current or voltage?

[@Creator_Nater]

Great video! Do all baths have to be distilled? I really don’t want to get a whole grocery cart of water

[@williamcarlyal8716]

Looks great, I think some extremely fine bead blasting pre anodizing would have looked amazing. Hard to believe Victorians invented these processes so long ago.

[@TheSpectralArtisan]

Hehe 66.6 k subs 🤪 I thought that voice sounded familiar! I weld for a living - and we use a veryy deep saturated red dye /I’m for ndt , and I’m now curious as to if I can lightly sandblast and/or ( either) use draino as an etchant ? 🤔 On my breaks I’m making an assortment of components i was too cheap to buy lolol For an auto rotation mount system for a telescope as a side job for myself, -Under test loads It’s pivot points already have started to pill and get scratched up. I was curious if you happened to know if this/ your method and it’s ultimate results give a really good finish! I’ve already ran into some alum on alum friction And scrapes - requiring some fitting But you mayyy have just solved my conundrum! So Thanks brother! 🤪

[@dave5833]

Just found your channel and subscribed very interesting. Where do you buy you products?

[@KJ7JHN]

Neat video! Do you have any on custom building gas tanks?

[@sazuann2850]

Sorry . May i ask about the dye? How to make the dye?

[@anastasiya_krd]

Спасибо

[@pamil1923]

I wish I could do dat!👍🏼☮️

[@j.lietka9406]

Are the wires you used to attach your power leads to also aluminum?

[@albundy5764]

Watching the vid they obviously are aluminum.

[@ineedclosure4163]

Can do with white dye?

[@mindsstalker]

Awesome

[@sniper7.62x51]

Sweet.

[@andyanderson7712]

This video is so awesome I decided to buy my own setup off amazon so I can anodize my AR15 parts. I spent about $200 and all my parts came in yesterday. I am a littler confused tho because research online instructed me to use something called a 720 calculator which tells me to anodize my part at less than an amp. My part is about double the size of the part you anodize in the video. I tried it and it didnt turn out well. I made a mistake somewhere. Ill try again today after work. I may need to anodize for an hour at 3-5 amps. My part is about 8inch by 2.5inch. (AR15 upper receiver) Thx for posting!!

[@WarpedLab]

I found personally that if I followed those calculators online for some reason it wouldn't come out good, I don't know if it has to do with location or specific part or the type of water or what, but I always ended up using more voltage and amperage than was stated, once I started just going with my gut then I've had very successful parts. When I was following the online instructions to the t I had many failures.

[@andyanderson7712]

@@WarpedLab interesting. I guess it’s just trial and error. I anodized my part recently at 30 volts 3 amps for an hour and turned out great! Took the dye perfectly. Posted my piece on Reddit and other guys liked it too. Thx to your vid!

[@Aleks_Mechanics]

Notification SQuad Have a nice weekend!🔥🔥🔥

[@armedcannon]

The voltage should generally be increasing during the anodizing, not decreasing. I believe the small decrease shown is due to a short-term upset to the bath. If it's consistently dropping you probably connected the wires backwards and are removing any existing anodized layer.

[@WarpedLab]

Hmmm... You might be thinking of the fact that you have to increase voltage as anodizing layer gets thicker to keep the amperage the same, The anodizing layer is an electrical insulator, have you ever tried the weld a rusty piece of metal, think about it as you have a conductive wire that you add insulation to, as time goes on the insulation gets thicker and thicker and the resistance goes up, amperage goes down And you need more voltage (push) to get the electrons through that insulator.

[@NOTTApro142]

I want to try this. Make some custom RC car suspension. A nice goldish bronze shock body, DLC coated shock tubes, metalic red spings, cutom valving and voila!

[@SuperBlizzard77]

Hey. Need some help. I have a motorcycle rim which I need to take the paint off from. However, lye bath did not work, hence, not anodized. Paint remover also did not work which usually works on other stuff... The paint is Matt gold, kinda rough to touch. Any idea what kind of paint or color is it and how would I remove it???

[@lucienpellerin]

Hi,i did see how you make the coor bath,and you show only one color (bleu),is it possible to get other colors (like golg) ? Thank you. Bye. Lucien

[@zlalic1]

Amejzing!!!

[@jimc386]

Blue dye is beautiful. What brand / type did you use.

[@WarpedLab]

I agree! I'll check, but I got it off of Amazon. I just looked at the reviews.

[@riimit]

IN YOUR OPINION WICH IS THE BEST SEALER'? DO YOU CAN SUGGEST SOMETHING?

[@harmdoornbos]

Sulphuric acid diluted 1:3 with water. Which concentration sulphuric acid do you use to dilute?

[@helenavranic1476]

Im currently researching aluminum anodization and it says that the concentration should be 10%-15%, so i would recommend buying the already diluted solution. Gonna try to do it myself next week. Buuut if you cant find one with that exact concentration, you can easily dilute it with this equation: c1*v1=c2*v2; c1 is the concentration of the solution that youre diluting (starting solution), c2 is the desired concentration, v1 is the volume of the starting solution and v2 is the amount of destiled water you have to add to the starting solution. Make sure your units of measurements "allign" so c is mol/dm3, so the volume is dm3. Im from croatia and thats how i learned here, but unites can be changed to apply to your preferences!! I hope it helps :)

[@barnbuiltbeaters]

Is all anodized aluminum dyed? I never realized this i thought the anodization process resulted in the color change, not a dye. Thanks for the Video!

[@WarpedLab]

No, if you look when I pulled the part out before putting it in the dye and had like a grayish Smoky Hue, it was already anodized, there are a lot of parts that are just clear anodized and they look really nice

[@miladinseratlic5984]

Am i missing something but it looks like etching batch description is missing between "Clean the aluminum: " and "Prepare the anodizing solution: " ?

[@tanchunkiat1084]

Hi, Can i use diluted car battery acid

[@sandeeps4799]

Sir also make a video how to Chrome .. steel or aluminium..

[@KrazyRemote]

Why does the voltage drop? If anything it should rise based on ohms law. As the anodized layer increases the resistance should increase and cause a voltage increase. Thanks for the video detailing your process

[@WarpedLab]

I believe I had fixed voltage The amperage is what was dropping. As the resistance increases the voltage would go up to keep the same amperage.

[@naturalmystics-kd9vt]

I wish I could meet you in person you are amazing

[@djeletropopstarify]

hi, what kind of paint you ar using for anodize aluminum?

[@vdubs4life1964]

this is super cool! But how do you hard anodize?

[@tedlarson2078]

Lower the temp to 45deg and anodize at 24 volts for 60 to 90 minutes

[@donnikolas7372]

I have an item that is already anodized in a color but I want to change the color. (purple to black) what steps would be necessary?

[@maccrazy2]

I have the same power supply. Have you had issues with it not staying in CC mode? I’m doing smaller parts at around.7 amp and it will start off in constant current mode but reverts to constant voltage after only a minute or less. I can’t seem to determine what I’m doing wrong. Any ideas?

[@WarpedLab]

Yes I have had the exact same problem, even in this video. I'm not.sure why but I'm thinking it might be the voltage cutoff of something where it switches from cc to cv. I'm also trying to figure it out

[@maccrazy2]

@@WarpedLab thanks for the response. I’ll reply here if I figure anything out. It has worked ok but I’m concerned I’ll get into a more important component and have it not turn out.

[@Chinhnguyen0497]

Hello. I want to change the color of the fishing reel spool. can you make a tutorial. it's made of aluminum and is colored

[@B-U-N-N-I]

Is the boiling water to seal just regular tap water? No need for distilled?

[@WarpedLab]

I usually use distilled but I don't think it matters.

[@jonasgeez2140]

Where the heck do you get battery acid lol is that something you can actually buy?... Looks really good btwv

[@errolrojas3460]

I'm interested in anodizing transfer case parts. My question is will any of the anodizing ever come off internally where it will be bathed in oil.

[@phild8095]

Anodized aluminum is very wear and corrosion resistant if done properly. Chemically it is equivalent to sapphire which is next to diamond on the hardness scale.

[@scottydntno]

Can you do a video anodizing green?

[@Isaac-nn3ob]

Could you link the equipment? Great video

[@WarpedLab]

Yes I will... thanks! I may do an actual how to soon but it's so simple . I will try to post links tomorrow. Just an Amazon 30vdc 5.1 amp power supply, a piece of aluminum, some sulfuric battery acid, sodium hydroxide off of Amazon, and baking soda. I also got the blue dye off of Amazon I just got the one with the best reviews.

[@jonathangaliano2617]

@@WarpedLab Yea a good detailed how to would be amazing! I'd love to try this for some random motorcycle parts.

[@SSCchannel]

did you use a spoonful of baking soda and 200ml of water to neutralize

[@simon9924]

Is there any non invasive method to remove a layer of oxid?

[@eltonm4771]

Hi, Thank you for the cool video. 👍👍Looks great with the color . I have a question if you don’t mind. Does this work with stainless steel? Thank you

[@Ed19601]

What is the material of your kathode?

[@freddyhuerta6154]

What is the neutralizing solution you use right after the anodizing bath?

[@mommymilkers8609]

Baking soda in distilled water works.

[@christhalassinos5574]

What colour is this for this jod where we can Found it?

[@johnlemke6035]

Can the aluminum part be bright dipped instead of dyed?

[@phild8095]

Are you thinking a hexavalent chromate dip? That is done instead of anodizing. The hexavalent chromate is very hazardous.

[@kacperlibner1194]

Hello, where I can buy paint to anodize ?

[@chaneli4855]

What is the negative terminal connected to

[@bkingtz1]

But what do you use for coloring, what kind of dye?!

[@metaframe2k]

For better anodizing, the prepared composition (water and acid) can be placed in the refrigerator. The ideal temperature is +1C. Anodizing will be rougher than when using a warm solution.

[@WarpedLab]

I'm going to try that next time, I thought 22c was the ideal temp for the acid solution

[@KingZeusCLE]

Lower temperatures allow you to pump more current and / voltage in and let it go for longer amounts of time ala Hard Coat Type III anodize. Theres a bit more to it than that (and colder temperatures), but the main advantage is that the oxide layer can be much thicker and hence tougher. If memory serves ne correct, I thinik I usually get a couple tenths (of an inch - .0002) or so per side of growth doing tyoe 2 and my half ass attempt at hard coat saw closer to a thou (although I was a bit shy). I ended up doing a big ice bath around my tank.

[@burgerfeet101]

Decorative anodising as shown in the video should be carried out at between 19 and 24 degrees Celsius. Hard anodising is done at between 5 and 0 degrees Celsius. Hard anodising will produce a thicker anodic layer, typically 50% thicker than that of decorative anodising. Decorative produces a much more aesthetically please finished whereas hard produces a more flat finish which is exaggerated after dying the part.

[@65gtotrips]

I thought he said in the beginning when fashioning the handling bracket that wherever that touches does not receive anodization ? Or did I misunderstand ? I only ask since it appeared all the threads were anodized.

[@burgerfeet101]

The point contact from the aluminium wire will be extremely small, it is at this point that no anodising will occur. After dying, you will see tiny spots where the wire touched the thread crest.

[@OrencioKasanpawiro-rq9pu]

Can i use baking powder??

[@tristanbarozzi6010]

what is the neutralizer please and where can I buy the colorant?

[@Iceflame3029]

The neutralizer is baking soda (sodium bicarbonate).

[@nedzadkomic1437]

Whats the thickness off the paint 0.010-0.0012 ?

[@OYMInternetRadio]

Hi, Can you tell us what make and manufacturer of dye your using, thanks.

[@WarpedLab]

I'll have to check If I still have it, I got it off of Amazon I just looked at the reviews and pick the one with the best reviews.

[@OYMInternetRadio]

@@WarpedLab Ok, does it have a particular name designed specifically for chroming? Can you tell me what the liquid was that you put the dye into? Thanks.

[@morgantalifre8348]

Honest question, just looking f9r clarification. I though anodizing was creating an oxide layer on the surface of the metal by running a current through it? This looks like your acid edging the surface of the material to make it more pores with some kind of electrolysis and then dying the material. Is this process here technically anodizing? Or am I incorrect? And if so, how? I'm not trying to be a dick or anything, your end result came out amazing. I'm just trying to educate myself on rhe difference and process. Thanks

[@WarpedLab]

Yes this is actual anodizing, you end up with an oxide layer on the part, when you pull it out you can physically feel the difference it's insulated and it's very very hard, if you try to scratch it it will not scratch very easy at all. And when it does scratch it makes that chalkboard noise. So after anodizing apart like this if you do not dye it then you just put it in boiling water for a few minutes to seal it or use a sealer.

[@arseniosantiago7879]

How much heat can the anodized stand before it starts to fade away?

[@WarpedLab]

The melting point of the anodized is higher than the aluminum itself.

[@daniel-is6zf]

Man iv been trying with phosphoroc acid as sulfuric acid isnt easily obtainable where i live.. even with a hazardous chems lisence its still hard to find and bloody pricey haha can get brick cleaner but thst still is suspended within other stuff... did consider battery acid... but i thought thst was phosphoric acid as ive used it when i ran out of rust converter. "Phosphoric acid"... and thats where im stuck 😅

[@williammahon520]

sulfuric acid (drain cleaner)

[@SkunkCity_RC]

Should do a how to

[@19jody72]

How durable is this?

[@borisj4054]

So, what is the dye?

[@Zen_Modeling]

👉Excellent video!!!💯 Just the appropriate amount of information needed to Anodize my small scale Aluminum Auto parts I machine.. 📍Your Written instructions attached was a HUGE BONUS!!! & great 💡 for my future “DIY videos” Thank-U Thank-U Thank-U!!!!👏👏👏👏 ZenModeling☯️