# home anodizing?



## [email protected] (Dec 3, 2008)

hey

was thinking of doing this as a little project over the summer 

for things like seat tube clamp, maybe spokes, stem, bolts, chainrings etc


anybody know how to, or got any tips?

cheers

joe


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## Thor29 (May 12, 2005)

I was just looking into the same thing. Unfortunately, I live in the big city and don't have a garage, so I can't try it myself. But here's a pretty interesting link about do-it-yourself anodizing:

http://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize.html


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## Stealth1972 (Sep 15, 2006)

"How much do you make an hour and what's your time worth." is the question I always ask myself before I tackle a do it yourself project. That looks like an investment in dollars and time for home ano'ing. I'd rather be out riding. That's just me though...


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## milehi (Nov 2, 1997)

I've dabbled with tiodizing. I bought a jewelry tiodizing unit off ebay several years ago. Most every bolt on all my bikes has colored ti bolts. I even did my wife's ti King crown race pink. I tried to do a ti spring but it was too big,


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## milehi (Nov 2, 1997)

One more


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## ettore (Nov 13, 2004)

I would suggest going to the instructables website; that's the kind of thing that site is great for helping with.


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## McStank (Aug 8, 2008)

Try here.

http://www.caswellplating.com/index.html


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## Stevirey (Jul 16, 2005)

*anodizing*



Thor29 said:


> I was just looking into the same thing. Unfortunately, I live in the big city and don't have a garage, so I can't try it myself. But here's a pretty interesting link about do-it-yourself anodizing:
> 
> http://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize.html


Yup.That's the best home anodizing site I've found.I got the anodizing guide the him.I'm out of work and this looks like a way to make a few bucks


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## [email protected] (Dec 3, 2008)

wicked thanks guys

vader, tiodizing is pretty similar process to anodizing yes, just with titanium? howd you find it? is it easy to do and fairly simple to set up?

cheers


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

I learned how to anodize a few months ago, all I use is a plastic coffee can, some aluminum wire, a 4"X6" aluminum plate, battery acid, RIT dye and an old battery charger. It is really easy to do.
Here are a couple things I have anodized at home. I made all these parts out of aluminum and it only took about an hour to anodize them. It cost me about $10, the cost of the battery acid.


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## [email protected] (Dec 3, 2008)

aaron04 said:


> I learned how to anodize a few months ago, all I use is a plastic coffee can, some aluminum wire, a 4"X6" aluminum plate, battery acid, RIT dye and an old battery charger. It is really easy to do.
> Here are a couple things I have anodized at home. I made all these parts out of aluminum and it only took about an hour to anodize them. It cost me about $10, the cost of the battery acid.


wow, really? thats brilliant, i might use something a bit bigger for bigger parts, but yours sounds really good, any chance of a picture of the setup? 
how did you dye it? i've heard theres different ways of dying, but i want to do one that i know people have used, the finish on your parts looks quality

cheers

joe


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

I use a Folgers coffee can, the plastic "can" has a handle built in, I slide a thin piece of aluminum into the handle and hook it to the neg. wire on my 4 amp/12 volt batt charger. I fill the can with a 50/50 mix of battery acid and water. I then hang the part to be anodised into the acid/water using a piece of aluminum wire, I usually thread the wire into a screw hole on the part being anodised because the area where the wire touches the part wont take dye afterwards. Make sure the part you ano is clean! very clean! I use some aluminum brightener I bought at Napa to etch the surface before I ano, I cant remember the specific acid in it, I will go down to my shop and fin out in a little while, I will also take a pic of my fancy coffee can.
I hook the aluminum wire that hangs the part being anodised to the positive wire on the charger and turn it on, it starts to bubble right away, fine little bubbles usually flow up from the cathode (the aluminum plate) I let this sit in the acid between 1 and 2 hours depending on the size of the part. After the part is anodised it will appear a different color, kinda pale gray, that is the layer of anodise. I rinse the part in cool water and it's ready to dye.
To dye the part I use RIT fabric dye, I mix it in another coffee can and heat it to 140 F., I then dip the part in the heated dye for about 30 minutes, the longer, the more dye it takes. After it is dyed I boiled the part for 15 minutes, this seal the dye into the ano by closing the pores. After that it is done. I usually polish it by hand with a soft towel and thats it. 
It makes a very nice finish, you can feel how much harder the surface is, I did some test parts and had to use 80 grit sand paper to get it to scratch and even then I had to rub hard. It works great.
I learned all this from a website but I cant remember which one, I will look in a little while and post a link. It really is easy and you can do it anywhere as long as you can vent the fumes outside, there arent a lot of fumes but I am sure it is not healthy to breath!


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

Here are a couple of sites I used to learn about anodizing. You don't need all the fancy heaters, blowers and coolers used on "focusers" site, he does a lot of production work, for just a few parts, the method and equipment I use does a great job. These sites give you a good idea of the process though. http://www.focuser.com/atm/anodize/anodize.html
http://astro.neutral.org/anodise.shtml


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## [email protected] (Dec 3, 2008)

aaron, thats brilliant, i'll definatly give it a go in the holidays, thanks for all the help

cheers
joe


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> aaron, thats brilliant, i'll definatly give it a go in the holidays, thanks for all the help
> 
> cheers
> joe


 Your going to have fun, after my first try I was hooked! I couldnt believe how EASY it was! I wish I had learned how to do it years ago, I always assumed it was something that only professionals could do so I never even thought of trying it, now that I know how easy it is I want to anodize every aluminum item I own!
Good luck and if you have any questions I can help with feel free to ask! 
Later! Aaron


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## [email protected] (Dec 3, 2008)

do you know if its ok to anodize bolts? i know the head would be fine, just wondering if anodizing the thread would make it too thick to screw into the female thread on the component


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## mkdive (May 4, 2009)

learn something new every day! Thanks!!!


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## savagemann (Jan 14, 2008)

I am so going to do this!!!!!!!


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## womble (Sep 8, 2006)

aaron04 said:


> I learned how to anodize a few months ago, all I use is a plastic coffee can, some aluminum wire, a 4"X6" aluminum plate, battery acid, RIT dye and an old battery charger. It is really easy to do.
> Here are a couple things I have anodized at home. I made all these parts out of aluminum and it only took about an hour to anodize them. It cost me about $10, the cost of the battery acid.


You should change your username to McGuyver


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## nnn (Feb 1, 2005)

[email protected] said:


> do you know if its ok to anodize bolts? i know the head would be fine, just wondering if anodizing the thread would make it too thick to screw into the female thread on the component


No, the anodizing layer is very very thin and shouldn't affect thread size.

I might try this over the summer, last year I found it difficult to get cheap acid here in London, but I found some online suppliers which might be ok


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> do you know if its ok to anodize bolts? i know the head would be fine, just wondering if anodizing the thread would make it too thick to screw into the female thread on the component


I haven't anodized any bolt threads but I have anodized the tapped threads in the parts I made and the screws and bolts still fit nicely in to them, the threads actually felt "crisp" ( for lack of a better word) as I threaded the screws in. I don't think a bolt will give you any problem at all. If you do find they are a bit tight you could always run a die over the threads to clean them off.


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## Rock Toy (Jun 10, 2009)

Why anodize when you can buy the parts already done? http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/1205920099.html


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## zarr (Feb 14, 2008)

Thanks for the teachin'. :thumbsup:


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## [email protected] (Dec 3, 2008)

hey i'm in london too! have you found anywhere that will sell you the sulphuric acid? i was thinking of going to the local dump and asking if they can give me some old car batterie, worth a try i suppose

most places have told me to use something called "greased lightning" which is a cleaner, and removes old anodizing and cleans up the aluminium, but as far as i can find that stuffs only available in america.... have you got any idea what else could be used, or if sodium hydroxide (NaOH) can be bought in the uk?



nnn said:


> No, the anodizing layer is very very thin and shouldn't affect thread size.
> 
> I might try this over the summer, last year I found it difficult to get cheap acid here in London, but I found some online suppliers which might be ok


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## [email protected] (Dec 3, 2008)

Rock Toy said:


> Why anodize when you can buy the parts already done? http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/1205920099.html


 that link dosnt work, but anyway i reckon it'll be something good to try, and probobly cheaper


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## Rock Toy (Jun 10, 2009)

It was simply funny. Here it is again: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/1212601277.html


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## longcat (Apr 24, 2008)

I made this


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## [email protected] (Dec 3, 2008)

i like it


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## nnn (Feb 1, 2005)

Well this thread got me way too impatient so I got the stuff and had my first go today !

*Stuff I had:* 
A car battery charger, 12V at 4amps
Dyes: Found some egg-painting dyes in the cupboard, we use these every year for easter!
Caustic soda: Have some drain cleaner, but didn't use it today.

*Stuff I bought:*
Al wire: 3metres or 2mm Al wire from a crafts shop - £1.50
Sulfuric acid: 400cc of 1.25 battery acid from motorcycle store: 99p (£5.00 with delivery)
De-ionized water: £1.00 a litre from my local hardware store. Distilled seems unneccessary.

*Setup: *
Parts cleaned and rinsed in DI water, plastic/glass container filled with DI water to which 1/3 parts Sulfuric acid concentrate is added, cathode made out of kitchen foil folded over itself a few times, parts tightly connected with Al wire to battery charger.
Anodization was ran for 50 minutes the first time and 40 minutes the second time.
Parts rinsed in DI water, then dipped in shower-warm DI water/egg dye solution for about 2 minutes.
Part steamed for about 20 minutes.

*First trial:* I gave a couple of brake bosses a *really* good clean with detergent followed by Isopropanol then rinsed in de-ionized water. I kept checking every 10 mins during the Ano. stage and everything looked ok (lots of bubbles from cathode, a few from anode part). The last 15 minutes I didn't look at the setup and it had heated up a lot (I used a very small acid bath). I dipped the part in the dye, but it only took it up in tiny spots. Obviously the part had sealed in the hot acid :madmax:

*Second trial: *Same process, this time the acid bath was itself immersed in a bowl of tapwater to keep it cool. Ano. was ran for just 40 minutes and this time the blue dye was taken up beautifully. Steamed for 30 minutes and the colour was perfect where it held. Some spots didn't take up the dye and there was some blotchiness, probably needs better cleaning and rinsing before and after the acid bath.

Tommorow I will have a go with etching the parts in causitc soda before cleaning and will increase the size of the acid bath. 
The kitchen foil works fine but gets quite hot, so I might buy an Al plate if I take this further.

Pics and more progress tommorow, I'm currently lookin for anything alunimium around the house, lol


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## zarr (Feb 14, 2008)

This is a very interesting subject. I have some old school aluminum parts I'd like to annodize. But I can't understand how to set up the electrical power to make the solution boil. Could somebody explain a little more simply how this is done?


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## sodak (Oct 10, 2006)

Interesting..... I'd like to try this sometime...


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## New to MB (Dec 31, 2008)

I think it would be cool, but I find it easier to buy em


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## nnn (Feb 1, 2005)

A little update from me.
Having done a few trials now it's obvious the No.1 factor to a good result is prepping the surface *really* well. Once you have something good going into the acid bath the rest is fairly easy. Here's how I prep:

*Immerse part in caustic soda solution until the surface is a light silvery gray (takes 2-5 minutes for bare aluminium, 2-5 minutes on top for prevously anodised parts)
*Clean under the tap then with a brush and detergent.
*Polish (a smooth polishing cloth works for this, I'm guessing wet/dry paper as well)
*Clean under tap (lots of detergent and *lots* of scrubbing)
*Clean with Isopropyl alcohol until the surface 'squeaks' (only touching the part with clean rubber gloves now)
*Connect Al wire 
*Rinse with De-ionized water
*Immerse in acid bath and connect!

I found steaming made for more blotchy results as condensation beaded up and carried dye to different parts so I boil the pieces now (should be solved with better rinsing out of the dye bath I guess)

Here's a few of my first trials. The blue sharpener and brake boss were my first trials and weren't great. The purple brake boss was almost perfect with some steaks of blue near sharp corners ...weird. The red barrel adjuster came out absolutely perfect - even, bright, brilliant red! :thumbsup: You can just see the spot where the wire was touching it. The lockring must be a bad alloy as it was in the same bath but it didn't take up blue at all 

I might try an old lever body from an Avid SD tommorow


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## longcat (Apr 24, 2008)

The red came out really good I think, did you use any aluminum specific dye for it?


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## nnn (Feb 1, 2005)

No, just some pill-form egg-colouring dye which I use at easter. It's probably just repackaged food colouring tbh.. I might fork out for some specialist gold anodizing dye  .


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

I was asked to post this pic of my way fancy anodising tank. Here it is! The wire is connected to a smaller plate on the left of the picture, I was trying to get more surface area for a large part I was anodising, it didn't make a big difference, the plate in the handle area worked pretty good for most of the small parts I anodised, I connect the negative lead from my charger to the wire and the positive lead to the aluminum rod. I hang my parts from the aluminum rod.


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## nnn (Feb 1, 2005)

That's pretty swish 
I'm using a yoghurt bucket atm, I'll post some setup pics tommorow.


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## [email protected] (Dec 3, 2008)

ok my source of acid is a few old car batteries....

anybody know how to get the acid out? not too sure and i dont wanna be messing around with that stuff!

i'll use the lead inside for the cathode too


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> ok my source of acid is a few old car batteries....
> 
> anybody know how to get the acid out? not too sure and i dont wanna be messing around with that stuff!
> 
> i'll use the lead inside for the cathode too


You could just siphon it out! Just kidding, Couldn't you just pour it out? The acid I bought from the auto parts store had to be diluted 50%, I would assume you would have to do the same if the battery you source your acid from had a charge. One thing I have read is you should always add the acid to water, I guess if you add water to acid it could suddenly erupt. 
I have also read that you should only use aluminum as a cathode when anodising aluminum and not to let any other metals other than aluminum touch the acid. I don't know what happens if you use something else but it might be worth checking out .
Good luck!


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## nnn (Feb 1, 2005)

Car battery acid should be ok as long as it's not too contaminated. I dilute mine 2 parts water to 1 part acid.
You can use lead fine, but remember you need about twice the surface area of your aluminium part for this to work properly.
Remember to use gloves and work in well ventilated/open area when dealing with sulfuric acid, it both stinks and gives off noxious gases, especially during ano.


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## XJman07 (Apr 17, 2007)

so how exactly do you dispose of the battery acid? can you just pour it back in the original container and return it?


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## aaron04 (May 26, 2008)

XJman07 said:


> so how exactly do you dispose of the battery acid? can you just pour it back in the original container and return it?


You can use it more than once, I have been using the same tank of acid for over 6 months and have anodised at least 20 items in it and it is still working just fine. 
If you just want to get rid of it you can neutralize it with baking soda. You need to mix it with baking soda until it stops fizzing, after that it is supposed to be harmless and can be poured down the drain safely. I saw a website somewhere once that described the method in more detail.


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## djork (Nov 8, 2004)

Anyone thought of anodizing the presta valve ring that comes with a presta tube? I remember seeing someone on Ebay selling ano rings. That could be a money maker!


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## [email protected] (Dec 3, 2008)

djork said:


> Anyone thought of anodizing the presta valve ring that comes with a presta tube? I remember seeing someone on Ebay selling ano rings. That could be a money maker!


yup that was on my "things to anodize" list, whe ni finally get round to doing it 

i saw somewhere selling them on the internet, but i think they were about £2.50 PER ring, which seems a bit excessive to be honest.....

was thinking the rings, valve caps, some bolts, bottom bracket, brake clamps, (maybe levers...) seatpost clamp and seat clamp, quick releases, bottle cage if i get one lol

anything else people think would look good?
and i'll buy some red spoke nipples sometime


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## nnn (Feb 1, 2005)

I was thinking of anodizing those rings, but most seem to be steel (at least the ones I have). I would be careful about putting any steel in the bath, it both dissolves fairly rapidly and draws a lot of current.
Here's a few more things I've done. The lever blade had to be masked using a hot glue gun to avoid the steel cable retention bit, but the rest was perfect. I also did the brake pad holders on the rear brake and had a go at doing an old side pull brake in blue.

The frame itself is getting powdercoated soon in black and deep red  .


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## drew2388 (May 19, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> ok my source of acid is a few old car batteries....
> 
> anybody know how to get the acid out? not too sure and i dont wanna be messing around with that stuff!
> 
> i'll use the lead inside for the cathode too


Turkey baster should work.


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## EagleEye_17 (Feb 1, 2011)

*Screw Anodization*

I need help.

I am attempting to anodize a small screw but I am unable to figure out how to do it. I understand the theory behind anodization, I just need help with setup. I know that wherever the wire touches, anodization will not take place. I need the entire screw anodized in an even layer. Can anyone help with this?


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## SweatyBiscuit (Nov 25, 2010)

Thought I'd show off my recent project. I tried a number of other parts before I attempted this.


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## schnottus (Jan 5, 2011)

I anodized some bike lights and mounts I made a couple months ago. I used Rit dye and just wanted to point out to everyone that after a couple weeks of sunlight exposure it is really starting to fade. I think I will get some actual anodizing dye from Caswell for my next batch and see how that holds up.


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## robncircus (Jan 13, 2011)

There is a guy on Weight Weenies that does his own with Coke and a charge. Not sure of the whole process but he did do a write-up. either way, I'm jealous of you DIY types. I need to start trying more stuff on my own.


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## marpilli (Feb 8, 2011)

nnn said:


>


^^^ This is awesome. I wasn't really interested until I saw this... Now I need to find someone in north texas willing to do some ano for me or make my own setup. More money down the drain by lurking in these forums.


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## 96p993 (May 21, 2011)

For those of you doing this to bolts are you starting with "natural color" bolts? All mine are black but I want to get them a different color

Thanks


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## AC/BC (Jun 22, 2006)

Where does one get battery acid?


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## marpilli (Feb 8, 2011)

AC/BC said:


> Where does one get battery acid?


Guessing at an auto parts store.


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## Dichotomous (Jul 5, 2011)

I always thought you added the dye into the acid bath, so it became part of the anodised layer, you can cook it longer in there for darker and harder/thicker layer.


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## schnottus (Jan 5, 2011)

> I always thought you added the dye into the acid bath, so it became part of the anodised layer, you can cook it longer in there for darker and harder/thicker layer.


Do you still think that? You anodize the part first in acid which leaves it with a mostly clear (sometimes very light yellow) tint. Then you bathe it in dye which the pores of the anno layer soak up. Then you seal the pores either by steaming/boiling (cheap) or with more chemicals.

It's not hard to have a great anodizing rig for under 100 dollars if you shop around.

AC/BC: I get my acid at NAPA, it's 5 quarts for about 18 dollars here. This is generally 30 to 35% sulfuric so you cut it about 50/50 with distilled water for 10 quarts of approximately 15% acid. You can go weaker or stronger, that is just what I run.


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## henry9419 (Nov 18, 2010)

could you do a brake rotor some how? spray paint works good but is easy to scratch...


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## schnottus (Jan 5, 2011)

Anodizing is for aluminum and titanium only as far as I know. Solid rotors are generally a steel and cannot be anodized. If you have a two piece and the center is AL or TI then you could do that, but still not the outside steel. The acids will seriously mess up iron alloys.


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