Painting Aliminum?

[nagjames]

Hi All,

I'm making small RC aluminum parts mostly as hobby however I sold a few on ebay.
The other day I tried to spray paint my parts with some "multi purpose" paint. The finish was nice but as expected the paint came off as I scratched a bit. Anodizing would be the best option but probably no anodizing shop would bother anodizing 10 pieces. I'll ask around anyways I have no idea how much would it cost.
I wonder if there is a paint out there which doesn't come off too easily. Would some special metal paint last longer?

Thanks,
James
http://nagycnc.com

[Geof]

Look for "zinc chromate primer". I have no idea how easy it is to get these days but that was what was used for priming the aluminum bodywork on the original Land Rover. You know, the one that features in old documentaries in Africa before the Brits lost the market to the Toyota LandCruiser and before Ford bought Land Rover and turned it into a Baby Boomer status symbol.

[nagjames]

Thanks Geof for your quick reply. I'll check it out.

James

[rustamd]

Also can be called "Self Etching Primer"

[dertsap]

canadian tire has aluminum paints (Duplicolor)that give the anodized look if your looking for something like that , it s actually pretty decent paint, ive used it on a few projects ,you can find it in the auto area

[545Kurt]

Why not do your own anodizing? It is really quite simple for the DIY at home. Just need a battery charger and a plastic tub with some weak battery acid, a little food colour and some time. Bought most of my supplies and tooling for under $30.00

Kurt

[apache405]

Is there a guide for DIY anodizing? I have a few pieces that I wanted to anodize, but the shop that does it locally wanted like $60 each (since I wanted different colors for each part).

[Derward]

zinc chromate primer was used on aircraft during WWII.[To 545Kurt, will you
give us more info on how this works?[/B]
[/COLOR]
Thanks
Derward

[jeffdandy1]

Hi All,

I'm making small RC aluminum parts mostly as hobby however I sold a few on ebay.
The other day I tried to spray paint my parts with some "multi purpose" paint. The finish was nice but as expected the paint came off as I scratched a bit. Anodizing would be the best option but probably no anodizing shop would bother anodizing 10 pieces. I'll ask around anyways I have no idea how much would it cost.
I wonder if there is a paint out there which doesn't come off too easily. Would some special metal paint last longer?

Thanks,
James
http://nagycnc.com

Hi,

Check this site out ... LOTS of stuff that should be right up your street !!!

http://www.caswelleurope.co.uk/

Hope it helps

[chrbau]

Is there a guide for DIY anodizing? I have a few pieces that I wanted to anodize, but the shop that does it locally wanted like $60 each (since I wanted different colors for each part).

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

[Morzapa]

A good source I personal use is this http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/anodizedye.htm
Good luck

Art

[Krijn.nl]

Yep!! Here's a quick one: http://astro.neutral.org/anodise.shtml
This deals with all the simple things which are "model engine" size.
Hope this helps..............
Paint looks awfull on aluminum small parts......
Micro sandblasting is also an option. Talk to your dentist. He might have a microsandblaster left after the dust setteled in his office........
Or a dental technician can help you out. He might even like to do this for free if he recognises nice miniature workmanship!

Robert.