Anyone here tried to reanodize the aluminum on your AR15’s ? If so how did you do it? I have tried the cold anodizing, but that is a waste of time & money. I figured talking to the guys here would be a better option since, well there are a bunch of smart experienced pros here.
I anodize all my own builds. Not really that hard. Lots of chemicals and Sulphuric acid. Good source for 15 to 20 amps of steady dc current.
Check out this guy and his process, its what I use and it works very well. I like it.
Caswell Plating
how bout some pics of your work?
Give me a day to charge up the camera battery, I don’t have any closeups, just finished rifles or pistols. Have 2 Lower recievers that I am working on on the milling machine and will be anodizing them soon.
](http://img80.imageshack.us/i/arlowers005.jpg/)[/IMG]
](http://img237.imageshack.us/i/arlowers004.jpg/)[/IMG]
Double click and they will enlarge at Image Shack
Nice. Ive always wanted to do this. Very curious about a few things though, if you dont mind…
-What temperature did you maintain during the whole process? If I
recall correctly, TypeIII anodizing requires that you maintain bath
temp of 0 to 1 degree Celsius.
-Why are the RE threads bare? Is this where you attached your anode?
-How is the wear resistance of your finish?
-DId you get “sealing bloom” on the surface upon sealing?
this is interesting! any more updates?
Have to maintain 170 degrees on the cleaner and etch tanks.
The annode was attached at a drilled hole. The threads are bare because I ran a thread cleaner thru them before I attach a buffer. its not really necessary, its just the way i do it. No sealing bloom as the dye is also at 170 and sealed then rinsed in cold water. Surface holds up just like commercial finish. I like it and I have 8 different colors of dye. Have not used any others as of yet but am considering doing some aluminum 4 wheeler parts in blue for my grandson.
Very nice. What is the lightest color you can achieve with Hard Anodizing?
Xpertz1, thanks for the info & nice builds !!!
AFAIK(Mostly from web research), the lightest true hard coat or type III anodizing can be is a dark shade of grey.
The FDE anodized finishes are a specific Mil approved type II process.
Here’s a snipit taken from DD’s description of their FDE rail:
Military Specification Type II Hard Coat Anodized in SOCOM approved Flat Dark Earth.
I assume this specific type of type II finish is brought to the same layer thickness as the typical type III (2-3mils from what Ive read) and also sealed same way, hence, it is still referred to as hard coat.
I’m not sure as I haven’t tried any others yet. I guess I’ll find out one of these days.
Xpertz1, Did you have to maintain a lower bath temp and/or extend soak time to achieve the same layer thickness as commercially available lowers? How do you know when it’s thick enough?
It is not really a coating. When you anodize the aluminum you are setting it up to absorb the Dye. The longer you leave it in the dye it will get a little darker but at some point it stops absorbing. Here is a web site of a guy showing the whole build process. Pretty close to what I do.
http://www.tacticalmachining.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=11
Great link. This turned out to be a pretty informative thread. Thanks for your input and answering our questions! 
If you decide to try this I’ll be more than happy to answer more questions. A small tip: Buy Plastic beer coolers, you know , Wal Mart has them , put your Chemicals in them and when done you can close them up to prevent evaporation. Works really well. I use a medium size one for the sulphuric acid. Small for the rest. Keep 3 or 4 large boxes of Baking Soda in case you have a major spill. Buy your submersible heaters from Caswell, do not plug them in unless they are submerged, will cook them instantly, big meltdown, ha ha. From experience.
Thanks Again!