How to get the best out of your Anodising and other tips

Here are some general pointers to take into account when getting anodising done:

Anodising does not hide marks present on the surface of the Aluminium before anodising e.g. scratches, clamp mark , die lines etc......... These marks must be removed before anodising. In some instances chemical etching can be used to reduce the impact of these marks but you will end up with a matt finish.
When sending your job away to be anodised, make sure the parts are packaged in a way that they cant be easily damaged or marked. We have had instances where brand new parts have been sent to us with all the parts able to rub together in the packaging. Needless to say there a cost involved in getting the parts ready to anodise.

If the parts need to be welded, do this before the product is anodised. The anodised coating has very high resistance, effectively stopping welding and the anodizing needs to be removed before welding can take place. (To remove the anodized layer for welding either use mechanical means or apply caustic based chemical e.g. oven cleaner - please take all safety precautions)

If welding , then use 5356 welding rod for the best looking results. TIG welding is generally considered to be more suitable for aluminium to be anodised than MIG. MIG welding generally results in very high localised heat around the weld that cools very quick after welding. The result of this very quick cooling are structural changes to the Aluminium around the weld that wont anodise properly and wont take dye - No good for that decorative look. This problem can be reduced or eliminated by preheating the aluminium around the area to be welded and works by slowing the rate of cooling after welding is completed. As TIG welding typically requires pre-heating, problems with anodising are less common.

If you have a product that needs to be formed or shaped in any way, then this needs to be done BEFORE anodising. While the anodised coating is very hard and resistant to wear, it does not like excessive tension. Should an anodised layer be bent past a critical point the anodising will get fracture marks. These fractures can become openings to corrosion.
If you have a colour sample available, please send this either with the job or email a photo. This will help us to get the colour you are after.

(Please note, that while every effort will be made to match the colour this cannot be guaranteed as there are many variables that impact on the final colour)

(Please note that 'white' is not available as a colour, this is due to the fact that the particles that make up white dye are too big to fit into the pores generated by anodising.)

When packaging avoid putting any tape directly on the Aluminium, as it is difficult to clean off and is not removed by the anodising process.

Remember that anodising is only suitable for Aluminium and its alloys, this is because anodizing is an oxidation process. Iron products such as steel would just turn to rust if they were to be anodised.

If the product has any non-aluminium metal attached, this either needs to be removed prior to sending the product or let the anodiser know so they can mask it before anodising.
Avoid leaving finger print marks on un-coated Aluminium products as these can become imprinted on the surface of the metal. In some cases these marks will show through in the final product.

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Testimonials

“Advanced Anodising have done a great job anodising motorbike rims for us at Action Suzuki. I would recommend them to anyone looking at getting their rims anodised, certainly if they are after great service and a great finish”

Daryl Hurley (Action Suzuki), Hawera

"Marcel, the [lamp] shades turned up this morning, and they are awsome. Thanks for the quick turn around, I appreciate it. Far easier than getting something done up here. They are installed already. Made in NZ lamp shades! I will keep you in mind for future projects. Thanks again."

Glenn Barratt (Auckland)

"I was chuffed with the anodising job you guys did for me - it exceeded my expectations. The Spyder for my mountain bike looks great."

Andrew Bryant (Mountain bike enthusiast), Wellington

"Turn around time is very important in our business. We were wrapped with the quick turn around and quality of the anodising you did for us."

Paul McSweeny (Pioneer Aero Restorations), Auckland

"I am happy to recommend Advanced Anodising Ltd. they did a great job on anodising my wheel adaptors."

Glen Lawrence (Eclipse Engineering Ltd.), Dunedin

"I found Advanced Anodising through the web and their web site made my decision easy, as their web site is informative & answered all my questions. As for the job done, well just awesome and the staff were great keeping me informed and went out of their way to insure the job was the best that could be done, if any one is unsure about the quality of the work, it's a no brainier DO IT they will not let you down.'"

Bryan Cohen (Nelson )

"Many thanks for matching so perfectly the colour of our faded window frames. Dave and Rodney Morse [The Double Glazing Company] have completed the double-glazing retrofit, and the new windows look as if they they've always been there. They totally belong, and part of the credit is yours."

John & Ann Rhodes (Greytown, Wairarapa)