The higher the voltage the thicker the layer. Color progression was exactly what I was expecting following the wavelength spectrum and then looping back.
If you use a bench power supply, you'd have more control instead of 9v increments. I wonder if you'd get it fading between colours. If you changed the voltage as you lifted it slowly from the solution, would you get a rainbow effect?
i would say you wouldnt get to much options in color as most adjustable power supplies ive seen only go up to 15 volts, some as far as 35-40 volts. i havent seen any that go higher than that.
Your videos are seriously awesome, I’ve been a metal worker/welder for 9 years now and work with titanium frequently but had no idea you could anodize it to such vibrant colors! Definitely going to try it out on some of my titanium rings. Thanks for the tutorial!
You got it brotha, glad to see you over here! I can't wait to see how some of your creations look anodized! SThis is just the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned, I've got a lot more content on the way!
I am just getting into titanium anodizing and currently waiting for my adjustable benchtop power supply to arrive so I am watching videos on youtube to see all the methods before hand. I have watched dozens at this point and yours is probably the best visual/explaining of the full spectrum of colors at voltages I have seen yet. Great video!
@@ApollosRings do you know if this distorts the structural integrity? I was thinking of doing it to parts on my motorcycle but dont want to compromise saftey for looks.
It absolutely does not distort structural integrity. The anodizing is actually a layer of oxide that coats the outside of the titanium. The light reflecting from the different thicknesses of the oxide are what we perceive as the different colors. You're good to go there. 👍🏼
Thank you very much you basically taught me how to anodize titanium. I've already had one successful attempt and a bunch of not so successful. But I'm enjoying the process.
I am a welder by trade so I feel kind of dumb that it took me forever to figure out it wasn't working because I had the polarity reversed. Once I fixed that I couldn't stop practicing techniques on my sng clip. Thanks so much. Can't wait for my titanium bug out scales now.
Hahaha, I've reversed the polarity before as well. Makes you feel like a doofus once you figure it out, lol. Glad you got it working! Thanks for watching!
Dude, this is awesome. I love finding out about home brew solutions and results I can create myself in a single day. I just bought a Boos Blades Smoke CM1 and I’m not super crazy about the green anodizing on the titanium scale, backspacer and pocket clip so I started looking into diy anodizing just to see if it was cost effective enough to do myself. I will definitely be giving this a try. There’s really not much I can do wrong because I would actually prefer the color of bare etched titanium over this green, it was just the last available option so I grabbed it. Now I can do my own ano and even if I don’t end up liking the other colors any better, I can always just etch the ano off and have bare titanium left. Thanks again, man. I’m excited to get started.
I would of suggested your pinkish may have been more rose pink. Really enjoyed your video, I was choosing some Titanium Jewellery online with complimentary Anodizing. Had no clue how it would look in real life but your video was so helpful. Thank you.
Thanks, such pretty colors. Who could have thought that the rust remover would be so important. Try going a few more beyond "toxic green," and you should get a strange, irridescent pink. Really. I think it's 2nd order refractive colors.
My new camera picks it up correctly, but I couldn't get that old one to show up correctly for the life of me. Sorry you had an issue as well, but it's good to know it wasn't just me, lol. Thanks for watching!
This video was fun. I’m currently building from scratch my first complete folder with titanium handles .270 thick. It is a very large and overbuilt piece of kit. The blade is almost done. .25 thick O1 steel 6 1/4 long X 2 wide. The whole project is all my own design. I can hardly wait to do the finish on those ti handles. Thanks for the video and I just subbed!
That sounds awesome! You'll definitely have to post some pics when you get around to the finish. I've got all my social media tagged in the video descriptions, and also on the channel homepage. I'd love to see everything when its complete. If you run into any issues when you get around to the anodizing, feel free to hit me up any time! I appreciate the sub, think I already said this, but stay tuned for an even more wicked way of anodizing. I've got the materials on order for that vid now.
Man this is great. I’ve been Flame Anodizing parts for awhile but this looks more consistent. It’s $160 to get all Anodized hardware for my Hinderer without the color choices. I have a Spyderco Tighe that the whole thing can be done. Aluminum parts could be cool too
I've found that using the Whink rust and stain first definitely makes the colors more vivid. It certainly is much more consistent than flame anodizing though. I've still got a few tricks for you guys too. I have 2 videos filmed now, I just gotta get to editing. Aluminium is a different process than titanium to anodize unfortunately. This process is strictly titanium. Keep me posted if you end up anodizing some stuff, I'd love to see it! You can post pics of anything you do to my social media sites I have linked on the channel homepage. Good luck, and thanks for watching!
Using the Whink rust remover and polishing to a mirror polish can be used in conjunction with each other, but neither is a substitute for the other. You can put whatever finish you like on your work piece, but I still highly recommend that you etch with the Whink after you get your finish the way you like. The colors are much more pronounced. I actually have a video I just filmed showing what a difference the Whink makes, just gotta get it edited and up on the channel. You don't necessarily need to etch with the Whink rust and stain, but the color outcome will definitely not be as vivid without that step. I hope I explained that in a way that makes sense, lol.
SharpKnifeNuts I’m excited to start doing some of my Ti Knives. Are you on any of the FB knife groups? I have a UA-cam channel but I don’t upload much.
I'd love to see them once you get a few done! Yeah, I'm actually in quite a few knife groups under my personal account. I'd like to get this Facebook page a little more activity, I just have to spend some time with it. I'm thinking about doing a series on anodizing aluminum as well if there's any interest in it. I'll have to head over and check out your channel when I get a few minutes. Yeah, keeping a steady upload schedule can be pretty time consuming. I'm going to try and start doing batches of videos all at one time so I have stuff to upload on the regular in the next week or so.
Thanks! Unfortunately this method isn't for stainless. This will only work on titanium, niobium, and other reactive metals. Thanks for watching though. If I can help with anything else just let me know.👍🏼
Whink is a hydrofluoric acid based rust remover. The hydrofluoric acid is what removes the anodizing. Multi-Etch also works well, but is quite a bit more expensive.
Thanks for this. I know it's old....but here's a thought. I'm about to mod an espresso machine, by adding a single pole dimmer switch. It's basically just a turny-knob with one wire going in, and one going out. So, I was thinking if you added one of those into your circuit, you could actually hit anywhere in the 9V range of each battery. What we just watched were the colors *at* 9V, 18V, 27V etc. But if this button was demarked into 9 units, you would be able to get a (stepless) 1V increment adjustment on each battery addition. So you could, easily, produce a near seamless spectrum.
Once I started anodizing more for the business I finally just bought a bench top power supply, which does exactly what you explained with the dimmer switch. Thanks for taking the time to check out the video! 👊🏼
@@ApollosRings of course that's the best option. But as "just" a knife collector and enthusiast, I can't really justify the expense. I don't have much Ti. But while watching this, it dawned on me that a 1-pole dimmer would totally work (I think).
alright i got a tough question for you@@ApollosRings , how in the world could i achieve the anodization pattern that is called "flowmascus" that this person makes.(IG: @bladeswelove ; Reddit: u/knifesteve) Anytime someone asks him that I have seen he doesnt really say, just says that it is anodizing xD here is a link to an example of one on his IG instagram.com/p/BvNtuC1nEoL/?
I haven't seen his exact process, but it looks to be a stencil/mask, probably vinyl. Then I'm sure he's using a pro power supply and doing what looks like 2 separate anodizing jobs. 1 with the stencil on, then the final with the stencil off. It does look really cool, but it's not as hard as it looks. The stencil does all the work really.
The colors somewhat repeat at higher voltages, so he will do the higher voltages on the first pass, then do the lower voltages on the next with the vinyl off. You can't mess up the higher voltage colors by anodizing at a lower voltage. That make sense?
I think the color you're looking for is in the 10 to 20 volt range, but it's possible it's in the 65 to 70 volt range. Might take a little fine tuning, but if you start in the low range and decide you're unhappy with the result you can then jump to the higher voltage range. If you're using batteries it's going to be a bit harder to fine tune, but I have a video I'll have out in the next week or so showing how to do the fine tuning.
Dude !!! That’s nuthin but bad !! Thank you for your time and effort!! My son gave me a Brous Blade with standard titanium scales,, now I can make em nice !!! Thanks again!!!
Yes, it can be done with titanium, and I think your question is about what kind of liquid I use in the plastic tub. The liquid is simply distilled water and dissolved baking soda. The liquid used to remove the anodizing is Whink rust and stain remover. I have a video on the channel showing step by step how to anodize the titanium if you're interested.
No, but you'll want to try to make the cathode (the stainless steel fork in the video, or a piece of scrap titanium) roughly the same size as the piece you are anodizing.
I know I’m late to the party, but that was SHEAR AWESOMENESS! Thank you SO MUCH, just what I needed to see to get these thumb studs where I want them. You got a new sub too.
What would it take to do a much larger piece. Like charge piping for an intercooler? Would the voltage stay the same and I just need a bigger container? Also is that just water?
Water and baking soda. You can totally do this on a larger scale, but you need a larger container, a larger cathode, and you'll probably want to use a power supply as well. There are links for power supplies in the video description that will work well.
It's titanium, and I've added a link to the exact wire I'm using in the video description if you're interested in purchasing some, or just want a little more info on it. Hope that helps!
Considering the not fully anodised pink color: why did you have to get rod of the color before anodising it fully pink? Just putting it back to water wouldn’t be enough? I’m just interested how it works, thank you! :)
I imagine you'd probably have to coat it with something for that, but if you have another idea on how to go about it I'm all ears. I'm always up for experimenting!
This was so cool to watch. Idk anything about this subject, but man that's some cool stuff science stuff. Can you do the same thing to stainless steel?
Outstanding video!!!! Quick question in reference to anoing Ti screws. Is there a small wire Ti basket available that you know of that the positive alligator clip can be connected to that will supply the voltage to the entire basket so that it would not be necessary to connect the single Ti wire/alligator to each individual screw? I hope that makes sense.
Good question, makes total sense. I'm not aware of one, but that's a good idea. Someone may make something like that. I'll see what I can come up with and keep you posted.
@@ApollosRings I have been thinking about this for a decade and never gotten around to it 😂 but for copper electroplating. So my sacrificial annode is still part of the circuit even as it falls to bits, using it up more efficiently and dropping fewer large bits down into the slimes at the bottom. The ones industry uses are huge welded perforated plate baskets- too big for my work in a 5 gallon aquarium
It's just baking soda dissolved in distilled water. Green can be a tricky color to achieve. I've found that grade 5 titanium works best, and etching the piece first definitely seems to help. If I don't get a good etch I'll usually end up with more of a teal color.
@@ApollosRings Thank you so much for your quick answer! I'm working with grade 2 titanium. I've watched your other videos now, they're awesome. I was using a piece of 18ga titanium wire as a cathode before I found your channel. I'm going to look up for a stainless fork tomorrow :)
No problem, happy to help! I occasionally use a piece of balled up titanium wire as a cathode as well. As long as it's either stainless steel or titanium you should be good. You just want to have the cathode roughly the same size, or larger than the piece you're anodizing.
Woah, I have a titanium camping cook set that would look really cool with some color. Any idea if the anodizing is food-safe? Not a big deal either way, I could just only submerge the outside. I never knew it was this easy
What your doing is creating TiO2 on the surface of the Ti and depending on the thickness determines the color. If you deposit TiO2 on microscopic thin mica platelets you're making interference effect pigments. Look that up.
The anodizing bath is just distilled water and baking soda. The chemical to remove the anodizing is Whink Rust & Stain Remover, and I've got links to the supplies in the description. If you want more of a step-by-step check out my anodizing with 9v batteries video. I'll have a new complete guide to all things anodizing that will be coming out in a week or so as well, so stay tuned! Hope that helps!
You can probably get away with using a piece of stainless wire. Copper or carbon steel definitely won't work correctly. You could clip the alligator clip directly to the piece, but you'll have to move it to a different place to do the entire anodizing job because if you submerge the alligator clip it will eat away at the clips and most likely will make a weird looking spot where they are attached. If you do half, then flip it over and do the other half after moving the clip, that's your best shot at an even ano job. Hope that helps!
Great question! You don't need to use more batteries, it's the cathode that you'll need to adjust. You want to try to have a cathode that is roughly the same size or larger than the piece you're anodizing.
The anode is the piece you're anodizing, the cathode is the sacrificial piece connected to the ground. In my case, in the video I believe I was using a stainless fork as the cathode, but titanium will work for a cathode as well.
It's just distilled water and baking soda. If you are planning on doing it at home watch the video a few more times. If you 100% follow the video you won't have any issues whatsoever.
The fork is stainless steel, but you could also use a piece of titanium. So to answer your question, no it doesn't. You just need the cathode (the fork) to be roughly the same size as the piece being anodized. Carbon steel will not work however, just FYI. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching!
Thank you! I don't have a video out yet on aluminum, but I do plan on doing an aluminum series probably after the holidays. It is a different process. Thanks for watching and stay tuned!
Thanks for the sharing! This is inspiring. I've never anodized anything, but have been a hobbyist electroplator for a while. This cool video had me wondering if maybe we can apply pen/brush plating techniques for annodizing. Also wondering if one could draw graphics or paint with resist or vinyl stencils? I've been a glassblower for decades, now I'm getting into TIG welding. I think I wanna make some colorful titanium bongs 😂.
Thank you for the video. Your videos have given me courage to try anodizing. All the materials are purchased, but I still need a rust remover. Wink is not possible to buy in my country, but would any rust remover work?
The anodizing solution is baking soda and distilled water, and the cathode (the fork in the video) should be stainless steel. Carbon steel does not work correctly. Hope that helps!
@@ApollosRings that helps a lot. Thank you. I could probably google but is there a particular ratio of water to baking soda that you believe works best?
You want to supersaturate the water with the baking soda, but it doesn't have to be very exact. I generally just use a solid spoonful of baking soda into roughly 10 ounces of distilled water and get amazing results.
Question: what solution did you immerse the titanium in? You did not say whether its distilled water or sulfuric acid or chromic acid etc. Can you share that info please? Thank you
@@ApollosRings Ok thank you. The reason I ask is I have a race/show car & all the hardware through the entire car is grade 5 titanium. Everything under the hood, the doors, fenders, trunk, hinges, latches…everything! I bought it all in the colors that I wanted. But I put a carbon fiber hood on & they require hood pins. I bought Quik-latch hood pins & the pins, nuts & washers are all stainless. So I looked everywhere for the correct thread pitch for the titanium nuts to swap them out & no one on the planet has any? Only a few people even carry the thread pitch. I don’t know why Quik latch did that? They could of easily made the threads 10x1.5 or 10x1.25 but they did them in 3/8-24 & hardly anyone uses that. Anyway I ended up finding a really nice set of 4 in 6AL4V grade 5 just like everything in my car, but they’re bare, which isn’t the end of the world, but I’d like to anodize them. So I think I’m going to get a few batteries, titanium wire & give it a shot! Sorry for the book, just like explaining what’s going on. Thanks again & your video really helped…💪🏻✌🏻
That's awesome! This should work out perfectly for what you're doing. I don't usually recommend the battery method if you have a ton of anodizing to do, but for small stuff like that the battery method works out great. If you have any issues just let me know. If you follow my video step by step you shouldn't have any problems. 👍🏼
@@ApollosRings Yeah it’s literally 4-3/8X24 nuts I have to do. So I’ll get 3-9V batteries, titanium wire, baking soda, distilled water & does it matter what I use for the negative charge, silver spoon, rolled tin foil or what? Do I need titanium wire or can I use copper or some other kind of conducting wire? Thanks, this will be the last question I promise lol….✌🏻😂
@@diamondheat9 tried that, I put a stainless grate in that had protruding legs I used as a ground. Used titanium wire to connect. It did react as it did have bubbles around the pipe but the batteries must not have had enough juice to actually color that much surface area? Maybe I made a mistake somewhere? The tub I used was about 25x15x5 roughly (dont remember exactly) which I filled about 2/3 of the way full so it maybe have just been too much volume for the batteries to handle. Ended up resorting to the torch lol
@@CNYKnifeNerd lol the way you say that makes it sound as though you can stick a 12v wire in the ocean and electrify the entire thing 🤣 I'm not sure why it didnt work though, maybe I didnt prepare the solution properly.
I use both chemical, and manual methods. Whink is a cheap chemical method, but has safety considerations. You can also simply use sandpaper or a Scotch-Brite pad.
How did you get it back to bare titanium? And how often do the batteries need to be changed out, do you periodically check their strength? Thanks! And that gold was amazing. I think the color of your gloves may be influencing the colors we see through your video capture.
Lol, I thought the same thing at first, but after going through the analytics quite a few of my viewers are overseas, so I just assume there's a lot lost in translation. Everyone's been friendly, so I really don't have much reason to think otherwise. As far as your question is concerned, you do not need to remove anything between the step up. Sometimes if you're having a hard time getting a particular color you'll have to remove the ano and give it another go at a lower voltage though. That make sense?
That makes sense. Thanks. Also, I think I was unnecessarily snarky, and I deleted the snarky part, because a lot of the questions people were asking were addressed in your previous video, not this one. And of course there is the language difficulty to account for. Thanks for showing how to do this inexpensively. Anodizing seems like something to really dig into!
I'm planning on creating my own exhaust system and exhaust headers for my Kawasaki Ninja which is the black and green in color so I believe the hype voltage anodizing would be perfect color for my exhaust
I have stainless steel products that I going to have to get colored does it what is the application what is the fluid needed for this process and can I do it with stainless steel products?
This may have already been addressed but how did he bring it back to regular titanium color? Do you reverse the polarity? He mentioned putting it in the "wink" but I don't know what that is.
Hey Brian! Whink (at least the Whink sold in the US) is a rust remover that uses hydrofluoric acid as it's active ingredient. HF acid can turn anodized titanium back to its pre-anodized state within about 10 seconds, but if you use it please be careful and wear PPE, that stuff is no joke. If you want to opt for a safer way of removing the ano you can always remove it mechanically with sand paper or a Scotch Brite pad. Hope that helps! If you need more info please feel free to check out my other videos on the channel. I have a full tutorial on there. I'll be releasing a new, more comprehensive tutorial within the next couple of weeks as well with a ton of updated knowledge I've picked up over the years, so don't forget to subscribe and ring the bell to get notifications when new vids are released. Thanks for watching!
Glad you found the video helpful! If you give it a try and have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I try to make myself available to help with any issues you might run into. I have a few more videos on anodizing that I have filmed, just have to get them edited and thrown on the channel. Stay tuned!
He's putting the batteries in series, (+) to (-) to (+) to (-), etc... Voltage is additive in series, current is constant. So, 2 batteries is 18V, 6 is 54V, and so on.
Hello! I have a question because i’m think of experimenting with anodizing for a science project, how long does the titanium need to be immersed in the solution for it to change colors? Also, is it possible do anodize just by using batteries and not any other power source? Thank you so much😁
It only takes a few seconds to change colors, and yes it is absolutely possible to anodize with just batteries. I have a video on my channel explaining step by step how to do it with 9v batteries.
The higher the voltage the thicker the layer. Color progression was exactly what I was expecting following the wavelength spectrum and then looping back.
Yeah, if I'm going for resilience I'll go for the higher voltage of roughly the same color, if that makes sense
@@ApollosRings I actually find heat anodizing to be more durable than electric methods.
How well would this work on a martinez titanium hammer handle?
will protect from rust
best visual chart for the battery method on youtube, by far
Thanks brotha! I appreciate it 👍🏼
If you use a bench power supply, you'd have more control instead of 9v increments. I wonder if you'd get it fading between colours. If you changed the voltage as you lifted it slowly from the solution, would you get a rainbow effect?
Look up "anodized muffler" and that would be what you expect, but those are caused by heat and not voltage
i would say you wouldnt get to much options in color as most adjustable power supplies ive seen only go up to 15 volts, some as far as 35-40 volts. i havent seen any that go higher than that.
@@Hotecce1 generally yeah but they are available. I have a bench power supply that goes up to 400 volts and it wasn't all that expensive.
Your videos are seriously awesome, I’ve been a metal worker/welder for 9 years now and work with titanium frequently but had no idea you could anodize it to such vibrant colors! Definitely going to try it out on some of my titanium rings. Thanks for the tutorial!
You got it brotha, glad to see you over here! I can't wait to see how some of your creations look anodized! SThis is just the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned, I've got a lot more content on the way!
This relates to something called thin-film interference. This is exactly the same colour pattern you'll find on soap bubbles.
Never thought about the soap bubbles, but you're absolutely right! Interesting! Thanks for watching 👍🏻
How does thin film interference work?
I bet this is the same tech that makes varying colors in dichroic glass coatings (vapor deposited)
Don't forget about oil on top of water.
🤔 The compilation of sounds and the visual changes on Ti, in a teaching format... Was spot on! Thanks for posting
I am just getting into titanium anodizing and currently waiting for my adjustable benchtop power supply to arrive so I am watching videos on youtube to see all the methods before hand. I have watched dozens at this point and yours is probably the best visual/explaining of the full spectrum of colors at voltages I have seen yet. Great video!
Have fun!
This is exactly what I was looking for and you delivered it well. Thank you.
You're very welcome! If you run into any issues, feel free to message me any time!
@@ApollosRings do you know if this distorts the structural integrity? I was thinking of doing it to parts on my motorcycle but dont want to compromise saftey for looks.
It absolutely does not distort structural integrity. The anodizing is actually a layer of oxide that coats the outside of the titanium. The light reflecting from the different thicknesses of the oxide are what we perceive as the different colors. You're good to go there. 👍🏼
@@ApollosRings Solid. I will post a vid of doing it and a link to your vid when I finish it. Thank you
You're very welcome! Can't wait to see your results!
Thank you very much you basically taught me how to anodize titanium. I've already had one successful attempt and a bunch of not so successful. But I'm enjoying the process.
No problem, glad I could help! If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask!
@@ApollosRings +923328135806 please Hellp me Contact me
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What acid you use?
@@arjayworks See the Description for links to buy, also channel's How To Anodize Titanium video for the process.
I have so many titanium parts (bolts fasteners etc) on my bike, this could see me entertained all over Christmas and new year!!
It seems like when it went back to purple at 8 it started to have some very light color-shifting depending on the angle.
Agreed, it definitely does. Thanks for watching! 👊🏼
I am a welder by trade so I feel kind of dumb that it took me forever to figure out it wasn't working because I had the polarity reversed. Once I fixed that I couldn't stop practicing techniques on my sng clip. Thanks so much. Can't wait for my titanium bug out scales now.
Hahaha, I've reversed the polarity before as well. Makes you feel like a doofus once you figure it out, lol. Glad you got it working! Thanks for watching!
You are f**king awesome dude. Thanks for this...I was going to buy a rectifier lol
Happy to help! Thanks for the support 👊🏼
I’ve always been a fan of the bluish purple hue, but man that teal green pops
Dude, this is awesome. I love finding out about home brew solutions and results I can create myself in a single day. I just bought a Boos Blades Smoke CM1 and I’m not super crazy about the green anodizing on the titanium scale, backspacer and pocket clip so I started looking into diy anodizing just to see if it was cost effective enough to do myself. I will definitely be giving this a try. There’s really not much I can do wrong because I would actually prefer the color of bare etched titanium over this green, it was just the last available option so I grabbed it. Now I can do my own ano and even if I don’t end up liking the other colors any better, I can always just etch the ano off and have bare titanium left.
Thanks again, man. I’m excited to get started.
Glad you can get some use out of the vids! If you run into any issues, feel free to hit me up with any questions.
I would of suggested your pinkish may have been more rose pink. Really enjoyed your video, I was choosing some Titanium Jewellery online with complimentary Anodizing. Had no clue how it would look in real life but your video was so helpful. Thank you.
Woah! I never knew anodizing was literally just a difference of current i thought there was a more special process
The process for aluminum is a bit trickier, but titanium is super simple.
Thanks, such pretty colors. Who could have thought that the rust remover would be so important. Try going a few more beyond "toxic green," and you should get a strange, irridescent pink. Really. I think it's 2nd order refractive colors.
Well done! This is exactly what I was looking for.
Glad I could help 👍🏼
i had a similar issue with toxic green 3d printer filament not showing up on my camera properly. it was that same shade of blue-green that you got
My new camera picks it up correctly, but I couldn't get that old one to show up correctly for the life of me. Sorry you had an issue as well, but it's good to know it wasn't just me, lol. Thanks for watching!
Very helpful. Great step by step showing the color change as you increase the voltage.👍🏽
Thank you!👍🏼
Got a Twosun Ti tac pen cheap I am going to experiment on using this method
This video was fun. I’m currently building from scratch my first complete folder with titanium handles .270 thick. It is a very large and overbuilt piece of kit. The blade is almost done. .25 thick O1 steel 6 1/4 long X 2 wide. The whole project is all my own design. I can hardly wait to do the finish on those ti handles. Thanks for the video and I just subbed!
That sounds awesome! You'll definitely have to post some pics when you get around to the finish. I've got all my social media tagged in the video descriptions, and also on the channel homepage. I'd love to see everything when its complete. If you run into any issues when you get around to the anodizing, feel free to hit me up any time! I appreciate the sub, think I already said this, but stay tuned for an even more wicked way of anodizing. I've got the materials on order for that vid now.
Wow I’d like to see the project! Definitely interested in purchasing!
This video is sick! And it looks like this guy replies to most of the comments. Definitely gonna sub
Thanks! I try to reply to all of them 👊🏼
Man this is great. I’ve been Flame Anodizing parts for awhile but this looks more consistent. It’s $160 to get all Anodized hardware for my Hinderer without the color choices. I have a Spyderco Tighe that the whole thing can be done. Aluminum parts could be cool too
I've found that using the Whink rust and stain first definitely makes the colors more vivid. It certainly is much more consistent than flame anodizing though.
I've still got a few tricks for you guys too. I have 2 videos filmed now, I just gotta get to editing.
Aluminium is a different process than titanium to anodize unfortunately. This process is strictly titanium.
Keep me posted if you end up anodizing some stuff, I'd love to see it! You can post pics of anything you do to my social media sites I have linked on the channel homepage. Good luck, and thanks for watching!
SharpKnifeNuts does the rust remover work better than polishing all the way to mirror first?
Using the Whink rust remover and polishing to a mirror polish can be used in conjunction with each other, but neither is a substitute for the other. You can put whatever finish you like on your work piece, but I still highly recommend that you etch with the Whink after you get your finish the way you like. The colors are much more pronounced. I actually have a video I just filmed showing what a difference the Whink makes, just gotta get it edited and up on the channel. You don't necessarily need to etch with the Whink rust and stain, but the color outcome will definitely not be as vivid without that step. I hope I explained that in a way that makes sense, lol.
SharpKnifeNuts I’m excited to start doing some of my Ti Knives. Are you on any of the FB knife groups? I have a UA-cam channel but I don’t upload much.
I'd love to see them once you get a few done! Yeah, I'm actually in quite a few knife groups under my personal account. I'd like to get this Facebook page a little more activity, I just have to spend some time with it. I'm thinking about doing a series on anodizing aluminum as well if there's any interest in it. I'll have to head over and check out your channel when I get a few minutes. Yeah, keeping a steady upload schedule can be pretty time consuming. I'm going to try and start doing batches of videos all at one time so I have stuff to upload on the regular in the next week or so.
OH MAN! #10 LOOKS SO GOOD! On camera, that is almost the exact color of my Celestial Blue MazdaSpeed3!
Would this process work the same with stainless steel? Great video by the way!
Thanks! Unfortunately this method isn't for stainless. This will only work on titanium, niobium, and other reactive metals. Thanks for watching though. If I can help with anything else just let me know.👍🏼
If you hooked up a potentiometer, could you change it from color to color as you turned the knob?
Yeah, I have a DC power supply that I use for production. I have a new updated video coming out soon using that. Stay tuned 👍🏼
Thanks for taking the time and making this video man!
No problem, thanks for watching!
4:30 what is the "wink" you talk about that brings it back to full titanium and removes the color?
Whink is a hydrofluoric acid based rust remover. The hydrofluoric acid is what removes the anodizing. Multi-Etch also works well, but is quite a bit more expensive.
Man this is Insanely helpful
Glad I could be of assistance, lol. If you have any questions through the process, let me know. I try to make myself pretty accessible.
@@ApollosRings sounds good man will do!
Thanks for this. I know it's old....but here's a thought.
I'm about to mod an espresso machine, by adding a single pole dimmer switch. It's basically just a turny-knob with one wire going in, and one going out.
So, I was thinking if you added one of those into your circuit, you could actually hit anywhere in the 9V range of each battery.
What we just watched were the colors *at* 9V, 18V, 27V etc. But if this button was demarked into 9 units, you would be able to get a (stepless) 1V increment adjustment on each battery addition. So you could, easily, produce a near seamless spectrum.
Once I started anodizing more for the business I finally just bought a bench top power supply, which does exactly what you explained with the dimmer switch.
Thanks for taking the time to check out the video! 👊🏼
@@ApollosRings of course that's the best option. But as "just" a knife collector and enthusiast, I can't really justify the expense. I don't have much Ti.
But while watching this, it dawned on me that a 1-pole dimmer would totally work (I think).
@sstockemer yeah, I agree, I don't see why it shouldn't work. Certainly worth a shot
I'm subbing, goodness your videos are so damn helpful! I can't wait to start my ano project on my barebones that will have ti handles
Glad you're digging the vids! If you ever run into any issues, feel free to hit me up. I'll help out any way I can 👍🏼
alright i got a tough question for you@@ApollosRings , how in the world could i achieve the anodization pattern that is called "flowmascus" that this person makes.(IG: @bladeswelove ; Reddit: u/knifesteve) Anytime someone asks him that I have seen he doesnt really say, just says that it is anodizing xD here is a link to an example of one on his IG instagram.com/p/BvNtuC1nEoL/?
I haven't seen his exact process, but it looks to be a stencil/mask, probably vinyl. Then I'm sure he's using a pro power supply and doing what looks like 2 separate anodizing jobs. 1 with the stencil on, then the final with the stencil off. It does look really cool, but it's not as hard as it looks. The stencil does all the work really.
@@ApollosRings yep right before you replied I finally stumbled upon something suggesting vinyl stencils!!! Taking anodizing to the next level
The colors somewhat repeat at higher voltages, so he will do the higher voltages on the first pass, then do the lower voltages on the next with the vinyl off. You can't mess up the higher voltage colors by anodizing at a lower voltage. That make sense?
In redible. What a great video. I am gonna try it. Thanks for doing this.
Is there a way to achieve a dark bronze? Similar to hinderers battle bronze? If so would that me 1 or 2 9v batteries ?
I think the color you're looking for is in the 10 to 20 volt range, but it's possible it's in the 65 to 70 volt range. Might take a little fine tuning, but if you start in the low range and decide you're unhappy with the result you can then jump to the higher voltage range. If you're using batteries it's going to be a bit harder to fine tune, but I have a video I'll have out in the next week or so showing how to do the fine tuning.
Dude !!! That’s nuthin but bad !! Thank you for your time and effort!! My son gave me a Brous Blade with standard titanium scales,, now I can make em nice !!! Thanks again!!!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the video I did two of my knifes using your video as a template.
Love that green color looks amazing
I think so too!
nice video ill try making on my own ,thank you
Hello I have two questions. can it be done only with titanium metal and what kind of liquid container?
Yes, it can be done with titanium, and I think your question is about what kind of liquid I use in the plastic tub. The liquid is simply distilled water and dissolved baking soda. The liquid used to remove the anodizing is Whink rust and stain remover. I have a video on the channel showing step by step how to anodize the titanium if you're interested.
@@ApollosRings Maybe you can give a link to your channel. very interested. thank you.
Does it make a difference if it’s done on a bigger piece? Like the handle scale vs pocket clip?
No, but you'll want to try to make the cathode (the stainless steel fork in the video, or a piece of scrap titanium) roughly the same size as the piece you are anodizing.
Very cool. Wonder if mass of an object is increased will this affect colour pallet.
The main thing to consider is keeping the anode and cathode roughly the same size. Aside from that larger pieces shouldn't be much of an issue.
Oh goodie. My next titanium shovel gets a purple treatment.
I know I’m late to the party, but that was SHEAR AWESOMENESS! Thank you SO MUCH, just what I needed to see to get these thumb studs where I want them. You got a new sub too.
Glad you dig it! Thanks for watching and stay tuned, new shop videos coming soon!
What would it take to do a much larger piece. Like charge piping for an intercooler? Would the voltage stay the same and I just need a bigger container? Also is that just water?
Water and baking soda. You can totally do this on a larger scale, but you need a larger container, a larger cathode, and you'll probably want to use a power supply as well. There are links for power supplies in the video description that will work well.
what kind of fork is recommended to do this since forks can be made with different kinds of materials/metals?
Stainless steel, or titanium
@@ApollosRings thank you. Also Appreciate the video too because no one else actually shows all the different colors home anodizing can have
Happy to help! 👊🏼
Hello, i want to know work on stainless steel?
And this color fixed or maybe be removed when use the knife?
What type of wire are you using to suspend the titanium piece in the solution? Thanks
It's titanium, and I've added a link to the exact wire I'm using in the video description if you're interested in purchasing some, or just want a little more info on it. Hope that helps!
@@ApollosRings thanks for the quick reply and wire description. I'm definitely going to buy some
Absolutely, happy to help! 👍🏼👊🏼
This is one of the coolest videos I have found in a while! Thank you! :-D
Thanks for watching! Stay tuned, I've got some new stuff coming soon 👊🏼
Considering the not fully anodised pink color: why did you have to get rod of the color before anodising it fully pink? Just putting it back to water wouldn’t be enough? I’m just interested how it works, thank you! :)
How did you re-anodize to get the color back to a normal color? Can this anodizing be done to change the color of a black tungsten ring?
I wonder if a needle tip in titanium over the wet paper or different paper can do somethjng artsy ?
Como se puede hacer un estilo arcoíris de anodizado con baterías?
Thank you for the very informative video, can I achieve the same results on stainless steel?
Good question. No, unfortunately not using the same method.
It would be awesome to see if there's a voltage that makes the titanium reflect invisible spectrum light like UV or infrared.
I imagine you'd probably have to coat it with something for that, but if you have another idea on how to go about it I'm all ears. I'm always up for experimenting!
Thank you! You made this so much easier than the other videos.
Hey really cool video! Do you know how many batteries it takes to anodize to BLACK? Thanks
Can you do stainless steel or aluminum this way or those two metals have to be done a different way I love that. Green
I'm looking to anodize a few pocket clips and the scales on my SpydieChef EDC. Thanks!
It ther a chart to download somewhere, that can be printed? 🤔
email me at ApollosRings@gmail.com and I'll send you one
This was so cool to watch. Idk anything about this subject, but man that's some cool stuff science stuff. Can you do the same thing to stainless steel?
Outstanding video!!!! Quick question in reference to anoing Ti screws. Is there a small wire Ti basket available that you know of that the positive alligator clip can be connected to that will supply the voltage to the entire basket so that it would not be necessary to connect the single Ti wire/alligator to each individual screw? I hope that makes sense.
Good question, makes total sense. I'm not aware of one, but that's a good idea. Someone may make something like that. I'll see what I can come up with and keep you posted.
If you could locate titanium screen material and a little ti wire you could fashion a basket in whatever size you need
@@ApollosRings Damn good idea!! Thanks for your reply and idea. 😉👍
@@ApollosRings I have been thinking about this for a decade and never gotten around to it 😂 but for copper electroplating. So my sacrificial annode is still part of the circuit even as it falls to bits, using it up more efficiently and dropping fewer large bits down into the slimes at the bottom. The ones industry uses are huge welded perforated plate baskets- too big for my work in a 5 gallon aquarium
What do you use as electrolyte in this video? I used 9% vinegar and I couldn't get green color at 100 volts. Neither at any volts.
It's just baking soda dissolved in distilled water. Green can be a tricky color to achieve. I've found that grade 5 titanium works best, and etching the piece first definitely seems to help. If I don't get a good etch I'll usually end up with more of a teal color.
@@ApollosRings Thank you so much for your quick answer! I'm working with grade 2 titanium. I've watched your other videos now, they're awesome. I was using a piece of 18ga titanium wire as a cathode before I found your channel. I'm going to look up for a stainless fork tomorrow :)
No problem, happy to help! I occasionally use a piece of balled up titanium wire as a cathode as well. As long as it's either stainless steel or titanium you should be good. You just want to have the cathode roughly the same size, or larger than the piece you're anodizing.
Hi! I like the video! I'm trying on titanium fishing rod guides. What is the ratio of distilled water to baking soda mixture?
Woah, I have a titanium camping cook set that would look really cool with some color. Any idea if the anodizing is food-safe? Not a big deal either way, I could just only submerge the outside. I never knew it was this easy
It is 100% food safe, you'd be good to go 👍🏼
Great idea, i too have a cook set I'd love to customize... It would make a good practice piece as I'd be a noob.
What your doing is creating TiO2 on the surface of the Ti and depending on the thickness determines the color. If you deposit TiO2 on microscopic thin mica platelets you're making interference effect pigments. Look that up.
may i ask what is the fork and wire composition?
The fork is stainless steel and the wire is titanium. A titanium fork would work as well, but carbon steel will not. Hope that helps!
Thank you sir! 😎
Great video, thanks! Where can I find information about the solution you dipped the parts into while anodizing?
The anodizing bath is just distilled water and baking soda. The chemical to remove the anodizing is Whink Rust & Stain Remover, and I've got links to the supplies in the description. If you want more of a step-by-step check out my anodizing with 9v batteries video. I'll have a new complete guide to all things anodizing that will be coming out in a week or so as well, so stay tuned! Hope that helps!
@@ApollosRings Fantastic, I'll keep watch. Thanks!
What’s metal is the small thin wire your using ti dangle the clip, stainless or titanium?
Titanium
@@ApollosRings if I don’t have titanium wire could I use something else, or just clip it straight to the Ti piece being anodized?
You can probably get away with using a piece of stainless wire. Copper or carbon steel definitely won't work correctly. You could clip the alligator clip directly to the piece, but you'll have to move it to a different place to do the entire anodizing job because if you submerge the alligator clip it will eat away at the clips and most likely will make a weird looking spot where they are attached. If you do half, then flip it over and do the other half after moving the clip, that's your best shot at an even ano job. Hope that helps!
If the stainless steel wire bubbles in the solution it isn't compatible. It may still anodize, but you'll have a hard time getting consistent color.
@@ApollosRings yes this helped a lot, thank you! Where did you get the Titsnium wire, like Amazon?
Does metals' size matter? Should I use more batteries for a bigger part?
Great question! You don't need to use more batteries, it's the cathode that you'll need to adjust. You want to try to have a cathode that is roughly the same size or larger than the piece you're anodizing.
@@ApollosRings cathode meaning the wire that is attached to the piece?
The anode is the piece you're anodizing, the cathode is the sacrificial piece connected to the ground. In my case, in the video I believe I was using a stainless fork as the cathode, but titanium will work for a cathode as well.
What are you dipping it in? An any tips for me to do this at home?
It's just distilled water and baking soda. If you are planning on doing it at home watch the video a few more times. If you 100% follow the video you won't have any issues whatsoever.
Does the stainless steel fork have anything to do with the coloration? If that is stainless steel, that has chromium in the composition.
The fork is stainless steel, but you could also use a piece of titanium. So to answer your question, no it doesn't. You just need the cathode (the fork) to be roughly the same size as the piece being anodized. Carbon steel will not work however, just FYI. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching!
@ApollosRings Thank you. I have learned something today.
what liquid is in the tupperware, just distilled water or also some other stuff?
Mercy great grezt video!!!...(DO YOU HAVE A VIDEO ON ANIDIZED ALUMINUM OR WOULD THIS WORK ???)....THANKYOU
Thank you! I don't have a video out yet on aluminum, but I do plan on doing an aluminum series probably after the holidays. It is a different process. Thanks for watching and stay tuned!
@@ApollosRings thanks my friend sharing your videos now !!
that is so exiting video, I want to thank you. What is the solution acid?
Thanks for watching! The Whink that takes off the anodizing is hydrofluoric acid at around 2% in solution.
@@ApollosRings thank you so much
Thanks for the sharing! This is inspiring. I've never anodized anything, but have been a hobbyist electroplator for a while. This cool video had me wondering if maybe we can apply pen/brush plating techniques for annodizing. Also wondering if one could draw graphics or paint with resist or vinyl stencils? I've been a glassblower for decades, now I'm getting into TIG welding. I think I wanna make some colorful titanium bongs 😂.
Thank you for the video. Your videos have given me courage to try anodizing. All the materials are purchased, but I still need a rust remover. Wink is not possible to buy in my country, but would any rust remover work?
It has to have HF acid in it, which is probably why Whink is banned. Sorry
Adjustable DC power supplies are super cool
I have some questions. 1. what is the solution in the bowl? 2. does the material the fork is made of matter?
The anodizing solution is baking soda and distilled water, and the cathode (the fork in the video) should be stainless steel. Carbon steel does not work correctly. Hope that helps!
@@ApollosRings that helps a lot. Thank you. I could probably google but is there a particular ratio of water to baking soda that you believe works best?
You want to supersaturate the water with the baking soda, but it doesn't have to be very exact. I generally just use a solid spoonful of baking soda into roughly 10 ounces of distilled water and get amazing results.
Thank you very much for the awesome video, if I can ask does it matter what type of metal your fork is ? Is it steel aluminum? Thank you
Stainless steel, can't be carbon steel. I haven't tried with aluminum, but you'll be 💯 with stainless.
Question: what solution did you immerse the titanium in? You did not say whether its distilled water or sulfuric acid or chromic acid etc. Can you share that info please? Thank you
It's distilled water and baking soda. I have an entire video devoted to the step by step process on the channel if you want to check it out.
How long where they in there for? Say like 3-9V batteries to get the purple or blue, ho long did you leave it in for? Thanks
It only takes a few seconds at the correct voltage to fully anodize any of the colors.
@@ApollosRings Ok thank you. The reason I ask is I have a race/show car & all the hardware through the entire car is grade 5 titanium. Everything under the hood, the doors, fenders, trunk, hinges, latches…everything! I bought it all in the colors that I wanted. But I put a carbon fiber hood on & they require hood pins. I bought Quik-latch hood pins & the pins, nuts & washers are all stainless. So I looked everywhere for the correct thread pitch for the titanium nuts to swap them out & no one on the planet has any? Only a few people even carry the thread pitch. I don’t know why Quik latch did that? They could of easily made the threads 10x1.5 or 10x1.25 but they did them in 3/8-24 & hardly anyone uses that. Anyway I ended up finding a really nice set of 4 in 6AL4V grade 5 just like everything in my car, but they’re bare, which isn’t the end of the world, but I’d like to anodize them. So I think I’m going to get a few batteries, titanium wire & give it a shot! Sorry for the book, just like explaining what’s going on. Thanks again & your video really helped…💪🏻✌🏻
That's awesome! This should work out perfectly for what you're doing. I don't usually recommend the battery method if you have a ton of anodizing to do, but for small stuff like that the battery method works out great. If you have any issues just let me know. If you follow my video step by step you shouldn't have any problems. 👍🏼
@@ApollosRings Yeah it’s literally 4-3/8X24 nuts I have to do. So I’ll get 3-9V batteries, titanium wire, baking soda, distilled water & does it matter what I use for the negative charge, silver spoon, rolled tin foil or what? Do I need titanium wire or can I use copper or some other kind of conducting wire? Thanks, this will be the last question I promise lol….✌🏻😂
Does that method work in aluminum parts as well?
Unfortunately it does not. Different process for aluminum.
@@ApollosRings Ok. Thanks for the reply anyway. 🫡
Will this work on bigger parts? Was going to use heat to turn my motorcycle exhaust blue but this would be great.
It will definitely work, you just need to scale up the size a bit and try to make the cathode roughly the same size as the part you're anodizing.
I am in the same boat and thinking how I can pull this off...I just thought about using a storage tote for dipping.
@@diamondheat9 tried that, I put a stainless grate in that had protruding legs I used as a ground. Used titanium wire to connect. It did react as it did have bubbles around the pipe but the batteries must not have had enough juice to actually color that much surface area? Maybe I made a mistake somewhere? The tub I used was about 25x15x5 roughly (dont remember exactly) which I filled about 2/3 of the way full so it maybe have just been too much volume for the batteries to handle. Ended up resorting to the torch lol
@@LîNkxUSMC
Voltage is voltage.
That whole tub had the same voltage. Ive anodized massive titanium components using only batteries.
@@CNYKnifeNerd lol the way you say that makes it sound as though you can stick a 12v wire in the ocean and electrify the entire thing 🤣 I'm not sure why it didnt work though, maybe I didnt prepare the solution properly.
What method do you use to get back to raw Ti?
I use both chemical, and manual methods. Whink is a cheap chemical method, but has safety considerations. You can also simply use sandpaper or a Scotch-Brite pad.
@@ApollosRings Whink is not available in my country I think. Scotchbrite pad on a buffing wheel maybe my only option.
Fantastic video. Thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks for watching!
How did you get it back to bare titanium? And how often do the batteries need to be changed out, do you periodically check their strength? Thanks! And that gold was amazing. I think the color of your gloves may be influencing the colors we see through your video capture.
What happens if you don't remove the anodized layer before each step up in voltage? Would the color not change?
Lol, I thought the same thing at first, but after going through the analytics quite a few of my viewers are overseas, so I just assume there's a lot lost in translation. Everyone's been friendly, so I really don't have much reason to think otherwise.
As far as your question is concerned, you do not need to remove anything between the step up. Sometimes if you're having a hard time getting a particular color you'll have to remove the ano and give it another go at a lower voltage though. That make sense?
That makes sense. Thanks.
Also, I think I was unnecessarily snarky, and I deleted the snarky part, because a lot of the questions people were asking were addressed in your previous video, not this one. And of course there is the language difficulty to account for.
Thanks for showing how to do this inexpensively. Anodizing seems like something to really dig into!
I'm planning on creating my own exhaust system and exhaust headers for my Kawasaki Ninja which is the black and green in color so I believe the hype voltage anodizing would be perfect color for my exhaust
That'll look bad ass!
@@ApollosRings yeah I'm really looking forward to it
@@ApollosRings thanks for making that video man that's exactly what I needed to see
Superb video,, thank you very much 👌
I have stainless steel products that I going to have to get colored does it what is the application what is the fluid needed for this process and can I do it with stainless steel products?
You can’t anodize stainless steel
I’m going to anodizing some parts on my bmx bike soon! ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
Hi there all.
Is there a way to abstain a black color using this method ?
This may have already been addressed but how did he bring it back to regular titanium color? Do you reverse the polarity? He mentioned putting it in the "wink" but I don't know what that is.
Hey Brian! Whink (at least the Whink sold in the US) is a rust remover that uses hydrofluoric acid as it's active ingredient. HF acid can turn anodized titanium back to its pre-anodized state within about 10 seconds, but if you use it please be careful and wear PPE, that stuff is no joke. If you want to opt for a safer way of removing the ano you can always remove it mechanically with sand paper or a Scotch Brite pad. Hope that helps! If you need more info please feel free to check out my other videos on the channel. I have a full tutorial on there. I'll be releasing a new, more comprehensive tutorial within the next couple of weeks as well with a ton of updated knowledge I've picked up over the years, so don't forget to subscribe and ring the bell to get notifications when new vids are released. Thanks for watching!
Love the content. You could also get side work as a Sam Rockwell vocal impersonator.
🤣 Thanks
Which wire you connecting to aligator clip bro ?
What else i need than batteries? Its that just normal water or what? And is this working with aluminium too? Like bolts and stuff?
Man this is the best video ive seen on this subject, awesome job thank you
Glad you found the video helpful! If you give it a try and have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I try to make myself available to help with any issues you might run into. I have a few more videos on anodizing that I have filmed, just have to get them edited and thrown on the channel. Stay tuned!
@@ApollosRings i do have a question about the fluid mixture. I use distilled water and baking soda for the solution?
Correct
A spoonful or 2 of baking soda, then dissolve it in the distilled water and you're good to go
Can i use regular steel as a cathode?
Are you connecting the batteries in parallel, keeping the voltage consistent, but varying the current?
He's putting the batteries in series, (+) to (-) to (+) to (-), etc... Voltage is additive in series, current is constant. So, 2 batteries is 18V, 6 is 54V, and so on.
Hello! I have a question because i’m think of experimenting with anodizing for a science project, how long does the titanium need to be immersed in the solution for it to change colors? Also, is it possible do anodize just by using batteries and not any other power source? Thank you so much😁
It only takes a few seconds to change colors, and yes it is absolutely possible to anodize with just batteries. I have a video on my channel explaining step by step how to do it with 9v batteries.
That looks so good, nice video.
So bad that titanium and titanium machining is pretty expansive.
Thanks!