Articles

Anodizing Questions, Answered Properly

Short answers to the specific questions engineers and buyers ask us on the phone. For the longer treatments, start with the guides.

ARTICLES TWELVETOPICS SPECIFYING, SOURCING, TROUBLESHOOTINGWRITTEN BY THE SHOP FLOOR

The idea

One Question, One Straight Answer

Each of these takes a single question we get asked regularly and answers it without padding. Where the answer has more to it than an article can carry, the article links to the guide that covers it in full.

Nothing here is a sales page. Several of them explain where a process is not the right choice, or is not one we run, because a buyer choosing correctly is worth more to us than a buyer choosing us for the wrong job.

All articles

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01Does Anodizing Change Part Dimensions?YES, AND BY MORE THAN MOST DRAWINGS ACCOUNT
02What Does MIL-A-8625 Type II Class 2 Mean?SULFURIC ANODIZING, DYED. WHAT EACH ELEMENT
03Is Alodine the Same as Chem Film?YES. FOUR WORDS, ONE COATING, AND WHY THE CO
04Why Does Black Anodizing Look Different Between Batches?ALMOST ALWAYS PROCESS DRIFT OR ALLOY, AND ON
05How to Keep Threads Bare Through AnodizingTHREE HONEST OPTIONS, AND THE ONE THAT DOES
06What Is Hard Coat Anodizing Used For?PARTS THAT WEAR. AND A FEW THAT ARE SPECIFIE
07Why Anodizing Turnaround Times Vary Between ShopsCAPACITY, BATCHING AND HONESTY, ROUGHLY IN T
08Can You Anodize Cast Aluminum?YES, WITH EXPECTATIONS SET. THE SILICON DECI
09What Does Sealing Do in Anodizing?CLOSES THE PORES. WHICH IS WHY SOME PARTS AR
10What Is Clear Anodized Aluminum?THE NATURAL FINISH, WITH NO DYE IN IT. WHAT
11What to Include in an Anodizing Request for QuoteFOUR THINGS GET A COST THE SAME DAY. TWO MOR
12Why Machine Shops Outsource AnodizingBECAUSE THE TANKS ARE THE EASY PART OF OWNIN
14Type II vs Type III Black Anodizing on Aluminum: How to ChooseTYPE II CLASS 2 OR TYPE III CLASS 2 BLACK AN

Questions

About These Articles

How Often Do You Publish?

We add articles as questions come up often enough on the phone to be worth answering properly. These are reference pieces rather than news, so they get updated when something changes rather than replaced on a schedule.

Who Writes These?

The people who run the shop in Paoli, Indiana. Nothing here is written by somebody who has not seen a rack come out of a tank.

Can I Ask a Question That Is Not Answered Here?

Yes. Call the shop on 812-620-4646 or email [email protected] and somebody who works on the floor will answer it. If it turns out plenty of people are asking the same thing, it usually becomes an article.

What Is the Difference Between the Articles and the Guides?

Length and scope. An article answers one narrow question directly. A guide covers a whole subject, with tables and a full set of questions, and the articles link up into them.

Your Question Not Covered?

Call the shop and ask it the ordinary way. Matt will answer.

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