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kennedyzero
193
May 30, 2018
My first attempt at a home ano job, not nearly as clean as some of you talented motherfuckers, but I thought it looked kinda cool.
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Marsico2007
5
May 31, 2018
kennedyzeroLooks sweet!
BadComrade
67
May 31, 2018
kennedyzerois there a guide online on how to do something like this?
TheknifeofCollin
18
May 31, 2018
BadComradeYes on YouTube there are a lot of tutorials. My advice is if you are heat anodizing it, is remove all the hardware including the over travel stop. Clean the handles as best you can in a sanitary environment free of dust and debris, and use a blowtorch on like medium or low to go back and forth on the hoandles until it turns from bronze to purple to blue:) hope that kinda helps:) oh and winded apparently really helps when you want to cool it down and it bring out the colours!
kennedyzero
193
May 31, 2018
BadComradeYoutube is a great resource,search ”titanium anodizing.” I would also recommend searching “anodizing” in this discussion, as there are quite a few people who have posted their work and some links that I used. Also for what it’s worth, this was done with electricity, not heat. Heat can be hard to control. I would also look at different methods of metal finishing, as the finish greatly affects how the anodizing looks when you’re done.
Bflying
1105
May 31, 2018
kennedyzeroLooks sweet! I wish my "first attempts" at anything looked this good. But be careful, changing the looks of titanium knives can be addicting. A rabbit hole I haven't been able to climb out of just yet. Before you know it, you'll be up at 3 am with insomnia, and the need to find some color shade between voltages. :D
TitchB
2
Jun 1, 2018
kennedyzeroHow many volts did you do this with and what did you use for an electrolyte? Thanks for the help that color looks great nice job.
kennedyzero
193
Jun 1, 2018
BflyingThanks! This was definitely a 3 am job, but then again I works nights so I don’t know if that counts as insomnia lol
kennedyzero
193
Jun 1, 2018
TitchBI’ve been using 9V batteries, so I can’t be exact on the voltage, but my voltmeter was reading at around 85V at the ends of my alligator clips. I used 1 heaping tablespoon of TSP and 2 tablespoons of baking soda in about 1/2 liter of distilled water for the electrolyte. The other thing is that this was anodized, stonewashed and then anodized again at roughly the same voltage, so there’s probably a little variation. I’ve noticed that the voltage on 9Vs tends to dip with repeated use.
EDCADDICT888
2
Jun 1, 2018
kennedyzeroHey brother, that is a beautiful job you did! Give yourself credit for a first rate job there.
Bflying
1105
Jun 1, 2018
TitchBI've posted this before, but thought I'd plant it again in a more recent conversation. For those interested in trying out a home ano job, this voltage chart has been fairly accurate for my stuff.

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TitchB
2
Jun 1, 2018
BflyingThanks I've seen that chart before but I've noticed other people getting similar colors at different voltages (+-10 vdc) and the added electrolyte in the distilled water seems to have varying results since that color he got would be at 75-78 on that chart I was curious to what he actually used to get that brilliant purple color as he really did a great job with it I want to get a color like that and end up close on the first try.
kennedyzero
193
Jun 1, 2018
TitchBI’ll be honest, this wasn’t a one-and-done type of thing, I did strip and re-ano this several times to get the color I wanted. Whink rust remover makes it easy to redo. That purple is hard to hit, it goes from pink into blue in a blink, hence the stone wash and re- ano, makes kind of a mixture of blue and pink that looks purple. Also, in regards to that color chart, I’d be willing to bet it’s pretty accurate if you‘re using a constant voltage (i.e. a DC power supply) which I believe is what Bflying uses. I’m pretty sure the 9V batteries take a dip in voltage as soon as you put a load on them.
Bflying
1105
Jun 1, 2018
kennedyzeroYes, batteries tend to vary somewhat. Also the size of the part, size and type of cathode, and amount of electrolyte will also affect it. Plus the fact that without some type current limiter, you are confined to 9 volt increments. That's one of the reasons I opted to drop a buck forty for a power supply. I have seen online where people have built little RadioShack type adjustable resistor boards to put in-line with the batteries. . That way they can pull 1-8 volts out and effectively give a current with around one volt increments. But that seemed like too much work for me, when you can pick up a power supply for less than the price of most titanium knives that I would be playing with.
Most of the purple I've done recently was in the 15-18 volt range. And around 19-20 volts lands a nice "blurple". With my machine, 21 volts yields a deep blue that turns a bit purple-ly with body oils from handling.
Another cool effect to try is a two-tone stonewash or scratch pattern. Give the part a nice solid color like purple or blue. Then give it a light stonewash, or scratch up the edges with a little sandpaper or Scotchbrite. And redip in a lower voltage like 9-12 volts for a bronze color on the newly exposed titanium. Very similar to what @kennedyzero did with the blue-pink-purple, but with contrasting colors.
And like kennedyzero said, Whink Rust Remover will eat through anodizing in seconds, and let you fix what you don't like, or just start over for a new look each week. But be careful what you dip, and for how long. The stuff literally eats titanium and steel. If you dip a lock side with a ceramic detent ball, I've not seen many issues. But if you dip, say a ZT with a non-removable steel ball, the ball can be damaged beyond repair very quickly. So I usually paint the steel balls with fingernail polish, or even rubber cement if I have the time to let it dry. The rubber cement rubs off easily when finished, but gives it some protection in the Whink. And if the steel lock bar is not easily removed, coat the contact edge also. While doing things like anodizing for cosmetic purposes, you want to make sure none of the working parts are affected. A little extra care goes a long ways to make sure the tight tolerances are maintained.
audiboy711
27
Dec 25, 2018
kennedyzeroLooks dope!
Bob_Velle
27
Feb 12, 2019
kennedyzeroReal nice. What are you using for the ionic bath... an acid, TSP...? Nevermind, I just realized this is a long thread and have now read the answer way up there.
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Saami_Says
5
Feb 12, 2019
kennedyzeroThis looks good! I’m hoping to do some of this myself.