Luger paint color

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by Steinar

Anodizing does indeed look like fun. Wonder how it would work on steel..

That's a good question. The articles mention magnesium, titanium, and aluminum. Iron/steel has different chemical properties which I suspect may preclude anodizing as a finish for it. I do, however, wonder what process is used to make "aluminized steel" which was touted by Ford, I think, some years ago, in reference to body panels. I know it's also used in automotive exhaust systems. But I think if it were anodizing, the process/treated material wouldn't have needed a new name.

The aspects of anodizing similar to galvanizing--which is a very hot dip in molten zinc--are the layer formed between the outside skin of the treatment and the original material beneath, and the phenomenon of slight dimensional growth of a part so treated. This layer is like an alloy because the molecules of the base metal and those of the coating are intermingled. Curiously, the growth is accelerated in the galvanizing process in areas of the treated material with higher silica content. So, if you'd welded a joint with regular alloy steel filler and ground and sanded the joint smooth and flush, it will look as if someone had taken a caulking gun to the weld after it emerges from the dip tank.

DP