From: Daniel McEwan 19/02/99 9:40:18 Subject: Anodizing post id: 1653 Could you please explain how aluminium anodizing is done. From: Martin Smith 19/02/99 11:48:11 Subject: re: Anodizing post id: 1664 Basically you make a piece of aluminium the anode in an electrolytic reaction Do not do this at home!!! Get some battery acid, put in two electrodes, one lead one aluminium. Attach the lead to the negative side of a battery or power source, the aluminium to the positive. Run some current through the mixture and the aluminium will be coated in a layer of aluminium oxide. It protects the aluminium from abrasions and rusting, and you can colour the surface coating aswell. In fact aluminium just left on its own gets a nice tough coating of aluminium oxide (aluminium rust) anyway that prevents further oxidisation. This is why aluminium does not rust away very quickly. Martin This forum is un-moderated. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individual poster and not the ABC. The ABC reserves the right to remove offensive or inappropriate messages.