Van's Air Force
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Shelf Life / Quantity
- Thread starter zsadecki
- Start date
jefferywjohnson
I'm New Here
Alodine shelf like
Not many answers just observations from a first timer. There I have admitted it and I feel better.
Priming is the most confusing of all the task in building I have come across.
I am tempted to just put it together and enjoy for the next 30 years. I am flying a 1946 polished Swift now that has never seen primer or paint!
A friend gave me a two year old gallon of alodine and it seemed to work fine. After using an acid etch and washing I dipped all the small parts for about 3 minutes ( judge by color) and all was well for a few weeks. I just stored in an under the bed type plastic container with a lid. Recently the parts being treated don't have the nice golden brown color that the first ones did.
I then tried to use a powder ( mixed with water) that was given to me. It was a yellow color as opposed to the dark brown that the "alodine" brand was. This treatment did very little to change the color of the metal.
There must be some type of "tint" they can put in this product.
I read something about hard water that could have some effect on the process.
Not many answers just observations from a first timer. There I have admitted it and I feel better.
Priming is the most confusing of all the task in building I have come across.
I am tempted to just put it together and enjoy for the next 30 years. I am flying a 1946 polished Swift now that has never seen primer or paint!
A friend gave me a two year old gallon of alodine and it seemed to work fine. After using an acid etch and washing I dipped all the small parts for about 3 minutes ( judge by color) and all was well for a few weeks. I just stored in an under the bed type plastic container with a lid. Recently the parts being treated don't have the nice golden brown color that the first ones did.
I then tried to use a powder ( mixed with water) that was given to me. It was a yellow color as opposed to the dark brown that the "alodine" brand was. This treatment did very little to change the color of the metal.
There must be some type of "tint" they can put in this product.
I read something about hard water that could have some effect on the process.
gvgoff99
Well Known Member
2024 Aluminum and Alodine
Vern has posted an EXCELLENT (IMO) bit of information on Priming that you probably have read. It is under "Primers" and in the thread "Types of Primers."
I found a bunch of information on Anodizing of Aluminum on the site < http://www.alphametal.com/index.html > I think their "Technical Information" is quite good. They seem to express concern about removal of the acid from the tight areas (seams and rivets for us) if we start Alodining after assembly of the plane. It may set up future corrosion if any acid is left behind. I would wet the joints (soap and water) thoroughly before the acid prep for the Alodining process in an assembled piece. This would allow water to be sucked into the tight areas by capillary action before using the phosphoric acid to prevent the acid from creeping into the tight areas where it would be all but impossible to rinse out.
As for the 2024 Aluminum, here is what they have to say:
Aluminum Alloys for Anodizing:
Higher purity alloys are always preferred for anodizing. Alloying elements such as copper and silicon do not anodize and leave microscopic voids in the aluminum oxide film. Since the anodizing process converts the aluminum to aluminum oxide to form the anodized finish higher purity aluminum will yield a denser and harder layer of aluminum oxide. High concentrations of some alloying elements will also affect the surface finish and color of the anodized finish and will reduce the effectiveness of the sealing process causing reduced corrosion and wear resistance and decreasing fade resistance in dyed parts.
Anodizing Wrought Alloys and Extrusions:
The most popular alloys for anodizing are 5000, 6000 and 7000 series alloys. These alloys will provide consistently excellent quality finishes for Hardcoat and conventional anodizing. High purity alloys like 1100 and 3000 series will also form very good finishes. Although 2024 is a popular alloy because of its strength and machining characteristics it is not the best choice for good anodized finishes because of its high copper content. It has all of the disadvantages noted in the above paragraph.
Vern has posted an EXCELLENT (IMO) bit of information on Priming that you probably have read. It is under "Primers" and in the thread "Types of Primers."
I found a bunch of information on Anodizing of Aluminum on the site < http://www.alphametal.com/index.html > I think their "Technical Information" is quite good. They seem to express concern about removal of the acid from the tight areas (seams and rivets for us) if we start Alodining after assembly of the plane. It may set up future corrosion if any acid is left behind. I would wet the joints (soap and water) thoroughly before the acid prep for the Alodining process in an assembled piece. This would allow water to be sucked into the tight areas by capillary action before using the phosphoric acid to prevent the acid from creeping into the tight areas where it would be all but impossible to rinse out.
As for the 2024 Aluminum, here is what they have to say:
Aluminum Alloys for Anodizing:
Higher purity alloys are always preferred for anodizing. Alloying elements such as copper and silicon do not anodize and leave microscopic voids in the aluminum oxide film. Since the anodizing process converts the aluminum to aluminum oxide to form the anodized finish higher purity aluminum will yield a denser and harder layer of aluminum oxide. High concentrations of some alloying elements will also affect the surface finish and color of the anodized finish and will reduce the effectiveness of the sealing process causing reduced corrosion and wear resistance and decreasing fade resistance in dyed parts.
Anodizing Wrought Alloys and Extrusions:
The most popular alloys for anodizing are 5000, 6000 and 7000 series alloys. These alloys will provide consistently excellent quality finishes for Hardcoat and conventional anodizing. High purity alloys like 1100 and 3000 series will also form very good finishes. Although 2024 is a popular alloy because of its strength and machining characteristics it is not the best choice for good anodized finishes because of its high copper content. It has all of the disadvantages noted in the above paragraph.
