Anodizing Gone Wrong - What Next?

[TitanMonsterS4R]

So I went the wrong route and shipped my CRG levers, CNC gas tank and cover, DP fork adjusters and SpeedyMoto belt covers shipped off to a guy in Kentucky to have him re-anodize them yellow to match my bike.  Well, you guessed it, they came back and looked like this:



Now that they have been stripped of all color with some pieces half anodized, what's the best action to take next?  Since no one makes parts that have already been anodized yellow, it's a custom job anyway.  Can the parts be re-anodized and if so, it is better to have them powder coated?  For parts that will see heavy use (ie levers) is anodizing or powdercoating better?

Thanks for the help folks

[junior varsity]

well. time to find another anodizer and possible get them anodized a standard color like black or hard anodized (dark gray) and call it a day.  that is much easier to do methinks.

don't know about yellow ano unless you are looking for a gold.

[Buckethead]

Wow.

Quality control = fail. 

[He Man]

looked like he had no idea what he was doing....

anodizing transforms the layer above, if you want to strip anodizing, you need to remove the top layer. the best way to cheaply do it, is with sand and orbital sander and just grind the top layer off. I tried using oven cleaner once and it did the trick, but i had to resurface it with an orbital sander.

[Heath]

Bead blasting well work too but can take a while if the finish is thick.  My friends dad has a bead blaster and we used it all the time to strip our paintball parts before sending them out to get anodized.

[Slide Panda]

Wow... sorry to see that.

YOu can have them anodized again - it's no biggy. I'd find a reputable finisher and let them have at it. It'll cost you though, Im betting as some steps will need to be taken to ensure a uniform look. They may have to do some stripping to get the color off and then probably some polishing or light media blasting to get the surfaces to look uniform before they hit the dye bath.

I'd stay away from coatings in this case - your filler cap and levers might not like the additional thickness it adds.

[ducpainter]

<snip>
I'd stay away from coatings in this case - your filler cap and levers might not like the additional thickness it adds.

+1

[DucNaked]

I've used http://www.pkselective.com/ and http://www.atmf.com/type2_anodize.html in the past. These companies have very high quality services and would recommend either of them.
I wouldn't worry about stripping the old ano, any good anodizer will do it themselves to ensure a good end result.

[TitanMonsterS4R]

As a former paintball player I would have loved to use the company that ano'd my markers but they were a small shop and are not out of business.  I'll take a look at both your recommendation. 

[DucNaked]

I used both of these companies for paintball markers back in the day. 

[booger]

Noyce! What I wonder is why you would send stuff all the way there, when you live in the DC area. There are options for anodizing in DC. Seems counterintuitive to send it off when you didn't have to. 
Why did you not consult the forum beforehand? BTW there is no yellow anodizing. It's called gold. Anodizing I would think is more of a complicated process than powdercoating. So, I think you are in for some expense to get that stuff reworked. Might be cheaper to just buy new parts. Lesson learned the hard way!


KY? Why?

[Slide Panda]

KY? Why?

'Cause it's slippery... um oh...

Anodizing isn't super tough to do. It can be done at home if you really want. But it's messy, stinky and has some danger factor.

And yeah, there's metal finishers in the DC area. Buy local 

[TitanMonsterS4R]

KY? Why?

He came as a recommendation from a paintball friend as the local company I would have turned to is now out of business.  Shame on me for not consulting the Forum beforehand.  I'll see what the local guys can do to salvage the parts.  Would rather not spend another $500.00 bucks on parts.  That would be a super tough lesson learned.  

[abby normal]

jeez ... how 'bout a midnight visit to the 1st anodizer?  probably lots of
volatile chemistry lying about.  any way to get your money refunded?

[TitanMonsterS4R]

jeez ... how 'bout a midnight visit to the 1st anodizer?  probably lots of
volatile chemistry lying about.  any way to get your money refunded?

I definitely got my money back, otherwise I would have pulled a Stewy....  


Decided to take it to a local paint shop in Gaithersburg to check out the damage and determine if it's salvageable.  Hoping some sanding will smooth out the bumps and a reano will make it look awesome again, otherwise here i come again Monsterparts.com.