anodization dyes

[drthulium]

As some of you know my main source of income is as a chemist. I am always looking for cool ways to apply this skill to make new techniques and effects for sculptures. My current chemistry job is pretty cool, I am actually synthesizing new dyes! It turns out that they are in the same family as the dyes used in coloring aluminum by anodization. I have always found the available colors in the class to be gaudy. BUT now I have a chance to really make what ever colors I want (as side projects :) )

So a question, what colors that are not really available commerially for aluminum should I aim for? I was thinking of finding a way to make more earth tones, burnt siena comes to mind. There might be a neat to style of art hiding in this somewhere...

Nate

[fritchie]

As some of you know my main source of income is as a chemist. I am always looking for cool ways to apply this skill to make new techniques and effects for sculptures. My current chemistry job is pretty cool, I am actually synthesizing new dyes! It turns out that they are in the same family as the dyes used in coloring aluminum by anodization. I have always found the available colors in the class to be gaudy. BUT now I have a chance to really make what ever colors I want (as side projects :) )

So a question, what colors that are not really available commerially for aluminum should I aim for? I was thinking of finding a way to make more earth tones, burnt siena comes to mind. There might be a neat to style of art hiding in this somewhere...

Nate

Nate - How about black for starters, or really dark shades of brown? As you know, my background is chemistry also. I know black probably would have to be a combination of a couple of materials, such as red and green, or brown and blue. Can you describe the general requirements without getting proprietary? I expect stability to a certain degree of oxidation, and some degree of solubility in — what???

My objection to the anodization dyes I have seen is their generally pale and gaudy character. I’d like to see deeper colors, and also cleaner ones. I don’t know the overall market for these, but I would expect that clean, fairly intense, reds, yellows, blues and greens would be a good start. If these can be reliably mixed, so much the better.

[drthulium]

I am doing academic research, so no problems with intellectual property rights at all. Most of the dyes should be water soluble to a certain extent, if not methanol or ethanol will work great (in fact a lot better than water) I need to find out about the properties, but they are based on classic dye stuffs like crystal violet and ethyl violet. As I change the groups around the central core the color will change, as will the properties slightly. I am really picking up the dye chemistry where it left off in academia in the 30's. Kinda fun really. What made me think of the aluminum process was the similar color that a lot of the commerial dyes have to the ones used in aluminum. Sure enough they are similar colors because the dye are basically the same. It will be a few weeks until I have much to show for, but once I get the processes down, well, the fun begins!

Browns could be a mix of green and red with out much heartache, yellow will have to be its own dye though. Blues and purples will be nice and intense.

The dye molecules are cationic, so I have been thinking about ways to stick them on other metals as well.

[fritchie]

You know, I mentioned black above, but I use the black, aluminum picture frames all the time, and I'm not sure whether the color is anodic or just paint. I think it's paint because of the way it scrapes on occasion. That would be simpler and cheaper.

Many natural dyes dissolve better in methanol, or especially ethanol, than in water, but cationic dyes might prefer water. The charge should give you good solubility for many variants.

[zer0g]

Hi all,
first of all excuseme for my bad english,
I would like to learn anodization process. I already built the equipment but here in Italy I cannot find any dealer for dyes. What kind of dyes I have to use and where they can be found? (I am interested in copper, blue and gold finish).
Regards,
Giovanni