I have used alodine both at full strength and with the added water. I am happy with the results but it weakens in a short time! I have tried heating and always stir it up before dunking the carb stuff. Right now i can leave a carb in there all day and it just won't take color, i think the metal protection is there but i can't get color. The last batch i doubt i got color for a dozen carbs. How do you guys use it? Thanks oj
Usually there is an etching procedure that is done prior to the alodine. Depending on how long you etch it, depends on how dark it will get. I haven't had any problems with it going bad in a short time.
The finish on carb bodies may also depend on the amount of zinc in the materials. I used Alodine (the orange stuff, not the darker stuff, can't remember the number) for my Holley 94's and they turned out great. I media blasted them first, rinsed, blew air through them, rinsed, etc. etc. and THEN did the dip. I think I went about 5 minutes each without watering down the mix. I then immediately let them sit in warm water and agitated them a bit to get any bubbles out. Pretty consistent finish on all the carbs. The only complaint is that the finish isn't very sturdy. It WILL scratch. It is great for protection, but not the most durable finish you could give it. I liked the overall effect though.
OJ, we had the same issue at my previous employer, the alodine was failing to add any color to bare aluminum. They changed and started using Iridite. Apparently doesn't require the heated bath and other headaches of alodine.
Alodine doesn't have to be heated. We just have a 100 gallon plastic tank. I'm sure it would take better, but industry wide, I have seen very few who use the heated. I don't know much about Iridite.
I restored a set of rare old racing wheels, and I had the centers done in it. After I had them media blasted and cracktested. I love the way they look, the contrast of the soft satin sheen and color against the polished outer rim... http://www.dogfightmag.com/forum/showthread.php?494-1000tc/page2
I had some alodine that left it greenish, anybody know the number of that one. I read the alodine instructions and they say do not use under 70degrees. I have the aluminum etching dip as well, it is a mild acid and works good. I am thinking about the iride that Bob mentioned, that is more to the original finish anyway. I have anodize tanks and i will tell you that it is a pita to do small parts, but the same equipment can be used for iride although i haven't done it.
For small parts, we have a submersible basket. Why is it a pita? I have never really had any issues. When I go to work tonight, I'll ask the parts guys what and where they order from. I have never really asked. There are different versions of alodine as well. They make one that dries clear, for electrical bonding purposes.
Okay, I just went out in the shop and checked to see what we have. The Alodine 1201 is the stuff that will give you the darker green finish on the carbs. The Alodine 1001 is the lighter stuff and is what I used on my Holley bodies. I found that using the 1001 on NEW aluminum parts (machined from extrusions, not cast) had very little if any change in color. We switched to the 1201 for these kinds of parts and it leaves a yellowish green finish to it. For MP&C above, Alodine does not require a heat process. It is purely a dip and rinse process. This is probably why it's also not as durable in some cases. Can't view those pictures without joining Dogfight. Are you implying I should really join?
Yeah, the stuff with high Zinc content (i.e. old carb bodies) seems to take the color pretty well. 356 type aluminum used for a lot of castings may take it well also, never tried. But parts made from say 5052 or 6061 don't seem to take 1001 very well and it's more work for the 1201. So there must be a correlation of some kind.
Impressive! So you used the 1201, then? Strange how some carbs turn out goldish color with 1201 and some turn Green. We have some later Holley 4bbl carbs that turned greenish in color with the 1201. Not even a NICE looking green for that matter. HAHA!
When i said pita i was referring to anodize. I don't have commercial tanks etc and have made my own dips etc so i have to babysit the entire process and it takes a while. Here is some of my 'wedgies' i sell to circle track to get thier 2bbl carbs sitting back level when on the track, they take a couple hours of close monitoring as the temp has to be just right, areation, electrical connections and current flow and you have to stay right on top of it.
this is interesting . I just rebuilt a holley carb that I bead blasted the out side surfices it looks great .the question I have is there a benifit to restoring this coating? I never have liked the greenish color of some carbs.
If you don't coat them with something they will potentially oxidize. The coating keeps the maintenance down and protects from the white furry attack. The 1001 gives you a protective coat that's as close to raw as you can probably get without just clear coating. Clear coat has a tendency to yellow when it gets hot, though.
**** - a week to late for me. i just finished 3 SU side drafts for my 235. If I had known I would have dunked them in 1001 before ***embling them. bump for the weekend crew
Mine came from Aircraft Spruce online. You might also want to take a look at Caswell's zinc chromate solutions. Google Caswell and you should have no problem finding them. Carburetors with high zinc content react well with the yellow and olive colors they carry. The finish is much more durable.
Reviving and old thread, I started coloring my webers with eastwood carb gold/bronze. At a distance they look OK, but up close the look like years of dirty gas stains. I just dusted light coats of paint letting the alum color show through. I am going to strip them and use the 1201 alodine procedure. I want just a bit of color. These are very nice aluminum castings, not like gm's die cast alum. How much different is the color going to be from the 2gc' and 94's I've seen on this subject?
I know this is an old thread, and I searched for all I could find, but I still have some questions on the Alodine dip process. I am in the process of rebuilding the 3 Rochester 2 G carbs I am going to use on my 394 Olds and I bought the etch and Alodine in quarts from Aircraft Spruce. What I haven't been able to find is: 1) How much do you dilute the etch and how long do you leave carb parts in it ? 2) How much do you dilute the Alodine and how long do you leave carb parts in it ? 3) Do you rinse the parts after the etch AND the Alodine dip ? Hot or cold water ? 4) Do you air dry or blow dry the water off after the rinse of the Alodine, and how long before you ***emble the carbs ? Thanks for any information. If there is a tech on this, sorry, I couldn't find it. Don
. As I said above 10% solution for 20 seconds and then rinse. air dry and ***emble. It's more of a stain then a coating. Yes I actually time the dip to get a consistent color. you can try different timing to get the color you want. I personally like this tint for Rochesters. I tried full strength and did not like it. You may not like my solution but it is a place to start. No heat. . bead blasted on the left and dipped on the right
Where I work we occasionally send small batches of parts to be anodised and we are charged a batch rate so the boss dosen't care if we add a few of our own parts. Is there any reason a carb body couldn't be anodised?
Thanks, Tommy, I missed where you had said the dilution rate. How about the etch step, do you do that or just bead blast ? Don
One little bit of info I cannot find is if the small br*** and lead bits and pieces can go in the ALODINE? I know it turn steel black but I would hate to drop a carb body in the solution only to have something tragic happen ( I have 1966 Rochester) I know this is an old thread but it has the most info I could find from those who have done it. thank you in advance
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