I thought this might get someones attention <grin>. My wife's name is Jodie,
and we share the Compuserve account.
>> You'd mentioned about anodizing aluminum and
>>sensitizing it. I've had a Metalphoto ruler in my possession
>>for years and have always wanted to make aluminum photographs
>>.. you know, put them outdoors etc. In the desert airs, sun,
>>permanent etc. Would appreciate any info on the possibilities.
>>Best Jack Fulton
Basically you immerse the clean aluminum plate in a 10 - 15% sulfuric acid
solution, and run an electric current through this with the aluminum plate
connected as the anode (connected to the positive terminal of the power supply).
A car battery charger has about the right current density for most jobs. The
temperature is critical since the acid dissolves both the aluminum and the oxide
layer, and should normally be kept around 20 degrees celsius. If it is too cold
the oxide gets hard and dense, and if the temperature is too hot you
electropolish the piece rather than anodize it.
I did some tinkering with this while working on a superconducting experiment at
work. I will pull out my lab notes tomorrow for the details.
- Wayde Allen