Can I anodize AL to look like brass?

[drivefast]

I am having a 6061 fuel banjo made and would like it to look like the brass banjos that came on the old Webers. Is there a way to make 6061 look like brass? I wanted to have an assortment of colors: black, clear, brass. Are bright dipped parts compatible with gasoline?

 

[CoryPad]

You could electroplate the parts with copper. This is routinely done as the first step in "chrome" plating of aluminum parts like automobile wheels.

Regards,

Cory

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[swall]

You can make the anodize various shades of yellow. Sealing with sodium or potassium dichromate is one way, but the hues will tend to vary depending on how fresh the dichromate bath is. Alternatively, you can dye the unsealed anodize yellow, once again , in varying shades and then seal with DI water or nickel acetate. Either way, it is kind of hard to predict what the final color hue will be, however.

 

[swall]

Drivefast--if you're having a banjo made in the first place, why not make it out of brass instead of aluminum?

 

[drivefast]

I have considered that, but I’d like to have the machine shop make me 1 style banjo and then at a later date I can have them colored the color I want.

 

[swall]

In that case, picking up on what CoryPad said--get them plated. You can BRASS plate aluminum fittings, using a zincate pretreatment.