DIY silencer finish options

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fishman
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DIY silencer finish options

Post by fishman »

I'm almost done with two identical form 1 cans. One is going to be brushed finish and the other will be... Something. Im thinking of either stove paint, engine paint, or aerosol duracoat, then machining flutes into the tube and anodizing the raw titanium left behind pink.

What finish do you DIY guys use?
Last edited by fishman on Sun Jul 29, 2018 11:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by a_canadian »

Probably better off doing any anodizing before painting, as paints aren't likely to survive heat anodizing or chemical stuff. I like VHT engine paints. The wrinkle texture stuff (three coats in succession, maybe 10 minutes apart, in different directions) is surprisingly durable after a week of curing then a low temperature bake for an hour, maybe 275F. Their slightly metallic sparkle dark grey smooth satin paint is nice too. Rustoleum epoxy appliance paint is durable after a good bake (ramping up to 350 then back down, over about an hour, after a few days of curing) is extremely durable, but leaves a finish a lot like plastic and too glossy.
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yondering
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by yondering »

I'm working on a titanium F1 can myself right now. It'll be bead blasted (not abrasive blasted); IMO Ti looks best either raw machined or bead blasted and aged, depending on the application. It does turn darker over a few weeks after blasting.
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mcrump
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by mcrump »

Take a look at Norrell's Moly Resin. Pretty much indestructible.

https://molyresin.com/
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T-Rex
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by T-Rex »

Voltage anodizing Ti looks awesome.
Theres also the Oxyclean darkening (black) method

Both are very simple and require very little setup, tools, work time, etc.
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by John A. »

Norrells moly. No type of spray finish performs as good as it does in both heat and scratch resistance.
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fishman
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by fishman »

T-Rex wrote:Voltage anodizing Ti looks awesome.
Theres also the Oxyclean darkening (black) method

Both are very simple and require very little setup, tools, work time, etc.
I'd never heard of the oxi darkening. I gave it a go today. This piece of scrap tube got 2 hours of soaking and for 30 minutes I soaked my GFs titanium ring that I made her a while ago.
https://i.imgur.com/ACA0DYx.jpg

Raw tube vs blackened:
https://i.imgur.com/zcYfycU.jpg

It didn't darken nearly as much as I'd hoped but it made the tube noticeably less reflective.
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by T-Rex »

Some of the guys, I've read doing it, have gone a full 24hrs of soaking. Messing with the bath temp can also aid in the darkening.

If you have a voltage supply, I recommend giving the anodizing a try. Even if the final product isn't for you, it's a fun time.
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fishman
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by fishman »

If you have a voltage supply[...]
I have 100 AAs :D

If I can't borrow or find a cheap one, I might try a bunch of linked 9v batteries.

What electrolyte solution do you use?
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by T-Rex »

fishman wrote:I have 100 AAs :D

If I can't borrow or find a cheap one, I might try a bunch of linked 9v batteries.

What electrolyte solution do you use?
I've used 9v, 6v (the big flashlight kind), 12v car chargers, 24v-30A power supplies, Wall Warts, etc. Really, anything can work.

For a bath, I use 16-20-0 (ammonium phosphate) lawn fertilizer, because I have it laying around. You don't need a lot as it's simply for making the water more conductive.
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by John A. »

Does more power make it work better?
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fishman
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by fishman »

John A. wrote:Does more power make it work better?
The color changes with voltage. The current is going to be a factor of voltage and resistance of the solution. More current will make it go faster, but having a more powerful supply doesn't change the current output. the solution, the distance between anode and cathode, and part surface area will determine that. You can't simply use a more powerful supply to speed it up.

Image
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by fishman »

I test painted a scrap titanium tube today with Wheeler engineering cerama-coat. Then I milled a flat into the tube and anodized the raw titanium left behind.

Paint setup:
https://i.imgur.com/2zOZmra.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/7pllT9e.jpg

Results:
https://i.imgur.com/7yJ8hny.jpg

The edges were crisp and straight before anodizing. They got all messed up during the process. I'm abandoning this idea and just using the cerama-coat. I really like how well the paint turned out, it just takes three coats and a half hour bake cure.

Here's my highly scientific, complex chemical compound used as an electrolyte during anodizing:
https://i.imgur.com/EjaN1kw.jpg
Last edited by fishman on Sat Aug 11, 2018 3:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by fishman »

The final product turned out really well

https://i.imgur.com/9oce2vH.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/X5YFKKM.jpg
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by T-Rex »

It has a very nice sheen to it.
How thick is the layer?
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by fishman »

T-Rex wrote:It has a very nice sheen to it.
How thick is the layer?
Idk. 3 coats
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by T-Rex »

fishman wrote:
T-Rex wrote:It has a very nice sheen to it.
How thick is the layer?
Idk. 3 coats
Well, duh, silly, just mic the OD, subtract the tube OD and divide by 2 (total thk) or 6 (each coat thk) :lol:
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fishman
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Re: DIY silencer finish options

Post by fishman »

T-Rex wrote:
fishman wrote:
T-Rex wrote:It has a very nice sheen to it.
How thick is the layer?
Idk. 3 coats
Well, duh, silly, just mic the OD, subtract the tube OD and divide by 2 (total thk) or 6 (each coat thk) :lol:
I didn't measure the tube before I painted it. Its supposed to be 1.625, but who knows how close it really is.
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