anyways... it will not work!
aluminum to be anodized has to be of high quality. some aluminum are made with other base metals. especially cast aluminum have composition of copper, etc... those other base metals will desolve in the sulfuric acid part is anodized in. also the nitric acids, parts are dipped in to prep part will attack certain metals.
say you try to anodize a stihl side cover, after stripping off paints. what will come out of anodize tanks will be severely eaten away.
power coat is always the toughest... wonder if the exact color power coat is available?
I have been working as a sales manager for a continuous anodiser for the last five years and am supposed to be a product specialist.
Anodising = creating a controlled anodic (aluminiumoxide) layer on the aluminium surface, layer thicknesses (commercially) are ranging from 5 up to 25 µm. The purpose of anodising is usually to obtain increased corrosion resistance for outside use applications. Hard anodising (layers up to 50-60 micron) are used for increasing abrasion and wear resistance of aluminium (parts) alloys.
The most commonly known process is the sulfuric anodising (other = fosforic anodising, used in the aircraft industry), which includes the following steps :
- chemical etching (NaOH), to remove metal oxides and impurities.
- neutralising
- sulfuric anodising (galvanic process, using DC current)
- Coloring (if applicable)
- sealing (to ensure the corrosion resistance) in hot water.
All parameters in the process, such as chemical concentration, temperatures, current amps,etc. are closely monitored to ensure a homogenous and consistant anodic layer.
Anodised aluminium is highly corrosion resistant and outperforms all PE, PU, PVDF coatings on this aspect. Natural color anodised aluminium is also totally UV resistant. Colored anodised aluminium is guaranteed UV resistant with fully saturated layers, AND with a layer thickness of min 25 microns. This varies however in function of the dyes used (organic or inorganic). This is quite a complicated matter.
For obtaining a nice decorative finish, it is of supreme importance to use a "anodic quality" aluminium alloy substrate, generally a EN 5005 or EN5754 alloy. 1000 or 3000 series can be used also, but generate more risk as to surface quality. Like someone mentioned, aluminium alloys contain Mg, Mn, Si, etc. with rather large tolerances, and this causes a big concern to anodisers to guarantee a smooth, reproduceable anodic surface !!! That's why decorative parts that form one lot (façade, window profiles, etc.for a particular project) should be anodised in one batch, and preferably using an alloy from the same cast...)
Cast alumiminium gives very bad results regarding a decorative surface (continuous cast flat rolled products look horrible after anodising)...
This may be the mean reason why saw parts are not anodised. The process also is quite expensive (handling), and colors are limited.
So my opinion is that anodising is not a solution for saw covers.