pepsimax
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help identifying a metal
So I was given quite a high end airsoft pistol as a gift frol a friend moving to another country. It looks terribly realistic so I thought I'd colour
it as not to get shot by the police.
This is chemistry after all so I thought I'd anodise it bright pink. However the metal violently fizzes in any caustic or acid media. What could it
be?
It's only the top slide I'd like to colour.
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Ozone
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Sounds like aluminum or some alloy thereof.
O3
-Anyone who never made a mistake never tried anything new.
--Albert Einstein
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Fulmen
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Sounds like zinc (or zamak). In that case anodizing is out, and you'll find that it's not always that easy to get paint to stick either. To blacken
zinc you can use 50g of copper sulfate and 50g sodium chloride per liter of water, this patina could possibly work as a primer for paint as well.
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pepsimax
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I think you're correct fulmen, I presumed it was aluminum but it wouldn't anodise obviously. Tried to plate some copper onto it and it turned black
with green foam.
How can I get a brightly colored coating on? I'd like it plated or something, paints the last call. Good shoult on the primer idea though.
[Edited on 13-1-2015 by pepsimax]
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Fulmen
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I don't know much about plating, but I think you need an alkaline "strike" bath. These are usually cyanide-based, but there are non-cyanide alkaline
copper formulations that could work.
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pepsimax
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Hmmm, I have some gold cyanide solution....
Thought about it but I may grt confused with a cartel boss 
Thanks for the help!
Ps, just remembered I have some silver CN too. Seems a bit of a waste but if I plated it silver then would standard acid copper go right over the top?
There's about 2g of precious metal in both solutions, bit less in the gold ss I've plated a few small items for novelty.
E- for anyone interested in plating, snipped this from from finishing.com (great site!)
"Q: We want to replace our cyanide copper strike bath with a non-cyanide based strike bath. Are there any such baths available, and do they work? K.
M. A: Yes, there are a number of non-cyanide copper strike baths that work well. Your best bet is to go to www.pfonline.com and search the vendor database under copper plating. There are a large number of vendors listed and a number of these companies
do offer what you are looking for. It has been my experience that these non-cyanide copper strikes work well and in most cases are an excellent
replacement for the classic strike bath. "
[Edited on 14-1-2015 by pepsimax]
[Edited on 14-1-2015 by pepsimax]
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macckone
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No matter what the gun looks like if it doesn't have a red safety identifier on the end of the barrel you could get shot. Of course it is just a
matter of time before some criminal puts a red safety identifier on a real gun and shoots a cop. Then that is out the window too.
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pepsimax
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The rules are different in England, I can legally own this gun as it is as it was gifted to me but if I bought it new the top slide would have to be a
bright colour.
You need to be a registered airsoft player (wgich I don't care for) to buy a full black imitation gun. I'm under no legal obligation to colour the
gun, I'd just rather not attract attention or scare people. It's very accurate so target shooting can be quite fun.
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Fantasma4500
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i recall having seen a magnesium slide, add a drop of vinegar on a spot you have scraped free from oxide to see if it is magnesium..
otherwise zinc may be a great bet.. but the green foaming?? sounds really weird, perhaps it contains some nickel or chromium?? a picture perhaps?
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