Anodized Aluminum Baffles - Stalking Rhino Industries

[Captains1911]

I recently upgraded my Gemtech OBII to a user serviceable can, and decided to have the raw aluminum baffles hard-coat anodized to increase their longevity and durability. I had put about 100 rounds of ammo through the upgraded can before sending it off to Stalking Rhino Industries for the anodizing service. The baffles came back in amazing condition, with the anodizing better than I could have imagined, especially considering the fact that they weren't completely clean. Below are the before and after pictures, they speak for themselves. He also replaced the aluminum spacer ring supplied by GemTech with a titanium one. Anybody interested in this service should contact Matt at Stalking Rhino, and do so with complete confidence.
http://www.stalkingrhino.com/

Before:




After:

 

[anthony-white]

What was their turn around time?

 

[Downeast]

I've done a lot of hard anodize, it's great stuff, almost as hard as tool steel depending on the aluminum alloy. What alloy are these made of? It looks like they may have done some type of abrasive blast operation, i.e. glass bead or similar as they have taken on a matte finish and you can't really see the machining marks anymore, although some of that can also be achieved with an etch prior to anodize. Anyway, those should stand up good to whatever abuse you can put 'em through.

 

[Captains1911]

What was their turn around time?

About 3 weeks.

 

[Captains1911]

I've done a lot of hard anodize, it's great stuff, almost as hard as tool steel depending on the aluminum alloy. What alloy are these made of? It looks like they may have done some type of abrasive blast operation, i.e. glass bead or similar as they have taken on a matte finish and you can't really see the machining marks anymore, although some of that can also be achieved with an etch prior to anodize. Anyway, those should stand up good to whatever abuse you can put 'em through.

Whatever alloy GemTech uses, I'm not sure, their website says 7075 aluminum. I'm not aware of any blasting that was done, and I'm not an expert on anodizing, but my understanding is that its an electrical process that creates a surface layer of oxidized material. AR-15 receivers that are anodized have a similar matte finish.