Colored Anodizing Finishes: What You Should Know

Some notes regarding colored anodizing finishes:

We do our best to ensure the consistency and quality of our products. During manufacturing, we take great care in making sure that there are no surface imperfections by using a tightly controlled in-house deburring process and holding high quality control standards.

When it comes to colored anodizing and forged parts, certain imperfections usually hidden by the black anodizing process are easily seen due to the lighter pigment of the dye. Because these issues are inherent to the process, our definition of what constitutes a blemished item has been adjusted. Typical issues may include but are not limited to, graphite transfers from forging dies (black marks in the non-machined surface), the blending of machined and forged surfaces (visible blending that doesn't affect the smoothness of finish), shade variances, and areas of inconsistency in the dye uptake. For transparency, we wanted to go into greater detail on some aspects of the finish, so there are no surprises when purchasing our anodized parts and components.

Color Matching:

Anodizing is an electro-chemical process that can be affected by many variables. Material choice, dye or catalyst concentration, tank temperature, time in the dye/rinse tanks, and various other factors can affect the color of the final anodized part. Type 3 anodizing is especially susceptible to these changes. The difference in alloy type (6061 vs 7075) between our handguards and receivers is also creates a point of color variation. We have worked with our Anodizing partner to mitigate as much color variation as possible, but it is inherent to the process and cannot be avoided. While the color will be relatively close, you should expect to see variation between parts.

Uniformity:

When colored type 3 or modified type 2 anodizing is used, it is unlikely that you can achieve total consistency in the coating. Graphite transfer from the dyes, inconsistent dye uptake, and blending marks may remain visible through the comparatively transparent anodizing. You may also notice lines, shadows, and waves in color (ordinarily hidden on black receivers). Areas where the part was held in the anodizing tanks also block the anodizing from adhering to specific areas. While these items are unavoidable, we want to assure you that any receivers that show what we consider unreasonable uniformity issues will be treated as a blem. For example, if the receiver's entire side is covered in graphite transfers or inconsistent dye uptake, we consider that a blemished item.

Lighting:

Colored anodizing will appear different in various lighting conditions. When purchasing these sets, please be aware that the color you see under one form of lighting (LED / fluorescent / incandescent / sunlight / studio lighting) will shift once you bring them into a different light type. The color of your anodized part will appear slightly different depending on the light conditions and angle of view. We take our photos in a studio with highly controlled lighting, so if your set appears to be a slightly different shade than it does on the website, that is one reason why. We have included some various examples of the receivers in different lighting for you to reference.