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Anodizing is the process that chemically colors aluminum that not only improves the appearance of most paintball guns but improves the hardness and thread strength inside the gun as well. It is different than painting or powder coating. The anodize process changes the properties of the aluminum so it actually becomes part of the aluminum itself. Because of this anodizing will never rub off or change the dimensions of the small openings drastically. This makes anodizing the most popular way to finish almost all paintball guns.The most common type of anodize is a solid color that covers the entire gun inside and out. It is done on a piece by piece basis and any steel screws holding items together are melted away in the process so all pieces must be completely disassembled before anodizing begins. The process itself doesn’t create the shiny finish that most people assume. It leaves the condition of the aluminum exactly as it was before anodizing just colored and stronger.

Anodizing that is shiny or uniformly dull is called polished or blasted anodizing respectively. This process involves finishing the aluminum before anodizing. It gives the look of a deep lustrous color or a flat gun metal type look.

Graphic anodizing is another type of process all together. It involves painting or airbrushing multiple colors or intermixing colors to create what is commonly known a splash or fade anodizing. There are many variations to this process including acid drip, counter fade, hard fade, and matte finish splash. All of these involve a finishing process before the graphic artist anodizes the aluminum by hand.

This article is from our friends at Professional Paintball Supplies