Anno / Painting / Acidwash / Custom Colours

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

Bake your Phantom to change it from black to bronze:

http://www.pbreview.com/forums/showthread.php?t=426884

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

Place in New Hamburg that anno's pb stuff:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Outer-Lim ... 5763264755

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

Place in BC that anno's pb stuff:

https://www.facebook.com/tonsixer.pumpfaction

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

Anno types:

http://www.anodizing.org/Reference/reference_guide.html

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

PBNation Forum Members to contact
125customs - destroyer125
Tonsixer - 2slow4me
Caustic Customs - xsvdynastypballa
ShootNPoo - SHOOTNPOO
fxanodizing - MaToCa

Other companies
www.alphametal.com
www.anolaze.com
www.atmf.com
www.eliapaintball.com
www.pkselective.com
www.razalife.com
http://www.facebook.com/CausticCustoms
http://www.fxanodizing.com/

For those in Canada
http://www.blackskyanodizing.moonfruit.com/
http://sites.google.com/site/pbkannodizing/Home

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

Home anno job:

http://www.mcarterbrown.com/forums/cust ... ost2509367

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

Examples of laser work:

http://www.kohnsports.com/estore/cat-LA ... S-883.aspx


Note that Danny's (of Adrenaline) team captain does this here in London. I *think* he charges $80 - $150 for his services.

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

Member on MCB who does anno:

http://www.mcarterbrown.com/forums/memb ... evold.html

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

Ode to oddPB

http://oddpb.wordpress.com/

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

Tumbling vs. polishing for finish:

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/cn ... um-185556/

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

Story of Thunderstruck anno:

This thread addresses one of the greatest finishes invented for a paintball marker - Thunderstruck Anodizing. Now is a good time for discussion since I'm sure all of you eye'd up Picolla's Adrenalin in the bst. I'd like to take a moment to pass everything I know regarding the pattern onto you guys.


The creator
Piers Wiggett was the artist who originally developed the anodizing pattern. He worked at PK Selective and pioneered some of the most gnarly anodizing patterns. Piers was known for his extreeemely glassy finishes - they far surpassed anything of that era and are on par with today's standard (you can only polish aluminum so much). His separation between the colors on a marker were incredibly abrupt and distinct. I still don't think that technique has been mastered today. Many paintball marker manufacturers in the early 2000's used PK Selective/Piers for their anodizing needs.


The pattern
Clouds and lightning right? Not exactly. It seems as though he used some sort of airbrush to create the misty specks which are difficult to see in photos. The clouds fade and were not a product of an acid wash. The color distinction between the thin lightning and the clouds is unreal. Nobody has been able to perfectly duplicate it. The techniques/substances used to create the pattern are still unknown to this day. I've seen more pictures of failed thunderstruck attempts than I have originals (see pic below). Caustic Customs seems to be one of the few companies that can come close in matching.


Price
The price of the anodizing changed over the years, but it was in the $1200 - 1600 range. The price tag is justifiable if nobody can replicate it right? It is up there with the cost of "Aurora" plating, which btw was a marketing ploy supported by false scare tactics. I fully researched the topic and discovered Aurora is about the same price as any other plating process and carries the same weaknesses.


Markers with the treatment
Angels were the primary recipient of the anodizing pattern. It began with the Adrenalin Angel LED in 1999. It was given out as a prize in 1999 at the Zap IAO (pics below) - remember when prizes used to be awesome like that? I found and purchased that exact gun not too long ago (current pic below). Adrenalin only made one LED like this. I believe the second Thunderstruck Angel was an SE LED (old pic below).

When the LCD generation came out, Adrenalin had three of their new LCDs anodized with the pattern. I own two (current pic below) and the 3rd belongs to the lucky buyer of Picolla's recently There is a 4th Adrenalin LCD that has a Thunderstruck pattern, but you can easily spot it as a sub par replica.

Cobra had two of their signature series LCDs anodized in the thunderstruck pattern, but one of them is done with red clouds (pics below). I've search high and low for it, but haven't found it... yet.

Other gun types that have the treatment are approximately two PL cockers and maybe one bushmaster. If anyone else knows of others, post up!


Piers today?
He left PK to pursue other interests. I tried looking this guy up, but I haven't received a response. PK Selective no longer offers Thunderstruck anodizing.



I hope you enjoyed some of this information. Much of it came from countless hours of cross referenced readings, pictures, or owners' accounts. If someone wants to correct any of it or add to it, please do. If you don't like the idea that an anodizing pattern is expensive, rare, and sexy... don't dislike me for it. I've been wanting to post on this topic for awhile, and now seemed like a good time (ahem, will the new owner please identity yourself).

Pics in thread.
http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=4049239

[THE JEW (RaVeN)]

Skin Deep Anno (out of Ottawa)
https://www.facebook.com/SkinDeepAnodiz ... ts&fref=ts

Jaz Hydrographics
https://www.facebook.com/JazHydrographics

nTensity Customs (powdercoating)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ntensity ... 5279430116