Unanodized Aluminum Mixing Bowl Wear

Question:

I have a 15-gallon aluminum mixing bowl that is not anodized. The bowl is full of dings. Is there any way that it can be anodized to keep the aluminum from sluffing during mixing? There are no new bowls available and to have one made costs about $800, so I would like to avoid this if possible. The mixer is used for lotion products. J.B.

Answer:

I would assume that the bowl could be anodized. A hardcoat anodized finish of 1-2 mil thickness sounds like it might be a good application. The chances are that eventually even the anodic coating could wear off, however. This depends primarily on what the mixers are made of and how, or whether, they actually come into contact with the bowl itself. If there is a scraping or abrasive action between a mechanical stirring device and the bowl, the anodize probably won’t last forever. Note also that anodizing won’t solve the “ding” problem. I would recommend that you contact a local hardcoat anodizer to see if they can anodize the bowl.