Woodpeckers Rules Fading Over Time

[Cheese]

Rumor has it that Woodpeckers is working on an anodizing dye that has more fade resistance. They've acknowledged they've had issues in the past and they are working to thwart the fading process.

I believe they came up with a special square several years ago that had a fade resistant finish but it was gold/yellow in color which doesn't work well with the corporate signature red finish.

Unfortunately, red is the color that is most prone to fading.  [sad]

 

[AstroKeith]

Could be worse - every 'UJK' item I have purchased from Axminster Tools has arrived  a different shade of orange.

 

[jeh]

Back in the 70's 3M changed their corporate colors from scotch plaid to red, that change alone cost them over 40 million dollars in revenue...and that was over 50 years ago.

Is there a source for this? It really sounds unbelievable given they did not change the company name. I am not familiar with their business lines in the 70's, but I doubt people switch tape brands or companies using their commercial products switched suppliers.

 

[Packard]

This topic got my interest so I went out to the shop to look at some of my WP stuff.  No fading that I can see, even on the straightedge that is always exposed to light. The set up blocks and the saw gauge see very little light because they're stored in cases.  The angle reference  was kept "in the light" for years, although now it lives inside a drawer of a toolbox.

Cheese, my old Milwaukee boxes all faded the same way as yours did. [smile]

The rules have to be exposed to UV for them to fade.  If you don't use them outdoors and you don't have fluorescent light fixtures in your shop, and you don't have direct sunlight in the shop, then I would expect the color to remain for a much longer time.

Color photos fade the same way.  Exposure to sunlight and fluorescent bulbs is the main culpret.

 

[semenza]

The white on gold was / is really hard to read. I have one 12" triangle that is gold. I don't use it for measuring or marking just for squaring.

Seth

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Could be worse - every 'UJK' item I have purchased from Axminster Tools has arrived  a different shade of orange.

This is also easy to notice on my TSO blue tools - even on tool sets where components are different shades.

 

[Packard]

The "white" is probably just the raw aluminum exposed after engraving.  You can probably back-fill the engraved markings with a special crayon.
https://www.amazon.com/Markal-Lacquer-Stik-Highlighter-Fill-Crayon/dp/B008980KQY

 

[Packard]

The "white" is probably just the raw aluminum exposed after engraving.  You can probably back-fill the engraved markings with a special crayon.
https://www.amazon.com/Markal-Lacquer-Stik-Highlighter-Fill-Crayon/dp/B008980KQY

Anodizing solutions need to be replaced or replenished as they are being used.  Some anodizers wait too long to add more product to the solution and the colors can be inconsistent. 

 

[Cheese]

Is there a source for this? It really sounds unbelievable given they did not change the company name. I am not familiar with their business lines in the 70's, but I doubt people switch tape brands or companies using their commercial products switched suppliers.

I don't know Jim, the only reason I know this is because I lived through the changeover and it was a very, very hot topic among the employees at the time. A lot of employees just shook their heads and dropped their jaws.  [smile]

Without going too far off topic signage was a huge expense with over 200 manufacturing plants, 150-200 office buildings, 100,000 employees and 50,000 products, advertising brochures, stationery & envelopes, water towers that needed to be changed, employee badges, the list was endless and I might add, at the time a decent yearly raise was 1% or 2%...hot topic indeed.

 

[Packard]

Anodizing was originally produced to prevent the formation of aluminum oxide ("white rust", a white powdery substance).  It was offered in clear only. 

It is not a coating.  It penetrates the surface of the aluminum.

The longer the aluminum was left in the solution the deeper into the surface is the protection (and the color).

It also hardens the surface substantially.  Some race car engine blocks are made of aluminum with no cast-iron liners.  The block is hardened by "hard anodizing" to achieve acceptable wear resistance.  Typically these engine blocks are replaced after the 250 or 500-mile race.

Chevrolet tried to use this technology for the Chevrolet Chevette starting in 1976, but the anodizing was not up to the task of consumer driving and they abandoned that tech.

 

[jeh]

Is there a source for this? It really sounds unbelievable given they did not change the company name. I am not familiar with their business lines in the 70's, but I doubt people switch tape brands or companies using their commercial products switched suppliers.

I don't know Jim, the only reason I know this is because I lived through the changeover and it was a very, very hot topic among the employees at the time. A lot of employees just shook their heads and dropped their jaws.  [smile]

Without going too far off topic signage was a huge expense with over 200 manufacturing plants, 150-200 office buildings, 100,000 employees and 50,000 products, advertising brochures, stationery & envelopes, water towers that needed to be changed, employee badges, the list was endless and I might add, at the time a decent yearly raise was 1% or 2%...hot topic indeed.

That makes sense. I misread your original post thinking it was lost sales only. When you add up all that related costs it makes complete sense. I have never understood rebranding other than the people who sell the stuff you need to rebrand make easy money. Most of the mergers and consolidations of large companies rarely benefit anyone and typically do not result in any savings for the consumer. It does kill off competition and helps guarantee price controls and a whole bunch of employees of the merged companies losing their jobs.

 

[fritter63]

Chevrolet tried to use this technology for the Chevrolet Chevette starting in 1976, but the anodizing was not up to the task of consumer driving and they abandoned that tech.

And Vega. I owned one. My first car actually, 4 years old and I got it for $300. Burned more oil than gas thanks to those aluminum cylinder walls.

 

[rst]

So the Vegas were burning oil...I always thought they were spraying for bugs

 

[demographic]

Anodizing was originally produced to prevent the formation of aluminum oxide ("white rust", a white powdery substance).  It was offered in clear only. 

It is not a coating.  It penetrates the surface of the aluminum.

The longer the aluminum was left in the solution the deeper into the surface is the protection (and the color).

It also hardens the surface substantially.  Some race car engine blocks are made of aluminum with no cast-iron liners.  The block is hardened by "hard anodizing" to achieve acceptable wear resistance.  Typically these engine blocks are replaced after the 250 or 500-mile race.

Chevrolet tried to use this technology for the Chevrolet Chevette starting in 1976, but the anodizing was not up to the task of consumer driving and they abandoned that tech.

I've not heard of cylinders being anodised, do you have a link with a bit more information about it?
I have a motorbike with a NicaSil coated cylinder (Nickle, Silicon Carbide) and theres various versions of Nickle Silicon ceramic used to coat cylinders but I reckon its kind of overkill for a long straightedge or ruler.

 

[sancho57]

funny,

My red Paolini rules have faded but none of my other red WP stuff has

 

[Packard]

Anodizing was originally produced to prevent the formation of aluminum oxide ("white rust", a white powdery substance).  It was offered in clear only. 

It is not a coating.  It penetrates the surface of the aluminum.

The longer the aluminum was left in the solution the deeper into the surface is the protection (and the color).

It also hardens the surface substantially.  Some race car engine blocks are made of aluminum with no cast-iron liners.  The block is hardened by "hard anodizing" to achieve acceptable wear resistance.  Typically these engine blocks are replaced after the 250 or 500-mile race.

Chevrolet tried to use this technology for the Chevrolet Chevette starting in 1976, but the anodizing was not up to the task of consumer driving and they abandoned that tech.

I've not heard of cylinders being anodised, do you have a link with a bit more information about it?
I have a motorbike with a NicaSil coated cylinder (Nickle, Silicon Carbide) and theres various versions of Nickle Silicon ceramic used to coat cylinders but I reckon its kind of overkill for a long straightedge or ruler.

I believe you are correct.  The pistons were anodized to harden them. 
https://www.enginebuildermag.com/2016/04/honing-aluminum-blocks/

The surface of hard anodized aluminum is as hard as chrome (which is a very hard metal).
https://www.matweb.com/reference/anodize.aspx

According to this article it achieves a Rockwell hardness rating of 65 to 70 on the C scale.  Mild steel on the other hand does not eve use the C scale as it is too soft for that.  It is on the B scale.  So hard anodized aluminum is harder than mild steel. 

 

[demographic]

Yeah, it makes sense to me that the pistons would be anodised.

 

[Cheese]

Yeah, it makes sense to me that the pistons would be anodised.

JE pistons is a big promoter of hard coat anodizing pistons for HP use. Have never yet seen aluminum block cylinder walls anodized for hard coat wear protection. The typical alternative is to  offer cast iron liners or Nik-a-sil liners. In the case of a cataclysmic engine failure, it’s far easier to bore the cylinders and remove the liners and reinstall new ones. Besides, cast iron or Nik-a-sil liners offer a superior surface for bedding rings.

 

[Packard]

Racecar engines (and apparently Chevy Vegas) sometimes use unlined aluminum blocks.  For the race cars, they only use the engine block for about 250 miles.  For the Chevy Vega, it was a maintenance nightmare.  Apparently having no liner improves cooling and allows for tighter tolerances. 

What I thought I knew about these engines (I thought the cylinders were anodized) was incorrect.  So I won't spout any more "information".