Don’t try this at home: Anodizing the iPhone 15 Pro’s titanium frame and making it mighty cool،
For better or worse, people – especially young people – don't accept the warning “Don't try this at home.” As soon as they hear it, they stop what they're doing for the moment and embark on an adventure that starts with doing exactly what they're not supposed to do. Maybe not at home per se, but that doesn't matter. There are some things people should absolutely do at home if they want to, like repairing a smartphone. That's the iFixit philosophy, after all: they help many people repair their broken electronics and lead the right-to-repair movement.
So when The latest piece from iFixit said several times Don't try this at homemaybe it’s better… – slight shock! – it might be best not to try this at home.
What is it about?
In a nutshell, it's all about making the iPhone 15 Pro frame ultra cool without any cases, stickers and other dilettante methods and tools. Instead, the iFixit article focuses on anodizing the titanium frame of the iPhone 15 Probecause this is how you can create impressive colors and patterns!
Anodizing is an electrolytic process that produces a protective oxide layer on a metal surface. In simpler terms, the metal surface is corroded in a controlled manner and the corrosion layer protects the underlying metal. The oxide layer grows by immersing the part in a bath of electrolyte and passing a current through it. Anodizing titanium produces a layer of titanium dioxide on the surface of the metal, which takes on a wide range of colors.
Don't be tempted to use an older iPhone Pro, as not all metals lend themselves equally well to anodizing – the process is incompatible. For example, the stainless steel frame used on previous iPhones cannot be anodized.
What do I get out of anodizing the iPhone 15 Pro?
If treated correctly, the titanium frame of the iPhone 15 Pro gets a unique look with vibrant colors. Like this, as shown in the iFixit article:
Wow! How can I get this?
Again, don't try this at home. The whole process – in theory and in practice – is explained in detail in the blog article. The text involves words and terms such as “refractive index”, “wavelength”, “phase shift”, “destructive interference”, and much more.
One more thing: anodizing includes the use of acid.
To stay safe, we worked in a well-ventilated area, put on safety glasses and a face shield, and two pairs of nitrile gloves. Access to a supply of calcium gluconate gel is essential. In case of skin exposure, the gel binds to the toxic fluoride ion to neutralize it.
