Hey Sean,

I'm not sure it can give you any strength increase, but it will make a locally hard surface which will be more abrasion resistant. It will also grow in size slightly, due to the thickness of the anodized layer, so consider the material buildup in tolerances on any mating bores, etc. Threads may also cause you some trouble, as the parts may tend to cold weld together and become more difficult to separate. Lastly, the part may become more prone to fatigue failure, but in terms of over loading the part will still experience plastic deformation at the same point vs. a non anodized part.

One important note though... A friend at work once made his own anodizing rig and made a variety of colours, only to find out that a lot of the stuff was considered highly carcinogenic. This was some time ago and the compounds may have changed, but it pays to be careful...

Kelly