Anodizing titanium

C

Corduroy

Joined
Apr 15, 1999
Messages
1,442
I have wanted to get started in this, but don't know where to begin. Inquiries with a few nice folks like John Kubasek have received an "it's really easy" but I haven't wanted to bug for details. Seems like this is a fine opportunity to do so (hurray for Bladeforums!).

What do I need? Chemicals? Equipment? I have a full-blown Marking Methods variable DC setup, if this could pull double-duty.

How is it done? Are there good manuals available? How tricky is it?

Anything else I should know? I see so many pretty-colored Ti knives, and many customers have asked me about this. High time I found out! Thanks, folks.

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-Drew Gleason
Little Bear Knives
 
The first step is to mix up the electrolyte.
Suggested materials are Tri sodium phosphate in water, salt in water, or the old favourite Coke, the diet variety is preferred.

The darker colours occur at higher voltages so if you want to do multiple colour handles mask off the lighter areas with electrical tape, do the dark colour, remove part of the mask, lower the voltage and do the next colour.

What I do not have is the table of voltages vs colours produced and would appreciate it if anyone has it.

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george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com

 
All you need is a dc power suplly with 3 amps or so and 0 -150 volts (0-100 volts will work as well)
Next for a ano fluid Ralph Turnbull has been good enough to let me in on the secret. I use tsp for year and found that the fluid weres out fast for my purposes. I use COKE hahaha
It works is just the right mix and does not burn the ti after several uses. Diet works also hahahha try it you will like it.

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Web Site At www.infinet.com/~browzer/bldesmth.html
Take a look!!!




 
There is an article by Ron Appleton in the June issue of Blade. Looks very interesting.
Jim

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What? Another knife? Don't you have enough of those things already?
How many does one person need?

 
I don't think you have to mask the different colors off do you? I was under the impression that if you start at the higher voltages, you can do lower voltages with no effects to unmasked areas. For example, if you wanted to do a gold surface then reomve some gold and anodize blue patterns, just use a rubber Dremel attachment and remove the gold, then go to the lower voltage setting for the blue. I think the higher voltages are unaffected by lower voltages if that makes sense...

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My Custom Kydex Sheath pagehttp://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/knifehome.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
 
If you want a dual color just do a hi voltage color , remove some color then a lower voltage . The hi voltage color will remain and the low voltage will be different..
One of the cool thing I have seen is to spray disk feathering spray on the surface, ano at hi voltage,remove the spray .. with acetone
then a low voltage color ......wild!

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Web Site At www.infinet.com/~browzer/bldesmth.html
Take a look!!!




 
Actually, you can do it either way. You can use a lower voltage for a base color, mask the areas you want to remain that color, and use a higher voltage for the unmasked areas. As Chiro mentioned, you can also use a higher voltage, remove the coloring from certain areas, and re-anodize with a lower voltage.

I've played a bit with anodizing Ti, it started out a weird "science at home" project, mostly small mountain bike parts for friends, then small pieces of custom Ti jewelry that a friend of mine makes. I'm using a variable AC power source running through a rectifier bridge to produce the DC current. My bath right now consists of a cheapy 8 qt. stainless stock pot, using the whole pot as the cathode, and a TSP/water solution.

Maybe someone can help me fine tune my process, though, as I'd like to get sharper colors than I'm currently getting. Is there a specific solution concentration range that seems to work best? I'm currently using a 3-5% TSP. Also, is it true that I should be using actual Ti wire or rod to dip the parts, instead of the stainless wire I'm currently using? My bath doesn't seem to stay clean very long before it starts to look murky and actually start to change color. I also can't seem to push alot of current into the bath to get the higher voltage colors without turning the dipping wire into, well, basically a filament. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Please pardon the slight digression, but it may relate to knife making. Chiro, from several posts, I take it you're into mountain biking, or at least cycling in general. Done any parts for friends yet? A favorite of mine so far was a Dean seatpost, that came out quite nicely. A friend runs a shop and he's asking me to do small parts for him as "counter candy", so I'm trying to figure out how to do some sort of volume. I thought about a stainless parts washer basket, but if the stainless is gong to contaminate the bath during the anodizing process, I'll have to rethink it. Any ideas?

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Don LeHue

The pen is mightier than the sword...outside of arm's reach. Modify radius accordingly for rifle.


 
Hey, Don, I work at a bike shop part-time (VERY part-time, these days!) when I'm not in class. I have played with the idea of anodizing stuff, but Ti stuff is way too overpriced for bike applications to mess with, and aluminum anodizing requires the use of dyes for the colors. I just bought a Livesay Titanium Tiger neck knive that I was playing with the idea of anodizing, but I wouldn't have the power source available. I took a metal arts class as an elective when I was an undergrad, and at the time I knew nothing about anodizing, but I remember HUGE plastic vats full of wires and aligator clips that ran from the piece being anodized to the wires that ran back to the power source. I don't know if that works or not, since my memories aren't crisp (I never really knew what they were for until I learned about anodizing a year or two later). Anyway, Don, please contact me about the friend's titanium jewelry. I am playing with the idea of a Ti wedding band for myself and would like to see some examples of his/her work if they are available...just email! Thanks...

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My Custom Kydex Sheath pagehttp://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/knifehome.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
 
Apologies once again for the digression, gang.

Chiro, most of what he's doing right now is dangles such as earrings and bracelets, as well as body piercing pins (or whatever you call those things), and larger sculpture work (like 3-1/2 ft. tall 3/16" steel plate Kokopellis), but alas, no rings. I have a Ti ring made for me by another friend who's mostly into machining and cabinet work, and it's pretty cool, real light, and makes a neat *ting* when you drop it on a table. People ask what the heck it is. I've been using it as a "beater ring" at work, working on cars, mountain biking, etc. to save the nicer ring that my wife gave me. It certainly takes a beating.

Ti rings can be found at:

http://www.titaniumrings.com/

http://www.ringsforever.com/

http://www.weddingband.com/titanium.html (a great selection of styles)

But since you're into cycling, I would recommend giving One-Off Titanium a try. One-Off is owned by Mike Augspurger, one of the original founders of Merlin Metalworks, so it's a great cycling/Ti connection.

One-Off Titanium Inc.
221 Pine St.
Florence, MA 01060
(413)585-5913

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Don LeHue

The pen is mightier than the sword...outside of arm's reach. Modify radius accordingly for rifle.


 
Thanks, Don. I have checked most of those links out, I think...maybe one of them I haven't/ Titanium rings seem to be more costly than they are worth, but I may happen onto something. We'll see! I may go with On-Off but I may not... we had a really good customer have a custom frame made through them and the thing almost split in half at the bottom bracket. I'll wait to see how the company handles that first...not that I'm worried about a ring busting in half, it's more of a customer loyalty thing! Thanks again!

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My Custom Kydex Sheath pagehttp://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/1298/knifehome.html
Palmer College of Chiropractic
On Two Wheels
 
Just wanted to say thanks to folks for this great info. I'm going to experiment this weekend and if it works well, I fear nothing will be safe. Oooh, I own a titanium Police model...

-Drew
 
Drew, just don't get carried away. That's what I thought just before I turned my Sebenza a slight blue.
smile.gif


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Don LeHue

The pen is mightier than the sword...outside of arm's reach. Modify radius accordingly for rifle.


 
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