anodizing

Interesting link, thanks. Please post some pictures after you anodize
your handles.
Regards,Greg
 
Thermal oxidation and electrolytic oxidation are both forms of anodizing that can me done to Titanium (the handles of the BM42, 43, 47 are Ti.)
Quite a while ago, I was the first to anodize the handles of my 42. The first job was to see all the different colors I could get, and there are several... I thermally oxidized my 42, that's anodizing with a torch which is somewhat trickier to isolate on color. You can also do it Electrically, and I believe that it can be more controlled, but also my be more difficult, and you have to be careful working with the voltage. If you thermally oxidize your Balisong, be extremely careful to not lose the temper of the blade, take precautions to keep it cool, or dissemble it, I recommend that you use a torch (what I used) or a kiln (can achieve more isolated colors). Please let me know if I can be of any assistance, check out the balisong forum using a search to find info (some posted by my self) on anodizing Titanium. Take a look at some of the pictures here:


http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1010067&a=7438332&f=0

Thanks,
mmtmatrix
 
well i tried using a torch and i got a greenish red color when in the light and a dark gold in the shade. has anybody got black color before?
 
Black is not a color that is in the spectrum that you can get in this type of Anodizing. You might want to look into a BM47BLK, they come with a black crackle finish on the Ti. handles...

mmtmatrix
 
that's what i thought (about the black that is). i did get to a dark grey color though. when i get it finished i'll take a couple of pics.
 
When you get to black or dark grey, the layer of Ti Oxide is too thick and is very prone to chipping and flaking. I don't have my chart handy at the moment but will get back to you with the exact voltage for gold coloring.
 
what should i use for a bath? i tried using coke, windex, cleaning stuff and just plain water but nothing major happened(color wise). i also used a can for the container. i'm wanting to get a solid color, should i use a can or just let the negitive end fall to the bottom of a plastic container? is there a way to strip all the anodized color off or do i just have to wait for it to wear off?
 
Use a concentrated solution of TSP. TSP is a powdered cleaner that you can get at all supermarkets, it has a TeePee on the front and cost $2-$3 a box. Use a Tuperware style container with a lid, get it at the same market for about $4. Use a piece of clean stainless steel as your cathode (-). And try to find a peice of ti wire, SS works almost as well. Use this wire to rack your parts to be anodized. It is OK to let the copper leads touch the bath, but they will corrode really fast. It is better to always have them dry. Remeber never to let your cathode(-) and anode(+) touch, it will short your power supply. DO NOT let any stainless steel parts of the knife touch to bath, they will be ruined.

You can strip off old anodizing by lighly sanding or buffing.
 
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