I got a titanium bar, can I make a blade out of it?

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n7titan

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Jun 14, 2014
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Is it possible to use a grinder on this thing or would it just ruin my tools? I don't have anything fancy, a belt sander, an angle grinder, a dremel. Maybe the diamond cutter would do okay for a while but I think it might go dull quick. Also is there risk of weakening it due to heat?
It's a 1" x 5" x 1/16" bar. Maybe I can turn it into a neck knife? How would you guys go about working titanium?

It's doing nothing good staying in it's current shape so I've been pondering turning it into a multitool, or keychain..... I dunno. If it can be a fixed blade I'd love it. This thing weighs only 22.75 grams.
 
How does 1x5x1/16 tell me anything about this cylindrical object you posses?

Anyways, you don't have the tools for the job. Maybe borrow a mill?
 
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Definitely harder to work than steel and more dangerous too. The sparks emitted will catch anything combustible on fire and the dust is extremely flammable as well. It work hardens very quickly and left untreated the final edge is too soft to cut much if anything. Check out Daniel Fairly's Ti knives for some pointers. He treats the edge to cabidizing which is a must. Next time I get my hands on some Ti I'm going to give it a try myself to see how well the edge does.
 
Titanium only redeeming characteristic (as far as knives are concerned) is its light weight. IMO your piece is too thin to make a good multi tool. If you interested in making your own knife use some knife making steel and send it out for heat treatment.
 
Bo T said:
Titanium only redeeming characteristic (as far as knives are concerned) is its light weight. IMO your piece is too thin to make a good multi tool. If you interested in making your own knife use some knife making steel and send it out for heat treatment.
Click to expand...

Every few years someone rediscover Ti as a blade material. It won't hold an edge very well and is a pain to work along with the fire hazards etc already noted. Basically it will make a light weight crappy knife by itself.

Get 440C or CPM-154 for stainless or try 0-1 or 1084 for a carbon steel if you want to make a knife.
Titaniums best usages are structural in Aircraft etc Or scales for your tactical folder. It does turn pretty colors when treated.
 
There is a lot said about the difficulty of Titanium to machine.


I think people confuse this with the hardness of knife steels and the ability to hold an edge.


Ti machining is mostly due to it's gummyness, stickiness, the formation of "built up edge" and the high temperatures that puts into the tool.
But you can cut it with a hacksaw.

The best Ti cutting edge is never as good as the worst steel cutting edge.

Ti is good for handles, it's light, cool, it anodizes pretty colours, it doesn't turn black or white like aluminium.
the springiness of Grade 5, or 6Al4V makes for good linerlock springs.

It's no damn good as a knife blade unless you are a real EOD tech who needs a non magnetic tool - but that's mostly a garden trowel for digging and probing and doesn't cut anything either.
 
I'm not worried about keeping it sharp, I know Ti is softer than blade steel. Maybe I'll make it a chisel edge/pry bar type of thing.
I should have said earlier but I'm hoping this could be my beater knife. Refined it will not be, that's okay. I already know it won't snap on me; I can stand on each end and it just goes back to being arrow straight after I get off.

At the very least it will be a fun learning experience, if I botch it up I'll turn it into a keychain bottle opener or something. Anyways it seems to grind okay, I probably have one of the lesser Ti amalgams. Thanks for the input everyone.
 
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If you have a piece of Grade 5 or 6al4v Titanium you are off to a good start. Add some carbide and you will have a very good knife for daily use that weighs almost nothing and is virtually maintenance free.

Grind as slow as possible and do not let the Ti spark if you can. As always use good ventilation.

I cut my Ti with a chop saw or hacksaw. Grind with ceramic belts... you can finish by hand, with norax/etc belts or with a scotchbrite belt.

Grinding heat won't hurt Ti but I think you can burn a tip like you can with steel. For drilling you can use HSS, cobalt or carbide. Low speed and sharp bits are best.

I carry my Ti Backpacker almost daily and it rarely needs sharpening. I really like the fact that I can carry a 6" total fixed blade that weighs half an ounce (less than the kydex sheath!) it isn't even noticeable in my front pocket. I have never oiled it and it will never rust. It is a cardboard machine!

After loads of testing and tons of positive feedback on over 200 Ti knives sold in the last year I have to say, Ti/Carbide will do quite a lot.

I was worried about the edge stability of Titanium and Carbide so I did some testing and recorded it. Fast forward a bit because my testing escalates throughout the video.

[video=youtube_share;gaG1RPHiosE]http://youtu.be/gaG1RPHiosE[/video]
 
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Daniel Fairly Knives said:
If you have a piece of Grade 5 or 6al4v Titanium you are off to a good start. Add some carbide and you will have a very good knife for daily use that weighs almost nothing and is virtually maintenance free.

Grind as slow as possible and do not let the Ti spark if you can. As always use good ventilation.

I carry my Ti Backpacker almost daily and it almost never needs sharpening. I really like the fact that I can carry a 6" total fixed blade that weighs half an ounce (less than the kydex sheath!) it isn't even noticeable in my front pocket. I have never oiled it and it will never rust. It is a cardboard machine!

I was worried about the edge stability of Titanium and Carbide so I did some testing and recorded it. Fast forward a bit because my testing escalates throughout the video.

[video=youtube_share;gaG1RPHiosE]http://youtu.be/gaG1RPHiosE[/video]
Click to expand...

Great video, Daniel; its almost as good as your knives. :D
 
My Titanium knives hold an edge just fine. The Mission knives are made out of Beta hardened Titanium. The Boker knives are made of Beta Titanium or Cera Titan which is an alloy of Titanium, Titanium Carbide, and Silver. I have had some blades Carbidized with Titanium Carbide. My guess is that people who think that Ti makes a crappy knives haven't had much experience with them.
The Cera Titan blades approach the edge holding ability of ceramic blades.View attachment 458230View attachment 458231 The Cera Titan folder is the bottom knife in the second pic.
 
tiguy7 said:
My Titanium knives hold an edge just fine. The Mission knives are made out of Beta hardened Titanium. The Boker knives are made of Beta Titanium or Cera Titan which is an alloy of Titanium, Titanium Carbide, and Silver. I have had some blades Carbidized with Titanium Carbide. My guess is that people who think that Ti makes a crappy knives haven't had much experience with them.
The Cera Titan blades approach the edge holding ability of ceramic blades.View attachment 458230View attachment 458231 The Cera Titan folder is the bottom knife in the second pic.
Click to expand...

That's not an apples to apples comparison to CP or grade five



My point was that people seem to think that titanium is majic,

case in point the marketing of "titanium" drill bits

They are made of HSS, Ti is just a component of the coating.
 
It's most likely grade 5. You can do everything Daniel Fairly just said, and it should make a perfectly serviceable little knife.

If you use propane to gently heat the edge up do a dull orange glow and use a small ball-peen hammer, you can hammer the blade edge out flat, like a little micro-forging job. It will impart a curve to the blade. Let it air cool, and it should make a better cutting edge after you grind it out! You'll just have to be careful not to overheat it too much since it's so thin...you should keep tapping it with the hammer for a moment even after it quits glowing.
 
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If you google Titanium knives, you will pull up blades which are coated with TiN or TiAlN. Columbia sportswear markets Titanium parkas. Leki markets Titanium ski poles which are actually Aluminum. A search of Buck Titanium knives turns up an ocean of Ti ceramic coated steel blades. Titanium is magic. You just have to get the real thing.
 
Thanks a lot for the tips Dave and everyone. I'll go ahead and take this project slowly, update you all as I go along. Just need some free time to work on it.

I decided it will have a 2" blade with the other 3" being handle. As far as the blade shape goes I don't know yet. 1" wide is a fair bit to play with. I'm thinking a sheepsfoot? Since I know I have zero experience hardening metals I'll probably keep the geometry fairly stocky to keep it's strength as it will be a beater knife.
How far can a this thing bend before actually snapping? How would, say on a clip point, the tip compare to a 440 clip point of the same measurements? All stuff I want to consider before deciding on a shape. 1/16" is a bit thin.
 
tiguy7 said:
My Titanium knives hold an edge just fine. The Mission knives are made out of Beta hardened Titanium. The Boker knives are made of Beta Titanium or Cera Titan which is an alloy of Titanium, Titanium Carbide, and Silver. I have had some blades Carbidized with Titanium Carbide. My guess is that people who think that Ti makes a crappy knives haven't had much experience with them.
 The Cera Titan blades approach the edge holding ability of ceramic blades.View attachment 458230View attachment 458231 The Cera Titan folder is the bottom knife in the second pic.
Click to expand...
You are no longer referring to knives made from just titanium.
 
Just a thought, follow similar design criteria to Daniel Fairly Knives and get it coated with tungsten carbide and you'll have a really good (and somewhat innovative) knife design.
 
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