Mysterious titanium plate

Comeuppance said:
I just want a commemorative token to put on my keychain for having read 5 pages of this speculation.

And for having read the lyrics to Blues Bender's video link. Real lyric quote: "I take sacks to the face whenever I can"
That was pure poetry.
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Speculation...or spectacle? o_O
 
My school and others here in the USA have been making foam aluminum for automobile bumpers ! Crashability . Any foam does great in absorbing energy ! The special walls in some racetracks are made of plain old Styrofoam !
 
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The mysterious radioactive titanium alloy plate has been cut into three large chunks, destined to become full-sized forged axe heads.

The biggest chunk (on top in the photo) has been claimed by my shop neighbor friend, the former Marine who forged the Spoontang. He fronted the cash to acquire the plate in exchange for a third of it, as I was broke at the moment. I'm not sure what he plans to do with it.

So there are two chunks for axe heads. Two axes. The middle thin sections will become knives to test heat treatment. @Comeuppance will receive a commemorative fob for putting up with 6 pages of speculation about the titanium plate's origins.

The rest of the plate will be used for [CLASSIFIED].
 
NJBillK said:
Can I get in line for a "[CLASSIFIED]"?
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As soon as I know what [CLASSIFIED] is I'll announce it. HA!

Yes the plate was cut by waterjet. The fellow running the machine said he could do up to 1.5" titanium plate, I believe. Maybe it was even thicker. The machine was impressive to see in action, it was enormous, something like 20' x 40' and was cutting up stainless steel plate like butter.

I don't even want to think about cutting this plate any other way, like with a bandsaw. Practically makes me break out in hives. :D

One the axe heads are forged to shape, the eye for the handle will need to be machined out.
 
Mecha said:
Once the axe heads are forged to shape, the eye for the handle will need to be machined out.
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Not gonna try drifting the eyes? Whassa matta, ya skeered? ;)

Can't wait to see them :D

~Chip
 
WValtakis said:
Not gonna try drifting the eyes? Whassa matta, ya skeered? ;)

Can't wait to see them :D

~Chip
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Absolutely petrified! :D

Drifting them...might work. Maybe, on the fly press, if a decent sized hole was drilled first, and the chunk was overheated to say 2200 degrees F.
 
Experimental radioactive mystery ti knives are under construction. Three tabs have been cut from the remaining brick:

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The U-shaped outer piece left over rings like a tuning fork. My leatherworker cyberdroid Ms. Oye informs me that it rings at "two octaves below a concert A" note.

The tabs have been forged thin and wide. The forging and heat-cycling helps refine the grain, toughens the billet, and lets me get a feel for the alloy. It gives every indication of being able to harden up nicely!

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These will be a great test of sensitivity to heat treatment and blade usefulness. The alloy still needs to be tested with one of those fancy hand-held laser mass spectrometers to know what the alloying elements are for sure.
 
mete said:
Some years back I talked to my brother to explain the wonder of Ti. Next time I saw him he gave me a small chunk of Ti. No info with it I tried first the hacksaw test .The blade just skidded off . Most likely Navy stuff .I might still have that piece .Want to check it out Mecha ? I still have great difficulty in convincing people that during the Cold War we bought sponge Ti which we processed into Ti for missles and aircraft !!
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YES mete, not sure how I missed this but yes I want to check out that piece of ti! :p
 
Dude. My life will be incomplete if I dont get one of your pieces in hand. Everything you post is intriguing AF
 
W. Anderson said:
Dude. My life will be incomplete if I dont get one of your pieces in hand. Everything you post is intriguing AF
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Thank you W.Anderson, 'tis all for the love of a good blade and a good time.

Here is what these will be: Two bulbous-nosed round knives and one squarish-tip knife:

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Ok, just a quick question here, maybe I missed it, but when was it determined to be radioactive?
 
Yalius said:
Ok, just a quick question here, maybe I missed it, but when was it determined to be radioactive?
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It's not radioactive (that I know of), that was a fun muse that popped up during the thread.
 
The test pieces are now knives. They're thin craftsman-type knives, for cutting materials like leather and cloth on a cutting mat. The alloy heat-treated well, but acts differently than any other I've seen yet. The blades developed a chrome-like surface layer that almost looks like it's galvanized. This stuff is hard to finish.

Marked:
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And finished! The top knife has the hard "alpha case" oxidized surface layer left from HT, the middle one has the strange slippery chrome-like layer, and the bottom one was ground at 80 grit in attempt to remove the layer (not exactly successful):

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These are thin razor-like knives with a bit of a convex grind:

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CONCLUSION: In stage 2, This stuff will make some really badass axe heads.
 
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