NEED HELP ANODIZING PATTERNS

[AdamG90]

I recently received a request for this style of finish on a set of titanium scales but Im not sure how to go about the process. I do a ton of anodizing, acid etching, custom wood/ scales, engraving, shipwrecking, etc... so I'm not completely illiterate. I can't seem to find any good information about the process. Obviously I will have to have a bead blasted canvas to start with. Then I'm guessing I'll need to build a circuit using 9v batteries and some kind of metal wire to "Draw" the pattern onto the wet blade surface?? Not sure. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[weo]

How complicated (or, simple, as the case may be) do you want to get? I've done a little and all I used was a couple wires with alligator clips, a Q-tip for my paintbrush, some electrolyte solution (IIRC I used TSP) and anywhere between one to twelve 9-volt batteries connected in series. Different voltages give different colors and always start with the highest voltage and work down. I'll see if I can find my reference picture for the color spectrum.

 

[Richard338]

If you Google "titanium anodization color chart" you'll see plenty of examples. I think you'll need a power supply as most colors are way above 9V.
Check out the Chipped Metal sub forum here on BF. Chip WValtakis is the expert.

 

[AdamG90]

Ok yeah if 6ou have a pic that'd be great! I was on the right track I was thinking alligator clips with a thick leather sewing needle to do the lines. I want to come as close as possible to the knife in the picture↑↑ if 6ou have any idea how to get there I'd love know. I'm going for blue-ish lines

 

[Danke42]

Here are a couple good how to videos.

 

[AdamG90]

Right so I can anodize solid colors all day with an external power supply as well as acid anodization (here are a few I've done recently. MINUS the manix. The manix is actually shipwreck finished brass. I figured out how to pull alot of bright greens out.) so I have all the color/voltage charts. I'm just wondering how to draw CONTROLLED lines on a bead blasted titanium surface.

 

[AdamG90]

I need to make very THIN lines while preserving the raw bead blasted titanium finish in between the lines. Most video show the whole piece being anodized in the process. Similar but not the same

The top two examples in this picture is what I'm trying to do vs the bottom picture what I DO NOT want to Do. I apologize for the poor explanations lol!!!

 

[Richard338]

 

[WValtakis]

Your problem is that those patterns you pictured are NOT anodised, they're heat coloring done with a jeweler's torch.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Those are torch colored
Use a small hot tip on s Little or Smith torch. Practice on a piece of scrap. Basically, you just draw the lines with the flame. Speed and how hot the flame is determine the color. I do Titanium earrings that way.

 

[REK Knives]

Those are torch colored
Use a small hot tip on s Little or Smith torch. Practice on a piece of scrap. Basically, you just draw the lines with the flame. Speed and how hot the flame is determine the color. I do Titanium earrings that way.

Would that be an acetylene torch or something else for the gas?

 

[AdamG90]

Your problem is that those patterns you pictured are NOT anodised, they're heat coloring done with a jeweler's torch.

Well you just saved me alot of time and alot of failure thank you sir!

 

[AdamG90]

Those are torch colored
Use a small hot tip on s Little or Smith torch. Practice on a piece of scrap. Basically, you just draw the lines with the flame. Speed and how hot the flame is determine the color. I do Titanium earrings that way.

Thanks!!!

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I use a Smith/Little torch with propane and oxygen. Any small jewelers torch with a small tip will work. IIRC I use a #2 torch tip for getting a very small hot spot.

The cheap Smith/Little torch Chinese clones on Amazon work just fine. Search Amazon or other site using "Mini gas torch jewelers". You can get one for $20-30.

You can use your welding torch gauges with bulk tanks, or get ones for small disposable tanks. The cheap Chinese gauges work fine here, too. You are only using a pound or less pressure. Search, "Little Torch Regulators for Disposable Tanks". They vary in price from around $60 a set to $120 a set.

 

[AdamG90]

I was just about to ask how much those go for/and where can I get one. Your mind reading is on point thanks!

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

If you shop around eBay, Amazon, Temu, etc. you can find lots of choices. The torch and hoses are readily available for $20-$30. The disposable tank gauges are harder to find at low prices. Still, $120 or so total for a really useful tool is not bad. Or, if you have a small Propane or acetylene tank and a 20CuFt Oxygen tank, you can use the cheap Chinese welding gauge sets that sell for less than $50.

These torches are the perfect size for soft-soldering guards and other small heating tasks. With the #6 tip it can hard silver solder findings and habaki. They even have a really cool twin-tip that has a flame on both sides of the object being silver-brazed. I hard-solder all my sterling and copper koshirae with one.

In answer to an earlier question, yes, they can run on acetylene as well as propane or MAPP.

I still have to test it out, but I have a portable O2 generator that came from a friend after his wife died and no longer needed it. The oxygen use rate of these small torches is so low I think I can easily run one off the O2Gen and a disposable propane bottle. Whole setup plus tools and supplies would fit in a briefcase or overnight bag.

 

[fitzo]

+1 on the Smith Little Torch/ clone being useful in the knife shop.

 

[AdamG90]

If you shop around eBay, Amazon, Temu, etc. you can find lots of choices. The torch and hoses are readily available for $20-$30. The disposable tank gauges are harder to find at low prices. Still, $120 or so total for a really useful tool is not bad. Or, if you have a small Propane or acetylene tank and a 20CuFt Oxygen tank, you can use the cheap Chinese welding gauge sets that sell for less than $50.

These torches are the perfect size for soft-soldering guards and other small heating tasks. With the #6 tip it can hard silver solder findings and habaki. They even have a really cool twin-tip that has a flame on both sides of the object being silver-brazed. I hard-solder all my sterling and copper koshirae with one.

In answer to an earlier question, yes, they can run on acetylene as well as propane or MAPP.

I still have to test it out, but I have a portable O2 generator that came from a friend after his wife died and no longer needed it. The oxygen use rate of these small torches is so low I think I can easily run one off the O2Gen and a disposable propane bottle. Whole setup plus tools and supplies would fit in a briefcase or overnight bag.

Thanks for taking the time to help out. You certainly didn't have to so I really appreciate all the good information. If I can get by using propane that'd be PERFECT. I've got a bunch of disposable propane tanks already so I'll just need to pick up some oxygen. So something like this would work??

Propane Oxygen Torch Kit Gas Welding Torch with Brazing, Sparker, Protection Glass for Soldering, Welding, Heating, Plumbing Micro Mini PropaneTorch(Gas Cylinders and Matel Carrry Case Not Included) https://a.co/d/gOID79s

 

[fitzo]

Thanks for taking the time to help out. You certainly didn't have to so I really appreciate all the good information. If I can get by using propane that'd be PERFECT. I've got a bunch of disposable propane tanks already so I'll just need to pick up some oxygen. So something like this would work??

Propane Oxygen Torch Kit Gas Welding Torch with Brazing, Sparker, Protection Glass for Soldering, Welding, Heating, Plumbing Micro Mini PropaneTorch(Gas Cylinders and Matel Carrry Case Not Included) https://a.co/d/gOID79s

That listing is a bit confusing to me. They show pics of the torch with fittings for both the mini-tanks and another for use with standard regulator connections. That's the right kind of torch, but be sure you are getting one to use the tanks you have.

Plug this number into the search bar at Amazon - B07DNQ3QC3 That is an inexpensive direct copy of the overpriced Little Torch.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

That torch is not what you want. It is fine for small brazing tasks but eats oxygen fast. It has too large a flame for your titanium coloring job.
fitzo has the right one.
You need the regulators for the disposable tanks. Search -

Set of Gentec GRST-LP and GRST-X Little Torch Regulators for Disposable Tanks​

The Oxygen tanks are available at the local big-box hardware store. They don't last real long, but if you turn the torch off when not actually using it and ALWAYS disconnect the tanks when done for the day, they last long enough. I haven't used them in a long time, but IIRC they last about 20-30 minutes of torch time on a Little torch.