Preparing titanium for anodizing

Sando

Sando

Knife Maker
Joined
Jul 4, 2002
Messages
1,148
OK this is a new endevor for me. I've built the anodizer and started playing around.

My big question right now is how do you prepare the stuff?

For my sample I've ground to 600 grit. That's not so good.

Do you buff it?
Do you chemically de-oxidize?
???

Thanks,

Steve
 
Hello, Steve. You're going to enjoy anodizing. :)

Ti is hard to finish because it wants to smear. I grind to size and finish with a 60 micron belt, then hand sand with 600 to 1500 or 2000 grit. You can buff it if you want.

I usually hand sand, then glass bead it. The glass bead satin finish resists scratching and pocket wear better.

The secret is to finish all your pieces you want to match, and as each piece is finished, drop it in a pan of water to prevent oxidizing by contact with air.

If any piece is finished and left in the air for more than a few minutes, it will start oxidizing, then it may not match the rest of the pieces.

Some people do use an acid etch before anodizing, but I've never had to do that.

Handle the pieces after you've finished them and before anodizing with a towel or tweezers to prevent finger oil contamination.

Other knifemakers can tell you more about anodizing. This is simply what works for me.
 
Don's right on with the cleanliness. I always sand the piece to the desired finish and then immediately switch to paper towels with Windex on them when handling further.

I find that leaving a 220-320 grit finish wears a lot better and resists fingerprinting a little more than the higher grit finishes. I very light scotchbrite finish is also nice although you have to watch out for the smearing. Once the smearing starts you have to switch back to abrasive paper or it will just continue.

The lesser grit finish leaves more peaks and valleys too and that helps to reflect the light more so the piece has a bit of liveliness to it. Just my opinion....:)

There's a lot you can do with this stuff and it's a blast to play around with.
 
Steve,
You can also get some really nice colors with a small torch. Imho, this technique is a little more durable. Experiment with all the different finishes and heat/electricity and take notes. Lotsa fun.
 
Thanks guys! That's a big help.

This titanium thing is going to be a kick. The ability to add color to a design is really gonna open some doors.

Thanks,

Steve
 
(If I had time, I'd give you a link)

That said, check out the review ot the Crayola/Karl Rejman knife in the reviews section )should be on 1st or second page). I used to scales for that knife and heat colored it as Kit suggests.

To finish the scales, I ground them with a dullish 100 grit belt, screwed the scales to a 2 foot long, 2" by 2" board, chucked a brass wire cup brush in my drill press, adjusted the height of the table so that the tips of the wires are touching the wood (as in deeper than the height of the scales), and then pulled that board through the rotating brush. it is a tough pull (had to adjust the height a bit), but a few passes smoothed things out nicely. The burnished peaks and rough valleys left leave an interesting finish.

The cup brush idea I got from a post by DDR, the heat coloring idea came from Mr. Kit!!! (the knifemaker, not the car :)
 
Way cool idea Crayola!!! In fact for the design I have in mind that's probably going to be perfect.

Thanks a bunch,

Steve

PS Cool blade you built there!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top