Questions about working with titanium.

G

Galloglas

Joined
Apr 1, 2001
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138
I know all of this has probably been discussed before but I'm a newbie to using titanium and am interested specifically in the ability of titanium to hold and retain it's color when anodized.

I use heat coloring on my steel knife/sword hardware and it seems to stand up pretty well if the surface texture is rough and the color gets covered with Ren wax or car wax. Does anodized titanium tend to lose it's oxide coating easier than heat blued steel? Or is the color a little more durable?

Also, what voltage ranges will I need to get a full range of colors?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the newbie style questions.

Brian
 
Brian, I have limited experience with heat colored Titanium or Steel. The only pieces I have made with heat coloring have been with Timascus and I was told that the heat coloring on that holds up better than anodizing. I really couldnt get any color difference with the Timascus by anodizing it.

I do have alot of experience with anodizing Ti and it is tempermetal. It will scratch if brought in contact with metal and any form of oil either from your hands or while oiling your blade will subdue the color of the anodization. It's easy to get back, I use blue car window washer fluid on a soft rag, wipe it down and air dry and it will look good as new. However if you do it too much you will wear it down to the grey Ti finish and have to redo the anodization to make it look good again. I like using a bead blasted finish for my Ti coloring texture. It's a little more subdued in color but stands up better than the rest of the finishes and will take some abuse. Satin finishes look great but dont hold up as well as the bead blasting. A high polish looks killer but in very short order rubs right off and looks bad.
 
You can retain the coloring of anodizing somewhat if you give the piece some texture first. I usually leave a 120 grit scratch texture or use a scotchbrite belt to get a hill and valley effect. That way, if the high points get a little worn there is still enough left in the valleys to retain some color. You can also try scumbling with a wire wheel to achieve a sort of smeared or pebbly texture.

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Hi Brian

I get colors from 15 VOLTS up to about 115 VOLTS. For durability let it cook a while, 15-20 seconds. that seems to make it color a bit deeper. Also as stated the finer the finish the easier it is to rub off.
 
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