Titanium rust/pitting?

[Harden Knives]

Hey everyone,

I sent a knife to a customer which left my shop looking like this.


And arrived at the customers house like this



He lives in Illinois and I live in Colorado so i was thinking some sort of humidity thing was going on. I know titanium isn't supposed to rust but this looks like rust. He got most of it off with wd40 but he still has some left and it is hard to get off, according to him. Of course I offered to refinish it for him but he wants to try it himself first.

We are both curious about what is going on.

On a slightly related subject, I made an electric guitar clip for my 0550 today and it has some white spots on it, are those spots from overheating. Or from the oil from my hands?

 

[tiguy7]

Iron corrodes red. Titanium corrodes white. Copper corrodes green. Something weird is going on.

 

[Harden Knives]

Iron corrodes red. Titanium corrodes white. Copper corrodes green. Something weird is going on.

I know man, someone commented on an Instagram post regarding this stuff and he thought maybe some steel dust got on there but I dont think its possible. I scrubbed this with soap and water then oiled...

 

[tiguy7]

I dissolve broken taps in Titanium with battery acid. If you think you have some steel contamination on your Titanium, soak it in battery acid.

 

[SBuzek]

If you grind Ti with the same belts you use on steel the steel particles will imbed in the Ti and rust will show up.
Use separate belts.

 

[mete]

Looks like contamination. Used abrasive paper used also on steel ? Get NEW abrasive paper polish the Ti again .Always try to keep things separate for Ti and Fe.

 

[Harden Knives]

Those all sound like possible answers but I specifically remember scotchbrighting and wire wheeling it. Would a wire wheel do that?

 

[Harden Knives]

Oh, and the buyer just said he didnt see anything until over an hour after he started handling it, he said he was working with copper for pry bars that day but had already showered, could that do anything?

 

[Alpha Knife Supply]

If you grind Ti with the same belts you use on steel the steel particles will imbed in the Ti and rust will show up.
Use separate belts.

I specifically remember scotchbrighting and wire wheeling it. Would a wire wheel do that?

Don't mix your abrasives when you are working steel and titanium.

Chuck

 

[mike-E]

a wire wheel will do that to stainless, but i dont know about ti.

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

wire wheel! - I bet that did it, I know you can lightly "plate" Titanium with a brass or copper wheel

 

[Harden Knives]

Thanks everyone. Lesson learned and I had no idea. Of course I am fixing it asap and for free.