Titanium vs. aluminium

B

bchan77

Joined
Dec 6, 2007
Messages
447
Hello all, I have a couple of questions on these metals used as knife handles and would be grateful for any advice:

(1) What are the relative merits of these metals as handle material?

(2) Why is it that aluminium is rarely used in framelocks?

Thanks!
 
Aluminum is much softer, so it would wear away too quickly in a framelock. Both materials are light, scratch easily compared to SS, and can be anodized. Aluminum is a little lighter and weaker IIRC.
 
I think the main reason is that aluminium doesn't feel as good as titanium in hand. Also most framelocking knives are high end and people associate alumininum with cheap even though its an amazing material.

But from all the framelocks Ive had all the aluminum ones just don't feel as good. Titanium with the finish most makers use has an excellent texture and just generally feels fantastic in hand. aluminium is cold and smooth as opposed to titanium having a "warm" grippy feel.
 
Aluminum will fracture from fatigue in short order from bending and rebending. Very little "spring". It's also extremely soft when compared to steel or even titanium, so an aluminum frame lock would wear very quickly...if it didn't break at the flex point first.

Aluminum is often used for handles, but only on knives that use different metals for the locks. Being soft, it's very susceptible to damage from scratches and dents. Only when it's hard anodized (level 3/HAIII) will it resist scratching, but even then it's still susceptible to dinging if the force is enough to deform the metal underneath.
 
Planterz said:
Aluminum will fracture from fatigue in short order from bending and rebending. Very little "spring". It's also extremely soft when compared to steel or even titanium, so an aluminum frame lock would wear very quickly...if it didn't break at the flex point first.

Aluminum is often used for handles, but only on knives that use different metals for the locks. Being soft, it's very susceptible to damage from scratches and dents. Only when it's hard anodized (level 3/HAIII) will it resist scratching, but even then it's still susceptible to dinging if the force is enough to deform the metal underneath.
Click to expand...
^^^Exactly. :thumbup:
 
Everything people have said already is true. I'll also add that titanium is non magnetic and corrosion proof.
 
kawr said:
Everything people have said already is true. I'll also add that titanium is non magnetic and corrosion proof.
Click to expand...
The same is true of aluminum, though, so those attributes are really more of a factor if one is comparing titanium to steel (although even there, I think titanium's lighter weight is the main reason it's preferred over steel for large parts like handles/scales).
 
neuron said:
The same is true of aluminum, though, so those attributes are really more of a factor if one is comparing titanium to steel (although even there, I think titanium's lighter weight is the main reason it's preferred over steel for large parts like handles/scales).
Click to expand...

Wow that was pretty dumb of me, thanks.
 
Looking forward to some good replies here. Titanium is stronger & more wear resistant relative to aluminum, & much more costly. I do know that aluminum is too soft to use for a locking liner. The blade's tang would rub & wear the aluminum lock away rather quickly. I've read that titanium wears a bit quicker than steel locking liners too, but the difference doesn't seem to be big enough to be an issue. Aluminum seems to have less strength & flex to it & will oxidize at some point too. Both are non-magnetic & lighter than steel, but I'm not sure which one is lighter.

Titanium seems to be almost impervious to the elements & has the ability to flex a great deal without any damage. It's a "memory metal". It can be hardened to a limited extent too. A few small knife companies (Mission knives) even use it as a blade material for dive knives, although the edge holding is nothing to brag about. Titanium presently has a high-tech allure to it, as aluminum did decades ago.

EDIT: I started to type the first reply to this post & then noticed that everyone had chimed in while I was pecking out my post. I love this place!
 
Everyone covered pretty much everything, so I feel compelled to point out that aluminum alloys with scandium are much closer to low-end titanium alloys performancewise, but are also much closer pricewise. I forget exactly how much closer on both, though. But they're still 40%-ish lighter than titanium.
 
People assume too much when it comes to titanium. Hollywood and advertisers have attributed far too much to titanium than it deserves. Titanium isn't indestructible, it isn't necessarily stronger than steel, and your Shick razor doesn't have titanium blades (TiN coated steel blades, like machine tooling often has). A titanium sword would hold up very poorly vs a steel sword, no matter how much silver it's impregnated with to kill vampires.

The fact is that everything is a trade-off. Lightest? Aluminum. But it's the worst against wear and fatigue. Strongest? Steel. But it can rust and it's heavy. Best of both? Probably titanium, unless you want to make a blade out of it.

As of yet, there is no adamantium or unobtanium. But even if there were, there would be some tradeoffs with them compared to the alloys we have today.
 
Wow, thanks to all the helpful and detailed replies. I love this forum! Someone mentioned anodising in their reply. What benefits (if any) are conferred upon the metals from anodising? If anodising is useful, why is it that the handles are not anodised in every instance? Is it a question of cost?
 
Another benefit of titanium is that it is aesthetically pleasing to look at. It can polish well, but it also has a nice dark natural finish. Titanium is my favorite metal and has been far before it become very popular in popular culture.
 
Are you guys talking about pure aluminum or the 6061-T6 aluminum alloy commonly used in folder handles?

To be honest, I have yet to encounter an aluminum *alloy* framelock.

Aluminum alloy works fine on a button lock or liner lock (with steel liners of course), with the now-discontinued Masters of Defense CQD Mark 2 and Mcusta Katana as examples.

Anodizing aluminum alloy according to voltage gives quite a few colors, black, violet, blue, orange which is great for aesthetic appeal. The anodized colors will wear away if in contact with sweat and friction from EDC.

Hypothetical question, would it be possible to machine a 3D handle like the MOD CQD Mark 2 from titanium or Ti6Al4V alloy ? It certainly wouldn't be cheap!

Just my relatively worthless 2 cents, since I don't own or use any titanium-handled or bladed knives.
 
My Kershaw RAM feels real nice and light. Lighter than titanium for sure, though bead blasted titanium just feels nicer than hard anodized aluminum. I suppose there's also something nice about feeling the bare metal itself under your fingers rather than an oxide coating. Other than that, I see no practical reason why aluminum shouldn't be used in knives. I feel the Benchmade 943 and Hogue folders are the best example of this.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong I believe Lion steel makes a version of their STR Frame lock in aluminum but I think the tip of the lock bar, the contact surface is replaceable should it wear, oh and D2 steel or equivalent.

So not a bad choice if you want an aluminum framelock. I think those lion steels are beautiful, I prefer the alias in for it's finer tip, but man do those LS have belly on them for slicing.
 
OrdnanceBubbaUSMC said:
I've heard most titanium handles and liners are actually a titanium-aluminum alloy. Probably cost less than people imagine.
Click to expand...

The most common alloy of titanium is 6Al4V. 6% aluminum, 4% vanadium. The inclusion of aluminum is not a cost-reducing measure, but rather it makes in much stronger than pure titanium. No titanium is cheap because the process of extracting/refining it from natural ores is expensive.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top