Tried my hand at the torch

[korbiaka]

Can't wait to give it another go, just posting because I'm proud of myself and want to show off.


SG2 Ti Junkyard Dawg (non-blem)

Thanks for looking, lemme know your thoughts, tips, and tricks.

 

[GhostRing]

Nice! Looks like an old warship or something.

 

[korbiaka]

Nice! Looks like an old warship or something.

Its really hard to capture the true colors in the ti with my cellphones camera. It has a very blue tint to it. Can't wait to give it another shot. Gotta leadsform in the mail

 

[eKretz]

If you really want to bring out the colors without darkening the whole handle slab, you need a hotter flame. Got an oxy-acetylene torch? Leaving the low-temp flame in contact with the ti too long results in the whole piece or a much wider area darkening instead of the brilliant coloration that a hotter flame can give. Key is to heat it fast and cool it fast. Still looks pretty cool though...kind of like the weathered look.

 

[korbiaka]

If you really want to bring out the colors without darkening the whole handle slab, you need a hotter flame. Got an oxy-acetylene torch? Leaving the low-temp flame in contact with the ti too long results in the whole piece or a much wider area darkening instead of the brilliant coloration that a hotter flame can give. Key is to heat it fast and cool it fast. Still looks pretty cool though...kind of like the weathered look.

I used map(sp)fuel and it got red hot damn quick. I wasn't sure how hot I was supposed to get it or how long I should leave it blazing. Also had no idea about what method to use to cool it down. I just let it sit on some foil and cool.

I jumped into this feet first and went where it took me. I would like to know the answers to the questions above if anyone would like to share.

Tx

 

[eKretz]

Well the color change is related to the temp that the ti gets up to. You want to get it up to the temp you need to cause the color you want, then cool it down quickly so the color doesn't spread to the areas you don't want it to. There is no real "answer" to your implied questions since you didn't ask a specific question. It will depend on the thickness of the ti, the pattern or width of stripes you want and the colors you want. Ideally, get it to the color you want as fast as you can, then cool it down with water or an air blast. Maybe you should buy some scraps of ti off of eBay and do some experimentation. I have copied a chart that shows the heats the ti needs to reach to produce certain colors - when that brownish color shows up like on yours it means you have overheated. You can reach the colors by slowly heating as well, but it is much harder to get narrow stripes that way.

pale gold straw-385 C or ~ 725F
purple-412 C or ~ 775F
deep blue-440 C or ~ 845F
red purple-565 C or ~ 1050F
brown gray-648 C or ~ 1200F
green blue-925 C or ~ 1700F

 

[Seals]

Nice change!

 

[eKretz]

I forgot to say earlier, you can color it as many times as you want if you just polish it back out to silver in between colorings.

 

[korbiaka]

I forgot to say earlier, you can color it as many times as you want if you just polish it back out to silver in between colorings.

Thanks for the tips and chart. I can't tell what color the ti is until is cools due to the flame on my torch and the glowing red ti. Got a nice chance to try thinner ti today. Crappy lighting, ill get a proper pic up this eve.

 

[eKretz]

Nice, looks like you're getting better every time. Keep it up!

 

[Charlie Mike]

 

[elkins45]

Here's the one Chuck Gedraitis did for me. The photo makes the colors just a tad more intense than in real life.

 

[cziv]

Nice job you guys! :thumbup: