Color of Titanium?

[Jimmy_Dean]

this definitly belongs in the off-topic section:

I was looking at my snowpeak titanium spork and realized that it was exactly the color you would expect titanium to be....mate grey, beadblasted kind of look. I looked at the ti liners of one of my knife and it was in the same shades....is that the natural color of titanium or is it finished to fit the preconceived idea I have of what ti should look like?

thanks, this has been bugging me for some time now

-Dean

[zackerty]

Yes... :)

Place in on a stove hot plate, and remove it when you have nice rainbow colours, but PLEASE use an oven glove or tongs...

[mikewww]

What is a "snowpeak titanium spork" ? I understand titanium and spork, but not the combination.

Thanks

Mike

[zackerty]

Look here...

http://www.tadgear.com/x-treme%20gear/snowpeak_titanium_spork.htm

[Jimmy_Dean]

Hi Mike, sorry I wasn't precise enough.
Snowpeak happens to be the brand of the spork.
I was reading through quite a few survival articles and more often than not, a ti spork was described as a 'must have'. So I finally gave it and bought one. I only wished I would enjoy using it as much as I like to say 'spork' :)
it's ok in the lunchbox but nothing like the great item I thought I had bought. I do love it's super lightweight and rust resistance.

So anyway, if I understand you Zackerty, the gray finish is the natural color, right? I know you can flame it to get the rainbow colors, as I have seen a guy do that with a titanium Zippo. Pretty neat!

thanks
-Dean

[zackerty]

Jimmy Dean,
I mentioned the stove, as not everyone has access to a heat source such as acetylene etc.
A cig lighter does not generate enough heat to colour Ti, but one of those butane rockets will. ( I don't know a brand )

[The Deacon]

Yes Jimmy, grey is the natural color for titanium. I wonder if the heat that causes the colors also hardens the surface of titanium - like color case hardening does to steel.

[zackerty]

I recycle Ti bits from 'planes...
Round about 500° C puts an oxide on the surface, and this is what you see.
More than this puts a thicker oxide skin, which is HARD. And it stresses the Ti, so be careful...

[Piet.S]

The natural colour is more like stainless steel. Years ago, at Fokker Aircraft, we used two titanium struts on each F-27 to support the windshield assembly to the pressure bulkhead. One day we had a couple that were slightly off meassure and were to be binned. I took them home and left them at the motorcycle club. On several occaisions friends of mine thought it were handy pieces of aluminium, due to the weight, to be made into some sort of bracket. Every time resulting into a badly burned drill in a matter of seconds. :D

[CKE]

This is funny...I was taught that Ti is so good because it can withstand going to red hot and not deform in any way. That is the reason that it is used in the aircraft industry, I was told.
I have heard some of the more prominent knifemakers out there say that Ti will warp like crazy if you are not careful, this goes against what I was taught. Hmmmm, I think I have some re reading to do. The lower temps involved in colour changing the Ti should not affect it one bit.
A bit confused here..... :confused: Take Care!!!

[Piet.S]

Titanium is a bitch to work on. For drilling its much the same as SS, just a bit worst. Always a sharp drill off high quality, low revs and plenty of coolent will do. And when the drill cuts, don't stop, keep it cutting. The aircraft industry uses it couse its about as strong as steel but weights a lot less. Its on the verge of light metal and other metals though. A lot of people seem to think its very very strong but thats all bull. Its got a good strength to weight ratio, but that is something else.