Experimenting with Titanium

[tsterling]

I've been thinking about engraving titanium lately, there are some nice looking knives available which use titanium for scales. I've also been looking for a less expensive jewelry substitute for precious metals that still has a little pizazz in the public consciousness.

Since some of the knives use 6ALV4 titanium, I got some and tried it. I found my Lindsay Classic Palm Control would cut it, but the lines I cut were narrower and less deep than what I normally cut easily in steel, even using the tungsten piston option. It wasn't that the titanium was harder, it just seemed much tougher, and less yielding. My much more powerful Lindsay Nitro G20 hand piece cut as deep as I wanted (I tend to like my engraving and sculpting fairly robust, I don't do a lot of work with scrolls), but at the expense of a fair number of broken graver tips. I felt like a complete newb again.

Interestingly, it did sculpt just fine with punches, not something I expected after the difficulty I experienced cutting it. Go figure... I think I'll pass on 6ALV4 titanium, just seems like more work than it's worth.

I cut a pendant from the 6ALV4 titanium, and sculpted a pair of moths, complete with background removal using carbide burs.

Doug Sutherland (D.DOUGLAS on the forum here) very kindly sent me some CP titanium to try, so I cut a pair of small earrings to go with the 6ALV4 pendant out of it. The CP titanium cut very easily and cleanly, and the background was easy to remove as well. Thanks so much, Doug. You really helped me figure this out! CP titanium is obviously the one to engrave if you have any choice at all. 6ALV4 is pretty darn tough.

Here's a picture of them: the 6ALV4 pendant is 2 inches tall, and the CP earrings are 1 inch tall.

Thanks for looking!
Titanium_Pendant_Earrings.jpg

[Willem Parel]

That's beautiful!!! with what did you blacken it?

[mrthe]

Nice earrings!

[a.khaksari]

Looks Nice! I feel good when I look at them!

[tsterling]

That's beautiful!!! with what did you blacken it?

Thanks for the kind words, guys. Willem, the blackening is just Rustoleum flat black paint.

[peteb]

Why not use niobium? It can be heat oxidized to achieve a really hard and durable black. It is also easy to engrave and shape, it not being very much affected by work hardening.

[tsterling]

Why not use niobium? It can be heat oxidized to achieve a really hard and durable black. It is also easy to engrave and shape, it not being very much affected by work hardening.

I thought about niobium, but when I asked the kinds of folks who make up my client base, they had never heard of it, but were favorably aware of titanium jewelry. So titanium just seems more practical in terms of client recognition and marketability.

Even so, I'd love to try some. However I've also noticed that every time I want to try a new metal, purchasing a small quantity and shipping costs about $100, and my better half tends to look on such things in a negative light. I can't understand that, but then I'm just a guy...

[willy]

Very nice earrings.
Willy.

[BES]

Very beautifully!
Reminds Japanese style. Simple and interesting.

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

Looks good to me tsterling.
But I was wondering why you and so many others of you engrave on that hard Titanium. Is it because you like torturing yourself?
I probably told over a 100 times what grade to use.

You also tell us you are "looking for a less expensive jewellery substitute" don't make it too cheap, I know Ti is less expensive than silver, But I sell the work on it just as if I was doing that on gold or platinum.
Customers, at least mine, they know it is not common to use Ti for jewellery, as it can not be cast, at least not in a good quality.

To share my pricing in Ti jewellery, this one costs 150$ and I sell it several times without problems.



And Ti has a lot of advantages, no person in the world has allergic reactions on Ti, when used for earrings the weight is very comfortable, when engraved, the engraving will not wear off.

One remark, you used silver hooks for the earrings, next time use Titanium ones, customers will love that as it doesn't react on peoples skin.

arnaud