tsterling
Elite Cafe Member
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!
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!