Comments for The Mrtitanium Forum

Comment on Getting started in anodizing: Mesh? by Jack

Jack — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:44:50 +0000

If you wanted to buy a pre made Titanium Wire Mesh Basket, contact these guys and they will likely be able to make it for you:

Belleville Wire Cloth
http://www.bwire.com/

I bought a basket made of this material from them in the past and it really turned out to work for me very nicely. Making a mesh basket is not the easiest thing, so I decided to spend a little money, and save lots of time by leaving that work to the experts. Good Luck with all of this guy, and most importantly, stay safe avoid risks at all times.

Comment on How to tell if a piece of metal is really titanium. by Tangie

Tangie — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:04:19 +0000

That’s way more clever than I was epetxcing. Thanks!

Comment on Anode vs. Cathode Terminology by Mira

Mira — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 10:21:47 +0000

Thanks alot – your answer solved all my problems after several days struggling

Comment on Can I Color Titanium in an Oven? by Dan Klarmann

Dan Klarmann — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 18:30:31 +0000

That oven should work. As with anodizing, the color depends both on temperature (vs. Voltage) and time. If you want consistent colors, set a temperature and leave the piece in for a consistent time. Probably a few minutes at the low end. Maybe more higher up. In principle, the maximum color should be consistent for a given temperature. I don’t know about in practice.

The speed at which color develops probably depends on oxygen availability in the oven as well as how fast the piece heats up.
The chart of colors by temperature should be in the same order as by voltage. But as I said above, I haven’t seen a chart to know where the upper end (green) lies.

Comment on Can I Color Titanium in an Oven? by Kathleen Indigne

Kathleen Indigne — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:15:18 +0000

I follow a 7 year silver smithing course and we have an oven that goes from 30°C to 3000°C (86 Fahrenheit to 5432 F). So I’m guessing that should work somehow. I’m assuming that with higher temperature a different color will be created? Or do you think it is more the exposure time that counts?

Comment on How to tell if a piece of metal is really titanium. by Dan Klarmann

Dan Klarmann — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:34:15 +0000

Hiding the scratches depends on the texture and color of the finish. You can get a brushed metal finish with steel wool, or a 3-M scrubbing pad, or a wire brush wheel. There are many alternative ways to finish a surface, and what techniques to use depend on the result you want.

Comment on How to tell if a piece of metal is really titanium. by WildKat

WildKat — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:56:36 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to write these down! I didn’t realize there were so many ways to tell.

I have a question you may be able to help with (you seem to really know your stuff)!

My wheelchair is titanium and the frame has some pretty deep(ish) scratches on it. What’s the best way to get these out, that wont make the area really shiny?

Thanks!

Comment on Can Titanium Be Worn with Other Metals? by MrTitanium

MrTitanium — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:01:50 +0000

Titanium dioxide is an insulator, so no current can start to strip the oxygen off of it unless the relative electronegative voltage is greater than the breakdown potential. That is, if the titanium is anodized blue, the relative electronegativity would have to be at least 30 volts. No two elements are more than a couple of volts apart. (Carbon=2.55, Lithium=0.98, max voltage = 1.57) Electronegativity Table of the Elements

Comment on Can Titanium Be Worn with Other Metals? by Michael B.

Michael B. — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:01:05 +0000

How the two metals react is the interesting part. It depends on the relative electronegativity of the two metals or alloys.

When two metals (or alloys) with differing electronegativity are in electrical contact within solution (or sweat) the metal with the lower electronegativity will oxidize. In the case of Gold (2.54) touching Silver (1.93), the silver will oxidize (tarnish).

In the case of a Silver (1.93) spoon sitting in an Aluminum (1.61) pan in water with a bit of lemon juice and/or vinegar and a pinch of salt, the aluminum (being 0.32 lower) will tarnish and the silver will actually un-tarnish! And if you are careful to make sure the only electrical contact between the spoon and pan is through a volt meter, you can even measure the 0.32 volts. Although not perfect (as it still needs to be buffed) this is a funky way to polish silver.

I bring all this up because Titanium with an relatively low electronegativity of 1.54, when in contact with Gold, Silver, or even Aluminum it is the Titanium that would oxidize. And since it it this same oxide coating that protects the Titanium, this is a win-win situation.

To belabor the point, Magnesium (1.31) with Titanium (1.54) would have the reverse effect. Where the Magnesium would oxidize and the Titanium would actually un-oxidize and you could loose or change the coloring effect.

Comment on How can I make some of those Fancy Titanium Colors? by MrTitanium

MrTitanium — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:58:47 +0000

I don’t think that the electrolyte chemistry is the problem. But many other electrolytes may be tried, such at phosphoric acid, ammonium phosphate, borax (disodium-tetraborate), boric acid, calcium glycerophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, or many other molecule with oxygen-heavy negative ions. Not nitrates; those eat into the titanium surface.

Color variations are commonly caused by variations in surface texture, or uneven current density across the solution.