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DaddySur -> RE: Titanium collars (7/15/2007 9:38:23 AM)
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One more really interesting fact about titanium is that it can be made to oxidize in some really striking colors peacock greens, purples and blues, and you can make YOUR piece truly yours, ...and one of a kind. I'm a Mechanical Engineer and was making swords with some friends. What we did was immerse the metal in a weak acid solution and then apply voltage to the metal while grounding the acid bath. You could actually watch the titanium change colors as you waited and you could lift it out gradually from one end (leaving one end in the solution for more time) and get a color variation from one end to the other. (...Never leave Engineers alone with spare metals and acids :-)
I imagine you could get a similar effect with a flame, but with much less control. Do be somewhat careful as it is possible for titanium to self ignite under extremely high temperatures, (but well above what you would achieve on your stove top).
If you are going to try this at home, I would suggest you start with titanium scrap. If you look on the web, you should be able to find places. However, if you live in an area where there are a lot of aerospace companies, you may be able to pick up small pieces of left over lots at quite a reasonable price. They use it a lot since a single pound saved on a jet tranlates into thousands of dollars in fuel savings over the life of a jet (and they fly better when they weigh less too). An ounce or two trimmed of a piece of jewelry worn for a lifetime, makes for a happier slave. As mentioned by others here, titanium is harder to work with and you WILL go through a lot more carbide drill bits than you would with stainless, but at half the weight and limitless durability, its well worth it.
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