Anodizing Titanium

[souptree]

That is awesome!
Thats for the vid Don.
I have a few annoed Ti lights, well one anno and one coated. The coated one is a AlTiN PD-S, probably my favorite light, (besides the fact that it is a PD-S!) because the coating is durable, gives a nice grip with its rubbery feel, and it has a nice stealthy look that varies between black and purple depending on the surrounding light. The other is a blue anno Ti Nautilus that is just stunning.
I find the colors that can be achieved through different techniques (acid bath or heat, or coatings) facinating, and some of the work done by our members here is just beautiful (my favorites would be from Peter Atwood), and it just adds to the verstility of this uber-cool metal.

Here is a shot of my blue Nautilus with a naked Ti and a annoed aluminum.
Though they are not all Ti with that brass peaking through!

That blue Nautilus was ano'd by Peter Atwood. If you ever want to trade it, please let me know. :thumbsup:

 

[Sgt. LED]

What voltage is orange! oo: Also does leaving it in longer grow a thicker layer?

 

[McGizmo]

What voltage is orange! oo: Also does leaving it in longer grow a thicker layer?

There are a number of colors that you can't seem to get. I don't recall ever seeing orange, for instance. My rig doesn't allow me to get the range that I have seen possible. For the best results, you want really clean and "fresh" titanium and I have messed in the past with "No-San" which is (was?) a substitute for hydrofluoric acid (really nasty stuff by all accounts) which etched the oxide film off the Ti leaving it relatively virgin. Even the No-San was a bit spooky as I noticed I couldn't store it in a pyrex beaker because it would eat away at the glass and loose its potency. :green:

Provided you have enough power, in a very short time, the film will grow to its final thickness (based on voltage) and extended exposure has no effect on the thickness or resulting color. If you say mask the part and start with a high voltage, you can expose bare metal then, at a lower voltage and not have the first color (higher voltage) change at all. Unlike iron oxide (rust) that can continue to grow into the metal, the titanium oxide film is relatively stable and protects the underlying metal from any change.

 

[GhostReaction]

i smell a suspect.
Thats about the only annodizing i ve ever dis and it can turn out pretty wild on ti.

You can also get some wild patterns by using a torch on titanium.

http://www.dbfraleyknives.com/images/mfl35.jpg

http://www.dbfraleyknives.com/images/torrent_set_8x10.jpg

Don thanks for sharing the vid!

 

[oregon]

What voltage is orange! oo:

I get color that is near to orange at 65-75 VDC in a bath of baking soda and water. I prepare the titanium target with a soapy wash, alcohol bath, water rinse, short lye soak and a final water rinse.

Here is a pic: From left to right, the first two missed the lye (drain cleaner solution) bath, the last three got the full treatment. Voltages:
75, 70, 75, 70 and 65 VDC.

The best orange is the second to the last, lye bath & 70 VDC in a solution of well water and baking soda.

Notice how the first two, left to right, are pinkish, in spite of the fact that they got the same voltage in the baking soda bath. Those two, however, did not get the lye prepatory bath. So depending on the preparation your mileage may vary.

This titanium anodization spectrum chart is an aid to me: http://www.bme.unc.edu/~bob/titanium-spectrum-web-2.jpg

Thank you kindly Don.

oregon

 

[I'mGatMan!]

Fantastic thread, people. Thanks for all the info. I've always been fascinated by how Ti is annodized.

 

[McGizmo]

Oregon,
Thanks for the spectrums and information. :thumbsup:

 

[AndyTiedye]

Tiedyed TI! I'm so gonna have to try this!

 

[oregon]

I wish I had a capable USB microscope so that I could get a real close look at the titanium surface before and after lye or acid immersion and share what I see online. I want to see what is going on at the micro level.

Perhaps one of you has such a rig.

Intel used to make a toy one that was priced affordably. I used an early version to do a series of edge comparisons when a micro bevel was added to the cutting edge. It was informative but I don't have access to that usb microscope any longer.

Here is a link to the vendor for the DC power supply that I just began using (CSI12001X), I have no connection with them, and can vouch for: http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7859

oregon

 

[da.gee]

Thanks Don. That was interesting. Can't wait for the full-length feature film.

 

[McGizmo]

Oregon,
My anodize supply has a 3 amp fuse that has never blown but I have no idea what kind of current is going through the part being anodized or what, if any, voltage drop there is across the part. Presumably the more surface area being anodized, the more power going into the bath. Have you anodized any relatively large pieces and is yes, what kind of current did your bench supply show?

 

[McGizmo]

Guys,
I need to qualify myself as no artist what so ever beyond having some creative ideas but no technical skills to get them down by hand. (I have found more satisfaction and some rudimentary success in PhotoShop where I can take images I have captured with a camera and then manipulate them). That said, I think and have commented in the past, that a good artist could do some amazing things with titanium as a canvas and altering the surface finish and oxide film as means of creating an image. The resulting image is not only dependent on a light source but also its location relative to the observer. The image changes as the light source or observer move, relative to the image and the other. As a crude example, in the image below what appears as shaddow in the mountains (hope you can figure out which are the montains ) in the photo taken go from shadow to highlight and the highlighted areas go to shadow if you change your orientation to the Ti plate or move the light source.

The dark blue ocean with light colored wave lines goes to a shiny light blue ocean (polished surface) with darker wave lines (diamond burr etch) as the light orientation changes in the image below of the jewler's loop. Three rubbies were set in the Ti plate I made:

Heavy wear in contact and abrasion can damage a Ti canvas but beyond that, weather and light will not change it at all. I can't imagine a more permanent canvas or means of holding and retaining a graphic over the long haul.

of course the image should be one worthy of long term existence!

My wife and I made Ti earings many years ago and most were formed and cut thin sheets of Ti which were then polished, bead blasted engraved and masked and anodized in steps. I found you could get some really cool and subtle textures and colors using jeweler's polishing and grinding bits as well as tiny wire wheels and buffing wheels and points in conjunction with the anodizing. You can also subject the piece to a light dusting of bead blasting with blasting pens that are the scale of the small airburshes.

There are the classic mediums of scrimshaw, cloisene, and engraving that artisans practiced over the centuries and I can't help but imagine that if the technologies at the time provided titanium and and the means of anodizing it that some of these artisans wouldn't have embraced it as well. Perhaps someday, it will become a field in jewelery or forms of functional art where some real craftsmen and artists apply their magic! :thumbsup:

In the real crude depiction of the SF city front with golden gate in the background and Alacratraz in the bay, all of the little "lights" are the result of a tiny diamond burr that cut through the anodize. As you move the light source or your viewing angle from left to right, these lights blink on or off and the sky and water go from relative light to dark:

If you can consider these examples on par with a two year old's crayon drawings but then imagine the same medium in the hands of a master.....

 

[Kiessling]

Now that's very interesting indeed. Cool new media for artists.

 

[oregon]

Oregon,
Have you anodized any relatively large pieces and is yes, what kind of current did your bench supply show?

You can max out your current with a highly conductive anodization bath, which I've done experimentally, but the voltage can't be controlled. A strong lye solution will do this, for example. Not useful to get repeatable colors quickly.

I want the metal to be more conductive than the solution so I don't just separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. Now I am experimenting with the solutions and prepatory baths in pursuit of bright green. Easier said than done. Anyone have a surefire recipe for green?

The largest pieces I've anodized are full sized folding knife handles. I've done a number of S2's for a vendor out of Portland (who sells a ton of Kershaws at the various shows). I've got the blues down pretty good.

My digital power supply gives me volts and amps. I don't intentionally go over 1/2 amp. Its output hits a limit at just over one amp. I can only control the voltage with the dial. If the bath isn't overly conductive the amperage falls as anodization takes place, quickly at low voltage and slowly at higher voltage.

I need a little sulfuric acid in order to try to reproduce the color spread shown in the link.

I ordered a usb microscope today from DX. If it works I might be able to get some insight into what the different baths and prepatory solutions do to the surface of the titanium. I may get a good scale tomorrow in order to better weigh the components of the baths/solutions so that I can reproduce any favorable results and fix the ingredients percentages. I wish I had several feet of the ti wire he used. There is no end to the wants.

All the best,

oregon

 

[oregon]

Close-up of ti rod, washed in lye and anodized in a bath of white vinegar. The anodization spectrum, green on the upper right, goes to bare ti on the bottom left. Note the complete spectrum that forms at the margin between air and liquid bath during anodization when part of the target is out of the bath (bubbling accounts for it I think). The interesting thing here is what you don't see. You're not seeing thickness of coating nor filling up of divits in the metal's surface. The anodization adds oxidation that is millionth's of an inch thick. Not exactly armor plating thickness just enough to dazzle under the right light:

The above piece without magnification:

Sidebar, the usb microscope, from DX, the four LEDs can be turned on or off with a switch and you focus with the black wheel, the stand has one knob to work both pivots:

I am grateful to Dan for his welcome contribution of a large amount of ti wire and sheet for my use. The generosity of the members here at CPF sets a new standard. I owe you 1/2 a beer .

oregon

 

[oregon]

Update on USB microscope: I uninstalled the software that came with the unit because I think that it was causing numerous shutdowns of my computer.

oregon

 

[exodus125]

where can you get ammonium sulfate?

 

[exodus125]

so baking soda and water work as well and also white vinegar? I rather use something I have int he house vs going to buy fertilizer.

 

[McGizmo]

I haven't tried baking soda or white vinegar so I can't comment. I picked up the ammonium sulfate from a local chemical supply house. I am under the impression that it is also available from landscape supply and perhaps nurseries as well. I would try the household items first too. Please let us know your findings.

 

[oregon]

My theory is that any relatively dirty water will work. Tap water, for example. But distilled water may not work well.

However, I've been using small amounts (much less than a teaspoon) TSP (a cleaning product found dry in a box at Home Depot cheaply), baking soda (teaspoon) and water (a few cups) with good results.

oregon