Poll: Do you like your titanium flashlight Shiny or Bead Blasted

[recDNA]

Still like my bling shiny.
No such thing as too shiny in my book.

 

[precisionworks]

With the right equipment & media, tumbling for stone washing isn't done for a long period of time to get the effect. Tumbling for long periods of time is just deburring which is not what you want for stone washing.

Here are the variables that figure into the equation:

Composition of the tumbling media

Density of media

Frangibility of media

Abrasiveness of media

Shape of media

Size & shape of tumbler barrel

RPM of barrel

Time

Media that's highly abrasive & highly frangible will deburr parts in a short time. Media that's ultra fine & super hard requires a long run in the tumbler. The images below show a McGizmo SunDrop XRU after stone wash. In my tumbler with the media I use the time required is 72 hours.

Un modded SunDrop on left, stone washed on right:

IMO there is much greater variability in stone washing than in most other surface finishes. Stone wash from Maker A will always look different than stone wash from Maker B. Unless both use the exact same media & identical equipment.

 

[HighlanderNorth]

Here are the variables that figure into the equation:

Composition of the tumbling media

Density of media

Frangibility of media

Abrasiveness of media

Shape of media

Size & shape of tumbler barrel

RPM of barrel

Time

Media that's highly abrasive & highly frangible will deburr parts in a short time. Media that's ultra fine & super hard requires a long run in the tumbler. The images below show a McGizmo SunDrop XRU after stone wash. In my tumbler with the media I use the time required is 72 hours.

Un modded SunDrop on left, stone washed on right:

IMO there is much greater variability in stone washing than in most other surface finishes. Stone wash from Maker A will always look different than stone wash from Maker B. Unless both use the exact same media & identical equipment.

Can you still buy new McGizmos anymore? I have looked at that guy's website, but I cant make heads or tails out of it. Its got lots of stuff related to Ti, and lots of pictures, but I dont see any lights for sale. Where are/were they sold from anyway? How much was one of these new?

 

[precisionworks]

Most of Don's lights run around $500. He is alive & well under the Custom Builders & Modders sub forum.

 

[smokinbasser]

I like the "shiney" finish on the 47s mini 123, mini AA and mini cr2 titaniums. All get pocket time so shiney is a subjective phrase. The knurling on them make twisting them a breeze. I have one 47s bead blasted Quark turbo 2-123.

 

[darkzero]

That came out great Barry! :thumbsup: Looks very similar to Delghi's stonewashing which I think looks very nice.

Agreed, makers all have their preference for what they like stonewash to look like. Some makers even have different "levels" of stonewash they like to put out. Knifemakers that is. Some just give give a nice finish before tumbling & some beadblast before tumbling depending on the effect desired. Tumbling for 72 hours would not work for knife blades though. But I have seen some knfe makers leave a tang on the tip to withstand the tumbling which they grind off after. Whatever works is all that matters though.

Not that I really know what I'm doing, I learned that if I use a solution with my media, it drastically cuts down on the time I have to tumble. Like for the lighter/brighter stonewashing I did on that stashcan in this thread, it only takes me 15 mins to get that effect if I use a solution.


On my tops I've only been doing a very light stonewashing. I have a few left that I might try a heavier stonewashing on. Thanks for posting Barry.

These were a light stonewash that I anodized after, didn't like the results that much by they all sold fast!

 

[precisionworks]

Tumbling for 72 hours would not work for knife blades though.

There are certainly some combinations of high energy centrifugal tumblers & coarse abrasives that would destroy a knife blade ... or a flashlight. At the other extreme are low energy machines & ultra fine abrasives that will not even remove shallow etching. After 84 hours the etching is still clear & sharp:

 

[kj2]

Don't like titanium lights. Black or (klarus)gun-metal grey colour for me

 

[racerford]

Aren't they all the same with titanium after awhile in your pocket?

I have have both and they both look scratched up.

If a flashlight is all polished with no knurling or texture and it is a twisty, or even maybe some clickies, manipulationg the controls can be a pain with wet hands oe gloves on.

 

[BLUE LED]

I know it sounds a little non committal, but I do like both shiny and bead blasted.

 

[Rossymeister]

Prefer the "Machined" look. Bead blast shows too many marks after long term EDC.

 

[HighlanderNorth]

The first thing I do when I get a new Titanium light, is to spray it with a coat of flat gray primer, then I leave it like that....


Just kidding! I would much rather have it polished than matte or bead blasted or whatever. Maybe if I had like 8-10 Ti lights, then I'd probably be OK with having 1 or 2 bead blasted ones. But the way I look at the bead blasted look, is that I could buy an unpainted aluminum light, and bead blast it, and it would have a similar look to a bead blasted Ti light, and be much cheaper, and dissipate heat better.

I'd like to have a magnesium flashlight. But Mg tends to oxidize and tarnish after not so long. I had 2 thick chunks of pure Mg, and I never got them wet or anything. I left them in a box on my shelf in my bedroom, but after about 1 year, they looked terrible! I had polished them up some before, but after just sitting in a box, they lost their shine, and looked all dull, and discolored, etc. So a Mg flashlight would have to be coated with some protecting coating.

I would like a Niobium light, but I wont hold my breath for that one........ Maybe a Zirconium light?

 

[adnj]

I prefer machined. I have a Quark Ti that was refinished soon after it arrived. I would have never carried it otherwise. Same thing with knives. And bead blasting is even less acceptable than shiny for me.

 

[darkzero]

There are certainly some combinations of high energy centrifugal tumblers & coarse abrasives that would destroy a knife blade ... or a flashlight. At the other extreme are low energy machines & ultra fine abrasives that will not even remove shallow etching. After 84 hours the etching is still clear & sharp:

Yup I remember, a whole plethora of different types of media....that can cause headaches & an empty wallet. I chose to follow the knife makers & use ceramics for a fast cutting action. I've been happy with the results so I never bothered to try different media for a long time. They all tend to use the coarser media. I never have tried anything fine except for organic media which I use for cleaning. That would make more sense for use on flashlights with tighter grooves and shoulders

As you said different setup ups, different media, which leads to different finishes which all makers have their preferences of. The finish before tumbling also makes a huge difference.

I decided to try these little guys in my other tumbler.

Here is what they looked like with at 15min.

I don't have a blast cabinet, this time I gave them a quick buffing before tossing them in.

After 45 mins.

They look much better. I prefer 30 mins or so. The longer I tumble the darker they get. I personally prefer the darker look so I don't like to go over 1 hour. Guess I'll retire my other one & just leave the corncob or walnuts in those bowls.

 

[oneinthaair]

Any more pictures of bead blasted Ti???

 

[Str8stroke]

Those tumbler pics look good.

I like the dark looking Ti after it is blasted.

 

[timbo114]

[h=2]Shiny or Bead Blasted ... ... ... Yes[/h]

 

[recDNA]

Shiny. I hate bead blasted

 

[radiopej]

Shiny. Don't really get the point otherwise.

 

[kaichu dento]

Neither. I prefer stonewash, if available. Unfortunately non-bright finishes seem to be mostly relegated to the very fragile option of beadblasting.

In fact both options offered here are the two most easily marred finishes whereas stonewash offers the most durable choice when it comes to bare metal.