Why Titanium?

[Concept]

I am starting to lean more towards Ti as I am developing the skills (slowly) to upgrade the internals of the light, so If I can get a few of my favorite designs in Ti I will hopefully end up only upgrading the LE and keeping the rest unchanged thus acutally saving me money in the long run. I have been runing hot purchasing new lights lately and I hope this will slow me down to a trickle. We shall see as I have to get my hands on some more Ti first.

 

[TranquillityBase]

Where did Xochi go...

 

[Jedi Knife]

Looking at the thread in the raffel section on the L0P-SE-Ti and I don`t get it. Is Ti that much more valuable of a metal? Does it wear better? Does it conduct current better? Will they be worth more as a collecter item? Why are people willing to spend twice as much?

Ken

Would you "get it" if Arc made an AAA in titanium? I wonder...

 

[matrixshaman]

Since I was reminded of Ti by this thread and another here I remebered to check on some Ti tubing I have been trying to get for some time and was in luck - found some 3/4" Ti fairly thick wall and a perfect fit for a CR123 battery. Also I had to buy it just in hopes it will annoy Xochi
Also thinking of making a survival capsule from some of this (got 5 feet). Ideas anyone?
BTW just grinding down the burrs left at the end of this tube from a cut I was reminded how totally hard this stuff is.

 

[moses]

Great thread. Good read and information.

McGizmo, special thanks for your thoughts. I found those most useful.

Cave Dave. I can see your sentiments. Lights are purely functional for me. The only two collectible lights I ever got came as gifts from one of the custom light pioneers on this site. He said I could do with them as I wanted and I sold both and donated the proceeds. That's not to say this is better or worse than the collectors - just that I'm pragmatic like you probably are. My lights are meant to be used.

That said, I can also understand something like the damascus body simply for its beauty and value. That then transcends mere function as a tool to provide light. It then functions as an art object or some other purposes - all of which provides pleasure. While I won't ever pay for one, I can also understand the legitimacy of an object like that.

Mo

 

[Lightcrazycanuck]

Once again it all boils down to personal Preference and money.:naughty::naughty::naughty:

 

[Burgess]

A very interesting thread here, with lots of great information.


Thank you to all who have contributed. :wave:


_

 

[KuKu427]

I dropped an aluminum AAA on concrete and ended up with a chipped bezel.
I dropped a titanium AAA on concrete and ended up with a few scratches what I buffed out when I redid the anodizing. (and I could almost swear the Ti light bounced higher than the Al one...)

Speaking as a person who EDCs a flashlight not only for utility but also for aesthetics, I prefer titanium to aluminum. The ability to self-anodize with minimal equipment is also a definite plus.

Another note, coatings on Al are only as tough as the base metal. eg. TiN coatings on Al do not offer much protection when it comes to damage from drops.

 

[recDNA]

What do you use to buff the titanium?

 

[berry580]

Depends on what type of SS, some types can be hardened to a greater extent than Ti, and still remain tough. The only real problem with Ti is that if you drop it in anything with chlorine (or any halogen for that matter), the ti will corrode. I still think ti is a great metal though, (besides, you can anodize it for cool colours/ patterns, which is tougher than HA)

REALLY? =O

does that means we shouldn't let a Ti torch into a pool (with chlorine)?

thank you

 

[Closet_Flashaholic]

The only real problem with Ti is that if you drop it in anything with chlorine (or any halogen for that matter), the ti will corrode.

Are you sure about this? Please cite your references.

The only reference I could find to support your statement is to anhydrous chlorine in the last link. Just curious about this and would like to understand a little bit more. From most situations it appears that any amount of water (or moisture) is enough to prevent corrosion. If you're in an environment with pure chlorine, I would think you would be more concerned about personal safety than whether or not your Ti flashlight or watch will corrode.

Here are my references:

(1st paragraph under Chemical)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium

(entire article)
http://www.timet.com/cor-p05.htm

(First paragraph)
http://www.uniti-titanium.com/html/capabilities/why.htm

Thank you.

 

[berry580]

The mistress has a high sticker price but she is not high maintenance, IMHO.

Agreed 200%

haha

I hate it when the anodization come off after a little drop on concrete, since most anodization is dark colored, the nicks & dings become extraordinarily outstanding.
If i drop a Ti light, it may be scratched, but at least its not that obvious with no ill-effect.

So yeah, thats the main reason why I like Ti lights.

 

[jahxman]

Aluminium utensels, pots, deoderant etc. doesn't effect your health.


The study that linked Aluminium in the brain to Alzheimer's was a mistake.
The brain cross sections had been dyed with an Aluminium compound and the scientist made the connection in error.

The study was retracted and there has never been another connection made since.

Google for it, it is common knowledge that this was simple human error.

OK, I googled:

http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/88/4/502?ck=nck
http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Doi=185671
http://www.springerlink.com/content/r77473401423h012/

Ok, these articles only deal with the specific subject of dialysis dementia as caused by high aluminum levels in the water used, but they do establish a clear toxicity syndrome, and link to dementia caused by aluminum. It at leasts suggests that other pathways of overexposure to aluminum could cause dementia.

Of course, daily handling of anodized aluminum flashlights would not be one of those pathways, IMO.

 

[berry580]

TiN is a good and hard film but it is only as durable as its substrate is able to keep it in tact. TiN over Ti would be much better in service than TiN over Al. I would think an ideal flashlight material for a Navy Seal would be TiCN film over bead blasted Ti. Anodized Ti is interesting in itself and can look pretty neat but the anodize film is so thin that it won't hold up well in service and maintain its cosmetic appearance.

Hi McGizmo, nice meeting you on the forum. Your lights are legendary on the flashaholic world! :thumbsup:

I have a Ti AAA Killer with TiCN coating.
Just wondering how much more durable would it be compared to the Type III anodization on aluminium?
I use it as a necklace, should it hold its beauty for at least 10 years??

thank you.

 

[KuKu427]

What do you use to buff the titanium?

1200 grit wet/dry followed by a scouring pad followed by a polishing cloth that they use to polish jewelry.

 

[xenonk]

From most situations it appears that any amount of water (or moisture) is enough to prevent corrosion.

The passive layer of oxidation on Ti is formed essentially instantaneously and reforms when damaged. This is what gives Ti its fantastic corrosion resistance.
Pure chlorine would do horrible things to the metal, but the presence of oxygen in any significant amount (such as from some water) is enough for it to resist corrosion. Something like a chlorinated swimming pool would be a non-issue.

 

[bmstrong]

Because I NEED it.

 

[McGizmo]

To my knowledge, there is no environment or chemical conditions that we can survive in or are willing to expose ourselves to that could have any significant effect on the Ti. As a relatively high noble metal, it can also survive well if left in a situation conducive to galvanic corrosion. I would add that in such circumstances, if it is electrically bonded with other metals, they will become sacrificial which is something to be aware of.

 

[Henk_Lu]

I just like Titanium, don't know why, the feel & touch, the look...

So, I don't care what metal is the better one for a flashlight, Titanium is really noble and as I'm a man I can carry the few grams more.

As I also love warm tints, my dream would be a Sundrop with a brighter emitter. When I finally decided to pull the trigger on the last run of Sundrops, they were all gone... :sigh:

 

[nfetterly]

I just like Titanium, don't know why, the feel & touch, the look...

There is something about the feel of it....

People are going to get tired of this photo (Milky creemator head on mcclicky 2-pak)...., but with all the talk of anodizing (3 years ago mind you) there are no photos remaining (if there were any). So here's one that Chip just did for me recently. Blue screws, clip gold, body splash anodized - but what I particularly like is the main color is purple/blue/lighter blue/green depending ont he viewing angle - given the way Don made this body the viewing angles are varied - so in addition to the splash ano work you get this crazy light combination down the body of the light.

And yes I am going to use this light.