titanium sheet ???

[Bob Mannix]

Try doing a simple Google search for titanium sheet. I got loads of suppliers in different areas.

[Dave Gibson]

British Aerospace have got shed loads. Give them a call.

[Steve]

Suggestions please !

They haven't any at B+Q or Screwfix, so who can supply a 18" x 3 " x

18 gauge strip of titanium ?

Thanks

Steve

[Stan the Man]

Hi Give your local Steel Stockist a call. Ask them who they supply, and give them a call and see if they can supply you with a offcut ? Stan the Man

[Steve]

Tried that, but the ones I spotted were looking at 600 x 2000 mm sheets...

Its the small pieces problem that has me beat. I can get industrial quantities.

Steve

[BigWallop]

E-mail to the makers will probably get you an off cut cheap enough.

[Wanderer]

I never cease to be amazed at the number of people who seem reluctant to pick up the telephone and ask if it's possible to get hold of small quantities from a supplier, but they're quite happy to ask here.

[John Schmitt]

Firstly, as I understand it, titanium comes in a variety of grades. Are you attempting something like rocket science or does this not matter as you only want the appearance? Titanium wa quite expensive a few years back because so much of it was going into sporting bats of one sort or another and the law of supply and demand came into play. Depending on purity and grade you are looking at UKP 1 per gram upwards in small quantity.

Newmet Koch 01922 703400

do all sorts of exotic metals. Depending on the metal, they go up to six nines purity. Small orders no problem.

John Schmitt

-- If you have nothing to say, or rather, something extremely stupid and obvious, say it, but in a 'plonking' tone of voice - i.e. roundly, but hollowly and dogmatically. - Stephen Potter

[Steve]

I never cease to be amazed by people who make unwarranted assumptions - a run on the phone got me prices of 200 quid MOQ from 5 stockists, 1 in Manchester 4 in the Midlands. Hence I asked here as a last resort.

Steve

[Steve]

John, Thanks for your help. The application is an ornamental one, so the exact grade and putity is unimportant. Mostly I have been offered G5, but I have no idea if that is good bad or indifferent. I want to decorate the piece by anodising.

Steve

[Stan the Man]

Why get Titanium then coat it?

[Grunff]

Anodising isn't quite the same as coating. You still have the same outer layer of titanium oxide, but you have dye molecules diffused within the oxide layer, so it's coloured. It's just as hard as it was before.

[Grunff]

You don't have to go all that thin to get interference - also works with smooth anodised aluminium.

[Andy Dingley]

That depends who you ask ! Bit of a controversial claim at the moment.

-- Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

[Steve]

The colour effects are very neat, and the stuff is hypo allergenic.

Steve

[Steve]

AFAIK, the anodic film on Ti is so thin you get optical interference within the film, hence the colour ?

Steve

[Steve]

True, I think it must be related then to the natural lustre/colour of the metal, you certainly get stronger contrasts in Ti.

Steve

[Steve]

Since I have two 16mm pieces in my jaw now, I bloody well hope it IS hypo-allergenic !

Steve

[John Schmitt]

With anodised aluminium, it is a synthetic dye adsorbed onto the surface that gives it the colour, effectively a lake. (q.v.) Anodised titanium works on film thickness, but is fairly complicated to achieve a predictable colour without a lot of (expensive) trial and error. Current, duration, electrolyte and so on all have an influence. Had I realised this was the path you were going down, I'd have suggested (DIY ideals notwithstanding) that you buy the stuff ready coloured.

John Schmitt

-- If you have nothing to say, or rather, something extremely stupid and obvious, say it, but in a 'plonking' tone of voice - i.e. roundly, but hollowly and dogmatically. - Stephen Potter

[Steve]

Hi John,

You are always a mine of information for exotic processes !

I do have the tackle to play with the anodising process, for Ti, it takes quite a high voltage, and you need to pickle the metal before treatment - the preferred pickle until recently contained HF acid, but that has been dispensed with. Repeatibility isn't really an issue.

I have finally found a Ti supplier in the USA that supplies what I want for around 12p / sq. in, as opposed to the £5.00 sq in I have been quoted here.

for interest.

Steve