Anybody used to working with titanium?

lawguy

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Does anybody here know how to work with titanium? Anybody know if MAPP gas will heat titanium rod up enough to work with it or do I need to go with oxy-acetylene?
 

kara_leigh

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What do you mean by "work with?" Do you want to braze it or do you want to bend it? MAPP gas only burns up to 2400 degrees? That is barely enough to braze or bend mild steel which is much easier to work with than Ti.

(This came from my husband who is a machinist, NOT me b/c I have no idea about these things. lol)
 
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lawguy

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I've used MAPP gas to heat steel up enough to bend, but I had to put some muscle into it still.

I need to bend a thin titanium rod into a perfect 90 degree angle.

My plan was to use a vise to hold the rod, heat up the rod, and use a hammer to bend it until the bend is 90 degrees.
 
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lawguy

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either 1/8" or 1/10" - depending on which is in stock at the local supplier. The only issue here is that it needs to be heated up so I can get a perfect 90 degree angle (or actually a series of 90 degree angles).

ETA: Oh yeah, I also need to somehow cut it to length and round the corners. I think I can just do that with a bench grinder - but I've never worked with titanium before so I don't know.

Steel, I've worked with plenty before, and it was considerably thicker than what I'm going to be working with. I know nothing about titanium though.
 

weldrwomn

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Howdy, Howdy!

Please do not take a torch to your Titanium. if you get the surface temp over 800F you need shielding gas. Also, Titanium is rather brittle so unless you know which particular grade you have, you may not be able to bend it. The method I would try is to take a cutoff wheel and score one side of it to make it easier to bend w/o a torch. Also, a cutoff wheel would be a good bet for cutting thin titanium.

I have worked with titanium a little in the past, but it is not my area of expertise.
 

vampcow

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Originally Posted by WELDRWOMN

Howdy, Howdy!

Please do not take a torch to your Titanium. if you get the surface temp over 800F you need shielding gas. Also, Titanium is rather brittle so unless you know which particular grade you have, you may not be able to bend it. The method I would try is to take a cutoff wheel and score one side of it to make it easier to bend w/o a torch. Also, a cutoff wheel would be a good bet for cutting thin titanium.

I have worked with titanium a little in the past, but it is not my area of expertise.
ohhhh but what about melting the titanium? My brother (who is a metal worker) is melting a set of medical grade titanium rods for me. (believe it or not he is making my wedding rings out if it...)
 
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lawguy

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Please do not take a torch to your Titanium. if you get the surface temp over 800F you need shielding gas. Also, Titanium is rather brittle so unless you know which particular grade you have, you may not be able to bend it. The method I would try is to take a cutoff wheel and score one side of it to make it easier to bend w/o a torch. Also, a cutoff wheel would be a good bet for cutting thin titanium.
hmmm..... maybe it would be better to just go with carbon steel which I'm used to.
 

weldrwomn

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Originally Posted by vampcow

ohhhh but what about melting the titanium? My brother (who is a metal worker) is melting a set of medical grade titanium rods for me. (believe it or not he is making my wedding rings out if it...)
It will ruin the titanium if it is not properly shielded when heated and/or melted.
 
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lawguy

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It's actually to make a tool (or rather a bunch of tools) to work with a certain type of very popular and historically significant firearm. I noticed that there is only one company that makes this tool, and theirs is made with fairly weak stainless steel. The tool endures a considerable amount of stress and needs to not bend, shear, or even mildly flex.

I figured I'd make the same tool (it's not patented) out of carbon steel or titanium for myself to have, and also maybe to sell.
 

weldrwomn

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You can always get a piece of titanium and try to do what you need with it, and see if it works, but when you take a torch to it without shielding, you risk ruining the properties of the titanium.

I think that carbon steel would probably be a lot more forgiving to work with.
 
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