I've had a request for a liner-lock with red titanium liners, bolsters and screws. Has anybody had any experience anodizing titanium to this colour? I'm given to understand that he wants a ruby red colour and to date I've yet to see a folder with liners this colour. Also I haven't been able to source any suppliers of titanium screws, size 2x72, does anybody know of any?
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Regards from Australia.

Neil, I bought some ti screws from Les Halpern quite a while back, the ones I got were 2-56 pan head. You might try and see if he has some 1-72. Hope this helps.
Roland

Neil, you can get a reddish color around 80 to 85 volts, depends on how the ti is finished out. The range is real critical and you can pass it up quick. I have never seen ti colored to a deep red though. Can't help you on the screws.

OK, here comes the "Out of the Box" thinking.

Have not seen red but may have an experiment to try on a piece of scrap.

Ever see the RED (blue or green) aluminum flashlights? Ever wonder how they do that? You anodize the aluminum just like Titanium, however you get NO color, just a layer of oxidation that is clear. Then you boil the aluminum in water with any color of dye. Dye used for dying clothes works. The dye stains the oxidation to the color of choice.

MAYBE, annodizing the Titanuim to a fairly neutral color (Gold) and then boiling it in red dyed water "MAY" do the trick.

I HAVE NOT tried this (but it works on paper).

I think I remember AT Barr looking for Titanium screws in the past, maybe he found a suplier.

I have not been in the shop for several weeks due to a lot of rain and having the flu and this weekend is "Dancing Hammers" with the blacksmiths Association so I will miss this weekend also. Maybe after this weekend, if nobody has tried this, I may find time to try it out.

That would be fantastic Bob, I've yet to assemble my anodizing set-up.

Regards from Australia.

Hey Bob,

Can you elaborate more on the aluminum? ie, can we use the same setup for our Ti, does it need another kind of TSP solution, how long and what voltage to anodize, and I guess we would experement with the amount of time to boil it?

Or if you don't know, sorry for attack of questions.

Thanks

I have never tried this. I have been researching it on and off for a long time (actually I was looking for a way to anodize stainless steel to make knives of really cool colors). According to the information I have gathered you anodize in a manner similar to that of anodizing Titanium. The difference is that the result is a clear oxide that does not block colors.
The oxide on Titanuim lets light in and the light reflects off the metal and comes back out. The thicker the oxide, colors are blocked and not allowed to reflect back to your eyes, the ones that get through are the ones that give the appearance of blue, gree, gold or whatever. Hope this makes sense.

On Aluminum the oxide is clear and lets all light in and all light out. It is just a thin film on the metal. This oxide layer can be dyed by boiling it in dye like that used for dying clothes. The result is a red, green, black or whatever color you used for dye.

My suggested experiment is to anodize titanuim to a fairly neutral color like gold and then boil it in red dye to see what happens.

Why haven't I tried it, you ask. I am just too busy right now to do much of anything. My company has has seven layoffs and my five person department is now doing what 19 used to do. The work did not stop, just the people left. I get home and get on the computer and work for another couple hours. I am building a hydraulic press over e-mail with a guy in Michigan. He knows nothing about it and we are going through it a little every day. At the end it should be just like mine but without the flaws I did not know to eliminate on mine. I still need to make my surface grinder, make a stencil for Don Cowles for the CKD knife and by God, someday I WILL make a folder.

Kinda takes away the get up and go to try new stuff. Hopefully someone out there will try it and report back. If not, I will eventually get to it.



Does it sound like I am whining?

Na, just trying to justify not completing this experiment for the benefit of everyone. I know it will teach us something but just can't get to it now, I hate to let everyone down.

Here is a "How To" for anodizing Aluminum.

www.nomma.org/architect/articles-architect/anodizing.html (http://www.nomma.org/architect/articles-architect/anodizing.html)