Titanium q's??

[balibalistic]

It seems most folder makers use TI for liners and such.i'd like to venture into using some and am after between .070 - .090. i have a good handle on some but dont know what i should look for as far as condition goes.i see some places have it listed as "knifemaker grade" ,"standard grade". what should i be looking at here?is some TI pitted and just no good? the stuff i can get is 6al4v .090" thick.

[Pete Parsons]

I am a noob folder maker myself and no expert, but I recently had the opportunity to take folder classes from Ed Caffrey and asked the same question. Ed mentioned that commercial grade and medical grade Ti is "too soft" for folders.

The 6-4 Ti is what you want in thicknesses from .040 to .060 depending on the size of the knife (.090 sounds thick for liners). He also recommended Alpha Knife Supply as a great source and if I recall right; I believe the AKS knifemaker grade is perfectly flat (which will save you a ton of headaches).

I am sure there are many other great sources and types of Ti you can use as well.

Hope this helps.

-Pete Parsons

[AcridSaint]

When you start getting into .060 and higher, you'll have to start relieving the lock. .090 will work fine for a framelock, I have one in my pocket that's .100 and it's not bad at all, just need to relieve it. 6AL-4V is what you want. Chuck Bybee is who lists ti as "knifemaker grade" etc. If you buy from him, you'll be in good shape.

I'm no expert folder maker, but I'm on No. 2 and I spend quite a bit of time with several folder makers. Alan Folts on here being one of them and the guy who's teaching me about it.

[balibalistic]

Thanks fella's!!

Reason i'm after .090 is because i'm not making linerlock's.i'm more of a bali nut!!it seems theres nill no no interest in bali's on this forum..,but you's sure have alot of great info

i've been using 304 SS .075" thick.TI is much lighter and all around better.heres one i finished last night,gives you an idea of what i'm doing.



I'm worried if i spend a couple hundred on TI it might be pitted something awefull..,guess i'll cross my fingers.

[Pete Parsons]

Ahhhhaaaaaa. Disregard my coments on thickness then.

That's a very beautiful and mean looking bali.

-Pete Parsons

[Ray Rogers]

I've bought thousands of dollars worth of 6-4 ti over the years from many sources. Never have I seen a piece of it that was pitted. I bought some 1/8 ti bars once that were 'rusty' looking on the edges but still worked out just fine. I've had some that wasn't really perfectly flat but usually that wasn't much of an issue either, but I make liner locks. For a bali you could use most any type of ti as long as you weren't planning on anodizing it. I have some 1/2" CP ti that I've used for some projects with no complaints. The main reason you see 6-4 recommended so much is the assumption that you are making liner locks, 6-4 is a natural spring and it anodizes very well.

Bottom line: I wouldn't worry much about pitting........

[balibalistic]

Ok great!! another question..,will i need to use carbide reamers??

[Frank Niro]

No but they will last a lot longer . The cutting and grinding is going to be a big difference. There can be klots of trouble if you get the titanium too hot with lovely alumimum fires starting. Also the aluminum will want to melt on the grinding belts and kill their grinding ability. A little more time to do the jobs is all that's necessary . Frank

[David Broadwell]

I'll throw in what I've learned from folders and the one bali I made. First the alloy. 6al4v is a spring grade, and the most common titanium alloy made. It's good for liner and frame locks, and would be fine for liners and frames on balis. It is on the tough side, and especially doesn't care to be ground. It eats up belts, so use good ceramics, and it will easily orange peel with finer belts, so slow down the grinding if you can. Another similar alloy that works just as well is 6-2-4-2. Just don't mix the two alloys on a given knife if you are anodizing them as they get different colors at the same voltages. Because of the compression at the stop pins on a bali, I don't believe CP is a good choice. CP would be fine if you wanted handle overlays attached to liners, and would be a great choice if the scales were to be engraved. Now if you want your liners to last longer I suggest you use stainless steel. Titanium is still considered an exotic metal, even though it's the 4th most heavily mined element from the earth. It's light and can be colored. However, it's not necessarily as tough or wear resistant as some steel alloys. You could use a precipitation hardening stainless such as 17-4 or 17-7. Yes, the knife would be a bit heavier, but you could relieve some of that weight by drilling or milling in non critical areas.

As for thicknesses. .090 seems a bit thick for a liner if you are mounting some other material to the top, unless the overlays are pretty thin. However, I don't really know your particular style so I could be way off base. On the one bali I made I used (I think; it's been awhile) .060 liners. The overlays were metal.

The "Knifemaker Grade" from Bybee is a reference to the condition of the material, not the alloy itself. If Chuck gets titanium in that is very clean and flat it gets that designation. Most titanium we use is from drops, not virgin sheet, so it can be scuffed and/or bent slightly. That's the regular grade. It's still good stuff. I just straighten it if needed.

Nice bali. Show more pics. Maybe more people will get interested in them.

David

[balibalistic]

Thanks for your input,Dave. I'm not overly thrilled about trying out TI as i'm a fan of slightly heavier knives myself! i have been using 304 SS recently and it has been working just fine.but the market seems to love the TI.

I have posted a few of my knives here on the forum,including this one.but it seems there is zero interest in bali's over here..,not sure why,they're a fun knife (imo)

Also,i like to use between .075 - .090 for liners.i have been using .075 with 1/8" overlays ground down and domed..,so the over all thickness per handle slab is generally between .160 - .170 at center.i find this makes for a comfortable and solid feel in hand. if i use .090 i will have to grind a bit more off the overlays..,but that'll be fine!

What i have been doing is making the entire knife with adjustable construction,counterboring recesses into the overlays for screw head clearance so i can use fully hidden hardware. something a little different and gives a clean look (imo). so the knives are fully adjustable after removing the 2-56 t6 screws holding down the overlays.
i also use PB bushings and washers. its tough getting the bushings 3 to 5 thou thicker then blade to prevent pinch and blade coming into contact with liners..,so i built a manual bushing lapper to help me keep bushing perfectly flat on both sides aswell as adjust size.

I've been using hidden stop pins instead of standard tang pins,again..,i just like the clean look of it.and if at some point the pins show signs of wear,i can easily replace them quickly.i'm very new to the knifemaking game and have alot to learn,but am having a blast!!

Sorry for the ramble,but talking to other knifemakers i tend to elaborate heres some of my work!










Lots more,but i wont bore you's with a all my knives

[AUBE]

Very nice work! Have a website or photo album so I can be "bored" with more of your work? I've always liked balisongs but I haven't gotten around to making them yet. I would be interesting in seeing more for sure.

[balibalistic]

Thanks Aube,

No i dont have a website..,just a filthy shop and desire to make sharp things

[David Broadwell]

Originally Posted by balibalistic

Thanks Aube,

No i dont have a website..,just a filthy shop and desire to make sharp things

I have a filthy shop AND a web site. There are benefits in both. I suggest you get a web site. You'll sell more balis (best advertising method these days) and you'll satisfy people like Aube and me who want to see more of what you make. That will allow you to make more sharp things and more dirt for the shop!

David

[balibalistic]

Dave,i will definitly look into it!! i just find a hard time spending time or money on anything other then supplies and making i would love to have a website,though.