[TheForge] Titanium

[David E. Smucker]

I would agree that I don't think it would make very good knifes but it not 
too bad for a shovel.

When in Russia in 1992 as part of a corporate technical team we visited a 
major Russian plant that refined and processed titanium.  (Along with 
aluminum forgings and extrusion -- the real reason we were there.)  At the 
time they had so damn much titanium that they were making trenching shovels 
for the Russian army out of titanium.  They gave us several as gifts. 
Strangest thing you every saw -- shovels that would cost $500 to $ 600 to 
make in the USA at the time. It saved about 30 % over the weight of steel. 
I have heard that they even made some of their smaller attack subs out of 
titanium.  I don't know this as a fact -- just rumor.

Dave Smucker
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andrew Vida" <osan at netlabs.net>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2005 12:36 AM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Titanium


>
>
> debmiller at fuse.net wrote:
>> Hey Guys,
>> I must admit to forgetting whether or not I asked this question.
>> I have a welding class with a student interested in forging a blade out 
>> of titanium.
>
> Just this side of useless as a cutting utensil.
>>
>> I mentioned that on this lost some people have recommended against 
>> titanium several times. I cannot remember why.
>
> Far too soft. 6-4 alloy used to be the hardest of them (may no longer be 
> the case... been a few years since I dealt with it).
>
> It makes a miserable knife compared to a good steel.
>>
>> If titanium is a potential blade material does anyone have a chunk 
>> roughly 2" x 8" x 1 1/2" or so that you would sell him?
>
> You also have to be a bit careful with forging the alloys.  First you have 
> the issues of safety WRT fumes of vanadium, which may not kill you, but 
> they won't help you much either.  Hot forging 6-4 is, as I recall, best 
> accomplished with a hydraulic press.  This can all be looked up in a 
> Mark's Handbook.  These alloys are not easy to forge the way CP is. In 
> grinding, they glaze wheels heavily.  And in the end you may have a really 
> nice looking, but functionally useless knife.  As I recall, SEAL/UDT has a 
> Ti alloy knife that they use for certain types of operation.  I have heard 
> that their usefulness is exceptionally limited.
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