# Anyone consider Titanium Nitride coatings for lights?



## Macaw (Apr 1, 2006)

The factory where I work uses tooling with this extremely hard coating. It is a very nice gold color and nearly impossible to scratch. I was wondering if any flashlight makers had considered this plating method. A TiN coated aluminum McLux III PD would make for a beautiful and long lasting alternative to gold plating.


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## scott.cr (Apr 1, 2006)

Interesting idea. If someone did this in a group buy I'd send in a couple of my scratch-made lights for coating. That gold color might be a bit garish, but if that main bad guy dude in "Face/Off" can have two gold plated pistols, I can have two gold plated flashlights!


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## Lunarmodule (Apr 2, 2006)

Funny that you should mention McGizmo in relation to TiN plating. Don has used the technique in finishing some of his earlier creations, I have a TiN (gold garish color) PR-T head that I love!


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## nekomane (Apr 2, 2006)

There was talk about one here N sized Titanium Luxeon light with custom reflector by *reefphilic*.
See 72nd post.
Very cool but too expensive for many of us


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## Anglepoise (Apr 2, 2006)

I would agree. Very nice looking.
Now I contacted Don on this subject and be told me that the problem was that aluminium was too soft as a 'base'and this caused problems with the Titanium Nitride coating. He did not specify what these problems were but I took his advise at face value and never followed up.


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## reefphilic (Apr 2, 2006)

Yes, titanium nitride coated light with titanium base will be a virtually unscratchable keychain light. If someone here have sources that charge a reasonable price and are willing to do a group buy, I'll be keen to get some of my light coated. Otherwise, I'll probably pay the exoribitant price to get a few of my lights done. 

Titanium nitride has a very high hardness. Any thing with high hardness will have low flexibility. Adhesion to aluminium is not a problem. My guess is that when the base aluminium is dented, the coating crack.


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## NickelPlate (Apr 2, 2006)

Macaw said:


> The factory where I work uses tooling with this extremely hard coating. It is a very nice gold color and nearly impossible to scratch. I was wondering if any flashlight makers had considered this plating method. A TiN coated aluminum McLux III PD would make for a beautiful and long lasting alternative to gold plating.



Funny you mention that. We have a test TiN vessel in the shop room at work which we use to test the power supplies we build for them, but I don't much about it other than that as I don't work in that department. But, it's a good idea as metal hardened in this way is very strong.

Dave


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## McGizmo (Apr 2, 2006)

TiN and TiCN (Titanium CarboNitride) are very hard and very thin coatings. I believe they rely heavily on the substrate for ultimate durability. I have some Al, stainless steel and titanium pieces that have been plated with these films as well as cutting tools and inserts. 

Jets22 did a number of flashlight parts in these plating films and he provided me with most of my samples. IMHO, plating Al with these films may provide a nice looking finish but it will not hold up nearly as well as anodize to any impacts capable of deforming the soft Al substrate.

Plating stainless steel or titanium with these films makes more sense as it will require greater force on impact and dings to compromise the film. Since stainless steel stains less and Ti is virtually imume to corrosion, I would think these films would be selected primarily for reason of appearance and secondarily for reason of abraison resistance. I have a couple bead blasted Ti clips that were done with a TiCn film and I can see where this film would have acceptance an desireability for those not wanting a shiny reflective surface either from design or wear through of other films. I am thinking tactical here. I believe one could also make a case for improved thermal relief of a black surface in terms of emmisivity (sp) but this may be insignificant in quantitative terms and view of the overall thermal picture.

I would like to have one of my Ti lights done in TiCN just for the looks and variety it would offer but I am not sure it could or would be justified beyond its unique and unusual nature. I would like to add some diamond grit in the film as well for more of a shark skin film.  It could become the instigator of abraision instead of recipient of abraision. A fine ******* as it were. :nana:


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## Macaw (Apr 3, 2006)

Cool! A fingernail file McluxIII Ti!


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## dc (Apr 6, 2006)

If i'm not wrong, Citizen have been applying TIN coating to some of their higher end watch for quite sometime. I have 2 of this TIN coated watch, both are Ti, and they remain scratchless till date and i'm real impressed with their scratch resistance. 
I read some somewhere the hardness of TIN is ard hv800. To give u an idea of how hard TIn is, consider this : Sapphire have hv of ard hv1200 while normal titanium/stainless steel have hv400.


Rgrds,
DC


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## reefphilic (Apr 7, 2006)

dc said:


> If i'm not wrong, Citizen have been applying TIN coating to some of their higher end watch for quite sometime. I have 2 of this TIN coated watch, both are Ti, and they remain scratchless till date and i'm real impressed with their scratch resistance.
> I read some somewhere the hardness of TIN is ard hv800. To give u an idea of how hard TIn is, consider this : Sapphire have hv of ard hv1200 while normal titanium/stainless steel have hv400.
> 
> 
> ...




Actually, TiN coating has a hardness level of approximately 2500HV. Not too sure about sapphire crystal but I guess it should be much higher than 1200HV. 

Nice watches you have got there. Does it has a matt surface or it is highly reflective?


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