# Blasting titanium???



## oneinthaair (Mar 31, 2015)

What's best to blast Ti with glass, soda, bead or ??? Looking for a dull smooth finish.


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## Str8stroke (Apr 1, 2015)

Would the type of Ti matter too??


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## NoNotAgain (Apr 1, 2015)

Titanium is typically blasted as with a wet slurry, otherwise it creates lots of sparks. Soda blast will give the dullest surface finish as it will remove or displace the least amount of material.

As for the type of titanium, it doesn't matter. You may have to dwell on a location a little longer with a titanium alloy like 6AL4V over CP2, but they all can be blasted.

A ground strap to the work piece will help in keeping the sparks down.


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## Str8stroke (Apr 1, 2015)

Good info No, I didn't know about the sparks. Interesting.


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## Jumpmaster (Apr 1, 2015)

I use glass media in my bead blast cabinet...it's dry and doesn't really create many sparks on Grade 5 Titanium. Nothing happens even with the few it does make though...it works great. I've used it to remove laser-engraved "branding" off a few items and it makes quick work of it. You can vary the air pressure to the blast cabinet to suit how aggressively you want to blast the surface.


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## NoNotAgain (Apr 1, 2015)

Jumpmaster said:


> I use glass media in my bead blast cabinet...it's dry and doesn't really create many sparks on Grade 5 Titanium. Nothing happens even with the few it does make though...it works great. I've used it to remove laser-engraved "branding" off a few items and it makes quick work of it. You can vary the air pressure to the blast cabinet to suit how aggressively you want to blast the surface.



Jumpmaster, the issue with sparking is that in most cases, inside of a blast cabinet the dust creates an explosive environment, just like a grain silo. You've got a lot of static electricity being generated and mixed with the dust and a lack of ventilation can make things go boom. Not a major risk, but a risk all the same.

Whenever I have an oddball material that I'm working on that either needs machining or blasting, my machines are torn down, cleaned and then put back into service. There are times where I have to use walnut shell media on Kevlar. Can't have the normal aluminum oxide embedded into the surface. Walnut shell is harder than corn cob which I also use from time to time depending on material.

Get an ESD wrist strap and ground yourself to the cabinet. You'll be surprised how few electrical shocks you receive.


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## Jumpmaster (Apr 1, 2015)

I thought I'd read before that aluminum oxide dust wasn't combustible...


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## Mmassey338 (Apr 1, 2015)

But titanium is.


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## Jumpmaster (Apr 1, 2015)

Mmassey338 said:


> But titanium is.



Yeah, but the dust in the blast cabinet is almost entirely aluminum oxide dust...when I've blasted Ti before, I barely took anything off of it...maybe a few thousandths off an area around 0.5"^2...there couldn't have been THAT much Ti dust...

Y'all like to argue, huh? Tell ya what...y'all go on ahead and do what you want and so will I. That way everyone's happy.


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## precisionworks (Apr 6, 2015)

My favorite way to "blast" titanium is in a tumbler. Drop in the parts, add media, add water, let it work for a few days & that's it. Nicer feel than pressure abraded titanium IMHO.

Ti does produce a hot, white spark, easily seen when belt grinding at 6,000 sfpm. Never gave much thought to explosion but probably should.


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## Str8stroke (Apr 6, 2015)

precisionworks said:


> My favorite way to "blast" titanium is in a tumbler. Drop in the parts, add media, add water, let it work for a few days & that's it. Nicer feel than pressure abraded titanium IMHO.
> 
> Ti does produce a hot, white spark, easily seen when belt grinding at 6,000 sfpm. Never gave much thought to explosion but probably should.



What media would you suggest? Some old CDs or floppy drives?? 

Seriously, the OP is looking for a dull smooth finish. Any suggestion what type of media to use in order to best achieve this in a tumbler? In case he decides to go the tumbler route. Also, I have a tumbler and was looking to achieve the same finish.


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## oneinthaair (Apr 6, 2015)

Str8stroke said:


> What media would you suggest? Some old CDs or floppy drives??
> 
> Seriously, the OP is looking for a dull smooth finish. Any suggestion what type of media to use in order to best achieve this in a tumbler? In case he decides to go the tumbler route. Also, I have a tumbler and was looking to achieve the same finish.



I was really thinking about a tumbler stone washed! Would be awesome!


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## Str8stroke (Apr 6, 2015)

Me too. I just got my tumbler and haven't figured out what to use in it to tumble Stainless and Ti. Thats why I have been following this thread. No way I will buy a blaster. lol I am out of room for hobbies.

Edit: as smart & experienced as some of these fine folks are, someone is bound to know. lol


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## precisionworks (Apr 6, 2015)

Titanium gets darker the longer its in the tumbler ...







The media I prefer is ultra fine ceramic because it doesn't cause any rounding over of sharp edges or features. The down side of ultra fine media is long cycle time. Time varies based on the shapes & features of a particular light, tumbler load, media used, etc. For lights that have a number of small edges (think McGizmo Sundrop or Haiku) figure most of a week in the barrel using ultra fine abrasive.






Ti bead on left after stone-wash, bead on right as machined.






Mac's EDC (aluminum).






Mac's EDC (titanium)

I've run the same ceramic media for some time & there are many suppliers. Kramer has a broad selection: http://www.kramerindustriesonline.com/tumbling-media/ceramic-media.htm


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## TnC_Products (Apr 20, 2015)

I have to agree with precisionworks as tumbling does leave a nice finish on Titanium. I have a very large tumbler and it usually takes a full day to get the desired finish.

If you are looking for more of a matte finish then I use soda in my blast cabinet with a vacuum to eliminate the build up of pressure. I sometimes blast the titanium first then throw it in the tumbler. This seems to speed up the tumbling process.


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## precisionworks (Apr 21, 2015)

TnC_Products said:


> ... I sometimes blast the titanium first then throw it in the tumbler. This seems to speed up the tumbling process.


Totally agree. Blast + tumble leaves a slightly different finish than tumble only & it's very nice. But I no longer have access to a blast cabinet


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