Titanium Anodization Experimenting

[oregon]

A few pics for your amusement. Three different backgrounds to try to bring out the colors. Top row: 65 volts right to left 128 volts with various solutions (water & baking soda, diet cola, water & dishwasher soap). Bottom row is random. Coins for color and size standards. The coiled wire is 6Al 4V titanium Eli Annealed and it is bright green, exactly the color I was working toward but unfortunately not exactly reproduced on any of the round stock (110 volts in baking soda solution).

I washed the pieces in soapy water, alcohol bath and water rinse. A few of the pieces were carefully treated in a lye solution, in addition to the above rituals.

The diagonal pieces, two, are the "before" pieces of titanium rod (leftover end pieces from someone's project across town, I still have a bag of untouched pieces to mess with).







The colors are elusive and mercurial to create and to photograph. Practice, practice, practice... There are not nearly enough Saturdays.

oregon

[roguesoul]

Fun!

What is your voltage source?

[oregon]

Yes. Big fun. You couldn't be more right roguesoul.

I just started using a digital bench power supply, CSI12001X, from Circuit Specialists, out of Mesa, AZ. It is rated: 0-120VDC/ 0-1A. $149.69 delivered. I have no complaints.

The potion mixtures, off to Home Depot for some TSP later, are now the key to successfully creating the colors since the power supply is all set.

Some pics of this capable small tool for your amusement:







I see this, http://www.bme.unc.edu/~bob/titanium-spectrum-web-2.jpg , and I figure that what one man can do another can do.

The positive lead always goes to the titanium target. And, yes please use caution working with caustic mixtures and electricity.

oregon

[oregon]

Pink (brite), blue (brite) and green. All washed in warm soapy water, warm water rinse, a few minutes in a lye bath, warm water rinse, anodized in a white vinegar (5% acid) bath, @, from left to right, 128, 110 and 110 VDC. The voltage was brought up from 15-20 VDC in 5 volt increments on the blue and the green. You can see much of the color change, on the target as the voltage goes up, thru the clear white vinegar. The pink got the electricity, from the jump, at 110 VDC, then raised to the max voltage. The exact color is revealed when dry and changes as you manipulate the piece and as the light source changes. And, the colors refuse to be photographed accurately.

oregon

[duff72]

reactivemetals.com has a similar machine with different labels. that is where I got my set up years ago-if you want to get some different results try different surfaces. polished surfaces really let the colors pop. also try painting with one lead to your workpiece and the other piece to a natural sponge wet with your solution. have fun

[oregon]

Have you found a consistent formula to get bright green? I find that color elusive, tricky and very hard to see when in the bath.

Have you ever tried a very weak solution (1ml in 1 liter of water) of sulfuric acid as the anodization bath?

I've painted with 9V batteries in series. The higher voltage digital power supply I'm using now holds my respect. I'm not sure that I am brave enough to hold the leads with rubber gloves, standing on a rubber pad with a dear friend on the switch and ready to pull the plug. I don't really even come close to the bath when anodizing, turn off the switch when done and pull the plug before I touch the bath area.

How about some pics of your results? Pretty please

oregon

[duff72]

As you said green is a very tough one. I will look for anything I have left,most of the stuff I did was for gifts. I might have a few rings that I did. I will look over the next couple days :D Have fun

[Clawhammer]

I'm so glad this post came up.

One of the reasons I joined this site is because my interest was piqued by those shots of this anodised spyderfly



There seems to real science to getting this technique working consistently.
In Australia we're on 240volt so US stuff (like the SMT microanodiser) is incompatable...I'll have to make an anodiser out of a battery charger...

The question is...how do you get the intensity of colour as seen on the spyderfly?



These guys have been a real gold..err Titanium mine of info;

http://www.theringlord.org/forum/showthread.php?t=40618

Keep the posts coming guys...you'll save me a lot of mistakes
Cheers
C'Hammer

[oregon]

The question is...how do you get the intensity of colour as seen on the spyderfly?
C'Hammer

Thank you kindly for the link. Interesting questions.

The Spyderfly is coated, probably while in a vacuum, with a thin ceramic layer of titanium nitride (feels "sticky" to the touch doesn't it). Different from the 6Al-4V (I think but don't know as I received my end pieces from a third party) solid titanium I'm working with. So different stuff yields different surfaces so different anodizing results.

Titanium nitride: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_nitride

oregon

[Clawhammer]

Thanx Oregon...you saved me a tonne of heartache.

yes, the Ti Nitride is the finish I was chasing!

Most of what I was reading was coming from the "Mr Titanium" website.
Everything there revolves around anodising Titanium onto stainless Steel...not anodising titanium onto itself as I understand you're doing.

The "ringlord" post talks about 'current' control problems caused by (from memory) a saturated solution. As the soultion becomes saturated with ions more current is required and that overloads the anodiser..it in turn drops voltage back and the time it takes to anodise a given part increases.

They had a calculation that helps you to work out a part with 'x' surface area will require a cathode with 'y' area and it should be charged for 'n' minutes. From my limited understanding, the size of the cathode has a large effect on the current (irrespective of voltage) required to anodise a peice.... to much current and your anodiser will 'hunt' around and screw up your voltage setting all the while your anodes/cathodes are boiling away, pitting like crazy and wasting effort/consumables/patience.

I'm beginning to think it's a black art :p

[oregon]

I'm beginning to think it's a black art :p

I agree. Like smoke on the wind it, reliable color outcome anodization, is elusive.

Sidebar: My father-in-law carries his rainbow Leek and shows it to everyone who will sit still for it. For example, when he went to visit his doctor for an ailment and the first thing he wanted the physician to check out was his Leek! The colors you seek are a big hit with folk.

oregon (who has never tasted Krafts Foods Vegemite, unfortunately)

[vampyrewolf]

Oregon: The DC supply is safe to play around with. High enough power will kick, but 100VDC @ 1A won't do more than leave a red mark and maybe a small blister if you're unlucky enough to get a good shot with wet skin. Even 110VAC only tingles across the fingers.

No reason to be afraid of working with it, just respect it. Quality work boots with a layer of rubber will help a lot (as compared to a pair of old runners), but as long as your hand doesn't hit both the pos and neg lines at the same time it won't smack you. If the rubber on the boots isn't enough, toss a rubber mat on the work area to isolate it (then the only real threat is an AC short on the supply or shorting the DC supply through yourself and feeling it's kiss).

Power supplies are fun :p

[oregon]

[quote="vampyrewolf"]

You sound like the voice of experience vw. So... lets see the scars or hear the war story (electricity vs vampyrewolf). Seriously, thanks for putting my feet onto the ground, no pun intended. I want to keep it fun for me and my next of kin who see me engrossed in using electricity and liquids for kicks.

Here is what really puts the anodization hook into me, the jeweling of the ti liner of this Phil Boguszewski stiletto is like a light shining within the knife (how is that done?):



This surface treatment, the jeweling, is an example of what I think duff72 is talking about. It looks like a small spinning abrasion device created swirls in the ti liner which reflects light similar to facets in a cut & polished precious stone.

oregon

[Clawhammer]

Here is what really puts the anodization hook into me, the jeweling of the ti liner of this Phil Boguszewski stiletto is like a light shining within the knife (how is that done?):

This surface treatment, the jeweling, is an example of what I think duff72 is talking about. It looks like a small spinning abrasion device created swirls in the ti liner which reflects light similar to facets in a cut & polished precious stone.

oregon[/QUOTE]

This is how it's done:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7xNhUyu ... re=related

also called fishscaling.... i've seen it done with a steady hand and a power drill and dowel. (the guy was reproducing the dash fascia of a Charger)

[oregon]

This is how it's done:

Outstanding demonstration video. Directly onpoint. Thank you kindly Clawhammer.

Here is a link to some of the supplies used: http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ ... 10&si=True

I am going to have to try that. Lets see, drill-press, jig to hold the piece or the eraser end of a pencil, tipped with abrasive paste, used in a drill motor and applied to the ti. I can do that.

oregon

[vampyrewolf]

You sound like the voice of experience vw. So... lets see the scars or hear the war story (electricity vs vampyrewolf). Seriously, thanks for putting my feet onto the ground, no pun intended. I want to keep it fun for me and my next of kin who see me engrossed in using electricity and liquids for kicks.

oregon

car batteries are usually around 13.8VDC @ 650A, 8970W
you're working with 120VDC @ 1A, 100W
I've played with a taser one of our techs made, 20kV @ ~5mA, 100W... I held it on my arm for a good 5min and watched it twitch :D left a red mark for a few days.

I've gotten a few good shocks working on my cars, even had a problem with the one that every now and then you had to short the batt to the chassis to get it to kick over.

I did more than enough vehicle work with a "live wire, dead wire" sense of electronics, using my fingers to tell me if I had power on a system... not going to count the times I've jerked my hand into something solid like that.

The real fun is working with 110VAC on household circuits. "Did you throw the breaker for this room?" "yep" BZZZZZT! "are you sure this plug is on that circuit?" "nope"... done THAT one a few times :rolleyes: Eventually you learn to take it across 2 fingers close together (preferably ones with thickened skin). 220VAC hurts.

The one shock that hurt like **** and actually left a mark?
Went to work on a forklift, it doesn't power up. Reach around the tower to wiggle the power cable and ZZZZAAAAAAPPP :eek: Exposed wire on the harness was shorted to the chassis, but the floor wasn't grounding it so it had been an isolated cct. Had on combat boots with a good inch of rubber so I didn't do it when I stepped on. Took it across my arms and chest. THAT one hurt for a good hour and my arms didn't feel quite right for near a week.
Batt on that mofo weighed enough that we used a forklift to change it.

So the supply you're using to annodize is a toy. It might leave a mark if you put both leads on your arm, depending on how moist your skin in (dry will give a higher resistance and thus less current). Don't go purposefully touching both ends, but don't be afraid of touching both leads either.

We played with the 30V @ 2A (60W) supplies in my tech course, had a few people afraid to touch em while some of us would crank em up grab both leads between thumb and index and ask if it was even on (with both needles pinned on the far end).

[KSDbass]

:D I'm the same way. Back in my heavy duty racing days, I could tell you what voltage a circuit was running with my tongue, +-a volt. I've been shocked by household current (American and European), car batteries, computer power supplies, and the like. The worst for me was a 400V live wire on a US Navy Cruiser. Not too many amps going through it (Thank God) but same as Vampyrewolf, i felt a little funky.

[oregon]

Because of your true stories of bravery with electricity I've been able to man up. Thank you kindly gentlemen.

Some pics for your amusement. The same piece of Ti, polished & unpolished. I washed the piece, before anodizing each time in a bath of baking soda and H2O, in a lye solution. The shinier the starting surface then the brighter the finished colors. Close-up pics via a usb microscope from DX. Thanks to Dan, CPF, I now have a huge supply of Titanium, wire and plate!

I dipped a bit at each voltage starting with high voltage and finishing low. The subsequent lower voltage, with each deeper dip, doesn't change the anodization result achieved from the higher voltage.

Funny but in the right light you can almost not see any color. But in the right light, oh baby, the color, particularly the bright rich green, looks to be radioactive and alive with reflected light.

Polished:


Unpolished:


Before anodization, unpolished:


After anodization, polished (just the green end of the piece of Ti rod):


oregon

[oregon]

Maybe these two pics will demonstrate the mercurial nature of the color given various angles of light. Both pics and both rods in each pic looked bright green to my eyes looking thru the camera. However, it looks much different in the pics, not so off with the first photo but more obvious with the second picture. Like chasing fish while swimming. I'm happy with the green colors I'm getting and I can get the bright green repetively.





oregon

[oregon]

The black clip looks terrific against the bright yellow scales of the Pacific Salt.

The clip is Ti I believe. I wonder how it would look anodized green? Too subtle maybe. I need a spare clip to experiment with and some paint stripper.



oregon