Handling titanium

[clearmoon247]

So i have a question before i dive deep into this venture. Does anyone know what kinds of tools would be needed to cut, mill, file, and shape sheets of titanium? I have found a place that i can get 6"x6" sheets of titanium for relatively cheap at a proper thickness and my current setup for making lock picks is a set of files and a tungsten carbide cutting tip for a dremel. Would tungsten carbide be enough for titanium? Additionally, i would need to figure out what would be the best way to cut it to size, e.g. 0.5" strips. Thank you guys so much in advance for all your advice and knowledge.

[cledry]

My friend uses a water jet to cut titanium because it tends to dull other cutting tools. You can use a plasma cutter I know, but as far as DIY I haven't any idea.

[Squelchtone]

A diamond tipped scroll saw? or some sort of diamond tipped cutting wheel for a dremel or air tool. I wonder if they even make that? I'd skip the carbide tipped stuff and move into diamond territory. Remember, titanium alloys are used in aerospace because of strength to weight ratio compared to steel, corrosion resistance, and ability to withstand hot temperature, but that doesn't mean its a great material to make picks from, other than the cool factor of having a set of Titanium Bogota rakes or something =) Make sure you cool the metal when cutting, or interesting things will start happening to its properties. Are you using Grade 5 Ti-6AL-4V ? Just so we're all on same page, when we talk about Ti sheets, most of the time this is not pure Commercially Pure (CP) Titanium, unless thats what you specifically went out and bought, what we're usually talking about is a Titanium-Aluminum-Vanadium-Iron alloy.

good luck with the project, I'm interested in how it comes out.
Squelchtone

ps.. I have set of Titanium Bogota rakes, and I like the original made by Raimundo rakes much better. They're rounder, where the Ti ones are flat and have 90 degree edges.

[atticRR]

your tools should cut the titanium. What thickness do you have though? you said it was 6"x6" there was no thickness measurement though. Its going to be a real pain if they're much thicker than what you need them to be. Also be very careful where your cuttings are going when using any kind of powered device (rotary tool, grinder, etc.) as titanium will ignite as its flying off the tool. Not very fun having a shower of hot sparks rain into your face, i know from experience. also make sure you sweep up any dust or chips occaisionally as these can also burst into a blindingly bright ball flame if contacted by a stream of sparks. Safety 3rd, except when you can possibly burn down your house!

[Josh66]

I'm an aircraft mechanic, so I work with titanium frequently (usually 6AL-4V). Almost all of my picks are titanium.

You can use the same tools you use on steel, it will just take longer. For cutting it into .5" strips, a shear would be ideal. If it's thin enough, you can also use tin snips (.040" and under should be easy to cut with snips - .050" is doable, but harder and it will curl more). If you use snips, it will curl the titanium a little, but it can be straightened back out pretty easily.

I would avoid the brown cut-off wheels and opt for some type of diamond coated wheel for your dremel. It's not that the brown ones won't cut it, you will just use a lot of them.

Sanding the edges and polishing will take longer, but you can use the same tools/methods you would use on steel.

[clearmoon247]

I apologize for overlooking that aspect. The thickness i have found is 0.020" thick at 6"x6"
I don't mind the process taking longer to complete. When/if i do get into this project, i will be investing in diamond coated cutoff wheels and tungsten carbide grinding bits to properly shape the picks. All work on the picks that i currently do is done outside. Frankly, i would love to be able to find titanium strips at 6" length, .25-.50" wide and .020" thick. That would be truly ideal, imo.

[atticRR]

good luck with the project. I think having a nice set of Ti picks would be pretty awesome. Please post some pics if you do end up making them.

[Josh66]

.020" will be easy to cut with snips - you could probably even use some heavy duty scissors. If you have access to a shear, that would be better though since it will not curl the metal. (If it does curl when you cut it, I use a couple pairs of duckbill pliers to straighten it back out.)

I have a few that I made that are .025" titanium (I do prefer .032" though). They are flexible, but strong. .020" should be pretty much the same as my .025" picks...

It is more flexible than steel in these thicknesses, so it will be 'springier' than you're used to if you haven't used titanium before. It will flex a lot, but always springs back.

[clearmoon247]

What I would love to find would be titanium strips that are 8mm wide, 0.20" thick, and any length.

[Josh66]

Except for the two to the left of the allen key (made from a hack saw blade), these are all titanium. Thickness ranges from .025" to .040". .040" is the absolute thickest I have found to make a good pick (but it's a tight fit in some locks). I'm in the process of making better handles for them. The wrenches are made from cotter pins and flat metal cut into an "L" shape (the cotter pins work great, BTW. I find one the width I want, then file the end flat, leaving some thicker than others.)