can I color titanium in a (enameling) kiln? I want a uniform
gold/yellow color.
I would imagine so, but it might take a little experimenting,
unless Bill Seeley can give details.
or is there somebody out there who can anodize it for me (we're
talking about 4 rectangles 6.5"x3" in 0.5 mm grade 1 titanium
sheet)?
I’d be happy to. Email me off-forum if you want to arrange it.
(@Noel_Yovovich)
should I saw the design (a rather intricate design) before or after
the anodizing/coloring?
If you cut it after, the edges will not be colored. On the other
hand, I always like to do any “iffy” part of a job as early as
possible so that I haven’t wasted too much effort if it gets screwed
up. For me, coloring titanium isn’t iffy, but if you send it out,
and it comes back other than the way you wanted, then it could be a
real pain.
You have infinite choices about the surface texture of your
titanium, from leaving it however it comes, to detailed patterning
with a ball bur or the like, to wire brushing, sand-blasting, you
name it. Give some thought to that before coloring-- after is too
late.
There are two yellows you can easily get on titanium. The “first
order” yellow is a golden-yellow, but the first-order colors are a
thinner oxide layer, and are not as durable as higher-order colors
(as you go up in temperature or voltage, titanium repeats the same
pattern of colors, as in purple-blue-yellow-pink, but the actual
colors are not the same). The second-order yellow might not be quite
as golden, but is tougher. You actually have many shades to choose
from, from pale pale yellow-green through a warm rich yellow to
almost orange.
I hope this is helpful. I love titanium, as you can tell if you have
seen my work in the Orchid gallery
(http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/noel.htm) or elsewhere. (Shameless
plug-- I love to travel to teach workshops in the techniques I use
with titanium!)
–Noel