Small scale Titanium casting

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hello all! Please let me introduce myself. I’m the new managing
editor of Lapidary Journal magazine. I have been an enthusiastic
lurker here for quite some time. I am an Intermediate level
metalsmith as well as a print media jack-of-all-trades. My primary
background and BFA is Illustration/Graphic Design.

Thanks everyone for the great I get in the (e)mail each
day!

On to business:

Do any of you produce jewelry using small-scale titanium casting? I
know. Don’t laugh!

We are planning a feature on Titanium Jewelry for our next issue,
and I have several leads to CAD-CAM visuals, but I’d really like some
slides or digital images from a jewelry artist of actual cast
titanium pieces. Even better would be photos of the casting process
or a work in progress.

Thanks in advance for any help or leads you might give.

Helen Driggs, Managing Editor
Lapidary Journal
300 Chesterfield Parkway, Suite 100
Malvern, Pa.19355
www.lapidaryjournal.com
610-232-5719

2

Hi, Helen,

We are planning a feature on Titanium Jewelry for our next issue...

Nice to meet you!

I can’t help you out with titanium casting, but if you are covering
titanium jewelry, you really should take a look at my Orchid gallery:
http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/noel.htm. Working with anodized
titanium is my “signature” style.

I would be very pleased to talk to you about my processes, etc, and
to send you images of these or other titanium work for your article.
Please feel free to contact me by email or phone (847 494-1361). I
hope I can be of help.

By the way, I tried to send this message to you directly, rather
than through Orchid, but it “bounced”.

Noel

3

Boy am I curious as to the answers to this one… I’ve never had
the interest to look into working with titanium but I seem to recall
reading that over a certian temp it needs to be worked in a vacuum
due to the tendancy to sublimate. Anyone care to dispute that rumour
form the back of my dusty memory?

Cheers,
Norah Kerr

4

Dear Helen,

There are two casters that have contacted me wihtin the past year to
offer there services to artists. I have no experience with either
but am pleased to pass there names along. And yes, for the other
questions, titanium should be cast in a high

vacuum. It actually can burn like magnesium in open atmospheres. And
no, you won’t light a piece of sheet medal on fire with your torch.
And yes, you can take a pile of titanium fillings out in the back
yard (ventilation) and light them with your torch. It will look a bit
like a sparkler. They use Ti fillings in some fireworks for this
same effect. Bill

David South
Titanium Design Studio
respnse@titaniumdesignstudio.com
www.titaniumdesignstudio.com