How are titanium and niobium sheets to work with compared with nickel
andcopper? If I have been working with nickel, would I be better to
try working with titanium? (niobium is too expensive for me at this
time.) Can thesehave a patina applied as well?
thx, brenda
Titanium is just another metal it its own problems. How easy will
depend on how good a metal worker you are.
As we dont know this, your best bet and the quickest way to an
answer is for you to get some and repeat what you do in copper in
this metal.
youll soon have the measure of it.
Hi Brenda
Err… Step one: get thee to Reactive Metals Studio. They’ve got a
bunch of different info about working it.
Step two. In backwards order, no Ti and Nb can’t be patinated
normally, they have to be anodized. (or heat colored, in the case of
Ti.) The advantage to that is that they can get some really stunning
rainbow colors, quickly and easily.
They don’t work much like copper, and depending on the alloy, Ti can
be either nickel-silver like, or the next-best-thing to unworkable.
Just depends on the alloy.
Pure Nb generally works sort of like stiff copper. The advantage to
it is that it work hardens very slowly. But once it does, you’re
done. No way to anneal. (or solder) The workable (pure-ish) Ti alloys
work harden quickly, like nickel-silver, and once they do, you’re
done. Same reason. Some people have had acceptable results torch
annealing Ti, but all it’s ever done for me is shatter like glass
when I’ve tried that. Again, you can’t solder it.
Methinks some further research is in order. Let google guide your
steps. (Or failing that, dig through the Orchid archives. I know
there’s lots of info hiding in there.)
Regards, Brian