The Armour Archive

I went over to the scrap yard today to pick up some more signs and stainless steel....... well I got my lot paid my $15 and loaded it in the truck and came home...... not bad for 4 big signs, a 4x3 sheet of 18g stainless and..... drumroll please..... a 4x4 sheet of
TITANIUM

Now the problem is, what the hell to do with it !!!!!! I got a friend with a machine shop that can cut it and drill it, but I fear I would never see it again LOL........ I got it hidden up under the porch right now.....

how do you know its titanium?

Because it is stamped with Ti-MilSpec

thats pretty conclusive.

lol, yeah, I thought about it at first when I picked it up out of the back of the truck and noticed it was considerably lighter then the piece of stainless I had just hefted....... then got to looking at it and sure enough, found the stamp on the corner.......

A) How thick?

B) Post us the Mil-Spec and/or look it up on the internet. Depending on the alloy and its hardness state it may be impossible to form into anything useful. Even in its maximum hard state you could have it water jet into lamelar pieces. 4x4 should be sufficient for a body.

Sean

I got my buddy bringing over his gauge later to check it out, it's cut through the numbers which is why all there is the Ti-MilSpec part.... he's curious as fuck about it and why it wound up in the podunk scrap yard.......

Never thought of having it cut with a waterjet...... question, if a waterjet cuts it into plates for like a COP's can it be rolled ????

That is fricking awesome!!! Is it 18g too? My best friends dad works for some milling shop for the military or something, and all they work with is Titanium. He can usually get me scraps of T6, but they are just slugs and shavings....and I cant smelt it into something bigger. The largest pieces of Titanium Ive ever worked with (besides my T5 titanium Hauberk) was a letter opener I forged out of a prosthetic arm core piece. If it is thin enough it can be rolled... It can be cut with a cut off wheel as well.

Keep us informed

Depending on the thickness and the grade a B1 shear can cut it.

An SCA Knight who left kingdom was hot forging (coal) into gauntlets. I've had mine for two years now and it's only beginning to get some stress cracks.

LordWulf wrote:I got my buddy bringing over his gauge later to check it out, it's cut through the numbers which is why all there is the Ti-MilSpec part.... he's curious as fuck about it and why it wound up in the podunk scrap yard.......

Never thought of having it cut with a waterjet...... question, if a waterjet cuts it into plates for like a COP's can it be rolled ????

I recomend water-jet for heat-treated TI since laser cutting or plasma cutting will disturb the heat-treat properties. Depending on heat output, feed rates, metal thickness and post-cut finishing, the effect of this could be minimal.

Anything can be rolled assuming that you can find a point between yield strength and ultimate failure. Most titaniums will yield before failure. The trick is at what load. The more dent resistant it is (hence more desireable) the harder it to bend and shape (hence less desireable).

I believe Mrks advocates the use of CP1 titanium. This is essentially annealed as soft as it will get. Even subtle shaping can work harden this material up to the point where it can not be formed with hand tools. You can work titanium hot but you are prone to hydrogen embrittlement and loosing thickness to titanium-oxide.

Titanium can be cut by good quality tools. Carbide bits are best. Holes will "close up" slightly after drilling (just a few thou) so be carefull not to get your bit stuck.

Without a Mil Spec your best option is to cut off a small piece and play with it.

Happy hammering
Sean

You didn't mention "go back and look for any other pieces" At that price even if you can't use it *sombody will* and pay you a nice bonus for it.

Thomas

You should put it in your truck and bring it over to my shop. Then we will figure out what to do with it.
Lex

LOL, I gotta love ya Lex.... and as soon as I can manage it I will head that way......

As for going back, that's on tomorrows agenda !!!!!!!

Well since I havent seen Mrks around, here's a few things that we've figgered out up here....

It cuts pretty much like steel of the same guage or a guage stiffer, the B2 we use handles it easily

Ti work hardens faster than you will believe, but behaves fairly well under pressure. Generally, dishing has been a bit of an issue, but we've been using a shop press set up with dies at varying radii, and ti forms well, even into complex curves, but it springs back a bunch.... Maybe a soft hammer into a stump or form?

It will also fracture pretty quickly if over stressed Ie rolling edges, and forms into simple curves fairly well, although be careful about folding it over, and remember, it'll spring back a fair bit

as for armour use, I've got a pair of spaulders that have survived anything thrown at them (sca), and they are 22ga, and a wisby style half guantlet that has held up well in the short time I've been playing with it. We see tons of Mrks' Ti Cup hilts here, and they kick butt and last forever...

But as someone mentioned, cut off a chunk and play with it,


Cheers
Chris

Greetings
I know that I'm about 8 hours from you. (melbourne fl) but I've worked ti (.030to .60") arms and shoulders. If you would like some help let me know. I have open shop most saturdays on demand.
In the past I've cut it with a b-3. dishing is a challange I have a press for most of the forming. I want to try to hot form it.
My shoulders have lasted for over 3 yrs. SCA. My arms lasted for about a year.
I believe that Duke gaston ( Trimaris) is still wearing ti arms from a few years ago.
I noticed a big difference in working different grades. It should be marked as to what grade it is.
Hope this helps
Jeff