David: I have found that CP (commercially pure) titanium to be engravable, but 6A4LV (contanins vanadium) to be too stubborn to work with. As a rule I don't engrave titanium as there'sn no way of telling which variety it is without cutting it. I'd be interested to hear what others have to say because this is a very popular material. / ~Sam
hi david and sam .. i have engraved and gold inlayed ti, the 6al4v. and you are right it is not easy to work with but i do like the clean cut that i get from engraving it i use a carbide /colbolt chisel with a 55 deg, face and a 20 deg heal .. ron p.
It is difficult to cut the 6al4v with a common hss graver,but carbide/colbolt graver will do ,and another good choice cobalt-hss,it's more easy to grind than carbide graver.
Maybe I gave up too easily and should experiment with different angles. I've tried every graver type in my arsenel and while I could cut 6A4LV, I didn't feel I could do my best work, plus constant resharpening is a royal pain in the behind.
I monogramed a titanium watchband for a friend and it cut like butter. I can only assume it was the CP variety.
Hello David:
I engrave inside Titanium wedding bands often using GRS hhs flats, and have had no particular problem with lettering. I use a 45deg. face, and 20 deg heal. My ring graver has a notch ground in the bottom behind the heal to aid in clearence.
I've had several Carbide rings through my shop, and can only engrave them with the dental bur. The result is not good, and I always warn the customer that this will NOT look like "real" engraving. I will be glad when this carbide fad is over. BR
I had a question about titanium and talked to Jeff Hogan who use to work for GRS. I had a ceramic blade knife with Titanium frame. I used a 120 carbide graver and was told to check often as I cut because the tip did take a beating. I found that with a sharp tool I just had to make sure the sides of the graver were highly polishedand I also used tap magic with Kerosene in a tin with cotton for a lube. I would have done a much better job if I didn't let the fear of the unknown cause me to be less confident in my abilities. It's interesting how each of us prepares to attack the project at hand, when you just have to trust what advise has been given us by the masters.
I use a lot of the 6AL4V in my knifemaking, usually for liners and backspace bars. On occasion I'll use it for bolsters but I haven't engraved any yet. I've been wanting too though.
Hey Dave, I hope you have made your decision to stay away from the tough stuff. I have not engraved any but have been told by enough people to stick to the cp.