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I Forge Iron

Justin’s Smithing progression. [PIC heavy]


Justin Topp

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Titanium flint striker as practice. Forged from a bit of the 3/4” round grade 5 titanium. Works beautifully and weighs only 25 grams. I’ve also started my gas forge. Made from fire bricks. I’ll cut the slots smaller and file to size on the next ones. As there are some gaps in these ones. 

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Grade 5 is a duplex alloy containing Al and Vanadium; If I recall correctly: Robb Gunther warned that the V can cause "flue like symptoms" when forged. Ti has a definite state change with temp and may be quite soft at correct forging temp and then still glowing nicely bounce your hammer off laughing. It will also absorb gas and become brittle---much more an issue when working it down thin.

Stuff is very pretty when anodized and makes nice blade fittings though very hard to machine and polish; does NOT make a decent knife edge---some folks have managed to get some alloys into the lower 40's HRC where we ould be looking at the upper 50's to 60 for a steel blade.

Expensive for ornamental work.

(Don't know if this was the specific issue mentioned but:  Exposure to Vanadium Pentoxide can cause headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. coughing and/or shortness of breath. Higher exposures may cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), a medical emergency, with severe shortness of breath.Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet - NJ.gov)

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I made a camp eating knife out of some CP1/2 Ti; self hilted;  mainly as I hate washing dishes and the Ti will be quite happy being boiled in a pan of water for an hour and as an eating knife it doesn't need much of an edge.  It was "temper coloured" save for a small section of the spine that I shaved off with my camp knife, sanmai with an old nicholson file as the edge material---I was having a discussion with a Titanophile and he was telling me how wrong I was about Ti for blades so I took out my Ti blade and sliced a sliver off it's spine with a plain HC blade. Probably didn't change his mind but the rest of the crowd may have learned something.

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Oh yikes I didn’t notice any of those symptoms when I forged it but I’ll have to be careful. Probably a good thing I’m outside with a fan blowing Over so lots of moving air. I’ll have to be careful when forging it. I have no plans of a knife because I’m very aware that it is tough but not hard 

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