Letter 35010

Titanium Coloring  

+++++

Need assistance in achieving Dark Grey to Black Color for 6AL4V titanium using what ever "informal" process. I have heard of some companies being able to achieve this through anodizing the piece, but is there a thermal or less cost effective way to get a durable finish?
Any help would be appreciated.

David Harville
Hobbyist - NY, NY, US

You probably meant to say "more" rather than "less cost effective", David. The most "informal" process is paint of some type, but you haven't told us enough about the application to know if that has any merit. "Durable finish" probably means both wear resistant and corrosion resistant, right? But cost effectiveness almost always depends on size and shape and volume to be processed. Is this one single piece? How big is it? In short, what is the application? -- then we may be able to offer alternatives. Thanks.

Ted Mooney, P.E.  finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

Just paint it with 2o% shellac solution(instead lacquer You can use any edible oil or fat,use it very sparingly),then heat it up to 4oo C(slowly).Cheap,simple and durable finish.

Good luck!

Goran Budija
- Zagreb, Croatia

Like Ted said...not enough info given.
As for anodizing...I dont think it is possible to get a black on titanium. You can have titanium nitride coatings done but not actual hobbyshop setup black anodizing. sometimes people will thermally treat niobium (heat to about 1500 and dip in water) to get beautiful hematite/black colors, or use aluminum and anodize with black dye(which will fade from UV exposure over years)and use these 2 materials in place of titanium, in the jewelry industry for example.
List more info and get more accurate help.

Jason Aube
- Flint, MI, USA

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