Tell me about grinding Titanium?

rhinoknives

rhinoknives

Well-Known Member
Years ago I had a doctor customer give me a bar of Titanium and ask me to make a knife out of it. I told him I didn't think it would be hard enough,, He said he just wanted a letter opener.

I started grinding this bar and after a shower of sparks I found myself with a pounding headache in the Migraine level. I have never gone near it since.

Was it the brightness of the sparks? I just had clear eye protection on. Was it the fumes?

I may be building some folders in a colab and I need some help on what I need to get to protect myself from what happened?

Was it just me? or do you other makers have bad responses to grinding ti? Do I need dark glasses?

Any comments of personal experience will be greatly appreciated.
 
Lawrence, perhaps it was just an occurance. I've never had a similar experience and I use it both for liners and back bars. I hope that was it and you don't have any further problems from it. Frank
 
Frank,
I am prone to Migraines and use to have them much more often about a decade ago when this happened.
one of the tiggers back then for the headaches was bright light if i wasn't feeling great to start.
Perhaps just some dark glasses will do the trick?
 
Apparently it was just you.
You seem to be super sensitive to things that don't bother me at all,Micarta and G-10 fumes and dust,titanium sparks.
I think you should try sunglasses if bright light gives you headaches. Also titanium has an smell all it's own,that may also bother you. Must you use titanium? 410 stainless can be used for liners instead.
It sounds to me like you need to try grinding a small sample of titanium before investing a lot of money in it,it is pretty expensive stuff.
I hope you can work with it.
 
Personally, Once I understood how to grind Ti, I found it so consistent that now I find it a pleasure to work with. The key is to SLOW DOWN THE BELT SPEED. Even with 50 grit belts, the speed controller on the grinder never goes about 40%. The slower belt speeds will reduce the "flare" of sparks too. The big concern with Ti is what I've heard some medical types refer to as "titanium posioning"..... I suspect when you were grinding on that Ti, along with the shower of white hot sparks, you likely saw a "vapor" floating around too.....that's the stuff you want to avoid. I've not experienced myself, but have asked Doctors about it, and have been told that the symptoms of Ti posioning, are very much like "welder flash", with eyes burning, pain in the shoulders and back, but where the Ti poisioning differs is it will produce a tightening in the chest.

All that being said, the whole key to grinding Ti is SLOW.
 
Ed,
Those sys-toms along with flashing in my eyes and a pounding headache. I wasn't grinding the Ti slow as it was a thick rectangle that i was going to make a integral knife out of. I gave it back to the customer.

I will of course wear my respirator and go below 40% on speed. Thanks a lot, I will google, Ti Poisoning.

Calvin,
I did sensitize to micarta etc.. I use to grind a ton of it for handles on big choppers and then I remember in about a week I couldn't stand to be near the formeldyhyde release even with my 3m resiperator on That stuff will slowing rot your brain. I had to pay some workers to clean out my shop from top to bottom and get every single piece of micarta dust.

old lady hair dressers have the highest rates of Elzhigmers etc. from doing perms,
Be careful grinding that stuff guys!

Thanks everyone for your help.
 
rhinoknives said:
Years ago I had a doctor customer give me a bar of Titanium and ask me to make a knife out of it. I told him I didn't think it would be hard enough,, He said he just wanted a letter opener.

I started grinding this bar and after a shower of sparks I found myself with a pounding headache in the Migraine level. I have never gone near it since.

Was it the brightness of the sparks? I just had clear eye protection on. Was it the fumes?

I may be building some folders in a colab and I need some help on what I need to get to protect myself from what happened?

Was it just me? or do you other makers have bad responses to grinding ti? Do I need dark glasses?

Any comments of personal experience will be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Grinding Ti gives off UV light

It's the headache you get from welding flash, reflection off the water, or staring at the sun


Certain drugs create higher sensitivity



Some eye protection has some level against that, but it's probably important to look into that before you buy the glasses.

Darkness is not related to protection, if you buy dark lenses with no UV protection, they your pupils dilate more and you let in more.

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/phys_agents/ultravioletradiation.html
 
12345678910 said:
Grinding Ti gives off UV light

It's the headache you get from welding flash, reflection off the water, or staring at the sun


Certain drugs create higher sensitivity



Some eye protection has some level against that, but it's probably important to look into that before you buy the glasses.

Darkness is not related to protection, if you buy dark lenses with no UV protection, they your pupils dilate more and you let in more.

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/phys_agents/ultravioletradiation.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reminder about UV being what i want to protect my eyes from, I am Diabetic and do take a pile of medicines every day so that could be involved in my sensitivity.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top