01-10-2007, 01:49 PM | #1 |
Rock Stacker Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: TheSticks
Posts: 55
| Titanium alloy stick
Well, I broke down and bought a strip of titanium alloy sheet off ebay for $10.00 plus shipping. It was about 16" long by 1 1/4" wide, and a little less than 1/16" thick. My plan was to cold form it into a piece of angle using a vice. I ordered the piece longer than I needed (I only need 12" or so) so I had a little extra piece to experiment with. Marking the extra piece down the middle with a pencil, I then placed it in the 5" vice, and took a hammer to it. It's insane how strong, and resilient this stuff is. You have to beat the c r a p out of it to get it to bend...and it's LESS than 1/16" thick. Just like aluminum, it WILL split. At about 80 degrees the piece I was working on split. So for the actual chassis piece I only bent it about 60 degrees into a V-shape. Maybe if it was worked hot it would do even better. This titanium alloy twists just like aluminum, but bounces back with much more authority than aluminum. I plan on replacing my aluminum channel stick with this titanium. I'll post some pictures sometime in the next couple of days. |
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01-10-2007, 01:54 PM | #2 |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Here
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You have to bend Ti "with the grain" then it will not break
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01-10-2007, 02:00 PM | #3 | |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: USA
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01-10-2007, 02:03 PM | #4 | |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: One Legend.
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Also, you will need more than 12" to make a 12.5" wheelbase clod. I'd personally try and make it work flat over taking a hammer to make a crappy bend. EDIT: There is no breakin for flex like aluminum... it's going to stay the same until it fails. | |
01-10-2007, 02:12 PM | #5 | |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: USA
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01-10-2007, 07:18 PM | #6 |
Rock Stacker Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: TheSticks
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This is the guy I got my titanium alloy from...he sells alot of this stuff on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/TITANIUM-SHEET-6...QQcmdZViewItem I played around with some of the leftover pieces tonight. They bend much easier heated with a butane torch. Just throw em in the vice, heat em up, hammer em. You can get better than 90 degree bends with no cracking at all. I definitely want to try a piece that is even thinner....maybe around .05" or less. As far as using it flat....might work....I'll try it. For anyone interested, I suggest getting a piece and playing around with it.....you will be amazed how resilient this stuff is......I put one end of the strip in a vice, put on a thick leather glove, grabbed it like a handlebar, and twisted it with all the strength I had.......it twisted about 120 degrees.........when I let it go, it wasn't bent at all, it went right back to where it was......this stuff is very strong. The "Ti-Stick" ......Now I need to come up with a good pot-leaf logo and start sellin' em. Last edited by DrexeL; 01-10-2007 at 07:48 PM. |
01-10-2007, 09:55 PM | #7 | |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Columbia TN
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01-11-2007, 05:47 AM | #8 | |
Rock Stacker Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: TheSticks
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Flat was suggested by Unholy......angle is obviously stronger. Actually, my next piece will be a tube cut down the middle....one half mounted open side up.......it'll resist folding, but twist nicely.....and I'll get two sticks out of one tube | |
01-11-2007, 07:19 AM | #9 | |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: One Legend.
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01-11-2007, 07:29 AM | #10 |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Columbia TN
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I guess what I was getting at is if it were a single plane that was thin enough to flex, it would fold up.
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01-12-2007, 05:28 AM | #11 |
Rock Stacker Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: TheSticks
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In case anyone is confused on why one would even want to use titanium for a stick.... 1. Titanium can twist and bend all over the place and not weaken 2. Since titanium is stronger than aluminum you can use a much thinner piece, which results in more flex, and more articulation 3. Titanium is fun......kind of like a puppy on christmas morning :-P 4. Lastly, titanium is much more affordable than you think...you can get a piece for less than you would spend on a pizza I will talk highly of anyone in this forum who can guess where the quote in my signature came from...without cheating |
01-12-2007, 07:44 AM | #12 |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Happiness is a warm AK.
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Fishing w/ John.
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01-12-2007, 07:58 AM | #13 |
RCC Addict Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Central NY
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Get a vid after you get it running. I think that will help end the controversy.
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01-12-2007, 08:30 AM | #14 | |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: One Legend.
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There is controversy? | |
01-12-2007, 09:27 AM | #15 |
Rock Stacker Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: TheSticks
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Ahhh yes....Fishing With John.....dezfan gets the prize. Now the real question........do you own it on dvd? If so, we need to hook up and blow some lines sometime I have a hard time finding people who have seen the series....I have an even harder time finding people who appreciate Lurie....his art cracks me up......gotta love a guy who has paintings with titles such as...."My name is Skinny I am a horse and I want to have sex with your wife, OK?".......and......"First you blow us, then we'll let you go"....and......"Heroin leads to harder drugs". Anyway, that certainly has nothing to do with Titanium.......or does it? |
01-12-2007, 11:43 AM | #16 | |
I wanna be Dave Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Happiness is a warm AK.
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01-25-2007, 08:27 AM | #17 |
Rock Stacker Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: TheSticks
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Well, I got my new piece of titanium alloy yesterday and made another stick chassis last night. This time I went with a piece of seamless tubing, 3al 2.5v alloy. It was 3/4" diameter with a wall thickness of .039". After cutting the tube down the middle (lengthwise, and hence making 2 separate chassis) I drilled holes, fabricated some mounts, and mounted the chassis, open side up, to the axles. The machining of the tube was easy. All I lack are the new Axiom hand wound crawler motors and she'll be finished. The strength is incredible...lots of backbone...even at only .039" thick. The amount of flex allowed for a nearly perfect amount of articulation. I would say it articulates about 70 degrees, and after the motors are mounted that will be closer to 75 or so. No break-in time was needed whatsoever. After I FINALLY get my Axioms (dam, they're slow) I will post up some pics. |
01-25-2007, 11:51 AM | #18 |
Quarry Creeper Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: US
Posts: 275
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Mount two flat peices, angled at eachother like angle... no need to bend it. Just use two peices of angle aluminum at the ends to as brackets to hold the flat peices of Ti. Problem solved, and much cleaner looking. Should flex/twist more also.
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01-25-2007, 03:33 PM | #19 |
Rock Stacker Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: TheSticks
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Here's some pics of the Ti-Stick, almost complete... |
01-25-2007, 03:50 PM | #20 |
Rock Stacker Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: TheSticks
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Some flex shots (no break-in time required)........ |
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