Titanium Gold

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jcollazo

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Taken from Woodzone:

"Titanium Gold Plating
The titanium gold plating method produces the most durable gold pen kit plating available. The process used is called PVD (particle vapor deposition). In this process, Titanium nitride matched to the color of gold is molecularly bonded to the part and then 24K gold is bonded (sputtered) on the part to achieve a color match. The parts are again re-plated after this. The final result is that the parts will virtually never show wear. This is a very unique pen kit plating process and is not used by the suppliers of the bulk commodity kits."
 

Rifleman1776

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Unlikely it is more than a very teensy-weenie tiny, very tiny, percentage. If they can put it on drill bits that sell for $20.00 for more than a hundred bits, you know there isn't much at all in there.
But, your question is timely. With the world price of gold going up, we can expect substantial increases in the price of kits using the gold cost as an excuse.
 

ed4copies

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I would suggest there is NO gold in them. They are gold-color.

REAL gold would serve NO purpose as it is soft and the purpose of the titanium is to be HARD.

Remember, our nibs were made in Germany, too. Until the point was pushed and a Chinese vendor stamping "Germany" was located. Don't believe the crap that is written, they are merely "parroting back" what their suppliers tell them.
 

ed4copies

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Buzz,

To allay your customer's fears, they COULD always opt for 10kt gold plating (similar to some jewelry plating). It is NOT as durable, but it IS gold.
 

DCBluesman

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Maybe, just maybe, we can put this issue to bed. The "gold titanium" or "titanium gold" kits actually use titanium nitride (TiN) plating. Yes, there is a substrate, most likely low-grade steel coupled with nickel for better bonding. The hardness of TiN is estimated as ~85 on the Rockwell C Hardness Scale. TiN is naturally gold in color and shares part of the light relecting spectrum with gold (Au).

Simply put, Titanium gold has no gold in it. The price of gold does not influence the price of TiN. Berea advertises a substrate of 24k gold beneath the surface of the TiN. I cannot verify or refute this.

As an interesting aside, Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in the earth's crust.
 

Rifleman1776

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My local jewler told me the natural color of titanium is grey. I have seen human body replacement parts (e.g. hips) made of titanium that were polished silver in appearance.
Where is BTBoone, our ring guy and resident titanium expert?
 

Texatdurango

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Originally posted by Rifleman1776

My local jewler told me the natural color of titanium is grey. I have seen human body replacement parts (e.g. hips) made of titanium that were polished silver in appearance.
Where is BTBoone, our ring guy and resident titanium expert?
Lou has it right! Perhaps a visit to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_nitride) might help straighten things out for you since Bruce is probably knee deep in making rings with his fancy schmancy CNC center. :)

Looks like you are confusing titanium which is a metal with titanium nitride which according to Wikipedia is a ceramic, not a metal.

I wonder how many here are selling their "Titanium Gold" pens as "Gold plated" pens not knowing the difference? I just tell my customers that the gold colored titanium coating is the most durable plating available and will far outlast gold plating. That usually works for me and them both.
 

Rifleman1776

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Originally posted by Texatdurango

Originally posted by Rifleman1776

My local jewler told me the natural color of titanium is grey. I have seen human body replacement parts (e.g. hips) made of titanium that were polished silver in appearance.
Where is BTBoone, our ring guy and resident titanium expert?
Lou has it right! Perhaps a visit to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_nitride) might help straighten things out for you since Bruce is probably knee deep in making rings with his fancy schmancy CNC center. :)

Looks like you are confusing titanium which is a metal with titanium nitride which according to Wikipedia is a ceramic, not a metal.

I wonder how many here are selling their "Titanium Gold" pens as "Gold plated" pens not knowing the difference?

I dunno. Will accept what you say. Wikipedia is the least reliable source of information there is, IMHO. I'll take the rantings of a bar drunk over that anytime.
As for your last question. Good point. I do. Errr...did. Don't know what to do now.[B)]
 

Rudy Vey

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Well Frank, Titanium is a greyish colored metal, but the Titanium Nitride is a gold colored compound.
Titanium "Gold" has, like already said several times, no Gold in it. Berea, however, puts a very fine real gold coating over the TiNitride coating. If one compares the Titanium"Gold" coatings of Berea with CSUSA, the difference can be easily seen: CSUSA has a brassy look, Berea's look more like gold.
 

Buzz

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It would seem that a more correct description would be " gold coloured titanium".

Obviously the point of putting on a thin layer of 24k (as Joe referred to) and then covering with Ti is a marketing ploy so that they can say that real gold is actually used.
 

Rifleman1776

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Originally posted by ed4copies

Tell em the truth.

Gold is soft.
Titanium isn't.
Want gold or durable, can't have both!

Oh, yes, I will. I had always believe it was an alloy. The conundrum now is marketing. Saying "titanium" just doesn't have the luxurious connotation of saying "gold". I'll work on it.
 

ctwxlvr

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my understanding is that Tn plating is applied so it is very rough in texture and not fully polished then a gold plating is applied over that so that as the gold wears the peaks of the Tn are exposed making for a more durable surface.
 

ed4copies

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Originally posted by ctwxlvr

my understanding is that Tn plating is applied so it is very rough in texture and not fully polished then a gold plating is applied over that so that as the gold wears the peaks of the Tn are exposed making for a more durable surface.

Would you like to own your own, beautiful BRIDGE??????:D:D:D
 
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