Working with titanium tubing can come with a few challenges. Read on for pointers to help you get over those welding bumps:
Prepare the material
First things first. Before you work with the material, take the time to prepare it. Be thorough. Clean it of all the grease, oil and coating before you work with it. Otherwise, welding it while it’s coated with oil and grease could contaminate the material and lead to a lot of problems says, Welding Tips and Tricks says.
Wear the proper gloves
For handling safety during the preparation process, it’s best to use nitrile gloves or find yourself lint-free gloves. Properly outfit yourself with the gloves before you apply any industrial cleaning solutions to the material to remove grease, oil and other possible contaminants. Wait until the solution dries before you handle the material again.
Have a dedicated workstation
This reduces the chances of cross contamination from other metals. If you want to minimize the chances of dust particles, stainless steel, aluminum and other alloys finding their way into your tubing, best to set aside a dedicated work area.
Use the right tools
Work with tools dedicated to titanium. Soft grinding tools won’t get the job done so stay away from those tools. Refrain from using stainless steel brushes as well since these, too, can lead to contamination.
Gather and dispose dust properly
The material needs to undergo grinding and preparation, processes that result in titanium powder. Since this is highly volatile—they’re typically used in pyrotechnic products—make sure you gather and dispose of them properly to eliminate possible fire hazards.
Buy from a trusted source
Quality matters. So get your titanium tubing from a trustworthy supplier. Substandard ones might be cheap but if they aren’t sturdy, that’s going to lead to costly problems in the future.
