Re: Anyone knows any titanium exhaust fabricator in N. America?

[Neil <neil@xxxxxxxxx>]

A chamber is not required to weld Ti, though the entire weld area does
have to be purged of oxygen somehow. This usually done flooding the heat
affect zone of the weld with inert gas. Ti tends to absorb oxygen when
heated, and I believe that the oxygen absorption is proportional to the
temp, but I could be wrong there. It's been 5 years since I've dealt
with Ti in any fashion. I worked for a small-time bike builder who made
steel & Ti bikes. The equipment used to weld both are pretty much the
same. As with any metal, different alloys have different weld
characteristics (most bikes use 3/2.5 or 6/4).
Polishing it is a complete bitch. I used to have to grind the welds
smooth (not an accepted practice in all circles) then polish the Ti
frames. Fun, it was not. And of course, you can't touch it because
fingerprints discolor it, and contrary to popular belief, it is not
stainless - it does dull when is exposed to air, which is why most are
brushed (you can't tell when it's tarnished).

Also, Ti frames run closer to $800+, rather than $2k. Whole Ti bikes can
be had for less than $1500 or so, if you're not choosy about the parts.

As for why a Ti exhaust, I'd guess it's likely the weight, if not for
the vibration damping qualities that Ti is know for having. If I
remember correctly, there are a few road cars that come with Ti exhaust.

As some sort of an answer to Ed's original post, look up Sandvik metals.
They are one of the larger Ti suppliers in the US, and may be able to
direct you toward one of their customers who might be able to help you.

Neil
'91 318is
'86 M535i
'96 Cherry Bikes Dear John lightweight
'01 Haro Shredder

<snip>
Ed Mok <edmok@domain.elided> wrote:

> I want someone to make me an exhaust based on my existing exhaust
> in titanium. Any show can do that in the States or in Canada?

How deep are your pockets?  Anything in titanium is going to be
expensive.  Something as large as an exhaust in titanium will be
obscenely expensive.  As an example, a titanium bike frame is
probably 2-3 times more expensive than steel or aluminum.  They
start at over US$2K.  Aside from the high cost of the raw material,
titanium has to be completely immersed in an inert gas for welding.
That usually means welding in a large chamber that can be purged of
air and filled with argon or some other inert gas.

The question I have is:  Why do you want a titanium exhaust?
</snip>

------------------------------