I FINALLY finished my titanium trowel. It took a lot more work than I thought but I'm pretty happy with the results. Please keep in mind that this was Bill Fornshell's idea, not mine. Here are some pictures if anyone is interested:

http://www.freewebs.com/jasonklass/titaniumtrowel.htm (http://www.freewebs.com/jasonklass/titaniumtrowel.htm)

That is pretty sweet! You have inspired me - I just ordered a piece of ti and am gonna give it a whirl!

That is pretty sweet! You have inspired me - I just ordered a piece of ti and am gonna give it a whirl!

COOL! Please show us pictures when you're done! I'll post them on my site if you want!

Awsome!

though I'm not sure why you need light weight garden tools... planting alot of tulips this season?

Awsome!

though I'm not sure why you need light weight garden tools... planting alot of tulips this season?

Well, for me, there is just never a stick around when I need one - and there are some things I just won't do with my leki poles!

Well, for me, there is just never a stick around when I need one - and there are some things I just won't do with my leki poles!


Your telling me... you cant find a stick in the middle of the freakin woods

BTW that was a joke :banana

You mean you can use those to dig with???? I wondered why they were just lying around!

It seems that when the urge hits, there are no sticks anywhere (or the ones that are around are too weak to break ground)

I guess it makes sense but deep down inside, something tells me this is just a teeny bit over the top.:confused:

You can name it the X-15 super duper pooper scooper. :D

C'mon guys! It's 0.3 oz. for God's sake! Ever try to make a 6" hole with a stick?

You can name it the X-15 super duper pooper scooper. :D
I wonder if NASA needs one for burying poop on the moon?:D:D



C'mon guys! It's 0.3 oz. for God's sake! Ever try to make a 6" hole with a stick?
Yes I have tried digging with a stick - and I am very serious - I love this idea and have ordered my first piece of ti to try this very project. If it works out, I may go into business and provide a few for friends.

I guess it makes sense but deep down inside, something tells me this is just a teeny bit over the top.:confused:

You can name it the X-15 super duper pooper scooper. :D

I like the name!

C'mon guys! It's 0.3 oz. for God's sake! Ever try to make a 6" hole with a stick?

Couldn't you use a big Ti spoon? :D Just kidding. You might want to consider painting it orange so you don't confuse it with your Ti spork. :D

Jason, good work! It is great to see people experiment!

Couldn't you use a big Ti spoon? :D Just kidding. You might want to consider painting it orange so you don't confuse it with your Ti spork. :D

Jason, good work! It is great to see people experiment!

Thanks Lostinspace. Don't laugh. I once considered using my spok as a trowel but then decided it was just too weird!

A snow stake does an excellent job and also weighs very little.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA-->ME

A snow stake does an excellent job and also weighs very little.

That's not a bad idea! My SMC snow stakes weigh 1.0 oz each. My sanitation trowel weighs 2.0 oz.

A snow stake does an excellent job and also weighs very little.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA-->ME

I'm surprised nobody has manufactured Ti snow stakes. Except for the cost because of the amount of material involved, that would be ideal for both purposes. (Snow stakes work well in sand, too.)

I'm surprised nobody has manufactured Ti snow stakes. Except for the cost because of the amount of material involved, that would be ideal for both purposes. (Snow stakes work well in sand, too.)

A Ti snow stake would be a cool idea...perhaps the price isn't worth the product? For anyone unfamiliar with snow stakes, here is a picture of one. Notice that the circle cut outs are one inch spaced, great for measuring proper depth of your cat hole.

http://tinyurl.com/g9b6z (http://tinyurl.com/g9b6z)

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA-->ME

A Ti snow stake would be a cool idea...perhaps the price isn't worth the product?

I went to school with a young lady in training to be a machinist. When I showed her my ti cookware she began telling me why it wasn't really ti. Apparently ti can not be rolled, and so making a snow stake would be impossible. However, even if the cookware is some kind of ti alloy, it is still extremly strong and would serve well as a snow stake. I wonder how MSR makes its pots? I wonder if they are an alloy of some kind... :-?

I believe very few manufactured items today are pure elemental materials, most are engineered alloys to enhance their properties, not sure about Ti except that it can really dull a drill bit fast!

A stick is free and you can find another cool idea though.

You know you could make cool colors on that trowel! Check the link. Oh and apparently it can be rolled - so I think our Ti pots are really titanium.

http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/titanium-working-10-8.htm (Click Here)

This is a dead link.

Try this one http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/titanium-working-10-8.htm

My bad I messed up the code by trying to shorten the link and I picked the wrong part to remove. Mountain's link is the one.

I'll bet the plastic trowels would be lighter weight yet, as well as a LOT cheaper. I do fine using sticks. So far I've been able to use privies all but about a half dozen times on my ongoing thruhike; at least south of Erwin, most shelters seem to have them.

I'll bet the plastic trowels would be lighter weight yet, as well as a LOT cheaper...

No, and they break.

Regards,
-MacGyver
GA-->ME

OK - first of all I ordered a piece of ti from thru-hiker.com (http://thru-hiker.com/) - if you haven't shopped there yet - get there! They shipped and I received within 1-2 days. Now on to business -

I drew my design on paper then transferred to the metal. I used a piece of tin snips to make the initial cuts, then finished the corners with a bench grinder. I know it looks rough, but I spent about 10 minutes on the whole project. I mostly wanted to see how difficult ti would be to work with. I am happy with the result an can polish if need be.

Length - 7"
Weight - 0.4 oz

Thanks for the idea!!!

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=10650&c=665&userid=4507
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=10651&c=665&userid=4507

My plastic trowel(standard orange one from campmor) is listed at 2 oz. For gram weenies the TiTrowel is significantly lighter.

Over at BL, one of the guys built a handy Ti Trowel as well. It's another great way to to do it...

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/2508/index.html?skip_to_post=20675#20675

OK - first of all I ordered a piece of ti from thru-hiker.com (http://thru-hiker.com/) - if you haven't shopped there yet - get there! They shipped and I received within 1-2 days. Now on to business -

I drew my design on paper then transferred to the metal. I used a piece of tin snips to make the initial cuts, then finished the corners with a bench grinder. I know it looks rough, but I spent about 10 minutes on the whole project. I mostly wanted to see how difficult ti would be to work with. I am happy with the result an can polish if need be.

Length - 7"
Weight - 0.4 oz

Thanks for the idea!!!

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=10650&c=665&userid=4507
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=10651&c=665&userid=4507

Yaknow, If you rounded off the tip a little... you wouldn't need TP either!

:D :D :-? :eek:

Over at BL, one of the guys built a handy Ti Trowel as well. It's another great way to to do it...

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/2508/index.html?skip_to_post=20675#20675

As you'll see, Bill was the one who gave me the idea.

Thanks for the idea!!!


Looks good Hikerjohn!

As you'll see, Bill was the one who gave me the idea.

Haha, it figuers I wasn't paying attention to something. Good show :banana

Couldn't you use a big Ti spoon?

Hey, that's a great idea. The big TI spoon could then pull double duty, every liteweight'ers dream idea ! ! !

Hey, that's a great idea. The big TI spoon could then pull double duty, every liteweight'ers dream idea ! ! !

Triple duty(doody)if you take Austexs advice:


Yaknow, If you rounded off the tip a little... you wouldn't need TP either!

:D :D :-? :eek:

Nice pun!!!