bending titanium rod/wire

[Crowe]

I have some 0.125" (1/8") ti rod/wire. I am wanting to make a tripod type pot stand. Not sure how else to explain it, basically a "U", only a flatter bottom, hinges on one side. Many of you probably know what I am talking about. What is the best way to go about bending the Ti rod at a 90 degree angle, and getting the measurements right for the bends (matching the two pieces-roughly).??

[Slo-go'en]

I believe Titanium is pretty brittle, so you'd have to heat it up and get it soft to bend without breaking. There will be some stretch as it bends, but not enough to be noticeable in this application. Start with pieces of the same length and make a bending jig so they get bent at exactly the same point.

[Leo L.]

Ti is pretty sensible, especially for reacting with Oxygen and Nitrogen. The higher the temperature, the more sensible.
In industrial production warm forming of Ti is always done in inert atmosphere.
So best bet for home use is to bend it cold, and to do so with quite a reasonable big bend radius.

To get the desired legth of the bent piece you could do some simple math, or make a test bend and get the correct dimensions.

[jimmyjam]

Duluth Trading sells a little wire bending jig:
http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/p...16-B-mens-home

[RockDoc]

I've broken every piece of Ti I've tried to bend... my suggestion is to use steel.

[swisscross]

Ti is pretty sensible, especially for reacting with Oxygen and Nitrogen. The higher the temperature, the more sensible.
In industrial production warm forming of Ti is always done in inert atmosphere.
So best bet for home use is to bend it cold, and to do so with quite a reasonable big bend radius.

To get the desired legth of the bent piece you could do some simple math, or make a test bend and get the correct dimensions.

I toured the Merlin bicycle company (at the time the leader of titanium bicycle frames) in Cambride MA many years ago and at one station there was a person bending the chainstays...cold.
The only station that was being flushed with an inert gas, argon, was in the welding process.
Titanium is a very springy metal thus it needs to be bent slightly more that than the projected result.
My understanding is that with heat it will bend more consistently, much like steel, with little effect to the material.

Titanium is not used as a raw material, only as an alloy. Some are more brittle than others but most available titanium alloys will not be brittle.

I would only warm it up if you are havinging issues bending and not getting the results you desire? I would not go crazy with the heat. Like all metals heat will realign the molecular structure making it weaker.

Check out Kingcage.com there is a quick video of a guy making a titanium water bottle cage...using a jig...bare hands, no way it was hot.

[QiWiz]

A lot depends on what for of Ti rod you have. CP (commercial pure) will bend when cold pretty well with pliers or a jig. The common 6AL4V alloy is best bent when heated (like with a propane torch). BTW, in my experience with Ti, a heat-formed bend is stronger, not weaker, than a cold-formed bend.