[Old Gold]

Grades 1-4 are "commercially pure," meaning they are Titanium and no other metals. Grade 5 has an addition of aluminum. Now, it makes sense that Grade 5 is lighter than 2 (which I believe the medical industry uses)...but, I bought a nail at a shop where the owner claimed to know the grades of the nails. He sold all grade 2 and grade 3 Titanium. He also showed me much heavier nail of the same design, and claimed it is "lower grade" but couldn't tell me the composition of it.

My question is: Are all Grades 1-4 acceptable for dabbing off of? Or just 1-3 (medical applications). And what would this much less pricey, heavier nail be made of, if it isn't Grade 2 Titanium?

He claims that the higher quality, the lighter it weighs. I take that with a few grains of salt.
Any expertise opinions?

You can test glass vs quartz by heating it red and putting into cold water. Glass breaks. Any Titanium tests?? Other than gas chromatography in an analytical lab..

[WelderDan]

Originally Posted by Old Gold

Grades 1-4 are "commercially pure," meaning they are Titanium and no other metals. Grade 5 has an addition of aluminum. Now, it makes sense that Grade 5 is lighter than 2 (which I believe the medical industry uses)...but, I bought a nail at a shop where the owner claimed to know the grades of the nails. He sold all grade 2 and grade 3 Titanium. He also showed me much heavier nail of the same design, and claimed it is "lower grade" but couldn't tell me the composition of it.

My question is: Are all Grades 1-4 acceptable for dabbing off of? Or just 1-3 (medical applications). And what would this much less pricey, heavier nail be made of, if it isn't Grade 2 Titanium?

He claims that the higher quality, the lighter it weighs. I take that with a few grains of salt.
Any expertise opinions?

You can test glass vs quartz by heating it red and putting into cold water. Glass breaks. Any Titanium tests?? Other than gas chromatography in an analytical lab..

About 50 grades of titanium and titanium alloys are designated and currently used, although only a couple of dozen are readily available commercially.[56] The ASTM International recognizes 31 Grades of titanium metal and alloys, of which Grades 1 through 4 are commercially pure (unalloyed). These four are distinguished by their varying degrees of tensile strength, as a function of oxygen content, with Grade 1 being the most ductile (lowest tensile strength with an oxygen content of 0.18%), and Grade 4 the least (highest tensile strength with an oxygen content of 0.40%).[15] The remaining grades are alloys, each designed for specific purposes, be it ductility, strength, hardness, electrical resistivity, creep resistance, resistance to corrosion from specific media, or a combination thereof.[57]
The grades covered by ASTM and other alloys are also produced to meet Aerospace and Military specifications (SAE-AMS, MIL-T), ISO standards, and country-specific specifications, as well as proprietary end-user specifications for aerospace, military, medical, and industrial applications.

Titanium biocompatibility: Because it is biocompatible (it is non-toxic and is not rejected by the body), titanium has many medical uses, including surgical implements and implants, such as hip balls and sockets (joint replacement) that can stay in place for up to 20 years.[36] The titanium is often alloyed with about 4% aluminum or 6% Al and 4% vanadium.

I don't have much experience working with titanium, but I can tell you that like aluminum, titanium and titanium alloys forms an oxide layer when exposed to oxygen, that means it is a passivating layer that has excellent corrosion resistance.

Honestly, I think any of the grades available to you for purchase will safely meet your needs.

[MileHighGlass]

There are "mystery mix" metals with either an alloy coating, or a chrome looking finish on the market. I would steer clear of these. You can tell by the lack of any machining marks at all. There will also be some tiny divits, or pot marks on the metal. sometimes you can even see where it was put in a form. Just FYI

[Old Gold]

100 jungle bananas for you, WelderDan and MileHighGlass
Work out percentages amongst yourselves.

I'll take a look at the nail in a few hours, it hasn't been used yet. It did look a bit shiny.. I'm surprised that anything beyond medical grade is OK'd for medicating. I'll look into the composition of all them alloys I guess..

I've definitely noticed the oxide layer forming on my Titanium nails. And it doesn't have bad taste. I've just noticed some nails taste more like I'm dabbing a line of solder, while some tasted fine for over a year. Weight varied across the good ones.

So, if you were handed two nails that looked identical, and one weighed more than the other, which would you take?

[WelderDan]

They heavier one likely has some percentage of nickel, molybdenum, or chromium. The lighter one is likely pure titanium or alloyed with aluminum, vanadium or both.

If you have access to grades 1-4, go for that.

Unless you can generate enough heat to actually melt it, any titanium alloy you can get commercially should be fine due to that passivating oxide layer. That oxide layer takes more heat to melt than the metal itself.

[Old Gold]

Thanks. He claims it's Grade 2, and it's purdy light.