aussiedrzguy Posted March 21, 2010 I have been bored at work lately and have been considering making my own manual cam chain tensioner. I have plenty of stainless on hand but am trying to put the DRZ on a bit of a diet. I did some research on titanium but could not find any good decriptions of the different grades mechanical properties. Does any one have any experience of what grade of titanium to use orpoint me in the right direction. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smcdonn Posted March 21, 2010 I have been bored at work lately and have been considering making my own manual cam chain tensioner. I have plenty of stainless on hand but am trying to put the DRZ on a bit of a diet. I did some research on titanium but could not find any good decriptions of the different grades mechanical properties. Does any one have any experience of what grade of titanium to use orpoint me in the right direction. I can't imagine for a cam chain tensioner that the grade is going to be that important. Not exactly a high stress application. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CRF2eR Posted March 21, 2010 I worked in a titanium factory for 29 years before I retired at age 49 from there. I was swimming in titanium for most of my adult life. I LOVE the stuff. I have many boxes of titanium scrap accumulated over the years, of all sizes and shapes. Most of it is 6/4 alloy, the most common alloy of ti. For you that don't know, 6/4 ti is 6 percent aluminum and 4 percent vanadium (the remaining part mostly titanium). It's extremely tough in it's annealed form. CP grade ti (pure titanium) is relatively soft, and can bend quite easily. Titanium can be machined and drilled (slow speed, lots of coolant), but welding it requires it be shielded from oxygen, best done in a welding tank that's been vacuumed empty (at least to 20 microns) and then back-filled with argon. Welding ti can also be done in a bowl that's been backfilled with the heavier-than-air argon, and lots of argon used thru the tig welding tip. Good luck with your project. Your weight savings will be only a few oz's., tho... Randy I have been bored at work lately and have been considering making my own manual cam chain tensioner. I have plenty of stainless on hand but am trying to put the DRZ on a bit of a diet. I did some research on titanium but could not find any good decriptions of the different grades mechanical properties. Does any one have any experience of what grade of titanium to use orpoint me in the right direction. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HeadTrauma Posted March 23, 2010 Isn't the bulk of the tensioner mechanism made of aluminum? About the only part made of "heavy" steel I see would be the spring and plunger. If they were replaced by Ti, I'm thinking the savings would be mere grams. IMO, more weight could be saved by replacing the tensioner bolts with titanium and it would be less trouble. I have many boxes of titanium scrap accumulated over the years, of all sizes and shapes. Most of it is 6/4 alloy, the most common alloy of ti. For you that don't know, 6/4 ti is 6 percent aluminum and 4 percent vanadium (the remaining part mostly titanium). That's the 6AL-4V so often used for valves, right? It's tough stuff, but I think it cuts nicer than stainless. The PITA is getting through the chromed stems and TiN/DLC-coated heads. 👍 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleblanc Posted March 25, 2010 thats the alloy that bicycle frames use its really light! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
