ti pens?

[naughty pirate wench]

the titanium pens are uber cool...but does it have to be a "pen"? :puzzled: might a person use a piece of titanium rod to sign work instead? here's what inspired that idea: http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=4618&step=4&showunits=inches&id=180&top_cat=131 - the only thing is that it's not sharpened to a point, but I bet you could file the tip to get a point...the site says titanium works similar to 316 steel (I use 316 steel welding rods for bead mandrels, cut to length, ends filed)...

[richsantaclaus]

I own one of the ti pens and I can't seem to get it to work easily - any suggestions would be appreciated.

[naughty pirate wench]

have you tried wetting the glass? (wiping it with a damp paper towel?) Lurch said that's what he does...

[Rosentech]

Hey Chris,

I've been wondering the same thing about getting a piece of Ti rod to sign pieces. Does anyone know what grade the Ti Pen is made of? I'm assuming its Grade two which is about as soft as 6061 Aluminum, 6AL-4V is a lot harder.

At about 3 bux for a foot of Grade 2 its worth a shot to buy it and just grind to a point on a bench grinder.

[Conchis]

you have to wet the glass..and it actually takes a little practice to get it to work right. And http://www.playingwithfireglassworks.com/store.html I think these are the best out there. Far better than the average ones.

[Greymatter Glass]

For the price it's just as easy to buy one, but if you happen to have a spare bicycle wheel spoke made of titanium, that seems to work as well.

[loydb]

I find that saliva works better than water for signing stuff with a pen -- and you always have some with you!

[Cosmo]

I've had better luck with my Ti Pen when I rounded the tip off slightly. It seems to leave a wider mark with less effort.

[Cosmo]

For the price it's just as easy to buy one, but if you happen to have a spare bicycle wheel spoke made of titanium, that seems to work as well.

Who even makes those any more? I know DT used to make them but I haven't seen them around in ages...

[themoch]

the rounder the tip of the titanium the better it writes.

the guy who makes them showed me how to get them to work best.

you have to grind the crap out of the pen so that it's nice and round like a bic. the company that inserts them into the plastic makes them sharp for some reason and he can't get them to change that.

so take a stone, a grinder, what ever and round the tip out. then if possible keep the glass submerged under water while signing. spit also works really well.

you don't want the titanium to scratch the glass, if you feel scratching you're doing it wrong.

take the back of a crappy pendant and give it a go. you'll get used to it.

[vetropod]

Yeah, please don't tell my custies that I've licked every single piece that I sell, LOL! :D Some of them might like that, which would be even worse than them being freaked by it. :twitch:

[naughty pirate wench]

ooooh. Wes licks bugs...

[vetropod]

..

[richsantaclaus]

I wet the glass surface but still can't control the Ti pen on it. Maybe I'll have to round off the tip and try it again - thanks for the tips you guys.

[themoch]

with a rounded tip it will feel exactly like a regular pen when writing... just press a little harder...

[blazemaster83]

i must be doing something wrong. i bought it new and it was sharp. i sanded down the tip so that it is round, but it still feels like i am scratching the glass when i press on it even a little. if i dont press that hard it wont leave a mark...

[themoch]

Get it wet or keep it submerged under water

[faded]

got my new Ti Pen. i'm failing. can't get it to leave a mark at all. i tried misting the glass with water, tried a gob of spit on the pen, i licked it, .... not a blemish to be seen. i will trying it again tomorrow.

[petto]

Get a tube of clear and just write your name all over it, you get the hang of it. Spit works great as does water from your scrap can.

[themoch]

see all my posts above, also, if you are writing on clear then you have to hold it in the correct light, or you wont really see it.

[petto]

^^^correct, was just saying for practice it works and doesn't waste color.