Coating a DE in titanium, bluing, etc.

[pdmcadams]

I've been getting my best shaves on a well-worn Gillette Fat Handled Tech which I have been thinking about getting replated, maybe in rhodium -- I know it won't shave any better but I like the look and the Techs are widely available, so I'm not desecrating a one-of-a-kind vintage razor...

Reading about replating, though, got me thinking about other types of metal coatings. Has anyone tried to have a razor "blued" like a gun might be? Might be a neat way to give new life to one of those black finished Gillette military techs.

I was also reading about titanium nitride coatings, TiN, which is a physical vapor deposition process. Gives a gold look with high durability and corrosion resistance. Pretty common to see it on drill bits, etc. A similar process can be used to deposit titanium variant coatings in multiple different colors. Used a lot in medical instruments, bicycle parts, etc.

Since I haven't seen anything like this, makes me wonder if it isn't feasible for the types of metal that is in the razor. Or too expensive for small batches of items. Or maybe just no interest in making such a change in the look of a classic razor.

Any thoughts? What do the metallurgists among us have to say?

Cheers!

PDM,

 

[hypo_style]

I started a thread about bluing a few months back:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=166591
Unfortunately, I am not a metallurgist and doesn't have a workshop where I can experiment!
I wish I could, though.

 

[pdmcadams]

So, I answered some of my own questions, at least about the TiN coating. I talked to someone at a company that does it and learned some things. The cost is pretty reasonable if 10 or so people were interested. They run the pieces in batches inside a vacuum chamber and it costs $300-500 to run a batch regardless of if the chamber contains one piece or 100. So, for 10 razors, would be comparable in cost to electroplating. Unfortunately, nickel is one of the metals that the TiN doesn't adhere to well, so the worn nickel plated razors, at least, would need to have the remainder of their nickel plating removed first. The zinc in the brass can be a problem as it can vaporize/outgas at the temperature and pressures used. I think there is a lower temp option to address this, though. Anyway, interesting info to me at least...

PDM