submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I just picked up a couple of "flamed titanium" pocket clips, and I love the look of them. I've always been attracted to the blue-on-black color combo for most things I own, and I love the way the color pops on my Vision FG!

I've noticed, however, that even the slightest touch from my fingers will dull the shine and really mutes the color. It comes right back with a simple wipe on the clip with any dry cloth, but it's a little annoying just how well this finish attracts skin oils.

I was thinking about picking up some flamed ti scales to go with this, but after seeing how quickly the color fades after being touched, I'm not sure how I'd feel about an entire handle with that finish.

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[-] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago

The color exhibited by anodized titanium is due to the refraction of incoming light by the oxide layer on its surface. This works exactly like how it does on some butterfly wings. The surface isn't colored per se, but rather the nanoscopic texture on the surface interferes with the light hitting it and bouncing off to produce a reflected color. Anything that fills in, changes, or alters the reflective index of the surface will alter its appearance, like any grease/finger oils/moisture/whatever until it's cleaned off. (This is why anodizing titanium, unlike aluminum, does not require any dyes to produce a color. And you can influence the color depending on the voltage at which you anodize it, which is wild.)

This is just how anodized titanium works. If this annoys you, a larger piece of it is likely to annoy you as well.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Whoa, I had no idea about butterfly wings! Thanks, I have a new rabbit hole to dive down now. :)

[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

It is pretty wild from a scientific standpoint. The clip on my Benchmade Morpho exhibits the same phenomenon, since it's titanium and it's anodized blue. The liners do as well, actually, but they're harder to touch since they're recessed under the scales. Whenever I take it apart to deep clean it you can noticeably see the color turn more blue. When these parts are smudged they tend to become a dull grayish purple.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

It's the light

The colors come from the way light refracts. Oils change the angles involved. With the oils having their own pattern as well, it's more pronounced than if you applied an even coat of any oil. Since sebum has more than just oil in it, that's another interference.

The more varied the colors are, the more pronounced the muting is going to be. Solid colors, you may not even be able to detect the difference. Everything is bouncing the same way, evenly. So you don't notice the effect as much.

It adds up to there being a limit to how any given layer of oxides is going to "shine". You'll see it on steel patinas as well, though it's obviously less pronounced what with the colors being slightly dulled to begin with

Something with as complex a color variance, it's pretty much going to need very frequent wiping, or a protective barrier (that is going to change how it looks to some degree no matter what you use).