Timascus Dice
Forging Aerospace Metals
Timascus is an insanely expensive material crafted by forge welding two dissimilar Titanium alloys together in similar manner a traditional blacksmith might use to create Damascus Steel. In this case the Titanium Alloys used are Grade 2 or Commercially Pure Titanium and 6Al4V or Aircraft Grade Titanium.
Ground to Perfection
Once we receive these custom forged billets, their first stop is to be machined in one of our state of the art 4 axis CNC mills. After they pass their post machining inspection, these spaceaged dice blanks are then hand ground to 9 microns and polished to absolute perfection.
The Kroll Process
What makes Titanium so expensive if its such a common element? As it turns out pure titanium does not exist in nature and it is very difficult to extract from the chemical bonds it is typically found in. Today this is done using the Kroll process.
The Kroll process in a nut shell.
- The ore begins in a fluidized bed reactor which produces purified titanium oxide.
- The purified titanium oxide is then oxidized with chlorine to produce titanium tetrachloride.
- The impurities are then fractionally distilled.
- The product is then moved into a stainless steel reactor where it is mixed with magnesium in an atmosphere of argon. Titanium 3 and titanium 2 chlorides (TiCl2) are the results of this step.
- Titanium 3 and titanium 2 are then reduced to produce pure titanium and magnesium chloride.
As we can see here this process is insanely complex, difficult to perform, as well as, consuming an increasable amount of energy. You can read more about this fascinating process over on Ulbrich’s website. They are experts in the field of titanium smelting.
Forged by Master Smiths
Creating a Timascus Billet, especially one over an inch thick, is a labor intensive and time consuming process which only the most skilled craftsmen can accomplish. By repeatedly hammering, twisting, and folding the dissimilar Titanium billets together, the craftsman can create a number of different patterns in the final forge welded Titanium billet. All the while the Titanium billets must kept above the forging temp of 1400°F and in an atmosphere devoid of oxygen.
Dragon’s Breath Finish
Like all of our metal dice our Titanium Dragon’s Dice receive our signature Dragon’s Breath Finish. This is a heat anodization process applied by hand to each die. The artisan’s skill here is showcased in the bright vivid coloration unique to each individual dice. This coloration will range in a pattern of hues from golden bronze, through a deep violet, to royal and sky blues.
Just how are we able to attain such a vibrant color pallet? Through science of course! Our Dragon’s Breath process involves an exceedingly intense flame, over 3,700 degrees Fahrenheit to be exact. Under this blast of pure distilled draconic hate, the base metal undergoes a surface transformation by reacting with atmospheric oxygen. This reaction forms a clear crystalline oxide layer that is much harder than the base metal making our Titanium Dragon’s Breath Dice even tougher.
Tempered by Dragon’s Fire
Dragon’s Breath Finish creates the striking patterns you see here. Each stripe is created by the dissimilar grades of Titanium oxidizing at differing rates due to their differing chemical compositions. This gives each and every die a unique one off pattern. Using these grades of titanium means we are able to expand our color pallet from the typical vibrant blues purples, and bronzes of our normal Titanium dice and expand in to greens, lavenders, and pinks you’ll see in some of the d20s available here.
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These single d20s are crafted from Timascus, an insanely expensive material created by forge welding two dissimilar Titanium alloys together in similar manner a traditional blacksmith might use to create Damascus Steel.
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