ok, i just picked up a full titanium muffler/canister at a really cheap price but realized that titanium is a very hard metal to work w/. i'm trying to save as much money as possible so i'm just planning on welding it on some aluminized steel piping. are there any special methods or precautions i should take when doing this? thanx

 

I don't think you will have much luck welding those two metals together. What kind of welder are you going to try with, and what type of weldind rod?

 

After thinking about this problem, I realized there are some very real saftey issues here. First titanium is a metal that will burn. One of the main ingrediants in fireworks is titanium powder. So.....If you go out to your garage and take a gas torch to it you could have a very hot, bright and very hard fire to put out. Most racing org. ban the use of titanium for the major structure of cars for this reason. The only way to weld titanium with normal shop equipment, would be to tig weld it, and even then you need to use an argon backing gas inside the tube as you weld it. Really the issue boils down to what type of welding rod do you use tto weld it? and for that I really don't have a clue, some sort of stainless rod....if it's possible. So please!!! don't touch it with a gas, arc, or mig welder...it could get ugly!

 

Any powdered metal will burn....the reason it is in fireworks is to alter the color of the flames. Hence the pretty "ooooh-ahhhh" colors.

Ti can be welded with TIG as was eariler stated but for a weld that is "safely" structurally sound it has to be gas shielded. This was also mentioned before. I'd take your muffler to an experienced welder and discuss it with them. I'm sure they would know the proper course of action. A few TIG welds would most certainly take care of it.
Now if you were talking about a Ti roll cage....well then that is a different story.


Welding magnesium would make for an interesting fire show that is for sure.


[Modified by SLPR, 12:06 PM 8/21/2002]

 

You can get by without messing with the titanium muffler/canister.

Just have your stainless steel piping slip fitted over the inlet of the Ti canister, then use exhaust springs to keep the two pieces together.


You can also use the same method for the muffler hangers, wrap/slip a metal band around the canister, and weld the hangers on that.