Titanium Pottery Trowel for your SUL gear list

[James Yancey]

Various titanium materials are available from Titanium Joe http://www.titaniumjoe.com/ I don’t know how this compares $$-wise to Thruhiker, but TJ has a huge variety, including sheet, tube and rod Ti.

[Joshua Mitchell]

Nice link, very good prices.

Thanks!

[Kevin Camden]

You interested in making any more of your invention for sale? I figure it’s easier to buy one from you than screw several ti blanks up on my own!

[Anonymous]

Eric,

Should you decide to build some more Ti Trowels to sale I’d like to be one of your customers as well.

Regards

roger_alsborg at hotmail.com

[Eric Noble]

Kevin and Roger,
Sorry it took me so long to reply. Your offers took me by surprise and I had to think about it. I wish I was efficient enough at making them to make this possible. My finished trowel looks professional but it took a lot of time with a file and sand paper. I am tempted to talk to someone with a proper shop and see what it might cost to have a bunch made.

[Anonymous]

Eric,

Keep us posted.

Thanks

[Denis Hazlewood]

83 square inches of 0.016″ 6A14V Titanium = $37.05
60 Hose Clamps = $83.21
1 Harbor Freight sheet metal punch = $19.73
36″ AirCore Pro Dyneema cord = $1.44
18 hours of knuckle busting = $216.00
6 Custom Made ultralight Titanium (Potty Trowel) Mulit-tools = Priceless

[Eric Noble]

Denis, that’s funny…but sadly not far off. The cobalt drill bit I used instead of the sheet metal punch, cost about $3, but you have to add $1 in band aids. That thin titanium is mighty sharp before it’s sanded.

[Eric Noble]

“On the hike I just finished along the AT in Georgia I used my Ti-Trowel each day except when we went near a Shelter with a privy. “

Bill, how has your trowel held up? Any unwanted bending or other wear and tear? I still haven’t really tried mine. I need to get over it and just dig a hole in the back yard.

[Denis Hazlewood]

Eric,
Did you end up destroying the hose clamps. For the first trowel I started with 12 clamps. 2 of them didn’t work beyond a few turns. Three of the remaining 10 needed alot of lubricant to get them tightened all the way. All of them self (myself providing the torque) destructed while removing them. I’ve been talking to various metalworkers about the problem. One suggested a press made of half inch steel pipe, pressing into half of a larger diameter steel pipe, all clamped in a vice. I don’t think that would make the required curve. It migh get a “leg up” on the worst of the bending. One would still need to use the hose clamps to finish off the bend.

Any ideas? Have you made any more? I’ve got stock for 5 more that I’d like to give as Christmas presents. I’d like to make it less of a pain in the knuckles.

Thanks,

Denis

[Bill Fornshell]

The way I made my Ti Trowel seems to be a much easier way than this clamp method.

[Denis Hazlewood]

Bill,
You may be right. If I try your method I’ll need to find a bandsaw table substitute. How much heat did you need to get the stuff to form easily?

Denis

[Bill Fornshell]

Go back to the first part of this thread and look at the picture of the tools I use. I cut the Ti with Wiss Tin Snips.

I just go to “red” heat on the Ti, pound a little, re-heat and so on till it looks like I want it to. Don’t forget to put a grove in the handle.

[Eric Noble]

Denis,
I made two trowels with the same set of clamps. I got a little over zealous the last time and destroyed 2 of the clamps by over tightening them. I didn’t need to lubricate them. I bought the clamps in the plumbing department of Home Depot. They were with the sprinkling system parts. I guess I got lucky and bought good clamps. I bought the first ones I found.

Another option is a brake (press) sold by Veritas that fits in a bench vise that will bend corners. This should achieve the same effect as the edge of Bill’s band saw table. I have not used this however. I thought about making a press like your metal worker suggested. I also thought about making a press out of a U shaped channel and a piece of pipe. The bend would happen around the pipe rather than being pushed into a half pipe. Making bad bends less likely.

I’m sorry this hasn’t gone well for you. The bending turned out to be the easy part for me. Cutting the inside curves, and filing and sanding is what I found difficult. Feel free to bounce any other ideas off of me.

[Red Dallagio]

I found this discussion via google while looking for a titanium trowel to buy. Reading the comment about bending the titanium gave me an idea: why not make one out of PVC. I opened TurboCAD, drew a quick surfboard shape pattern, printed it and cut out the template. taped it to a piece of 1.5 in thin wall PVC and cut it out with the band saw. 15 min and i got a nice rigid scoop 7.25" long and 1.75" wide. It weighs in at 5/8 oz. (with the string!)

[Michael Davis]

Gee whiz, Red! Your making this way to easy. Now anyone can make a potty trowel without access to a machine shop! You've taken all the mistique out of it :)

Seriously, brilliantly simple idea!

[Mike M]

I couldn't pass up Red's idea, very easy to make (dremel is handy for finishing) and the price is right :)

mine weighs in @ 0.75 oz

it's pretty sturdy for it's assigned duty and recently got to double duty (I accidently left out one stake)

[Robert Taylor]

thats 34grams lighter than my bright orange plastic trowel!

[Author]

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