choppedliver

Not satisfied to build a 316 Marine Grade Stainless Gig, I decided to build one out of TITANIUM. Call me crazy

For those who dont know<UL><LI>Titanium does not corrode, ever. It does not have iron, it cannot rust. It has 100x the corrosion resistance of stainless steel.</LI><LI>It is 3x stronger than steel</LI><LI>It is half the weight of steel... it feels like aluminum</LI><LI>It is a PAIN IN THE ASS TO WORK WITH. You won't be deburring this stuff with a file.</LI><LI>It is expensive as shit! LOL</LI>[/list]
Here is some pics



Titanium gig - 7.9 ounces



316L Stainless Steel gig, 13.7 ounces.

The tubing Im using



Titanium, the best of all worlds!

TWINKIE6816

How much?

BIGRIGZ

^^+1

and how'd you sharpen the points?

choppedliver

A bench grinder works, though it does eat the stones up quicker than steel does. I used a course grinding wheel to remove the bulk, then used a side grinder with a sanding wheel to hone the tip to a a fine point. The bench grinder wheel leaves a rough finish and its difficult to get a fine point, thus the need for the sanding wheel.'

I was thinking $75. I know that a lot for a gig, but I've seen stainless steel ones on the net for $65, and its only $25 more than my stainless ones that several people have already bought. The profit margin isnt is as high, and the pain in the ass factor is higher. What do you guys think about that price? I mean I really don't know how to price something that is virtually indestructible and has never been available for sale before. Honestly if I had to price it based on pain in the ass factor I would price it about $150 LOL

Mullethead

Nice ! That gig will out live all of us

I say ask top dollar - High quality titanium welding is pretty exotic and not a common skill.

We have an R&amp;D program with the Office of Naval reseach on the use of Titanium for ship's hull struture- maybe I could get one of our welders to whip me up one of those bad boys.

Which alloy? they built an entire fishing vessel out of titanium in Japan (CP grade 2 alloy)

choppedliver

I believe this is grade 2 titanium. I would have to look at my invoice to be sure. Im sure one of your guys could weld one up for you, but do they have the materials? I do. I have plenty left... I bought enought for at least 40 gigs... Only way to make it economical is buy in bulk

MGuns

<P class=MsoNormal style="BACKGROUND: white; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #1f5080; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">I met choppedliver two days ago when I bought my 4 prong stainless steel gig from him and he had the titanium gig with him. This thing is ultra light and sweet!! Nice job!<SPAN style="COLOR: #1f5080"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

choppedliver

Thanks for the comment! Glad you liked the titanim one also!

choppedliver

Made these two today, the whole thing is titanium. Very time consuming but superior in every way and weighs about 7 ounces

navkingfisher

Without barbs, how do you lift the flat fish into the boat without it floppin off?