Polishing titanium

[millennium]

What product do you guys use to polish titanium abutments to a high shine?
Thank you in advance.

 

[Affinity]

I usually rubber wheel the emergence, then stainless steel brush the abutment, robinson wheel with polish, rag wheel with rouge, steam, anodize, steam, ship. Titanium is funny, it can pit really easily if you get too aggressive. I think I milled 5 dess abutments this week, its nice to be able to anodize them all together, its usually the last thing I do.

 

[millennium]

I usually rubber wheel the emergence, then stainless steel brush the abutment, robinson wheel with polish, rag wheel with rouge, steam, anodize, steam, ship. Titanium is funny, it can pit really easily if you get too aggressive. I think I milled 5 dess abutments this week, its nice to be able to anodize them all together, its usually the last thing I do.

What type of polish do you use with the robinson wheel?

 

[tuyere]

I usually rubber wheel the emergence, then stainless steel brush the abutment, robinson wheel with polish, rag wheel with rouge, steam, anodize, steam, ship. Titanium is funny, it can pit really easily if you get too aggressive. I think I milled 5 dess abutments this week, its nice to be able to anodize them all together, its usually the last thing I do.

I'm curious- I've never finished titanium for dental applications, but I used to hot-forge CP2 titanium into tools, and using any steel wire wheels, steel wool, iron-bearing abrasives etc was always a big no-no because steel particles easily embed in the softer titanium and can rust, ruining the finish. Media blasting with anything other than glass beads carried this risk too. Is this ever an issue here, or do the additional finishing steps handle any residual ferrous contamination?

 

[zero_zero]

I use Tiger brilliant, it works like a charm

 

[millennium]

I use Tiger brilliant, it works like a charm

Which wheel or brush do you use with the Tiger brilliant?

 

[Contraluz]

'WOW' or 'Zircon Bright' from DVA, with regular Robinson bristles. Ivoclar's 'universal polishing' past, a classic, works too. If I need to pre polish, I use Komet's 'ZrO2 Polisher, step 1'. This polisher works on everything and lasts a good amount of time.

 

[millennium]

'WOW' or 'Zircon Bright' from DVA, with regular Robinson bristles. Ivoclar's 'universal polishing' past, a classic, works too. If I need to pre polish, I use Komet's 'ZrO2 Polisher, step 1'. This polisher works on everything and lasts a good amount of time.

I have DVA's WOW, works great on zr but on titanium not so much for me. I thought there is something out there like "one and done" kinda deal.
To pre-polish I use a brown silicone wheel I think from Ney that I have from forever ago but so far nothing works well for high shine including red rouge.

 

[zero_zero]

Which wheel or brush do you use with the Tiger brilliant?

Felt disks and Robinson brushes

 

[millennium]

Felt disks and Robinson brushes

I shell try this. Thank you.

 

[millennium]

Thank you all for sharing!

 

[Affinity]

I'm curious- I've never finished titanium for dental applications, but I used to hot-forge CP2 titanium into tools, and using any steel wire wheels, steel wool, iron-bearing abrasives etc was always a big no-no because steel particles easily embed in the softer titanium and can rust, ruining the finish. Media blasting with anything other than glass beads carried this risk too. Is this ever an issue here, or do the additional finishing steps handle any residual ferrous contamination?

If steel was impregnating in the titanium, it seems like you would see it when you anodize, which I dont, but I appreciate the info, I can see how titanium being soft and sometimes porous could get contaminated, Ill take it easy with the brush.

 

[Sda36]

I use Tiger brilliant, it works like a charm

Agree with Zero here but a key point is to let it sit after polishing for at least 10 minutes then clean. This is to allow the Ti to not oxidize further. Please adhere to this step. I know it sounds weird but is true.

 

[millennium]

I bought the Tiger brilliant and it does work, easy. Got their cloth wheels too. Thank you zero and Sda36.
Thank you Affinity and Contraluz for replying.

 

[Foggy_in_RI]

Just some more information when it comes to the types of abrasives and effectiveness:

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/josnusd/64/3/64_22-0089/_pdf

 

[tuyere]

If steel was impregnating in the titanium, it seems like you would see it when you anodize, which I dont, but I appreciate the info, I can see how titanium being soft and sometimes porous could get contaminated, Ill take it easy with the brush.

If you haven't seen it I'm pretty sure it won't be an issue, I was using some pretty aggressive finishing methods (twisted-wire angle grinder wheels, jeweller's files, etc). I think the real killer was sharing the media blasting cabinet and anvil + hammers with steelwork. I figure the rust and firescale from the media blasting was recirculating with the media and being fired into the titanium, while microscopic firescale remnants was getting embedded in the hammer faces and then forcibly stamped into the titanium when I changed materials. But I've seen other people who do exclusively titanium work and don't have 'contaminated' tools also develop rust issues from steel embedding, so it can still happen if you do something or other wrong with your finishing. Clearly doesn't seem like an issue for dental finishing techniques, at any rate.

 

[Affinity]

Highly polished titanium supposedly has the best tissue adhesion, and after that is polished zirconia, according to a research prostho I saw a few years ago.

 

[zero_zero]

Highly polished titanium supposedly has the best tissue adhesion, and after that is polished zirconia, according to a research prostho I saw a few years ago.

These guys claim otherwise

 

[Affinity]

Yeah, I guess I could send them acid etched or sandblasted? If the laser lok surface is so microscopically porous, whos to say something other than tissue cells arent creeping in there before delivery?