This is a picture if a top I made. It is made from 3 alloys of titanium that are welded and press fit together. Probably not what you guys are used to in this forum. It has a ceramic ball bearing for a tip and can spin for over 5 minutes with just a finger start.
Nice! Can we get some more pictures?
Welded titanium body and ceramic tip is not what first comes to mind when I read “homemade top” (or when I think of a finger top) :
Nice paint job and impressive work!
I make these as a for fun side project from my regular job as a blacksmith/ machinist. The colors are not painted. The different colors are the different types of metal that have been welded together by heating it in a forge and then hammering and folding the metal. The process is similar to how the Japanese swordsmith’s made Katana’s but instead of steel I use titanium.
The colors are created by heating the metal up and causing the titanium to react with the oxygen and making an oxide layer. The colors are made by the oxide layer allowing only certain wavelengths of light through. The color is adjust by growing a thinner of thicker oxide layer by heating the metal hotter. Every allow has different temperatures at which it will grow its oxide.
I exploit this fact when I create patterns by pairing complimentary allows together to create nice contrasting color patterns.
In less complicated terms heat makes the metal change color. At the same temperature each metal turns a unique color allowing for the contrast in the patterns.
Also none of these are for sale. I am just showing them off. It takes about 20 hours to make the metal, another 3 hours to make each top.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/10/pyme7a8e.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/10/jyje6apu.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/10/yhe5y9up.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/10/synugy8e.jpg
In this last photo you can see that there is contrast even in the raw metal. It is pretty cool.
:o :o :o 8) 8) 8) 8)
Did I say impressive work? That’s uber-impressive!!!
That is ultra cool that the colors are thin-film interference colors, tracing the layers of alloys that you hammer-welded together. 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
You just gave another meaning to “homemade”!
Do you mind if re-post some of this on the collecting/modding board of my spintop forum?
Go ahead. there is a growing pocket top collecting trend going on right now. Many talented top makers hand making bronze, titanium, copper, an steel tops. They make great desk toys for offices.
This is probably more to the liking of people here.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/11/yqa2una4.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/11/ysyhe7am.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/11/eqe7ujur.jpg
I can’t throw I at all. Lol.
This is all very awesome
http://instagram.com/p/m3TxurinVQ/ this is a video of one of my tops spinning. This one is made out of pure zirconium so there is no welding or forging involved.
A zirconium top? :o That is a first, as far as I know! 8)
A few guys have done it before me. 
It is a very interesting material. It likes to spark and catch fire to things.
It is heavier then titanium but lighter then steel. It is also super corrosion proof.
I’d pay around 150 for each of these if I had the cash lol I can see these as being extremely collectible pieces if you decide to sell them!
I am happy you guys appreciate my work.
Yoyospirit, I am not trying to sell any of these over here or I would put them in my BST.
I actually sell them to people who collect exotic metal doo-dads.
They usually sell for between $190-250.00 per top. This is because the pattern welding titanium material that my company has a patent on is very expensive and time consuming to make. I charge about $70.00 for labor on the tops the rest of the cost is material expense!
Google Timascus if you want to see the other uses for the metal I make.
This knife that a friend of mine made features the metal I make and it sold for $21,000.00 in auction. The knife without the special metal handles sells for about $6,000.00.
Just wondering but would it be possible to make a yoyo using this method or would it affect the density and create vibe?
The weights are close enough in the different allows that it doesn’t seem to matter. The big deterrent is the cost. it would take about 700.00 just in material add in machining cost and it is probably going to be close to $900-1000.00.
It would be epic though.
Great to see you on here AKS!
