Removing laser etched logos

[tuscanyswe]

Have anyone tried this on titanium? Im looking to get a logo of a ti stem i bought. Regular scotchbrite doesent seem to do nothing at all.

How deep does these etched logos go? Perhaps just try some steel wool and then finish with scotchbrite?

Experience and input appreciated!

Thanks
B

[David Kirk]

I doubt you will have much luck getting them off with normal methods. if it is lasered in then it has some depth and all that would need to be sanded off and then the whole deal polished to the same finish.

It would be easier to paint over the whole deal but i doubt that is the look you are wanting.

Dave

[tuscanyswe]

Hehe no painting the stem as you suspected really isent an alternative.

Thanks for input, ill check with a mechanic workshop or similar and c if they can assist.

[bicycletricycle]

sanding that region up to 220 and then bead blasting the whole thing for a consistent finish would work.

[tuscanyswe]

Ive never sanded titanium before. What does the finish look like when done if it changes at all? Couldent i just sand then scotch brite? Not looking for a beadblasted look this time around.

[bicycletricycle]

it would just look sctratched up, the finer you go with sandpaper the finer the scratches, eventually reaching a polish, you will never match the current finish so anything you do will need to be done over the entire stem. If you are looking for a fine satin grained surface then scotch bright will help in the end. I would recommend against any of this, finish work is a real pain in the a**.

[Dlevy05]

Would sanding compromise the integrity of the ti?

[old_fat_and_slow]

Would sanding compromise the integrity of the ti?

Not sure what you meant by "integrity of the ti".

Sanding the cross-section down of ANY material, could have a detrimental impact on the structural integrity. It depends on how thick the tube wall is, how much material is removed, what the normal peak operating stress level is, and what the yield stress of the material is. If you only sand of a 0.001 to 0.002 inches it probably won't compromise the stem.

If you meant by sanding the stem, the Ti is now more susceptible to corrosion, then no, that is not an issue, unless you expose the Ti to an extremely corrosive environment. Normal humidity and a little occasional sweat will be okay. Most likely, the stem does not have any corrosive protection on it to begin with, so sanding it won't have any impact.

[tuscanyswe]

it would just look sctratched up, the finer you go with sandpaper the finer the scratches, eventually reaching a polish, you will never match the current finish so anything you do will need to be done over the entire stem. If you are looking for a fine satin grained surface then scotch bright will help in the end. I would recommend against any of this, finish work is a real pain in the a**.


Im looking for a brushed finish like the frame. Today they are a very good match the stem and frame.

Why will i not be able to produce this same finish if i sand then scotchbrite the same way i did the frame? The frame wasent sanded tho but what does that really change that cant be brought back by by scotchbrite?

Ive asked this before but if one has a raw ti frame and want the brushed look one can just scotch brite the whole frame, right? Is it just that its so much more work to get the brushed look from a sanded surface than i imagine that is the issue here or it isent doable?