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Titanium pins

Will_P

20-Dec-2013
4:37:38 PM

I'm heading off for a few weeks of scary cold alpine stuff, and am wanting to take a few pitons. I've got a handful of titanium knifeblades, unused, but of dubious provenance (ie - not a brandname product). Will these make a desperate situation even worse by folding like a cheap concertina? Or will they go in like a hot knife in butter and hold a truck? (Yes, placement dependent, I know) What has been the experience with Ti pins?

phillipivan

20-Dec-2013
5:18:44 PM

I've got some brand name (ushba) Ti Pins. I've only ever dared place the thickest of the sizes I've got. Something like a BD Bugaboo. Even after a single placement and cleaning they are liable to be a bit bent and show their use.

Look, Im sure they're not as strong as the steel ones; but often in the alpine, ultimate breaking strength of your gear is the least of your concerns.

If your planning to whip on to them, take steel pins. Otherwise Ti will do.

Jim Titt

20-Dec-2013
7:57:18 PM

We pull-tested some ti pins a few years ago as part of a general test, they were astoundingly good as it happened. Not knowing which part of the Russian aerospace industry the material was liberated from who knows what yours are like?
Of course most of us would just go and beat one into the local cliff and see what happened but maybe this is too simple:-)

IdratherbeclimbingM9

20-Dec-2013
8:50:30 PM

On 20/12/2013 phillipivan wrote:
>I've got some brand name (ushba) Ti Pins. I've only ever dared place the
>thickest of the sizes I've got. Something like a BD Bugaboo. Even after
>a single placement and cleaning they are liable to be a bit bent and show
>their use.
>
>Look, Im sure they're not as strong as the steel ones; but often in the
>alpine, ultimate breaking strength of your gear is the least of your concerns.
>
>
>If your planning to whip on to them, take steel pins. Otherwise Ti will do.
>

Sorry that I can't comment on Ti pitons as I have never used them, however I can comment on 'soft' pitons.
Before Chouinard pitons came along we were only able to access soft ones from Europe and they are more than strong enough.

The advantage of hard pitons is that they stand up to repeated use much better.

The holding power although good in both soft and hard pitons comes from their differing properties too. Soft ones deform to the irregularities of the crack they are driven into, and it is the deformation that holds them, unlike the hard pitons which kind of tension off opposing irregularities within cracks and hold because of that tension.

If you are still concerned, then take JT's advice and
>go and beat one into the local cliff and see what happened
☺

Macciza

21-Dec-2013
2:07:34 PM

Scary cold alpine stuff . . . sounds like fun . . .

Couple of things relevant here, Titanium is usually actually some sort of alloy with all sorts of possible characteristics so they may not be that soft . . . I have some like that, some thick blades that are not that soft. As well as having used a bunch of soft LA style pins and had quite weirdly bent forms when pulled . . .

I doubt that they would fold, just try them out . . . Otherwise, soft pitons are fine in lots of stuff that hard pitons would not work though can be a little harder to clean . . .

Z-Tons are probably a good light multi-use option as well . . .

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