Wanted - Titanium Crowbar, or someone to share shipping from Russia.

PeteHall

Moderator
I doubt anyone who owns a titanium crowbar will be selling it, but does anyone know where to buy one?

The only option I can find is to import from Russia or China.

Assuming that there are no better suggestions, I will probably go ahead and order myself one from Russia. I've imported a few things from Russia previously and aside from the slow delivery, I have been incredibly pleased with the quality and service. The same cannot be said for my experience with Chinese imports.

Is there anyone else who wants one to share shipping costs and potentially negotiate a better price if several people are interested?

The cost seems to be roughly 3 x the cost of an equivalent size steel bar, which doesn't seem too bad.
 

PeteHall

Moderator
Yes, for caving (well, digging).

My work offers an annual "healthy living bonus" of ?200 that must be spent on something that 'promotes an active lifestyle',  so after I've bought a new oversuit, I've still got ?100 to spend and I'm not sure I need anything else... If I don't spend it, I'll lose it, so I figured I might as well treat myself to a posh digging tool that will last a lifetime.
 

tdobson

Member
PeteHall said:
My work offers an annual "healthy living bonus" of ?200 that must be spent on something that 'promotes an active lifestyle',  so after I've bought a new oversuit, I've still got ?100 to spend and I'm not sure I need anything else... If I don't spend it, I'll lose it, so I figured I might as well treat myself to a posh digging tool that will last a lifetime.

This is hilarious and I love it! Please be sure to post photos of this lightweight boulder spatula when it arrives.
 

owd git

Active member
I; for one, wonder about  the carbon footprint of such a tool ,and should it be encouraged?. for a bauble rather than good use of funds.  :confused:
 

Ed W

Member
MCG bought one with a bequest from JRat a an annual club digging trophy.  Initially it was also used digging and was really nice an light.  Unfortunately it started cracking very quickly around the "crook" when levering big rocks and is now only used for decorative purposes.

Titanium may be light and strong but it is also a nightmare to work, and unless worked well there are very likely to be flaws in the crowbar that will limit its life or worse lead to a nasty accident if it snaps.
 

mrodoc

Well-known member
I have a titanium krab I got from somewhere years ago - Russian of course. I think it might have been from Jrat or at HE. I have always been wary of using it for the reasons expressed in the last post regarding it cracking although it is amazingly light. I keep it as a novelty item.
 

Allan

Member
As someone who owns a Russian Titanium crowbar, acquired in Uzbekistan many years ago, I can't recommend them.  Yes they are nice and light and easy to carry, but they are not up to heavy use, they bend too easily.  Also hitting them with a hammer is not a good idea as shards of metal splinter off easily.
 

owd git

Active member
So what about the footprint, mining, refining, machining, transportation, we should be leaving a viable ecosystem  / planet for our offspring.
; debate ?
 

ChrisJC

Well-known member
owd git said:
So what about the footprint, mining, refining, machining, transportation, we should be leaving a viable ecosystem  / planet for our offspring.
; debate ?

A titanium crowbar isn't going to make any difference. Forcibly sterilising 50% of the population might though.

Chris.
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Rob said:
How much are they? In theory they are a great idea...  :unsure:

In practice, they're also great.

Ref: CDG Newsletter 217 (October 2020) page 8.

The one described in this reference was machined from a 1.5 m long straight titanium rod, apparently by someone who knew what they were doing.

It's a wonder weapon. Go for it Pete!
 

ZombieCake

Well-known member
I have a titanium krab I got from somewhere years ago - Russian of course. I think it might have been from Jrat or at HE. I have always been wary of using it for the reasons expressed in the last post regarding it cracking although it is amazingly light. I keep it as a novelty item.
I've one of those older Russian titanium krabs lurking somewhere. Very nice, and very pretty with a nice purple colour. Wouldn't dangle on it though, far too nice to scratch. Have to look in the loft to see if I can find it.
 

PeteHall

Moderator
Some interesting thoughts on the mechanical properties, particularly if it hasn't been well made. I should have thought of that... I once worked at a jet engine factory (doing the very glamourous job of servicing their waste water treatment plant!) and while there, we had an informal tour of the place. The engineers explained that if they didn't manage press the right shape 1st time every time and get the part into the next press in time, the titanium could not be re-heated or it would become brittle. If anything slipped at any point, the part would be scrapped and recycled. I do wonder if similar controls exist in the Russian plant where they make crow bars!

On the weight of Pitlamp's recommendation though, I shall take my chances. I recall reading this particular reference not long ago, and it may be this that subconsciously renewed my interest in such a tool...

So back to the original question, if I order one, is anyone else interested in sharing postage? Feel free to PM me if you are worried about accusations of environmental vandalism  ;)
 

yuvals

Member
You can buy some bars on eBay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Titanium-Pry-Bar-Nail-Puller-Crowbar-Super-Durable-lightweight-/173827339507
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
PeteHall said:
On the weight of Pitlamp's recommendation though, I shall take my chances. I recall reading this particular reference not long ago, and it may be this that subconsciously renewed my interest in such a tool...

It was offered to me to prise up a very large slab in a low bedding plane, the sort of place where light weight made all the difference to ease of manipulation. I really gave it some pain and the bar won, with no collateral damage.
 
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