Wasn't expecting this...


 
Ralph

Ralph

TVWBB Super Fan
So I picked up this 2002 Silver C for free this afternoon, only six miles from my house.
I had been looking for a model with a side burner so I can cook my shishito peppers without making my entire house smell like them.
Noticed that the grates looked like nothing I have seen before. Turns out the owner's father was some type of welder/ machinist, and made a set of grates out of Titanium. I recognized the distinctive coloring that it takes on when heated.
They are solid 1/2" rods, with 1/4 inch between. Should be interesting cleaned up. titanium.jpg
 
Wow, titanium. I wonder if there are toxins from it like aluminum? I don't think there is any thermal advantage to it
 
I'd do some research before using... Titanium is used for corrosion resistance in severe chemical applicaitons but generally polished SS is good enough for food related/pharma applications (not hot/not corrosive), so titanium never gets used there.
 
Yah, I would be a bit cautious, but those things must have been really expensive.
 
Isn‘t titanium far more expensive than SS? My personal guess is it would be unlikely to release anything harmful to you, but please note that is only my guess based upon the fact they do use it inside the human body. My guess is that it is really never considered for cooking as quality stainless does any outstanding job for a lot less money and there would be minimal to no gain in ever choosing it. It‘s not like you need to reduce grate weight for fuel economy or higher speed.

Just found this: ”Titanium is extremely biocompatible, means that it is nontoxic to the human body.” from https://www.aesteiron.com/blog/stainless-steel-vs-titanium.html.
 
Wow, well that is the ultimate set of grates for sure!

Larry,
Now that we have established that it is biologically safe, what do think about the spacing and thickness on this incredible find?!!!
 
Jon Tofte said:
Wow, well that is the ultimate set of grates for sure!

Larry,
Now that we have established that it is biologically safe, what do think about the spacing and thickness on this incredible find?!!!
Click to expand...
That part of it looks great (grate?). I don't know what the heat characteristics are like. Yeah me, I would sell that for the value of the metal and get some of Dave's grates
 
Never crossed my mind about how much the material cost, but they weigh about 8.7 pounds each- if they were stainless, they would be about 14.5 each. I did need a tool just to remove them, as the gap between the bars is too narrow to even get a finger to lift them.
I'm not concerned with the safety of the metal- Titanium is food safe, but it's not typically used for cookware due the poor thermal transfer properties. It is used for hiking/ camping due to the weight benefits, but everyone complains about how hard it is to cook with it because of hot/ warm spots.
Not sure how it will work out grilling- time will tell. It will be tough to lose anything through the gaps.
 
Yep thickness and spacing wise those are dream grates. Just like the ones Dave made for my Wolf. Cannot get a finger in there. I LOVE them
 
Bruce said:
And I would have guessed that Titanium would be more dense than Stainless.
Click to expand...
It's used in aircraft for it's high strength to density ratio. Wouldn't surprise me that it's thermal characteristics would work in it's favor in that environment as well.

I have a titanium dental implant. Those are placed with a teeny tiny little beam style torque wrench. I asked both the surgeon and the dentist if they had the calibration certificates. "Oh, yes. Want to see them?"

I welded up some T304 SS 1/4" round stock into grates with 1/2" gaps. Personally, that's just about my ideal grate, smoke & IR pass right through. I'm not as set on grill marks as some.
 
Did a quick clean up on the Titanium Grate Grill. Both igniters work, and burners are fine.
It's now my #1 grill. Still have two older redheads to finish, but I think I will wait until the cost of wood goes down.
 

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Ralph said:
Did a quick clean up on the Titanium Grate Grill. Both igniters work, and burners are fine.
It's now my #1 grill. Still have two older redheads to finish, but I think I will wait until the cost of wood goes down.
Click to expand...

That cleaned up very well. Amazing you picked that up for free
 
I like watches with titanium bands because they are so strong and light. Amazing that someone would make grates out of that.
 
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