Niobium Info
Niobium (Nb) is a very ductile, malleable metal which is very slow to work-harden. The oxide layer, though harder than the niobium itself, is less than 1/10 the thickness of a human hair and is relatively fragile. Abrasion will quickly wear the oxide layer, so you really don’t want to go building sand castles while wearing your niobium. Nb is also hypoallergenic and extremely corrosion resistant. Colors are much more vibrant than titanium but are difficult to accurately reproduce using photographic methods for printing and/or computer display. We have done our best to show accurate representations of our colors but the differences between computer monitors and printers make this task difficult at best. Niobium has a significant springback in addition to the rings having a 'memory' for their last position. It has been noted by more than a few people (Kathleen included) that without the proper tension on the butted join, you may come back after a short time and find that the two ends of the ring have reverted to the partially open position, as when they were cut from their coils. Correcting this little foible of the metal just takes time and developing your own technique to get the proper tension. As for the springback, we have noted that this metal has more springback than any other metal we offer, so consider carefully when deciding on a ring size for a certain weave. If the pattern is fairly tight already, it shouldn't be a problem, but if the weave is already loose, the springback of the niobium will make for a significantly looser weave. Nb is one of several ‘reactive’ metals which are anodized using electricity with no dyes or pigments. Voltage creates varying thickness oxide layers which produce colors by interference. These oxide layers range from 50 millionths of a millimeter to 100 millionths of a millimeter in thickness. Light is reflected from the oxide surface and from the metal surface slightly delayed. It is the interference between these two reflections that either cancel a color wavelength or enhance a color wavelength of light. The thickness of the clear oxide layer determines the interference wavelength / color. It is this interference that also allows the color to vary dependent upon the viewing angle. This color shift is more pronounced for some colors i.e.: blueberry (blue-purple) and rhubarb (pink/green). By the way, our rhubarb color has yet to be duplicated by any other niobium ring supplier. As the name suggests, the color shifts from pink to pale green depending upon the angle of the ambient light and viewing angle. Anodizing niobium is NOT an exacting science. There are many variables which prevent results from being repeated by using an exact recipe. If the person who “wrote the bible” on anodizing niobium cannot do it; we certainly have no expectation of being capable of reproducing exact results. Because the colored surface is relatively delicate, care must be taken when weaving that you do not mar the rings. You don’t need a death-grip on your pliers. You can use any pliers but we have found that Wubbers hold the rings better and mar the rings less than any other pliers you can use. Kathleen's Swanstroms have taken a backseat to her Wubbers, at least as far as niobium is concerned. There’s also a rubbery liquid in which to dip your pliers tips. We’ve had mixed results and don’t think it lasts long enough to be effective – rings cut through it rather quickly. We’re working on our color offering list. Unlike others, we don’t feel that it is cost effective to create and stock colors in 5 volt increments. Most people will be using niobium for accent rings and for that reason; we think it's unlikely that the very pale colors will find much use, but we'd love for you to prove us wrong! |
