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Jared,
I did not understand from this exchange,
what exactly is the advantage of titanium as
a material for a sextant frame.

I understand its advantages as a material for eyeglass
frame: it is stronger than steel of the same weight.
But what can happen to a sextant frame, why should it be
so terribly strong? You are not going to drop your dream
sextant on a concrete floor. And even if you do, it is much likely
that you destroy the mirrors and the telescope, but not the frame.

Simply speaking, don't you think that a brass or aluminium frame
of modern sextants is already strong enough?

Alex.

On Fri, 12 Aug 2005, Jared Sherman wrote:

> Until the breakup of the USSR most titanium was terribly expensive.
> IIRC they controlled the largest production sources? And it was
> considered a strategic defense resource by all parties. Now, it is
> simply
> expensive--and still terribly expensive to work. If the properties are
> right it might make a dream sextant but the kind we'd only see offered
> in the Nieman Marcus Christmas Catalog.

   

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