This metal’s popularity increased dramatically starting in the 1980’s when seemingly every metallurigst attempted to fashion a new gadget made from titanium to cash in on what was perceived as a high tech alternative to steel. To be sure, it most definitely is a superior metal to ordinary steel in terms of its industrial capabilities. It is lighter, stronger and far more resistant to weathering and tarnishing. On the downside, it is considerably more expensive not just in terms of raw cost but in the difficulty of its machining and welding.

It is this high cost that has kept it from being more widely adopted in everyday use. The largest ever object made of titanium, a Russian attack sub, was so expensive that they nicknamed it the “gold fish”. The navy bean counters never approved the project past the prototype stage given the prohibitive price tag.