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What puzzles me is that I think titanium dioxide was already widely used as a pigment for paint in the 1950s, which would make me think it was widely available

What puzzles me is that I think titanium dioxide was already widely used as a pigment for paint in the 1950s, which would make me think it was widely available here.

dharmab 3y ago
Simply, titanium dioxide and aerospace grade titanium alloys are not the same thing at all.
- analog31 3y ago
  True, but the article said they were not importing refined titanium alloys. They were importing ore, specifically rutile, which is what TiO2 pigment is made from.
  - dharmab 3y ago
    That part of the article is wrong- I just opened my copy of Ben Rich's memoirs and it says they needed alloy, not ore. Apparently their US supplier had insufficient quantities.
    - analog31 3y ago
      Ah, that would explain it. ;-)