The ti retainers came from Comp Cams, so I'll ASSume the material quality was good.

I put them on a budget Smithy machine after making my own fixture to hold a retainer and had no trouble machining them. It made me realize how soft ti can be compared to chro-moly steel, and why springs with dampers chew into ti retainers so easily.

The shop appeared to have all the right equipment for the engine building business, but what was done to my retainers was just a crappy job at my expense.