Baked / Heat Colored Convoy Pictures

40 Minutes at 250°C. The tailcap needed about 15 minutes more to get the same color as the battery tube.

Regards

Kenjii

I didn’t protect it. It doesn’t scorch or change color

Got the colors to match the tube better. Had to put the bezel back in the oven for another 10 minutes, and the tail cap in for another 20. Tail cap is still off just a bit, but close enough.

Ok, it is not my convoy light, but that was with a reason, i was afraid that i might destroy it. so after reading all this i thought, Lets do it!

I disassembled some unbranded cree Q5 led light and put it in the oven @275 deg. C. For approx 30 minutes

Look at the result! Beautiful! Nice gold/copper color.
Assembling went ok, everything went smooth, until i tried to remove the batteries…
Ahh, the horror!

Lucky me, that i did not try out my convoy!

What did i do wrong? I forgot to lubricate because i was to enthousiastic! Would that be the only thing?

Since all threads felt smooth during assembly i did feel confident that it would be perfect!

Well, now i know how to do it and not to do it, lets call it gathering experience

Nah, and if it does, call it “khaki”.

Ive done some experiments with tubes but haven’t baked whole light yet.

Left tube was blue, right was black

And baked ring on L6

Not a Convoy. Freshly baked S41. I decided to try using the old Toastmaster toaster oven. Set to bake at max which is a bit past the 500° mark and after 15 minutes this is what I got.

The 18350 tube is a bit darker but the 18650 tube is close enough to the tailcap and bezel I’m satisfied with the results. There’s more difference in the photo than there is actually looking at it up close.

Parts were prepped by gently scrubbing with a soft toothbrush and a dish detergent and water mixture, rinsed thoroughly, and soaked briefly in 90% isopropyl alcohol and hung on a wire in the toaster oven to dry. I used a heavy piece of copper wire bent to fit in the tray slots in the sides of the oven between the ceramic elements.

The color’s a bit off in the photo but I’d say in person it’s somewhere between pecan and syrup in the image below

It was a regular blue-ish grey S2+. Ended up looking like this.

Recently received Convoy L4 baked in the toaster oven at 500°F. The head and bezel turned what I consider coyote brown after about an hour. The tube and tailcap are still a bit darker after an additional half hour but I’m satisfied with the result. Here’s a photo of the body assembled minus innards next to an unbaked L5 head. Will replace photo with one of better quality and edit post after assembly. Tube and cap in photo are a bit darker than real life. Waiting for an xp-l v6 3d on a 20mm mcpcb.

An example of Coyote brown (fabric).

edit: While visiting the Convoy store on aliexpress I see that based on the photo the color I got after baking the L4 seems to be pretty close to the color of the desert tan S2+

Does baking damage the threads, or have other adverse effects? I seem to recall when I’ve (probably incorrectly) baked other metals, it becomes kind of gritty. Probably an oxidation layer. Does the anodization protect flashlight tubes/threads?

I’ve only baked two lights so far but haven’t noticed any grittiness or damage to threads. I’d imagine that residual grease could produce grit or charred deposits in threads if not thoroughly cleaned before baking.

I re-baked the L4 to get the colors closer. There seems to be a bit of a pleochroic effect with the color changing depending on the angle. From some angles the head and tube are nearly identical and others the tube has a bit more of a copper tint. Here’s the L4 as it is now beside the same black L5 head and the S41 that was my first baked light.

Looks good!

That looks amazing, KawiBoy!!! (a light for in the glove-box of your Jag, or for you Americans in some sixties battleship with lots of chrome!)

I baked my grey S2 today. A bit over 500°f, about 30 minutes for the head and tailcap and 45 minutes for the tube. It eliminated the blue tint. Very satisfied with the result.

edit: here it is beside a piece of ti-6al-4v

I wonder how would the clear S2+ and C8 colors vary with baking

this is super cool. how did you get the gradation?

I uesed wet cloth on one end in the tube and on the threads and heated the other end hard with a big gas burner


Purple Convoy S2, Convoy S2 UV, old Silver Convoy S2 (baked), Black Convoy S2+ (baked)


Purple Convoy S2, Convoy S2 UV, old Silver Convoy S2 (baked), Black Convoy S2+ (baked)

Although I had used a ceramic stovetop in the past I was concerned with inconsistent results so I tried a toaster oven this time. I hung the pieces on a steel skewer and placed that on a ceramic bowl. I was aiming for a similar result to Zeroair’s. Thought I was wasting electricity with the old silver S2+ until I noticed it was a different shade of silver. I’m happy with the results as it helps to “individualise” them, especially with some coloured buttons from the Convoy store. I have a new S21B which I may be able to bake. I didn’t bake a Convoy C8 as it has an integrated shelf so I’d have to unsolder the LED.