What did you mod today?

[sedstar]

I actually took the first steps towards actually having a small FOUNDRY on my property, lol… I have no idea what the neighbors will think, and dont really care.

and by “foundry”? I mean… I melted the aluminum, I adjusted the MELT… then cast it into the approximate shape I wanted… THIS resulting piece of metal? was what i started machining on, in my attempt to make a flashlight from scratch.

I know when i started fabricating with hand tools, from watching OLD LUMENS pictures of builds? I felt sort of “macho”. When i finally had my own “half a milling” setup going? Felt more “macho”. When i bought a small lathe and started to use it for more operations? I felt even more “manly” and “macho”.

but THIS? good lord, I am simply walking around sweating testosterone… LMAO.

==

its only baby steps in the right direction? But… if i can refine the operation and build a bigger apparatus I need? I might be able to cast a WHOLE LIGHT, ten machine out the insides, such that the entire light is one solid piece of aluminum… that would be no pill to sink losses, no sink to light body losses… nothng. It should be, i am hoping if i can make it work… other than opening the battery compartment to swap batteries? the entire whole body from inside to outside is the one gigantic “pill” and “heatsink” in one piece.

the “macho” aspect of this? It is highly labor intensive… I spent about 12 hours straight, working over a raging coal fire fed air to make it hotter… giant burns and blisters erupt INSTANTLY even through the heat-proof welding gloves… i get sunburn in the middle of winter from red-hot molten liquid aluminum… i have any number of bad cuts on my fingers from sheet metal is sharper than it looks.

i am reminded of the members name “VestureOfBlood”… IE, his name means he has “invested actual BLOOD” into his own modding and working on lights?

well, whatever “spell” was completed? I bled like a stuck pig into a vat of molten aluminum, and didnt dare drop it, because 10 hours in?? i dont want to lose all that work trying to accomplish this.

PS - this is in no way “commercially viable”, by the way… the amount of heat, the length of time, burning straight thru solid steel melt-pots in minutes… re melting mistakes over and over… all before any machining starts?? it is in no way a commercially viable thing… i am trying this just to see what its like to do it… lol

(and i am sweating testosterone all week after doing it, lol, very “macho” work)

[Lexel]

You can buy 1 piece flashlights for example from nitecore

One is the EC4GT

But machining out the battery compartment and implement the driver will be challenging

[Firelight2]

Modded a blue Convoy S2+ host with metal clicky that I’ve had laying around for awhile.

• Emitter: triple XPL-HI 5A2 4000K
• Optic: Carclo 10507
• Driver: DrJones H17F with lucidrv 2

I started by shortening the pill, the same way as on a previous mod: modding the convoy s2+ mini

After shortening the pill, I decided that rather than making this an 18500 light like the previous mod, for this mod I wanted the light to use 18650. I also wasn’t going to install a side-switch since the whole point of these newer S2+ was to take advantage of the superb metal clicky.

With the shortened pill, there was far too much space in the battery compartment for an 18650. Initially, I was thinking to try my hand at shortening the battery tube via the “human lathe” method. However with a bit more thought I realized there was a much easier way to shorten the light:

I pulled out the hacksaw and chopped the back of the head off. Then I filed a couple mm off the end of the screw threads at both ends of the battery tube. Result is a Convoy S2+ triple that is 12mm shorter than stock (104 mm modded compared to 118 mm stock). The modded light can also use the 18350 battery tube and an 18350 cell (total length 72 mm with 18350).

Additional work to be done on this light:

• grind off the bottom-most threads on the head to make room for the battery tube o-ring (until this is done there’s no o-ring between the tube and head).
• wait for illuminated switch assemblies to arrive.
• possible remove blue anodizing and polish the bare aluminum.

[Cula]

Can you post some pictures of that foundry, your work sounds very interesting. How do you get those high temps to melt aluminum (had to look it up, almost 700 C)? Do you make some kind of molds to pour melted aluminum into?

[sedstar]

CULA…

in the interest of “budget”, i am using my COAL FURNACE. it closely resembles the biggest “pot belly stove” anyone ever saw. The main portion that is the firebox? Is a gigantic cast iron bowl, in excess of 1 inch thick all around. because it is so thick and made out of cast iron and so big? I am able to heat it up the the point it goes “cherry red” hot…

the fuel for this raging furnace? around 100 to 150 pounds of coal for one firing. With the amount of air i am feeding the fire? this would normally be enough coal to heat the entire house for more than 24 hours. Because i am feeding it so much air? it only lasts a couple of hours. only a small portion of THAT burn time is suitable for melting aluminum.

at these temperatures? i am burning thru solid steel 1/10th of an inch thick in under a half hour… my “budget crucible” right now is cut apart gas tanks. But, i need much thicker steel crucibles, so they can take the heat longer.

just imagine taking a HOUSE COAL FURNACE from the “old days”… and cranking the fire and heat up past the “danger zone” of over firing it, LMAO… if this thing would happen to CRACK the firebox and split apart while i am working right next to it? I’m dead. Simple as that. If i am not dead, i will wish i was and wont have feet and lower legs.

I have already learned the difference between “fire retardent” clothing? and fire-PROOF. Its a world of difference, ask me how i know this, ha ha.

=

things i have to do yet?

I have to build, pretty much from scratch… a large OUTDOOR furnace that will do what this puppy is doing with me abusing it inside my house. Outside? if the firebox would split and dump the red/white hot fire out? I can simply step away and be safe. (“safe” is a word i am using very loosely here, ha ha)

I also have to get away from a crucible to melt the aluminum in, and then pour the molten aluminum into a mold… this has to be “bottom pour” where i can release a latch to let the molten aluminum flow out and into the mold(s).

I also have to start cleaning the scrap aluminum, melting it, and fluxing it… in ONE operation where i pour “clean ingots” of aluminum out into ingot molds… then a SECOND OPERATION will be re-melting the clean ingots, for a final pour into the mold shape. Right now i am doing it in one big long operation, and i am losing aluminum every step of the way trying to do it all in one big long operation.

once i get all that done… I am reading up on making sand casting molds…

i know i cant get “true” all one piece out of this? but, the head of the flashlight will be “all pill”.

===

i am starting to wonder if i can manage to pour molten aluminum directly into the head of a MAGlite… the resulting MAGlite head? would then be one gigantic heatsink. I will machine the top to take a MCPCB, and the bottom side to take the driver and battery contact…

the only thing stopping me from trying it? is i am afraid i will melt the whole head, or, warp the small threads to the point they dont fit the body any more…

if this would work? i could pour into the HEAD of a large flashlight, turning the entire head into one gigantic heat sink.

[djozz]

That all sounds very scary sedstar, and very cool too. Wether it will be succesful or not, if you care to take pictures during the process without killing yourself, that would be very much appreciated :sunglasses:

[sedstar]

someone else is going to have to operate the camera… i am only one man with 2 hands and i wish i had a couple more hands doing this… when i have refined (pun intended, lol) the process a little more? You can rest assured i will brag a little and post some pictures…

I have two “defiant 650” throwers… these are not the “DST 650” that was site famous? These are the “next years model” that were really good for modding? and throwy reflectors? just not “the” DST650… one i kept stock for myself, and gifted the other to a muggles buddy. It was his “favorite flashlight” for over a whole year?? during which time he never changed out the stock 3xD cells… when it finally “died” and he couldnt get the light open to change batteries??

i got the light back, lol… MINE runs fine at stock unmodded… “his” i had to get it open and disassemble it and clean out all the alka-leak badness in it… it was no small feat, but, i got it done and the light survived, just is no longer pretty.

i am considering trying to pour the large deep head chock full of molten aluminum, as a TEST to see if it warps the body-to-head threads… if it passes this test? that light head will become one giant single piece “pill”… and allow me to try it on my 4-D MAGlite head I have laying around…

the resulting defiant head? would have the deep reflector gone, replaced by a gigantic heat sink that is the entire head… i am guessing i would machine the outside of the head to accept a focusing tube, make it into a gigantic zoomie. I just happen to have a few high quality optical lenses around, from all my night vision optical work…

it should be obvious, the new head would accept nearly any powerful LED i wanted, i think…

[Mike_C]

My first driver using the ATtiny84A MU. With the smaller size I can now fit all 16 x AMC7135s and a spring pad on a 20mm PCB. With the 84’s additional pins I can turn on any number of the 7135s in constant current, using PWM on a single dedicated 7135, and have E-switch, voltage divider and power off detection on separate pins (although combining them is reliable).

Since the 84A is supposed to have PicoPower capabilities I should be able to switch off BOD during sleep and also experiment with sleep walking features, so I should be able to get longer off times without needing a 200uF cap. I haven’t started those tests yet, just finished porting my 85 firmware to 84.

All those vias are so I can perform some acupuncture to flash the MCU. No need to remove the driver from the light:

I have updated my FET drivers to the 84A MU too, but I won’t start building them until I have the firmware completed.

[vwpieces]

ThorFire VG10 Quad
Baked to a champagne with polished head
XP-L HI V3 3C on Tpad Quad. MtnE Fet+1 Bistro, Carclo 10622 24mm quad Narrow Spot Plain TIR, Springs bypassed. Tpad soldered to copper spacer.

[jacktheclipper]

Wave modded some Enlan EL01 folders .
Nothing is quicker when you need a blade right now .

[RobertB]

@vwpieces

ThorFire VG10 Quad
Baked to a champagne with polished head
XP-L HI V3 3C on Tpad Quad. MtnE Fet+1 Bistro, Carclo 10622 24mm quad Narrow Spot Plain TIR, Springs bypassed. Tpad soldered to copper spacer.

Nice vw. Did you make the spacer? Was thinking something similar with 219b’s

[vwpieces]

That VG 10 is from the TF GB, the ones that have the LB MCPCB and aluminum disc under the emitter. Making more space inside than the normal VG10.
Copper spacer used was Kirill’s M2 and I reduced the OD of the brass ring to fit. Spacer works without mods.

[RobertB]

@vwpieces

That VG 10 is from the TF GB, the ones that have the LB MCPCB and aluminum disc under the emitter. Making more space inside than the normal VG10.
Copper spacer used was Kirill’s M2 and I reduced the OD of the brass ring to fit. Spacer works without mods.

Great, thanks. My VG10 doesn’t have the extra LB & spacer under the mcpcb. Will have to order one from him.

[X31 (-X3-)]

@Firelight2

Modded a blue Convoy S2+ host with metal clicky that I’ve had laying around for awhile.

• Emitter: triple XPL-HI 5A2 4000K
• Optic: Carclo 10507
• Driver: DrJones H17F with lucidrv 2

I started by shortening the pill, the same way as on a previous mod: modding the convoy s2+ mini

After shortening the pill, I decided that rather than making this an 18500 light like the previous mod, for this mod I wanted the light to use 18650. I also wasn’t going to install a side-switch since the whole point of these newer S2+ was to take advantage of the superb metal clicky.

With the shortened pill, there was far too much space in the battery compartment for an 18650. Initially, I was thinking to try my hand at shortening the battery tube via the “human lathe” method. However with a bit more thought I realized there was a much easier way to shorten the light:

I pulled out the hacksaw and chopped the back of the head off. Then I filed a couple mm off the end of the screw threads at both ends of the battery tube. Result is a Convoy S2+ triple that is 12mm shorter than stock (104 mm modded compared to 118 mm stock). The modded light can also use the 18350 battery tube and an 18350 cell (total length 72 mm with 18350).

Additional work to be done on this light:

• grind off the bottom-most threads on the head to make room for the battery tube o-ring (until this is done there’s no o-ring between the tube and head).
• wait for illuminated switch assemblies to arrive.
• possible remove blue anodizing and polish the bare aluminum.

Now I want to see some pictures of that !
I scratched my head multiple time to find how to shorten the S2+ and even dremat of using a 18650 with the 18350 tube :disappointed:
YOur solution seems to be much more doable !

[Firelight2]

@~~X3~~

…
Now I want to see some pictures of that !
I scratched my head multiple time to find how to shorten the S2+ and even dremat of using a 18650 with the 18350 tube :disappointed:
Your solution seems to be much more doable !

I made a build-thread for the mod Shortening the Convoy S2+

With a little more work, the entire light is now 102mm long, compared to 118mm for stock. Removing 16mm really makes for a much more pocketable light. Here’s a picture:

[CRX]

Put a little rechargeable COB light together

[vwpieces]

I like that CRX.

[djburkes]

I replaced the XP-G2 R5 with a dedomed XP-G2 S4 2B and made it direct drive with all springs bypassed in a Lumintop Hunter T5.

Next to a Thorfire VG10

55mm Head

Before Mod XP-G2 R5

After Mod Dedomed XP-G2 S4 2B

C8 Dedomed XM-L2 U4 1A

[Rufusbduck]

I made copper ugly.

[giorgoskok]

Nice work djburkes !
I was searching this lumintop for a while but i still can’t find it near me

@Rufusbduck

I made copper ugly.

What ! How ? Too much heat ?