Sometimes when a project fails it opens a door to something that works pretty nicely. That’s what happened here… I was going to build up a 4C Maglite with an XHP-35 but it just really didn’t want to handle the power. I even stepped up to a thicker heavier copper heat sink, in testing that one I burned a black pit in a 35. Ok, so, moving right along… Decided to do something else with the 4C Mag… chopped it this morning.
Here is the Black 1C (26500) Maglite next to a 2D for size reference…
Here is the 1C Mag next to my early purchased light, got this way back when I was first getting into lights… JayRob from CPF chopped the Red Maglite, ChicagoX from here finned a head, Elektrolumens made the triple insert, and of course, I tweaked it all somewhat.
The new threads and o-ring landing cut into the chopped off 4C tube…
Ah, Maglite! Robust construction throughout, look how thick the tubes are!
Made the copper (Te/Cu Alloy) sink on the lathe with a bit of a column to allow for focus like Mag’s are known for, hand cut the opening of the tube to allow an LED style Mag reflector to fit into the mouth… I like the head to be screwed almost all the way down
I inset the tail spring and bypassed it, while a full sized 26650 cell is fatter than a C and won’t fit I may bore it some day for the higher capacity full sized cell, so it’s already set up to accept it if/when I do that…
A wall shot on low in my Limo Room, we have 5% tint on the windows as my wife used to have bad migraines. I used a Samsung LH351D 5000K 80 CRI on a hand carved 13mm BLF/ Alex Wells DTP copper MCPCB, reflow soldered together. Built a PZL driver with 12 of the 350mA 7135 chips, tail amperage shows 3.35A on a Red Efest 26500 at about 97% charged. (This is a 4 year old cell)
This light really fits my hand nicely, with Bistro as the UI it’s pretty versatile and an automatic win for me, also have an AR coated lens in place. This is just one of those satisfying builds that gives one the feeling if a guy could only have one light, this one would definitely be a contender….
WICKED hot today, my thermometer was showing 100º by 9:11AM. Same thermometer shows 116.8º on the porch, a different thermometer with a probe right outside my window shows 108º. We tied a record yesterday with an official 106. Blistering out there, and sultry boiling hot at the lathe. But I love it that way, lol.
How remiss of me! It pulls 3.35A at the tail with the old 26500 not quite holding a full charge. (shouldn’t matter with the regulation chips)
1. 0.6355 lumens
2. 9.35
3. 54.855
4. 170.43
5. 250.47
6. 472.305
7. 986.7
With an 18ga spring bypass in the heavy steel tail spring it makes 1045.35 lumens