A Perfect Dedome?

Sure, gasoline works well, but there’s quite a few other solvents which may work better. Just trying to help.

May work better? How, exactly? Quicker? Is ~3-4 hours not quick enough? Is 'all' the silicone gone not enough silicone removed - is there another chemical that might remove not just 100%, but maybe 110%? (and would that really be 'better'?) Cheaper? Doubt it. Easier to get then gasoline? Can I drive 2 blocks from my house anytime day or night and get 5 gallons of anything on that coleparmer.com page for less than $20?

I don't get it. Why are so many trying to come up with something that 'works better' than something that just works? It works. If you don't think it will, try it first before you go looking for alternatives. That's the whole reason this thread was started. Because somebody found the answer.

Basically +1, but I know others have proven, familiar methods that are 100%, but I've found the gas method certainly the best for the average smuck (me...). I don't even wait 3-4 hours now - I'll take it out in 2 hrs if I need to, and gently flip off the dome because it always seems to be very loose then, and leaves a pretty clean footprint, as comfy says. I just give it a good soaking/shower of isopropryl alcohol when it's out, and maybe knock off loose stuff around the emitter. I'm still 100%, even after doing 1 more last night, and got another soaking now, probably 15 or so total.

Looking for a way to dedome my C8 XM-L T6 without soldering, I pulled the wires out and separated the LED/star from the pill, turned it upside down in a tiny container of gasoline with the pill sitting on top. (Tiny gas container consists of a little clear plastic cap from a bottle of throat spray!)

We’ll see how it goes from here! (do you think the gas vapors will harm any of the contents of the pill?)

Thank you!

Edit: Seems like some kind of spray contact cleaner would be good to finish up with…what do you think?

Even if you dunked the whole pill, driver and all, it wouldn't hurt anything other than the trouble it'd be to clean it well afterwards. Or if it used silicone wires... PVC or teflon should be unaffected. Epoxies or sealants could also be affected, though JBWeld I know will tolerate quite a bit of gasoline exposure before it starts to go soft. Others may be more vulnerable.

I've only ever used isopropyl in a spray bottle to clean up afterwards, I know first-hand it won't damage the newly exposed phosphor layer on the LED (that's the only part that might not be compatible). Use more aggressive stuff with caution. Might be best to test it on a 'dead' de-domed LED first.

I’m excited about maybe coming up with a way to dedome without soldering! Good point about the layer of phosphor, thanks. I’ll try finishing with alcohol like you said, I’m guessing the force of a stream shot from a bottle helps with clean-up of remaining silicone vs. just soaking in it?

Yeah, the 'silicone bits left behind' are really loose and not stuck well, and not gummy or sticky, so they come away easy. I haven't had one yet that left anything on the die itself, only around the base, but I don't trust the crumbly bits to stay there and don't want them falling off later and dancing around in the reflector. I clean off all of it (even under the bond wires - not for the faint of heart) with the tail-end of a ziptie angle cut to a very sharp point, and a good magnifier. The pointy-ziptie tool is flexible enough at the tip that you can poke at the phosphor and not damage it. The silicone bits really flake away very easily and you don't have to go near the bond wires if you want, only stuff on top of the phosphor itself will affect the beam (and the gasoline method doesn't leave bits on top of the phosphor).

But, like Tom I'm only leaving them in long enough for the dome to come off, then doing the rest by hand. I suspect if you left it in for ~24h it would all come off on its own.

Well, if you don’t own a vehicle like quite some people living in cities do these days, getting gasoline isn’t that easy and cheap. Depending on local regulations you may need to buy a proper container (=canister) to get it at the gas station.
They also may have a minimum quantity to buy (here often 2 liters). It may also be illegal to store that gas in your apartment - or at least against one’s rental agreement.
I kind of get your point, but please don’t assume that a solution is the best for all only because it works best for you.
Someone might be happy to know that he can use a bottle of acetone from the dollar store instead, even if a nice bath in ROZ95 would be (way) more effective. :wink:

Just checked on mine at the 1hr.50min. mark and the dome was barely dangling, I flung it off onto the floor with one little fling! There are still little bits of stuff on there, so I put it back in the gas ’til I decide what to do next. What to do next? I don’t have a sprayer bottle for the alcohol, maybe swish it around a bit in an alcohol bath? Do I need high pressure? Thanks again!

So someone living in your area would be familiar with all those issues, right? Are there any auto garages, motorcycle shops, small engine repair places around? Go there, explain what you're doing, ask if they can add some gasoline to the little bottle you bring in and keep it for you overnight. Don't act like this is a planet where gasoline doesn't exist.

Spray bottle just helps knock off any looser bits, it's not necessary as long as you can dilute away all the leftover gasoline. Cleaning off every last bit of the silicone isn't necessary either, as long as the bits aren't loose enough to fall off later.

I use a cheapo squeeze bottle with ispropyl, bought the bottle from FT of course! This one: http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10003544/1261001-booster-flux-bottle-with-funnel-and-needle. It's not a sprayer, but I squeeze it out forcibly directly on the emitter and star for de-dome cleanups.

dave_ - all's good to find alternate methods - I understand gas is not convienent for everyone, so maybe there is something as good out there that can be purchased and stored easier.

Bad news…the 3 tiny wires are all broken…I never touched the thing either! Gas soak, then swished in alcohol, then blown on by me mouth. Discuss…{8^(

Never had that happen before after I switched to using gas... I've broken them using other methods, and even by pressing on/bumping the dome without trying to de-dome. But, I leave them in the gas until the dome has fully lifted off on its own, don't know if that's the root cause there or not. Those wires are embedded firmly in the silicone, and they are awfully fragile.

Yes, they look like hairs…only thinner. I can’t imagine what part of the procedure broke them though, maybe I flung the dome off too vigorously!

Wow - never happened to me before either, flick'n or swish'n maybe...

M-m-maybe I blow, fling, swish harder than I thought…?! :open_mouth:

What’s the brightest stock C8 you know of, Tom? Saw a XM-L2 U3 @ Aliexpress… Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com

[quote=tallboybass]
M-m-maybe I blow, fling, swish harder than I thought…?! :open_mouth: What’s the brightest stock C8 you know of, Tom? Saw a XM-L2 U3 @ Aliexpress… http://www.aliexpress.com/item/NEWEST-ARRIVALS-1800Lumens-UltraFire-C8-CREE-XM-L2-U3-Type-Pure-White-Light-7000K-CCT-LED/932570585.html
[/quote
]

Boy, that's a tuff one. Maybe the LightMalls C8's with the U3 or XXM-L2 U2, I believe (thread on those, but don't think any real lumens measurements). For stock, you'd have to go with a direct drive model - I know LightMalls C8's used to be. The XinTD C8 is great, but amp restricted to 3 amps.

Wouldn’t the XM-L2 U3 be ‘theoretically’ brighter than the XM-L2 U2 or the XM-L U3?

Yes - in theory, but you asked about stock C8's, so, an under-driven XM-L2 U2 will not be as bright as a well drive XML U2. Please check the LightMalls XM-L2 C8 thread - best info there. I'm thinking I read the XML U3 was a dud, and the XM-L2 U2 looked pretty good. The eBay advertised XM-L2 U3 may not be real, not sure. Problem is if no measurements or comparitive beamshots, can't tell.