Just another fail - NOPE, It's alive and running again! Light is finished - almost... and working!

I criticized the UniqueFire UF-T20 for looking as though its parts came from a plumbing supply house. I should have added “without the hand made look” or something like that. I think this is going to be really nice looking and have extraordinary heat sinking ability. I suppose it will be easier to get high current with 3 14500s than with 1 18650.
Maybe I will attempt a zoomy similar to that some time, though it will take me at least ten times as long. I have a glass aspheric that won’t fit in any light I have. I have a big non-electric soldering iron, like my grandfather showed my how to use, that I have never used yet.

Looking good. I fell in love with copper several years ago when building a geothermal heat pump. After that, I started modifying the plumbing in some of my cars. Brazing, makes incredibly strong joints. Kind of a pain to though and luckily flashlights don't seem to need that much strength.

Day one is done, more photos in the OP.

Sweet. Just saw you new photos. Love your creativity and craftsmanship.

It’s incredible…the master of just seeing something and pow it happens, you make it look so easy

Awesome!

Where do you get all your copper plate and pipe and stuff?

Looks beautiful so far. Looking forward to seeing more.

This is so cool!

Great job OL, it would take me two weeks to get that far. Should turn out to be a great light.

great work!

i am exited to see day two!
(unfortunately i am 7 hours “in front” of you)

nice!

subscribed

Can’t wait to see the final product. Great effort.

I like very much two first photos. the rest… I am enjoying even more! Lots of skill there.

I wish i have those raw materials in my desk, unfortunately where i live, cooper is becoming more rare day by day.

If u don’t mind I may have a little suggestion, its possible to make a small hole(like some kind of fuse, just in case something go wrong ) in the battery part of the flashlight just for safety reasons? or flames are so violent and potent that a small hole its not enough ?

copper is a little pricey? but, so is a “good” light… we all already use drivers and emitters and swap parts most of us, its a cinch we should be trying to fabricate bodies too.

I watch these with great interest? because I want/have to fabricate my own bodies/parts eventually for my IR project… everyone wants “all metal” and no one will touch anything with JB weld or epoxy anywhere visible on it…

i find myself worrying more and spending more time and money on fabricating, than on the “tech” end of my project, which is really counter productive, but oh well.

this is really cool…

Copper pipe and couplings from Home Depot or Lowes. Bigger than 1", I just get them from ebay. Copper sheet or discs, I get from Etsy or Artfire.

Copper is getting more expensive every day, since it’s getting more rare. Sooner or later, it will be too expensive to use.

This light will not be air tight, nor will it be water tight. There will be enough to let any venting take place, but that’s why I made sure to keep from any chance of positive and negative touching, so there will be no shorting.

Day two is thunderstorms. Lots of rain and wind and cold.

The pill is in place and so is the contact plate. The light has been tested and it works. The rest of the day is trying to clean off excess solder, but I'm leaning towards painting the body black, because of so many solder joints and so much to clean up. It won't be painted today, because of the rain and cold, so I will try to finish up assembly, so it will work and save any painting for another time.

Subscribed! :slight_smile:

For the cleaning of the solder joints on the copper body it would be very cool to have a bead blaster. Years ago I worked in a factory manufacturing surgical instruments and I had access to extremely precise end-mills, grinders, drill presses, laser cutters, lathes, tumblers and chemical baths for cleaning the metal to prep for off site anodizing. Oh to have access to those do-dads again. I lack the gene that codes for patience that OL so clearly demonstrates.

Oh well, it looked good anyway. I’m carefully making a second attempt on a knife bolster I have no business making. There’s a distinct likelihood it will end up in the circular file as well.