What I wouldn't mind seeing (or, more to the point, doing) is some diamondkote, cerakote or DuraCoat.
The color choices for DuraCoat are crazy and the kits to do it are only $29.95 and can do 2-4 firearms (or at least 6 flashlights, I'd imagine). It even comes in ready to spray cans for no mixing or special equipment. It cures at low temp of 110 degrees for an hour or air dry for 24 hrs. You wouldn't even have to disassemble the light or remove electronic components to heat cure it in an oven.
Cerakote is the most durable, I believe, but requires professional installation. Technically the hobbiest could do it if properly equipped but it requires a little more to do than a DuraCoat. There are around 50 color choices as well.
I used Duracoat to refinish a pistol with bad bluing once. I got really good results with it, but the Duracoat was a pain to work with. Unless you get the spray can, you will need an airbrush to apply the finish, and the cleanup is going to be difficult. I got a cheap airbrush at Harbor Freight on sale so I considered that to be a disposable instead of using my Paasche. Plus, the Duracoat components have a short shelf life. I bought the smallest quantity I could get and used may 1/3 of it refinishing my pistol, and when I went back to use it on another project later, it had gummed up badly and was unusable.
If I do it I’ll do the shake and spray kit and have several lights ready to be done at the same time. Once you mix the hardener with it you have to use it or lose it. It’s a resin that cures, unlike regular paint based coatings.
Mr.BrightLights You are an inspiration. Thank you so much for sharing this. I already took a different approach, as I normally do.
Here's how I did it.
My little butane torch! This light is very thin in the areas I heated. I wouldn't try a heavy light, but this one worked ok for experimenting. It took about 15 minutes. Once I got one spot turning color, it went fast.
I think someone with an oxy-acetylene could do it camo style, with a bucket of water to quench. When the metal gets hot enough, discoloration starts to spread rapidly, but with a really hot torch, you could hit a spot and quench, hit a spot and quench. I'd love to see the possibilities! Quenching would stop the spread of the discoloration, but I don't know the adverse affects of the aluminum. Will it get brittle with all of this?
Ok, I figured I would go for broke. It's a $4 light. I heated the head and tail cap. When I did the tail cap I heated right on the center post where the lanyard fit. It turned a bright color fast, then the rest of the cap started to turn and I took the heat off. It kept the color a little darker than the body.
Then I did the head and I started heating up on the bezel and when that turned I heated all round the bezel and stopped and sat it in the outdoors where the cool wind was blowing. It also stayed a darker color.
So..... Someone with an oxy-acetylene torch and a bucket of water needs to go sacrifice one of their lights.
Probably different shades of orange. I suspect it's a chemical thing when anodization overheats and produces some side effect in the orange specter. However no1 knows how it would affect the anodization after cooked properly. Will it be less durable? I'm tempted to try a fake solarforce L2 which is shiny and i suspect it being painted rather than anodized. If it is painted it's really well made as it does not damage easily, at least equally good to the classic type 2 anodizing.
Will probably not try as i hate orange color with passion. (Why must it be orange anyway?!? Any other color would be nicer to me even yellow... blah!)
i just did my L2 host and it turned out dark orange/copper, i used a torch so i can fade mine and its orange/copper on both ends and medium dark in the middle :) very awesome looking only if i had a good camera :(
TF D1 titanium turned silver. I tried a torch and if I could get it to turn a little gold'ish but when it cooled it went back to silver. Oh well, I like it better than the titanium...
