Shelf queens are nice, they are flawless and attractive.
But if someone prefers more lumens to no scratches thats their business.
To each their own. No one is being hurt by either preference.
Why not?
What’s wrong with using amateur-hour hack-job techniques?
It may not be appropriate to use such techniques in a retail product that you plan to sell to someone else. But there’s nothing wrong in using them on your own stuff for your own enjoyment. And if it works and improves the light, why does it matter what technique was used?
Hack-job techniques have a number of advantages for hobbyists. They tend not to require expensive special equipment or training. Most can be done in the home using stuff already on-hand.
If you personally find yourself offended when you see such techniques, just skip reading those threads or posts.
“Why not?”…….
It’s one thing for personalized approaches, it’s another thing to publically show and tell hack techniques as if it should be imitated firstly when there are a lot better alternatives that deserve time and effort to promulgate.
Here ya say……
“And I was hesitant to try a torch as I was worried it might melt the optic or damage the anodizing. Not a super-expensive light. Maybe $20… but it was basically destroyed in the modding attempt.”
So when ya say using a “torch” watt kinda one are you referring to? I don’t think ya mean a blow torch. Heat alternatives could be a plain ol’ lighter, right? Or perhaps (likely) more agressively a mini-butane torch on its lowest flames/highest distance. Either one (not that I’m accusing you) COULD’VE worked based on my experiences IF ya know watt yer doing. Butt ya gotta know firstly HOW that particular flash is put together to mitigate watt yer potential fears were. They were valid.
PS. The art/science of heat sinking temps away from watt ya don’t wanna harm. That’s an example of using craftsmanship in this regard that we’re discussing.
I have 60,000 posts on the old Kaspersky forum, and I did thousands of online disinfections with Combofix and other powerful stand-alone disinfection tools by generating my own hand-written disinfection scripts. People could either keep their virus and trojan infected computers the way they were, or ask anyone else for help. Or run my scripts that were custom written by me for and on their computer, and then reset some settings that Combofix may have changed. Their choice. Did people like my work that I did remotely on their personal computers, for free? I got four (4) all expense paid trips to Europe over 15 years, so all good.
Flashlights: I can have 37 of my favorite small, medium and large flashlights pass through my favorite modders' hands and get his engraving and his footprint on them, or I could simply not. My choice. Same as everyone else.
Why have flashlight X modded with Y modification by modder Z? Because people want to. And/or if they don't, they don't.
Regarding vise grips:
I think you’re referring to Jon Slider’s attempt to mod his D25A Ti. He used vise grips and accidentally bent the thin brass pill. Clearly his mod was unsuccessful.
I have never personally used vise grips on a flashlight so can’t comment on that method. My attempts to break threadlocker usually involve 3M Safety Walk tape (which causes no damage), and occasionally pliers on top of aluminum strips on top of 3M Safety Walk tape (which might cause damage).
Clearly, in Jon Slider’s case, vise grips were not the correct tool to use… as he demonstrated in his post. But that itself is good information for the rest of the modding community to know. Now the rest of us know not to use vise grips on thin brass pills.
Note that a blowtorch isn’t always the best option for releasing threadlocker. On an aluminum light a blowtorch can discolor and damage the anodizing. And if the light has plastic TIR optic, that optic may melt.
When discussing modding it is helpful to discuss both the successes and the failures.
Agreed. The first thing I thought of was: “Tyrant wants to enforce his views of how people should behave”, i.e. not understanding the reason other people do things (in another way than he would). Expecting perfection from hobbyists is crazy. They don’t need to do that for themselves, and they do not have any obligation to others.
The 2nd thing I thought of was the complaints of some people on a doom forum about videos by ‘azuruish’ with his demos/speedruns. Some of them complained that it was not perfect, he should have strafed in manner xyz all the time, and much more. He wasn’t interested in such things, and to me it makes perfect sense. Such people want others to conform to their view of the world, which is incredibly annoying. I like his speedruns more because they are not perfect (chillax 21 is fun to watch), they are still not doable in normal play, but perfection is boring, so to me it’s better.
And 3rd thing I thought of was bike lights that I modified, many years ago, which I showed only for the purpose of showing that I used a different LED and about other bike lights that someone else made from scratch which were shown as examples to build a bike light with simple electronics, and some guy on a German forum (where neither of us showcased these mods/builds) starts criticizing us about this, that these are not good examples of DIY and may put others off of building bike lights. WTF? I will decide what I do with my modifications and for what purpose! I am not interested in the perfectionist views of others who don’t understand the purpose of the mod/build.
Similarly I modify some of my torches and I may need to use a vice and damage it, I will try to prevent it, but if it happens, no problem, because I use torches, I don’t put them in a showcase. They will get dropped, get paint splatters on them, and anything else, and that’s fine.
People should quit trying to make others do what they want. It will make everyone happier.
“People should quit trying to make others do what they want. It will make everyone happier.”
I don’t want any of the sort just to be clear. I made an observation. I gave an opinion. And that’s that. 
PS. Will make EVERYONE happier? Do ya have a wife? 
Ok, peace 
But you should realise that that is how it came across. Just imagine that other people may be proud of e.g. finally having cracked a light open, and that may be what they are proud about, not how it looks.
I can understand it a bit in that I find for example some custom torches extremely ugly, but tastes differ. On the other hand for me mods and cracking open lights or any other appliance are always interesting, e.g. to see how they were put together. A failed mod may give information to others to succeed and so any such failure I see also as giving useful information…
Good question If you don’t try to make a spouse do what you want, then you will be happier, and your spouse also. Of course you can’t do anything about the reverse of her trying to change you, and if that happens I suggest to accept this behaviour rather than try to change her, as people rarely change in life. This is something that everyone should deal with, and realise the importance of, during the time they are dating. This goes with friends and acquaintances too. I accept people but I will tell them what I don’t like only if it is necessary in some way.
500 degrees F is needed to loosen red Loctite through heating. So when I say “torch”, yes I mean “blowtorch”. That’s quite a bit hotter than I typically solder at and probably hot enough to damage anodizing or melt optics. A BiC lighter isn’t going to cut it. A small butane torch could work, but I don’t own one.
The old Fenix E12 that I “destroyed”, has no driver so the light is non-functional. However, the exterior anodizing is still pristine so if I ever figure out a way to remove the pill I might give it another go.
Or I might just write it off completely and take a hacksaw to the head. Doing so would completely destroy any chance of modding the light in the future, but would at least let me salvage the optic for use in another light.
EDIT: Now that I think about it, perhaps it might be possible to destroy and remove the pill without damaging the optic or exterior of the light. The pill itself is very thin aluminum. Maybe I can carve slots in it with a Dremel, then fold them inwards to pull them off the sides of the head. With the threads detached I might then be able to pull out the pill.
With the pill removed, I could then trying making a new pill out of copper. The new pill wouldn’t screw in, but I could probably make it tight enough for heat transfer when combined with lots of thermal paste.
You’re my favourite troll author nottawhackjob. Will there be a sequel to this?
notta is kinda eccentric.
Maybe he's a tiny bit of a troll (no offense), but a tiny bit is allowed on BLF, and it keeps things interesting. 
Yeh, no complaints here 
“500 degrees F is needed to loosen red Loctite through heating. So when I say “torch”, yes I mean “blowtorch”.
Heat sinking. Ok here’s a technique to help mitigate harm to areas. Take a hose clamp, like the kind on car radiator hoses. Let’s say it’s about ultimately getting the pill/head to unthread. Clamp one (or two even) around the flash head at a point obviously above where ya think (know would be great) that threads are likely red glue locked. This will have to be played with as flashes/shapes greatly vary.
Go up and down the pill length too all the while applying rotation pressure. Getting the grip point secured can be challenging butt I’m sure you’ll adapt to the situation.
Proceed to heat with the least amount possible initially. A mini butane torch will definitely hit 500 degrees at the highest apex point (tip). Heat the pill area circumference repeatedly, again with first the most conservative flame intensity and distance.
Put on your welding gloves. Start rotating. If it gives a little then freezes up again you’re on the right path. Get the flame closer and always heating the circumference as you do so.
Repeat until ya get momentum unthreading. A third hand doing the heating is appreciated. The hose clamp(s) will provide hopefully enough heat wicking away from your optic and will mitigate over heating the anodizing as well if you go slowly and incrementally increase temps. Patience and some strength. Incrementally do things becuz ya just don’t know when ya might hit the sweet spot and that’s where ya wanna be - and stay. Getting lucky doesn’t hurt either.
It’s usually better than vice grips.
PS. Quality thicker hose clamps are preferable. The cheap ones can’t hold tightening pressure especially around this kind of heat. He*ll the cheap ones suck even at room temperature.
PSS. One could erroneously assume that threadlocker was evenly and thoroughly applied across most of the threads when in fact it may have been only applied to a small number of threads, for example just around the base. Hence again incremental approaches. Thinking like a cost conserving manufacturer wherein red locker isn’t all that cheap they will tend to use the least amount possible and still get the job done. Afterall flashes aren’t typically assembled to withstand 500 ft.lbs of unthreading torque in the head/pill area.
Am I the only one who thought the title of the thread meant “Destroy your Blinky’s (SOS Strobe) ” ?
Anyway, if people want to subject their flashlights to some torture in the name of personal success/failure/research/what not to do, who are we to object?
YMMV
Meh, bring me your 80k BMW and I’ll beat the shit out of it and call it a better car because of it. We can paint it up and take it to a gambler and have a hell of a time.
Not mine, but it’s a hell of an improvement on the original.
Sounds like a sound plan. For your 80k BMW. 
You can try and keep your modified hotrod looking like a shelf queen but its not worth the effort imo.
Hell i just sold some shelf queens because they are using XM-L chips. I didn’t get half what i paid for them.
Since most of us have more lights than we strictly need if the ones that are modded don’t look mint its not an affront.
Plus if i accidentally drop a light on pavement then what, beat myself up or accept that life happens?
i was replacing the front thrust control arms on a “dealer-serviced-only” bmw 735iL and found the tell-tale vise grip marks on the steering tie rod tubes—deep gashes with sharp burrs and rust in the cuts.
The real psser is that the tie rods have flats formed in the tube that can easily accept a 15mm wrench when making toe in adjustments.
Suppose the senior techs can’t be bothered with using the right tools for the job…
I get it and see no reason to be a contentious issue. It’s about pride of workmanship, craftsmanship. I want my mods to turn out better in every way, not compromised by poor repair techniques. We have all pooched a project. Learn from it and move on to do better next time. I will sometimes throw it against a wall to make sure I can’t repair it! 
It’s not about a shelf queen or normal wear and tear. It’s about doing damage while trying to improve something. My last project here is repairing a Black Forest Cuckoo Clock with some broken effects. No room for vise grips here! I’m having enough time with tweesers.