Do you destroy your flashes?...........

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 :sunglasses:

“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. :open_mouth: :laughing:

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. :laughing:
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. :laughing: :+1: :beer:

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! :rage:

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.

“Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
— Samuel Beckett

“Try again. Fail again. Kill all humans.”
— Bender Bending Rodríguez (not really)

Heh-heh. “Butt”…

Man: What are you down for?

Woman: I'm down for everything but sex.

Man: Me, too! Wait, did you just spell "butt" wrong?

When I was a beginner I “destroyed” the looks of a flashlight when modding it. Now, I know so much more and can apply the right tools and techniques to keep them as they are, but still do the mod.

I have seen numerous posts on BLF that Sky Lumen “cracks” open their lights in order to upgrade them. Many customers have complained that after paying for a new upgraded light , they received a light with scratches and dings on it.

I have seen Sky Lumen lights IRL - the ones I have seen had scratches on them. But I don’t think he ever said or guaranteed that they come without any marks on them.

A wise man once said

I believe he warns customers of that in his FAQ. If you send a light to him, it may come back with a bit of cosmetic damage, because his single focus is pure hotrod performance.

It’s an “I warned you” situation.