I would suggest that the reason for the lower results would be due to the voltage of the battery not meeting the voltage requirements to produce the higher amps.
For an XM-L2 my minimum any more is four NiMH with a linear driver or 2 Li-ion with a buck driver.
Glad to see you getting some time to do your build. The more the merrier and I'm a sucker for Copper.
Subscribed, looking forward to it!
No that’s not it.as far as i can see there are no 7135’s , there will be a picture up now. its got a big torrid on top.
i do like the driver, its got some really nice modes and electronic switch. Just wish i could run it at 3.5a
Wow! Amazing work, and silver in the pill. Nice!
Wow! I never knew Fred Flintstone was a flashaholic. This is Sooo different and really cool.
Nice and original JA7. The texture on your light will give better traction than knurling. You certainly have an interesting array off tools.
That is a friggin Awseome finish! The Chinese will be copying that finish in about a month! Seriously, it's totally different and I could see some lights being done by that.
Thanks guys for the positive feedback. I was telling the wife but I kind of lost her when I mentioned silver. “In your torch” she said. She just didn’t get it, I’m glad I kept my other ideas quiet. Now diamond! has the best thermal properties and I just happen to have a couple lying around. She’s lucky silver has superior thermal qualities to gold. I won’t be telling her I plan on casting the switch housing in sterling silver. Don’t get me wrong, I would much prefer to cast it in copper but I can’t get it hot enough with my propane torch, sterling I can, and I just happen to have some lying around. Maybe I could tell her its stainless steel? Or hide it but it’s just not right, when a husband has to hide his flashlight from his wife.
tell her its a melted down nickel or lead sinkers
Great build, can’t wait to see it finished.
Really awesome finish on that! I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product. 8)
Yep, the truth is best. She already knows you are certifiably crazy anyhow. Wives know, they just don't always let us know that they know.
That pill is AWESOME! Can't wait to see this one finished
This light shows the difference between an artist and a mechanic. I could not have even imagined this.
Indeed! The creative part of my mind is just shrugging and saying things like “Don’t expect things like that from me, buddy!”. 
Great creative work, great mechanical work, I like it very much! 
This is a very different look - I like it a lot!
It will be finished this w/end, no?? :cowboy_hat_face:
JA7, About a year ago I needed that finish on a light for a customer. I spent 2 days with a Wacom tablet, $10K worth of software, lots of $$ in machines and about 4 hours if I recall of machining with tiny ball end mills.... and.... and.... well, I like yours better!!!
That hammered, worn is finish is beautiful! Nicely done sir!
Dan.
Thanks for the awesome encouragement guys. I really didn’t know how this would be received, I’m really surprised. I have been making progress but found the side switch housing to be a stumbling block. Its not the mechanics of it, its more the shape I’m struggling with. Spent few hours carving bits of wax and doing mock ups with clay. I’m looking for a nice strong contrast against the forged texture. As far as a finish goes, I still have a lot to do. Need to finish any touch ups on the body shape before i can tap my threads, sort the switch out, drill through the body and pill, re-cut an Xml star to fit my pill, make 18650 extension and then there is the bezel as well as a couple of patinas for colour, so a few late nights i think. Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. Will update some pics tomorrow.
LOL
wow, that’s a completely novel approach! Some really neat methods being used there and I love the monster taps and dies. I think that the pill is probably the best one I’ve seen on BLF - beautiful and functional at the same time!