I haven’t slept the last two nights and worked both yesterday and today. No time left for such frivolities. Soldering the connections in the handle required me to solder a gordian knot and then slip a screw through it. I’ll post pics along with beamshots tonight( you are quite correct to be dubious but I hope to have the very last laugh) . I burned through two 3A IS 105C drivers before spending the rest if the night making an entire new pill and using my only spare BLF A8 driver. It went together very well but is not tested at all.
—
Three Tanna leaves to give him life, nine to give him movement. But what if he eats the whole bag?
My light is up and running.. although not properly finished (sorry).. Maybe there will be a part 2 some day… Hope its not disqualified for the contest.
With all the other nice lights Im not expecting to be anywhere near the top with my “half finished” light, but it was fun working on it. Thinking inside the Coke box..
Im just amazed to see the work several of the members here have come up with. Building from scratch is just so much more demanding and time consuming compared to modding existing lights… Also requires a lot of though…
and must say I agree. For taking the time to make your own is so much better you see! When spending the time on a factory light the results can look much the same, but by creating your own design built from scratch it can help you build up your name! That end result is purely from you and doesn’t carry with it a brand, so when you touch fire to the LED within it’s music from your own band. For me the reward of building such lights is not the polish and shine, but when you hear people ooh and say Ah and can answer “Who makes it?” with “That’s mine”.
This little clock was a killer idea. Really gets your adrenaline going. Only 10 minutes to go !!!!!!!!!!!
—
In Him (Jesus Christ) was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. http://asflashlights.com/ Everyday Carry Flashlights, plus Upgrades for Maglite.
Nickleflipper, my mapp torch failed recently but I’d like to replace it and upgrade my brazing skills. It would make these layered builds more foolproof in assembly.
—
Three Tanna leaves to give him life, nine to give him movement. But what if he eats the whole bag?
How so on the brazing, because of the higher melt temperatures? It has been a long time since I tried brazing. If my memory serves me correctly, brazing was used for dissimilar metals, or difficult metals like cast iron. One thing that entered my mind, if given enough forethought, would be to use lead free solder on the innermost or most critical parts, then finish off with 60/40 for the outer or cosmetic stuff.
The melt temp for brazing is much higher than for any solder by several hundred degrees though still not as high as welding. You can’t even braze with a normal propane torch so it allows you to build things without previous joints failing if you braze some and then solder others. It’s also stronger than a solder joint with a harder surface. Some high stress joints like the brass pin connections would be better done brazed. Like anything it takes practice which I’ve fallen out of. I was never good to begin with but now I have reason to improve.
—
Three Tanna leaves to give him life, nine to give him movement. But what if he eats the whole bag?
The Contest is Done! I will have the winners results in a few days. Once the judges all contact me, I will tabulate the results and let you all know.
I sincerely want to thank the contestants for making their builds. I know sometimes it's hard to reach out and try something new and also it can be hard to be in the limelight sometimes, for risk of failure. None of you failed. You all exceeded any expectations with the fabulous builds and the great threads you made. I am deeply indebted to you all for making this such a great contest!
To the sponsors, (both BLF members and sellers), I thank you for giving me the ability to give prizes out to our contestants.
The the rest of the forum, I thank you for supporting our contestants during the competition.
Location: A light beam away from the missus in the land of Aus.
Hear Hear. Thanks to all for the enjoyment you have all given me in your builds. Without going on, all contestants have blown me away with there abilities, creativity and effort put in. Thanks also to the members for there support and comments. To the Sponsors thanks. To OL, YEEHAW!!!, its over. Cheers guys.
—
djozz quotes, "it came with chinese lettering that is chinese to me".
"My man mousehole needs one too"
old4570 said "I'm not an expert , so don't suffer from any such technical restrictions".
Old-Lumens. Highly admired and cherished member of Budget Light Forum. 11.5.2011 - 20.12.16. RIP.
Well said MRsDNF, and well done! Thank you O-L for putting us up to this. Loved seeing the different approaches and techniques. I’ve already implemented a few of those, and stand in awe at others!
Thanks to all for your support in this Challenge, and the prizes…icing on the cake! I’m with Steve on this one, very glad I’m not a judge!
Because I wanted a way to see them all in one spot
In order listed in O-L’s second post. Hand Built
relic38:
Rufusbduck:
ruffles:
RaceR86 DBCstm:
FmC:
dave_:
nickelflipper:
texaspyro:
Hopback (concept shot):
JA7:
Pulsar (concept shot):
The Contest is Done! I will have the winners results in a few days. Once the judges all contact me, I will tabulate the results and let you all know.
I sincerely want to thank the contestants for making their builds. I know sometimes it’s hard to reach out and try something new and also it can be hard to be in the limelight sometimes, for risk of failure. None of you failed. You all exceeded any expectations with the fabulous builds and the great threads you made. I am deeply indebted to you all for making this such a great contest!
To the sponsors, (both BLF members and sellers), I thank you for giving me the ability to give prizes out to our contestants.
The the rest of the forum, I thank you for supporting our contestants during the competition.
Relic, posting all of the pictures in one place like that was a perfect idea. The size of the pictures is good too. The smaller size makes it far easier to compare them.
—
In Him (Jesus Christ) was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. http://asflashlights.com/ Everyday Carry Flashlights, plus Upgrades for Maglite.
well done everyone, the bar has been set well and truly in the stratosphere! I’ve enjoyed reading about every single build and I’m only glad that I’m not the one that has to pick a winner as they’re all as good as each other, just in different ways. Great job on the sponsors too, that’s just the icing on the cake.
I’m sorry I couldn’t take part, work and travel (and family to some extent) ate up too much of my time and energy for the last 6 weeks. Still, at least I won’t be embarrassing anyone with my awesome 1in.sq. alu tube build
Built in anti roll feature . “It’s hip to be square” Huey Lewis. I place as much value on what’s on the inside than the outward appearance. If you can find the time, follow up on the idea and share.
I just HAVE to know how to make a square reflector to match the de-domed emitter!
Wow, some awesome builds here and some very very useable lights. Small to large, tight spot to mega flood, the only thing truly in common is we all are making the Li-ion battery suppliers very very happy! lol
Built in anti roll feature . “It’s hip to be square” Huey Lewis. I place as much value on what’s on the inside than the outward appearance. If you can find the time, follow up on the idea and share.
he he he, yep, I’m so out of fashion I’m in fashion. By wearing the same type of clothes my whole life, I’m in fashion approximately every 10 years
it’ll definitely get built, in fact it’s pretty much the next thing on the list now that I’ve built a lipo battery pack for my power tools (doing some trail clearance tonight and didn’t fancy carrying 4 18V NiCd batteries up a 4 mile climb!). I’ve given myself extra incentive by giving my old headlamp to a friend and having my old car have something else that needs fixing. I had about a week before the contest started when I had time to build it (built an LED work lamp instead), then it’s just been nuts. Things have calmed down a bit now though!
DBCstm wrote:
I just HAVE to know how to make a square reflector to match the de-domed emitter!
well, you may jest, but 1in.sq. alu tubing is just perfect for Ledil’s 20mm square optics
-I would say Rufusbduck have the best light in terms of originality. For that type of light, I would say execution is on a top level! Maybe Rufusbduck is an alien, most humans would not dare to even try to build such a light. And now he even have his own space-gun… Any similarities? Possible alien, space gun? He is obviously from another planet. Normal humans would never be able to pull of that build! I bow in the dust of all the hand made pieces…
-Relic38 seems to have a very well built constructed light. Not only a show-room light, but a light I would love to use. Its kinda like a SRK, only way more copper, and
even more compact. And who does not like that combination when its extremely bright,with nice tint, nice modes and good looking? It makes me drool a bit..
Its just a very nice light that has been nicely built! Highly desirable!
-Im a sucker for clean looking builds. DBCstm made one clean looking light and with great output too! Very original! Whats not to like??
Those are my top 3 favorites!
Lots of other great builds too! All are great, in their own way!
Would always be present, not lost in the thread? Just a thought.
I haven’t slept the last two nights and worked both yesterday and today. No time left for such frivolities. Soldering the connections in the handle required me to solder a gordian knot and then slip a screw through it. I’ll post pics along with beamshots tonight( you are quite correct to be dubious but I hope to have the very last laugh) . I burned through two 3A IS 105C drivers before spending the rest if the night making an entire new pill and using my only spare BLF A8 driver. It went together very well but is not tested at all.
Three Tanna leaves to give him life, nine to give him movement. But what if he eats the whole bag?
Scott
My PayPal address: oldlumens (insert the @ sign here) gmail.com
My YouTube Flashlight Video Channel
The BLF Modding Links Thread
Crawling to the finish. One day and 7 hours or thereabouts to go.
Kent
We can do it. Go, go, go. A little more coffee and a little more solder.
Three Tanna leaves to give him life, nine to give him movement. But what if he eats the whole bag?
Scott
My light is up and running.. although not properly finished (sorry).. Maybe there will be a part 2 some day… Hope its not disqualified for the contest.
Thinking inside the Coke box..
With all the other nice lights Im not expecting to be anywhere near the top with my “half finished” light, but it was fun working on it.
Im just amazed to see the work several of the members here have come up with. Building from scratch is just so much more demanding and time consuming compared to modding existing lights… Also requires a lot of though…
My thread here.
Coke light!

BLF LED database – collaboration spreadsheet and latest news about where to buy LEDs
http://budgetlightforum.com/node/19342
and must say I agree. For taking the time to make your own is so much better you see! When spending the time on a factory light the results can look much the same, but by creating your own design built from scratch it can help you build up your name! That end result is purely from you and doesn’t carry with it a brand, so when you touch fire to the LED within it’s music from your own band. For me the reward of building such lights is not the polish and shine, but when you hear people ooh and say Ah and can answer “Who makes it?” with “That’s mine”.
Half a day left and I’m done. Now what? Oh yeah, catch up on sleep.
Three Tanna leaves to give him life, nine to give him movement. But what if he eats the whole bag?
Scott
This little clock was a killer idea. Really gets your adrenaline going. Only 10 minutes to go !!!!!!!!!!!
In Him (Jesus Christ) was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
http://asflashlights.com/ Everyday Carry Flashlights, plus Upgrades for Maglite.
Almost as good as an eBay auction.
Three Tanna leaves to give him life, nine to give him movement. But what if he eats the whole bag?
Scott
Indeed.

That was a lot of fun!
I hope I can take a look at all the lights tomorrow. I better get to bed now, its 3 in the morning here.
Nickleflipper, my mapp torch failed recently but I’d like to replace it and upgrade my brazing skills. It would make these layered builds more foolproof in assembly.
Three Tanna leaves to give him life, nine to give him movement. But what if he eats the whole bag?
Scott
Rufusbduck,
How so on the brazing, because of the higher melt temperatures? It has been a long time since I tried brazing. If my memory serves me correctly, brazing was used for dissimilar metals, or difficult metals like cast iron. One thing that entered my mind, if given enough forethought, would be to use lead free solder on the innermost or most critical parts, then finish off with 60/40 for the outer or cosmetic stuff.
Kent
If you want brazing or wire welding or even silver soldering done I’d be more than happy to offer. Just don’t get me to solder anything for you.
djozz quotes, "it came with chinese lettering that is chinese to me".
"My man mousehole needs one too"
old4570 said "I'm not an expert , so don't suffer from any such technical restrictions".
Old-Lumens. Highly admired and cherished member of Budget Light Forum. 11.5.2011 - 20.12.16. RIP.
The melt temp for brazing is much higher than for any solder by several hundred degrees though still not as high as welding. You can’t even braze with a normal propane torch so it allows you to build things without previous joints failing if you braze some and then solder others. It’s also stronger than a solder joint with a harder surface. Some high stress joints like the brass pin connections would be better done brazed. Like anything it takes practice which I’ve fallen out of. I was never good to begin with but now I have reason to improve.
Three Tanna leaves to give him life, nine to give him movement. But what if he eats the whole bag?
Scott
The Contest is Done! I will have the winners results in a few days. Once the judges all contact me, I will tabulate the results and let you all know.
I sincerely want to thank the contestants for making their builds. I know sometimes it's hard to reach out and try something new and also it can be hard to be in the limelight sometimes, for risk of failure. None of you failed. You all exceeded any expectations with the fabulous builds and the great threads you made. I am deeply indebted to you all for making this such a great contest!
To the sponsors, (both BLF members and sellers), I thank you for giving me the ability to give prizes out to our contestants.
The the rest of the forum, I thank you for supporting our contestants during the competition.
YEEHAW!!!
I think that about sums up how I feel.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My PayPal address: oldlumens (insert the @ sign here) gmail.com
My YouTube Flashlight Video Channel
The BLF Modding Links Thread
Hear Hear. Thanks to all for the enjoyment you have all given me in your builds. Without going on, all contestants have blown me away with there abilities, creativity and effort put in. Thanks also to the members for there support and comments. To the Sponsors thanks. To OL, YEEHAW!!!, its over. Cheers guys.
djozz quotes, "it came with chinese lettering that is chinese to me".
"My man mousehole needs one too"
old4570 said "I'm not an expert , so don't suffer from any such technical restrictions".
Old-Lumens. Highly admired and cherished member of Budget Light Forum. 11.5.2011 - 20.12.16. RIP.
Well said MRsDNF, and well done! Thank you O-L for putting us up to this. Loved seeing the different approaches and techniques. I’ve already implemented a few of those, and stand in awe at others!
Thanks to all for your support in this Challenge, and the prizes…icing on the cake! I’m with Steve on this one, very glad I’m not a judge!
Because I wanted a way to see them all in one spot
In order listed in O-L’s second post.
Hand Built
relic38:
Rufusbduck:
ruffles:
RaceR86
DBCstm:
FmC:
dave_:
nickelflipper:
texaspyro:
Hopback (concept shot):
JA7:
Pulsar (concept shot):
Machine Built
MRsDNF:
vestureofblood:
Great work everyone!
Welcome the night.
My Reviews My Mods http://budgetlightforum.com/search?
+1. My feelings exactly!
Budget Light Forum ...where Frugal meets with Flashlight!
if my vote counts...
Hand built:
1st: DBCstm
2nd: Rufusbduck
3rd: relic38
Machine built:
1st: MRsDNF
2nd: vestureofblood
I wish there was more to pick from in the machined category... but say do i have in that, i also did not finish lol
-the- Throw calculator - Pulsars list
Relic, posting all of the pictures in one place like that was a perfect idea. The size of the pictures is good too. The smaller size makes it far easier to compare them.
In Him (Jesus Christ) was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
http://asflashlights.com/ Everyday Carry Flashlights, plus Upgrades for Maglite.
well done everyone, the bar has been set well and truly in the stratosphere! I’ve enjoyed reading about every single build and I’m only glad that I’m not the one that has to pick a winner as they’re all as good as each other, just in different ways. Great job on the sponsors too, that’s just the icing on the cake.
I’m sorry I couldn’t take part, work and travel (and family to some extent) ate up too much of my time and energy for the last 6 weeks. Still, at least I won’t be embarrassing anyone with my awesome 1in.sq. alu tube build
mattthemuppet,
Built in anti roll feature
. “It’s hip to be square” Huey Lewis. I place as much value on what’s on the inside than the outward appearance. If you can find the time, follow up on the idea and share.
Kent
I just HAVE to know how to make a square reflector to match the de-domed emitter!
Wow, some awesome builds here and some very very useable lights. Small to large, tight spot to mega flood, the only thing truly in common is we all are making the Li-ion battery suppliers very very happy! lol
he he he, yep, I’m so out of fashion I’m in fashion. By wearing the same type of clothes my whole life, I’m in fashion approximately every 10 years
it’ll definitely get built, in fact it’s pretty much the next thing on the list now that I’ve built a lipo battery pack for my power tools (doing some trail clearance tonight and didn’t fancy carrying 4 18V NiCd batteries up a 4 mile climb!). I’ve given myself extra incentive by giving my old headlamp to a friend and having my old car have something else that needs fixing. I had about a week before the contest started when I had time to build it (built an LED work lamp instead), then it’s just been nuts. Things have calmed down a bit now though!
well, you may jest, but 1in.sq. alu tubing is just perfect for Ledil’s 20mm square optics
Not all of us..
6 AA Eneloops and 3 XM-Ls work quite nicely in terms of output!
It wont do 7+ for that many seconds but it will do 6A++ for a long time! J)
BLF LED database – collaboration spreadsheet and latest news about where to buy LEDs
http://budgetlightforum.com/node/19342
Awesome job putting together this contest Old Lumens.
It was really amazing seeing what everyone came up with. Amazing work all around.
My favorite is Rufusbduck’s retro laser pistol light.
-I would say Rufusbduck have the best light in terms of originality. For that type of light, I would say execution is on a top level! Maybe Rufusbduck is an alien, most humans would not dare to even try to build such a light. And now he even have his own space-gun… Any similarities? Possible alien, space gun? He is obviously from another planet. Normal humans would never be able to pull of that build!
I bow in the dust of all the hand made pieces…
-Relic38 seems to have a very well built constructed light. Not only a show-room light, but a light I would love to use. Its kinda like a SRK, only way more copper, and
even more compact. And who does not like that combination when its extremely bright,with nice tint, nice modes and good looking? It makes me drool a bit..
Its just a very nice light that has been nicely built! Highly desirable!
-Im a sucker for clean looking builds. DBCstm made one clean looking light and with great output too! Very original! Whats not to like??
Those are my top 3 favorites!
Lots of other great builds too! All are great, in their own way!
BLF LED database – collaboration spreadsheet and latest news about where to buy LEDs
http://budgetlightforum.com/node/19342
those are my top 3 also... been over it in my head over and over, and really my 1st, 2nd 3rd are hard to pick.
ja7 also needs a mention. his pill is a work of art
-the- Throw calculator - Pulsars list
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