Hi Don,
Have you had any luck getting 17500's to fit by removing that bushing?
Hi FP
In principle it looks like it ought to work, but that plastic bush is firmly attached in there and I suspect non-destructive methods are not going to work. There is no way any 18mm diameter cell is going in there and it is almost airtight with my allegedly protected 17500s. I've not yet seriously tried to shift the bush though - but the back half will accept my 17500s which are the same length as my protected 14500s.
Hi Don,
So if I understand correctly, the AA aluminum battery extension has a plastic bushing inserted to hold a AA battery in place. You were able to insert a 17500 into that spacer up to the point where it contacts the bushing. Your protected 17500 is the same length as your protected 14500. This sounds like a great candidate for a dedicated 17500. Are you going to give it a try? You could always use paper or tape wrapped around a AA later if you wanted to go back..
Looking at the pic, It doesnt look like the male threaded part is much larger than the AA, so I dont see how the 17500 would fit. That would make the aluminum threaded part paper thin if that black ring is the entire thickness of the bushing. Am I seeing this correctly?
I can see how it might fit in the female end.
Id buy this for the dedicated 17500 light, but dont want to invest in 17500's and the light if it wont work that way.
Thanks for having a look! 
It will, I am pretty sure fit, once that bush is pressed out. With what I've got to hand I couldn't get it out - using an A size NiMH (17670) as the pusher and a 20mm socket as the catcher turned out to be a bad idea. The cell contained quite a lot of energy still and vented quite impressively. It came from a totally dead laptop battery pack. I now have both thermal and alkali burns on my hand. Ah, just like the good old lab days. I have to go and see a mechanic tomorrow so I'll try it on a hydraulic press to press the bush out. Will let you know if it fits once I'm done.
This is a 17500 in the main tube.
And a 17500 with the head perched on it and the spacer alongside.
I've done enough destruction for one day so I'll leave the more energetic methods of debushing (Sadly voting for Obama worked in the US, but won't work in this light) for another day.
Oh my gosh! I'm sorry you burned yourself (in more ways than one). I hope it isn't to serious.
After you recover, maybe you could try boiling it to see if that softens the plastic bushing, and then try again wearing gloves and a deep well socket.
With the 17500, this looks to be a fantastic EDC! What are your thoughts? Good luck with the press tomorrow!
P.S. Thanks for the pics and the effort!
I've had way, way worse. A pair of jeans used to last about a week before something nasty had eaten them. At 2 weeks my lab coat wouldn't have enough of it left to make a duster.
A mild burn to the left thumb is no big deal. I was a chemist back in the late 70's when that meant handling large quantities of dangerous materials all the time. And what I was testing was sewage just to add some biohazard fun. You did get to be good at washing your hands though....
Boiling is a good idea though - and remember not to use NiMH cells for drifting things out. Off to put the kettle on.
Should be fun tomorrow.
"What did you get up to last night?"
"Oh, I boiled a couple of torches and baked one for an hour in the oven"
That should kill just about any conversation and probably lead to questions being asked about medication....
Boiling doesn't seem to soften it enough to let it shift. Was well worth a try though. Time for a press tomorrow. It's probably drill out easily enough if I had a drill press but it'd be nice if this could be a reversible mod.
HAHAHA! I just read your other thread about your HS-802. Sorry you're having such a hard time of it. I must say, you certainly are a tenacious fellow! (Damn those idiots that assemble these cheapo lights. LOL!) Perhaps a blow torch might be the next step. Following extraction, maybe a buffing with a rouge wheel to polish the aluminum adapter would add character and distinction. Does sodium hydroxide remove the paint and anodizing from the aluminum? Have you experimented with GITD paints on the host body?
Caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) dissolves aluminium as well as anodising. As someone I know who was used to cast iron cylinder heads decided to decoke his aluminium cylinder head. Well there was no carbon on - but not much of a cylinder head either.
The glue lost to a great deal of force after an hour at 300C in the oven. I think I'll hide the scars with heatshrink.
Does anyone know any other AA 14500 lights that can take a cut to accomodate a 17500. I know the Romisen RC-I3 can handle it. The Akoray 106 won't and neither will an Uniguefire S10.
(As some of you obviouly know on this site but for general info; lights that can handle a combination of AA 14500 and 16340 are only 1mm from being able to handle a 17500 and the jump from 880mah to 1300mah rated batteries.)
Pee myself laughing at you "voting for Obama worked in the US" comment. Haha good one. Maybe worked if you are old school USSR type. Nothing good about Obama if you think well of America.
Don't know of any others, in general the compromises necessary to use multiple cells are not ones that the manufacturers care for - production costs get higher.
Hi Don,
Have you had any luck in removing that bushing?
Not yet, the mechanic was gone by the time I escaped from work. Just thought of another approach - now where did I put that 18mm dowel?
Taping a piece of sandpaper to something that will fit into a drill can be pretty effective. While milling bits and rotary die grinder bits are useful they can be aggressive. Many drills can handle half inch inserts and that is close enough to build up with sandpaper. I mounted my drill in a "vise" and worked the light body up and down the shaft and got a nice consistent finish.
For my UniqueFire S10 I tried a 1/2" rotary file because I had a lot of meat to remove since it was only a AA/14500 body to begin with. The S10 can't get to 17500 size though.
Hi Don,
Have you had any luck getting 17500's to fit yet? Yeah, I know you've been busy with other lights.
Not yet - but I do have to get to see the mechanic this week as he's got my car to put in a new cylinder head gasket.
It seems that the Akoray 16 is spec'd as 1 mm thicker than the 106. The threads ar nice but too deep on the 106 to open up for a 17500. The extra mm may be interesting. I may get it to try.I just wish it had an R5 to begin with.