This Thread should be closed now. Use the Contest Thread for questions and comments please.
2nd. Annual BLF Scratch Made Light Contest
Contestant Sign up Thread
Hello everyone,
It's time to get with the program
First things first, I need to do a little advertising. As you already know, all of the prizes this year are coming from Dealers who are well known in this forum. Here they are:
I cannot express my feelings well enough about the sellers that have responded so quickly and completely, when they were approached to sponsor this contest. I’m humbled at their generosity. I sincerely thank them and I hope you all will look to them when purchasing quality lights and accessories.
This is the thread where you sign up as contestants.
Any member of BLF can sign up as a contestant.
Here are the Contest Rules:
Hand Made Category:
- Must be made from scratch. Cannot use a pre-existing light.
- Must be a hand held light loosely classed as a flashlight.
- All hand tools are acceptable, as well as these power tools: Soldering gun/station, Electric Drill, Drill Press, Dremel style Rotary tool, Cutoff saw including band saw, Disc or belt sander. No lathes, End Mills, or automated machines.
- Single or multiple emitter, driver and battery configurations are allowed.
- You may use manufactured components such as; reflectors, P60 drop-ins, drivers, LEDs, “O”-Rings, switches or lenses.
- You may not use manufactured flashlight parts such as: a bezel, body, tail cap or head.
Machine Made Category:
- Must be made from scratch.
- Must be a hand held light loosely classed as a flashlight.
- Can be made using machines such as a Lathe or End Mill, or what I would consider machines found in a machine shop, or any other tools listed in the hand made category.
- Single or multiple emitter, driver and battery configurations are allowed.
- You may use manufactured components, such as: reflectors, P60 drop-ins, drivers, LEDs, “O”-Rings, switches or lenses.
- You may not use manufactured flashlight parts such as: a bezel, body, tail cap or head.
Rules for All Contestants:
- You must make a build thread and you must be able to show clearly legible photos of the progress of the build. The better your thread, the better your chances, since we can only judge on what you show us in your thread.
- No outside services allowed. You cannot send your parts or light out for someone else to work on it, or to Anodize it or plate it. All work must be done by you.
- You may enter in only One Category, Machine made OR Hand Made.
Just post in this thread that you want to be a contestant.
The Contest will start on April 1st. 2014 and it will run until June 30th. 2014. I will make a NEW THREAD for the Contest. When the contest starts, you need to make a thread for your build and make it here in the contest forum. Also you need to PM me with a link to it, so I can post all the build threads in the Contest Thread. It’s so much easier to go there and see the links to everyone’s threads.
A panel of judges composed of current members of BLF, from all walks of life and from different countries, will judge the winners of the competition. I will be one of the judges as well.
What do we judge the contestants on?
- Uniqueness/Inventiveness of the build. - Is it a one of a kind? Different? Using New methods?
- Skill level of the finished build. - Does it look like one of my hack jobs
? Or were the finished parts/assemblies done with skill and care?
- Thoroughness of the build thread. - Did the builder do a good job of showing and explaining to the forum, how he did the steps in the build?
- Follow the guidelines. - Did the builder follow the rules and guidelines written in the contest thread?
My personal feelings are that I started this contest for the sole reason of promoting "hand made". I feel we have lost our self-pride when it comes to making anything ourselves. We have "lost the art", so to speak and I was hoping to bring some of that back out in others. I realize that is kind of a minus, because for everyone not able or not willing to do that, it would seem like I was trying to keep them out of the contest. That was never my intention, but stuff happens. This year I have added the use of some power tools into the hand made category, to see what happens to the overall results. Personally, I will still be judging mostly on how well contestants do, by how much they stuck to hand tools and how good the results are, but there are many judges, with a mix of interests and feelings here, so that will balance out the judging of the contestants.
OK, everyone, get signed up! Let’s get this Party Started!
Wait a Minute! Wait just a Darned Minute!!
WHAT ABOUT THE PRIZES? HUH??
OH, I completely forgot.
“Hand Made” category Prizes:
1st. Place Prize – Thrunite TN32 provided by Illumination Supply
AND it will be Modded by vinh. He will be making a build thread on it, so everyone can see what he has in store for it.
2nd. Place Prize –BTU Shocker provided by CN Quality Goods
AND it will be Modded by Tom E. He will also be doing a build thread on his mod for it.
3rd. Place Prize – Solarstorm SP03 provided by Wallbuys
AND it will be Modded by some old guy and he will be doing a mod thread on it.
4th. Place Prize – $50 gift certificate provided by Tmart
5th. Place Prize - $40 gift certificate provided by Lightscastle
6th. Place Prize - $20 gift certificate provided by Mountain Electronics
7th. – 10th Place Prize - $20 gift certificate provided by E2 Field Gear
“Machine Made” Category Prizes:
1st. Place Prize - $100 gift certificate provided by Illumination Supply
2nd. – 3rd. Place Prizes - $50 gift certificates provided by Tmart
Last year there were only two entries in the machine made category. I hope more of you will jump in this year and take part in the 2014 contest.
Many thanks to vinh and Tom E for there willingness to mod lights for prizes in this contest. They were both very willing and helpful with this.
Now, let’s Get This Party Started!
My PayPal address: oldlumens (insert the @ sign here) gmail.com
My YouTube Flashlight Video Channel
So, what do y'all think? Y'all are free to comment in the thread, if you wish.
I can sort out the ones who actually do sign up, at least I think I can.
List of Contestants who are signing up:
Hand Made
bushwhacked
ImA4Wheelr
dave_
djozz
JaredM
driveX
Nightbird95
Jalben
FmC
Adam706
PH_Oton
18sixfifty
nofearek9
DenBarrettSAR
CyrusAM
mhemling33
alpg88
relic38
Rufusbduck
furythings
sandalian
Helios-
Serifus
nickelflipper
Firelight2
NightCrawl
DBCstm
texaspyro
onetrickpony
southland
HBomb
blfdemigod
Machine Made
RaceR86
ruffles
wight
PCC
vestureofblood
MRsDNF
mattthemuppet
Bucket
TexasLumens
kralyevski
My PayPal address: oldlumens (insert the @ sign here) gmail.com
My YouTube Flashlight Video Channel
The BLF Modding Links Thread
Thanks , Old-Lumens .
This is going to be good !
What I do
Amazing prizes.
Wish I was creative and talented enough to enter. I’ll just sit back and admire the masterpieces you crazy creative guys make.
I wish I had the time for this! I have so many cool ideas. :_( I will definitely be watching all the masters of BLF! There are way to many here to list!
Ken
My PayPal address: oldlumens (insert the @ sign here) gmail.com
My YouTube Flashlight Video Channel
The BLF Modding Links Thread
Please sign me up for the hand made category.
I’ve never created anything useful before and I doubt that this will be any different. At the very least my entry will make anyone who didn’t enter say “I could have beat that” I’m going to have my two year old help me so it won’t be that bad.
I do look forward to all the other entries.
P60dropins.com (just a redirect for now)
Time to stretch and hopefully grow. Please sign me up for the Hand Made Category.
Count me in for the hand-made category!
Thank you for your effort OL, and thanks to the sponsors!
I’m already looking forward to all the cool stuff people will come up with!
Thanks again OL for organising the contest!
In. Handmade. Hope I can get it done this time
link to djozz tests
I always have tons of ideas.. but never make anything (cheeeaaap).
Lets see what I can do. I’m in for hand made… I think
https://fundrazr.com/osturaband
No affiliation, just a fan.
Handmade(edit:) Machine made, for better or for worse. (I have neither lathe nor mill, but have been thinking about building a particular light for a while now and it’ll require machinery more substantial than the handmade category would allow…)And a note for anyone sitting on the fence… I learned a ton last year as a result of being “forced” into it. Win, lose or draw, I reckon you’ll enjoy it.
Massive thanks to O-L for putting this together. Thanks also to the sponsors who’ve so generously provided prizes.
Great work OL. Thanks to sponsors and everyone else who is involved!
Count me in!
Ill probably end up in the Machine Made Category.
BLF LED database – collaboration spreadsheet and latest news about where to buy LEDs
http://budgetlightforum.com/node/19342
**Hello, thank you and please count me in! Handmade category.
I'd like to extend a big thank you to the sponsors. Most sell flashlights, yet provide incentives to individuals to build their own from a few bought parts and odds and ends rescued from recycling bins.
They're as crazy as us!
I’ll giveit a try for the Handmade Category. :bigsmile:
My Flashlights:
My Batteries:
My Knives:
Sign me up for a hand built light…
It’s past midnight, my wife’s asleep, and
I think I can win thisthis looks like a laugh. Count me in for the handmade.TODO List:
Acquire more parts.
Devise cheap way to make TIRs.
Rub some bacon on it.
Finish something that I
I’m in for the handmade category
Thanks for organizing this again!
Sign me up for hand made. Thank you to the sponsors; awesome prizes!
“this tiny flashlight was the one that shined best”
Many thanks for contest Old-Lumens and thanks to all sponsors with wonderful prices!
Count me in for hand made.
I’m in for the machine made category, although I’m just gunning to make a showing and I don’t know if I’ll even get that far! Thanks for organizing this OL.
Still fine, still on a break. One day I’ll catch up with you folks! previous wight catchup
list of my drivers & variants (A17DD, FET+1 stuff, WIP stuff, etc)
Well O-L thanks for the incentive to get me out of my comfort zone. Count me in for the handmade category. This should be “fun”. As I always enjoy cussing a lot. If nothing else it should increase my vocabulary. :bigsmile:
I’m a junky, I mod lights so I can sell lights so I can buy more light to mod so I can sell lights to buy more lights to mod.
count me in too, hand made category
some of my actual experiments and reviews:
UF-T20 review and mod —->http://budgetlightforum.com/node/30186#node-30186
My EBRZM, over 1 million cd thrower—-> http://budgetlightforum.com/node/30274#node-30274
Ervin’s try (2nd. Annual BLF Scratch Made L
Thank You O.L. for organizing...last years creations were amazing.
Special Thanks for the Dealer interest, very generous prizes.
Can't wait to see the results.
Good Luck to Everyone !!!
i will try ,hope i manage to do something ,pls add me,thanks.
shockli great imr batteries
Remember, there's only a month to sign up,


I haven't seen too many from last years contest here, hmmmmm did y'all run out of ideas?
MRsDNF, RDB, vestureofblood, DBCstm and the rest, y'all come on in and sign up.
How about a few more machinists?
My PayPal address: oldlumens (insert the @ sign here) gmail.com
My YouTube Flashlight Video Channel
The BLF Modding Links Thread
My first idea was to let them think they stood a chance. Evil thought, huh? Happens whenever I contemplate competitive modding. Or maybe it’s just time for my meds. Dammit, where are they?
My next thought was to open a parallel thread offering ideas for sale. Then I could just sit in a bar drawing on napkins… And get paid for it.
You don’t want to know what my latest thought was.
P. J)
Three Tanna leaves to give him life, nine to give him movement. But what if he eats the whole bag?
Scott
The Duck respectfully withdraws, knowing how lucky he got last year. This is a whole new ballgame!
Drop my name in that bucket Justin, hopefully I’ll get something to work. Handmade, of course.
Thanks for all the hard work organizing, again, gotta be a headache in that dept somewhere….and a big thanks to our sponsors this year, great to have ya aboard, really looking forward to seeing what you guys inspire.
Please put me down for the Machine Made category.
Hmmm…. one of my current projects is a scatch build, and another is planned. Is it possible to be entered in both catagories ? if only one catagory is allowed per person, then i go for the “hand made” cataogry.
That Canadian flashlight guy & Lantern Guru -Den / DBSARlight
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