Balder SE1 Gets a Triple - 14500. How Sweet it is !!! Update: New Switch (post #25)

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

I came across this little Balder SE1 and thought it would make a cool little 14500 triple. A little change from the standard "tube" lights that are so prevalent. Besides some chopped mini mags, i haven't seen too many 14500 triples.

It was always a nice light, but I never much cared for the clip. I know it was a favorite of Jack The Clipper, he liked to clip it to the brim of his hat. Every time I look at it, I imagine Jack out hunting for nightcrawlers. Do they even have nightcrawlers in Florida?

Balder SE1 beside Roche F12

The original guts.

And a Carlco triple optic is the exact size as the original lens.

Okay! Down to work. Time to build a heat sink. Bring out the copper!

Two chunks of copper roughly shaped and soldered together. Of course I also soldered them on to my clamp. A couple good whacks with a hammer.

I learned at the feet of Old Lumens. Hand tools and hard work. Hours of hand filing. Well, it's starting to take shape

A job well done. It rolls straight and true.

The pill needed some more copper to fill it in level.

Nothing much I can do now until my LEDs arrive.

It took me two hours to drill those holes. Drilling copper is a b***h.

While im waiting for my emitters, I might as well build my Mountain 17 DD FET driver. I had to ask the forum for help sorting out my bits and pieces, but I got it done. I think it came out pretty nice. It even works.

Just a pic of the switch. Forward clicky. Nothing much I could do. The spring goes down through the plastic into the switch. The two tabs are always connected. The switch is between the spring and the tabs. I added some copper braid to the spring and tabs. Not much else I could do.

My XP-E2 "Torch" emitters arrived and I got them reflowed without a hitch.

I wired it up with 20AWG Teflon wire and ran into problems trying to press fit the driver. I hate press fit pills. The pill was designed for a paper thin driver and I could not get any purchase with mine. Way to shallow.

I finally clamped it down and goobered some five year old grungy super glue around the edges. It didn't really Set. Kinda like mozzarella.

Too bad. I just screwed in the body tube, and it's holding the driver in tight. As long as I've got ground

And here it is. A really sweet little light. Sorry Jack, I left the clip off.

I'm getting an initial tail reading of 4.4A with a mountain WindFire 14500. About what I was expecting from a 14500 cell. That's a lot of work for the little guy.

None the less, this sweet little light really burns with those "torch" XP-E2s.

Makes a Convoy S2 look bulky.

I think it came out well.

2

Sweet, any beamshots?

3

Nah. It’s daylight.
Besides, a standard Carlco triple beams hot pretty much looks like every other Carlco triple beam shot. Nice hot spot though.

4

Nice copper work

5

10 minutes of battery life? That looks like FUN!

6

Yup! I’m glad it’s got mode memory because this torch is stayin on high. Got extra cells in my pockets.

7

Oh well. Looks like I cooked the switch. Still works on momentary.

Beam-shot.

8

That's a cool little mod.

I love your outdoor workbench, although it could be a little narrow for the larger jobs ;)

Oh - I think KD has switches for those.

9

Very cool Ouchy! Hmm...new idea for another BLF light (as I am ducking from what the true modders are throwing at me)

10

Great job Ouchy! Thats quite a “sleeper” you’ve got there. Love the hand shaped copper work.

11

That was a lovely mod, I really like the shape of that Balder. I can't remember btw even one beamshot of XP-E2's through this Carclo, this might be the first posted one? Pity that the switch did not like the 4.4A.

12

Sweet build!

Interesting about the switch going on it…it looks an awful lot like the one I pulled from an old MX Power AAA light with a larger head. (link to light: MX 108 )
I’m in the process of converting it to a 10440 only light since the driver is shot on it. I’m glad I saw this thread - I think I’ll keep the current down to about 3A!

13

I think I posted beam shots of my Roche F12 triple a long time ago. I can remember if it’s XP-E or XP-E2 though. I should rebuild it though. The driver was just a stock 3A Qlite.

I went through my box of switches and couldn’t find anything to match or fit. I guess I’m on the hunt. I think maybe the switch got weakened when I braided the spring. I was very fast and careful of the heat though. Just the same, it always was a 14500 light and I can’t see that bit of extra current frying it so fast.

I do so love the form factor of this light with a triple. I guess I needed a break from straight tubes. I think it may be the first modded Balder I’ve ever seen, other than a straight emitter swap.

14

Nice little AAA light. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about going over 3A with a 10440.

15

Nice mod! It is admirable how some of you can hand file a copper piece and make it look like machine made. I doubt I’ll ever have the patience or skill do it.

IMO the balder is one of the best looking AA lights ever made, It came with a sweet plastic container that stored Cr123 perfectly. Sadly I threw mine away after the reflector was ruined by water, but back then there wasn’t such thing as a “triple” and modding wasn’t that popular.

16

Remember this one? Really small Balder 14500 light with a true piston mode switching.

17

I’ve looked all over the internet and can’t find a switch like this. I still have to go through a drawer that has bags and bags of all those extras bits that come with new lights…lanyards, o-rings, clips etc. I believe a lot of lights included spare switches. I that doesn’t work out I have an entirely new modding project cut out for me. Installing a non stock switch can be a lot of work in itself.

This is what I’m looking for.

18

Did you see the KD switch I linked above? The tabs are shorter, but it appears to be the same?

19

That’s an awesome piece of art.
Kudos!

20

I looked at that. It doesn’t seem to have any tabs on the side. Being an AAA switch, I’d be afraid to solder anything on to it. I think that’s what happened to mine. The interior spring is so small and delicate that the slightest heat collapses it. Even when mine was working, i sensed a mushiness. I’ll have to pull my switch again and compare measurements with the KD switch, but I’m going to study the amount of work it will take to retrofit an omten switch in there.

PS. Since I only seem to run this light on high and my heatsinked has no problem keeping up with a 14500, I may rescue my MTN DD FET driver and just go direct drive.