<---jaw hanging slack
Crazy stuff there Scott, amazing.
The hole for the switch is still big enough to allow it to fit on a bolt and spin it on the drill press. No file work as yet, I kept it square as an anti roll head stand /tail stand feature and just sanded each face on my plywood table. At least now it’s beginning to look like something.
Thanks Dale, jaw-dropping is a bit subjective but I’m hoping it will end up nice enough to make the EDC list.
Dude, it's difficult enough to drill a hole TDC on a round project, but to drill through those spaced fins and keep it neat? Mindblowing.
I started the hole with a conical Dremel tip that easily stayed in place going between the fins but wouldn’t penetrate the round core. It did however make a channel that an HSS bit would follow so I alternated between the two until it was big enough(about 1/8”) to get a straight sided carbide grinding bit in there to ream it out more. Once that was out beyond 1/4”(very uneven but still centered well enough on the fins) I switched to a 1/4” drill bit wrapped with a bit of tape to hold a strip of sand paper. Spin that for a minute or two and add a 3/4” piece of tape under the sandpaper to increase the bore and repeat. Switch ends on the sandpaper every few additions, then replace the paper. Do that for about 2 hours and voila’. It’s not very difficult at all but is mind blowingly tedious. I finally got out to play a round of golf with my folks yesterday afternoon to celebrate my father’s and my birthday but spent from 8am until 11 doing this. It amazes me sometimes how addictive mind blowing tedium can be when there’s something/somewhere else you need to do/be. “Almost there, can’t stop now”.
I thought it was just me. My theory is that if you quit just short of the goal then A) it's difficult to get motivated to pick it back up and B) very difficult to get back in the swing of things the same way you were before stopping. Sometimes you can see that effect in the work, the work is different when you come back and it shows. Break the rhythm and mess up the groove. :)
Hippo birdies 2 ewes.
Happy birthday to you both. At this rate you will pass me soon. Did you let the old fella win or does he do that on his own accord? 
About the only thing I really understand in this thread is Dales comment, mind blowing.
Just lots of small steps. Truth is, when I started I didn’t know how it would all fit together but just trusted that it would work out. So far, so good.
Spent much of the last few days wrestling with ATT getting a new router online. It should have been simple but noooh! Ended up having to plug an Ethernet cable directly to it to get a password through and have it pass data. Anyway, on to the update.
I didn’t like the switch cap retainer so I made a new one with a larger OD and a cut away for finger access. Also got the bezel roughed in and an aspheric lens ground a bit around the edge to fit.
The Bezel started as one of the caps that I ground/turned/shortened etc.
The bezel threads and the tube section that joins it to the the head were soldered not brazed as removing flux residue from the area under the threads would have been beyond tedious.
Just a couple more shots with a Tiny10 and 10440 for size reference.
That’s all for now.
Its a wonder the Dr Who producers have not collared you for making props. i'm not sure what it looks like. l suppose some sort of fine exquisite jewellery which is perfect for its intended place. Did you know I was a collector of such jewellery?
The lens does add to the steampunk aura doesn’t it?
If I say yes is it mine? You ripper, yes yes yes. Na, seriously its a work of art. I was at an auto museum in QLD the other day and they had a Stanley Steamer.
My wife, however, doesn't find it cute at all. Utilitarian, her word.
This one will end up about the size of a lipstick case. The next one is even smaller(about 2/3 or less as big) but without as much complexity. I laugh to myself as I say that since I can’t seem to obey the KISS principle with anything I make. Really, Ervin nailed it with his comment since there is little hope of making something someone will like I’m just going to do my best to please myself.
Back again. I set the head aside for awhile and tried an experiment. I’ve been thinking about different ways to make these a keychain carry and wanted to try something new. Implementation will be slightly different on each light but since it’s an experiment I opted for a short model to use on the shorter light.
I picked up some 1.6mm brass wire and wrapped it around a piece of my brass tubing 1 size smaller than the one I brazed it to and part way along jammed a wedge in to create a wider loop.
After trimming the ends and a first cleanup. You can just make out a bit of the brass tube at the right inside edge.
Then next several happy hours(~5) were spent burning fingers and sanding skin off in order to ream it out so that not only the tube piece inside was removed but also enough so that the next tube size up would fit. Note the thinner walls.
And for scale, here it is next to a 105C, a BLF 15DD, and a thin tiny10.
If you can’t figure out how it works don’t worry about it, I don’t know yet either.
My head is going to fall of nodding in amazement. Where on earth do you get your patience from? If you have any left do you think you could email it to me? What an effort so far and its not finished. I better stop posting here as others will think I'm an RBD groupie.
Impressive work.
Give away your lathe and mill, you’d find patience. When you don’t have those big machines to do the work for you and yet you really want to make a light…well, you improvise. And with base tools that means you learn patience.
But Scott takes it to another level, and applies great heaping gobs of imagination. The bar he frequents is losing money buying napkins for him to draw up all his schemes!
I find the work amazing, and the very idea’s to be beyond belief. And admit, unashamedly, to being a RBD groupie. :bigsmile:
I'm in. The member has voted and the vote is in and counted, you're the president DBC . The RBD groupie club that is. I hope RBD's better half does not mind. I suggest there will be a few closet ones out there as well that may want to join.
I hope she doesn’t see this. She’ll feel obliged to take me down a peg or two. You guys can be my semi secret modmirers. I know who here inspired me I just wonder what I inspire and if it’s fit to print. :zipper_mouth_face:
Wow, just wow.. amazing work!
Really like your work.. amazed