Tritium Instead Of Lanyards

Using flashlight lanyard spaces for tritium inserts

Nice !

I placed trit’s into the tailcap of our Tank keychain lights much the same, but have never thought about those lanyard holes, great idea. How did you set that up, I assume you masked the bottom of the hole with tape to create a well, filled it with UV glue, added the trit, and then removed the tape when the glue had set?

Yeah, that’s a fairly spot on way to explain the technique i used except the vials were put in place first.

Great thanks. I’ve got a new tub of small trit’s here that I was looking for homes for, now I’ve got some options.

Just installed the green ones yesterday after having the slotted pistons for a few years.

I wish you had a better camera

You have a tub of trits?
If there are any you just can’t find homes for, just let me know. I’ll be happy to provide a very loving happy home! Can’t have them get left out in the cold.

Nice work CRX.

A couple of Qs if you don’t mind.
Where do you buy your Tritium from?
Which UV glue have you used, looks really clear!
How did you set the UV glue?

My best so far was 4 small trits in a SWM finned head for my daughter, pink Tritium

I also made some Tritium eyes for lanyard skulls

I used Loctite glass repair glue and sunlight (it was the Summer!) glue set solid in ten minute bright sunlight.

Thanks Essexman, i like those beads and the SWM looks cool too. I have the v10r Ti+ but i don’t dare attempt to drill the fins out like that.

I usually get the vials from ebay, haven’t bought any for a while but sometimes you get some good deals for small batches if you keep a lookout for them. Other than that the small ones cost £3-£5 new.

This is the glue i’ve used http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280891697467?\_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I don’t think it’s the best stuff TBH but i like it because it doesn’t set absolutely rock solid so it can be removed with sharp implements later on if required. You also need to polish it up once it’s set to get it crystal clear.

Tip for anyone reading this - don’t use epoxy resin.

Since we only see the sun for about 7 days a year in Scotland i converted an Aurora SH-034 into a 3 mode UV light.
I don’t know the nm of the UV but it seems quite powerful and sets the glue in about 1 second flat, i think the emitter originally came from a p60 that i bought a while ago.

Most use Norland clear uv adhesive, but you certainly could use clear epoxy if you know the potential downsides.

Epoxy will yellow over time, but most flashlights in my case have low uv exposure. It would not be a good idea if you store your flashlights outside in the sun :bigsmile: Also consider the lifespan of trits (10 years is the suggested life on mine).

2)Epoxy is a 2-part product (norland is not), and stirring method can cause bubbles. My last two actuall came out nearly perfect and with no visible bubbles, but the piston I purchased where norland was used actually does have visible flaws.

I’ve found that using epoxy makes the vials appear smaller in size compared to the UV glue.

It can and does discolour over time.

You’re right in saying there can be problems with bubbles incurred during the mixing of epoxy, a real PITA sometimes.

Norland 61 is good but pricey and harder to remove.

The glue i linked is cheap and like i said, can be removed easier for trit replacement in 10 or so years.

Thanks for your input :slight_smile:

How exactly did you get them so smooth with the surface? For example the Maratac Cu 123? Just add a lot of glue and then squeeze out the excess with tape?

Anyways, they look really cool. :)

Thanks, I didn’t use tape on that one, it was a bit more awkward.

You need to try to get just the right amount of glue in there then move the light around a bit until the viscous glue is where you want it and then quickly put the UV light on to set it in place.

After that it can be polished up, with a soft cloth and lighter fluid.

How much polishing depends on how good you were at setting the glue in the first place :wink:

There was a lot of trial & error trying out different techniques and materials.
I used clear epoxy to begin with but wasn’t happy with the results.

So.. I need a UV light then. :D

Thanks for the explanation. :)

Yeah I just compared the norland piston to the ones I did with epoxy and the epoxy is definitely not as clear.

When I compare the “jhanko professional one” I purchased where norland was used, the clarity is better and brighter in the daylight (you can see the reflective surface at the bottom of the bore around the trit better). On that one they also polished the surface flush with the piston, too, so it’s just a better overall install. From what I understand, UV optical glues may self-level better as well.

No, just sunlight.

We don’t have much UV this time of year, and taking it outside to cure at –30C is not pleasant. So, I had read that the best nm for curing is around 254, which is where the UV Water Sterilizing devices like the Steri Pen is at. Having quite a few Steri Pens at my disposal, I decided to try one. They have a safety device, two probes on each side, when you immerse the pen in water, the conductivity tells the pen it is OK to switch on. That means you cannot sterilze really soft water unless you drop a pinch of salt into it. So after I had my UV glue in place, I jumpered the two probes and turned the pen on and laid it over the glue. However I forgot that the pen also times itself to auto shut off when it has done 1l of water. That’s about 45-seconds to 1 minute. I discovered that’s not long enough to cure the UV glue from Fasttech that I’m using. So, as long as your are prepared to return to the Steri Pen at least 20 times or more, eventually the glue will set. If you don’t have a strong source outdoors, I guess it’s a matter of Needs Must.

CRX, that’s interesting that you found a light that will sure that glue, I’ve been on the lookout for an affordable emitter that would do it for a long time. If you can figure out what emitter it is, and even what wavelength, that would be great.

I use CA glue and it works just fine for me

I had a look around in the spare parts store and found the old UV drop-in reflector which still had the label on it, apparently it’s the Solarforce LC-UV LED module 3v-6v, wavelength: 380 - 450nm according to specs.

Thanks for that. Now that we know that that wavelength apparently works for curing that glue, time to go back and look at the few emitters that Fasttech had, and finally we may be able to build an inexpensive light for doing this. Being that drop-in was Solarforce, I suspect it wasn’t cheap originally.