More photos in Post#2.
Next is finishing the heat sink and installing the emitter & circuit board. It's getting closer.
Watching this closely... you're doing nice work!
Rich
Excellent hacksaw and file work! I envy your patience. Can’t wait to see the rest of the process and final product. 
Daaaaayummm...! Even I wouldn't go thru that much to make a heatsink, even though the local hardware store provides a lot of plumbing parts. I take it there were no plumbing parts that fit?
I really like the blow-by-blow you're doing on this-nice job. I'm too lazy to take pics as I go, or I'm excited about the mod I'm doing and don't wanna take the time to shoot 'em.
Go ahead and stack more than one 7135 BTW... ~3.5 or so amps would give you a higher max mode.
Rich
Since my stroke, things like this build let me get away from life and let me be absorbed in the detail of the build. When I make a project like this and it works, then it makes me feel like I accomplished something, like I used to when I had a real job.
If the head ID had been smaller or of a different design, I might have used hardware store parts, but with the ID at right about 1-11/16" that's a hard thing to find, besides copper plumbing fittings are getting very expensive. I was thinking about making a light out of copper pipe with 3AA in a holder, but even a 1' piece of 1-1/4 copper pipe is like $12! I'm going to have to go to Electrical conduit I guess
...
I think this one will be with just the 2800mah board and leave it at that. Since I will need to sell it after, I don't want to push the emitter. If I were keeping it, then I would just add a couple of 7135 chips on the board. I'm still thinking about it.
Thanks everyone for watching the build...
Most of what I did today, I had to undo. Bad circuit board from DX. I didn't buy a second one, so I will have to run direct drive now. Put all the stock parts (springs, metal tabs, etc.) back in the tail switch and the battery holder. I don't need less resistance now!
Got the paint job done and it looks beautiful! Photos for another day.
Maybe I will have time to finish this on the week-end.
PM me your address and I'll send you a driver.
Thank you very much, but it's ok. I don't mind direct drive and I don't think it will be a problem with the emitter. With AA batts, it should level out fairly quickly and it's just one less link to fail later.
I was just bitchin to hear myself bitch. Favorite pastime of mine.
Capisce.
the photos definitely don't do that paint justice - I did the cover of an air compressor I bought last summer with that stuff and was pleasantly surprised
See Post #3 for the end of the Story.
Then go buy it in the want to sell forum. Yes it's up for sale, so that I can afford to build something else.
Nice work, Justin! That beam is very nice and has no ring free. Once you sell it what do you have in mind for your next build? Something using QTC would be great. ;)
Johnny
Yes, if I sell this light, then I can afford to make a QTC mod. I am working on a switch design that allows for only compressing the QTC instead of twisting when it compresses. It should increase the longevity of the QTC by quite a bit! Actually, I am making the prototype switch right now.
Really nice mods here guys. Nice work. I just made this post sticky.
Wow!
Thank you 
I haven’t finished reading the entire post yet but thanks for sharing some of your tips! That centering video had taught me a few things. I think I always just relied on eyeballing these things…
Thanks again for sharing!
AZ