SPY005 & SPY007 projections and goals...Part 2

[Data]

I spent a couple more days on the Damascus. This metal is quite interesting and the acid etching process is like being in a Hogwarts potions class.

Finally I got the robot to polish this the way I wanted it.














Cheers

[fasteddie]

After the smoke clears on the 005 stuff. . .

Ummm, Dave... Isn't smoke a bad thing with expensive electronics?

The damascus looks great!!

[karlthev]

Just drop-dead georgous Dave!! Wow!!


Karl

[tanasit]

tanasit, that is a nice looking air rifle. Is it OK if I use your pictures in my SPY threads? They are great.


Cheers
Dave

I'll be honored and here're the full blown: (sorry for not so sharp pictures, I used a pocket digital camera with less than 3 Megapixel setting at medium resolution).

[paulr]

The damascus raises the bar again for beauty in flashlights.

[Stan671]

Those Damascus heads are sick! You acid etched out the darker metal from the lighter metal? So, the head will have a textured feel to it? Sick!

[Data]

Those Damascus heads are sick! You acid etched out the darker metal from the lighter metal? So, the head will have a textured feel to it? Sick!

Stan, I am working on the stuff on your list. The nuts get glued in today and that is the last thing before final assembly. I must put the head together before I program the light. The STFu has a calibration sequence that sets parameters in its EEPROM. It does this so it can change light levels in a very smooth and accurate way. The cal sequence runs right after I load the code in the light. For the cal to work properly the thermal mass of the head of the light needs to be in place.


I am glad you like the Damascus. It was a labor of love and I am really happy with how they came out too. You are correct the acid eats away the metal. This blue tongue Damasteel is made of mixture of stainless and tool steel. The acid eats away the tool steel and if you leave it in long enough, the valleys it creates get quite deep. They are polished to make them shiny and to round off the sharp edges that the etching creates. I am going to price them to cover the cost of the materials, that alone will make them very very expensive (the material cost almost $1000). The light in the pictures has a titanium knob. I think the titanium's darker shade of color matches the Damascus shade really well.

Damisteel is made from powder metallurgy technology.

Cheers
Dave

[paulr]

I didn't realize powder metallurgy was involved, I thought they were pattern welded.

Can you put up a side by side photo of stainless next to ti? How do they compare in terms of scratch resistance? Thanks!

[Data]

I didn't realize powder metallurgy was involved, I thought they were pattern welded.

Can you put up a side by side photo of stainless next to ti? How do they compare in terms of scratch resistance? Thanks!

Yes I will as soon as I have some ready for photos.

[Data]

paulr

Going by the difference in the time it took the buffer to work the 304 stainless verses the 6Al-4V titanium, I would say they are close in hardness with the stainless being a little harder. SS 304 is great stuff but the darker luster of the titanium may aid in hiding scratches.

If you don't put other metal objects in your pocket with the light it will look new for a long time. If you do, it will not matter which metal you pick. Neither are any where near the hardness of of chrome. But both are a lot tougher than chrome or HAIII and of course solid metal can not chip and can be repaired if the dent or scratch is not too deep.


As of today, all the parts are ready for final assembly. I will let everybody know how far I get with that tomorrow evening.


Dave

[paulr]

Thanks Dave. I'm just trying to visualize the difference between ss and ti. Does the ss feel colder when you touch it? Does it make a different sound than the ti, if you tap it with a pen or something like that? Is the ss light noticably more front-heavy? Sorry about all these questions but this is so cool .

[Data]

Does the ss feel colder when you touch it? theoretically yes but it is not noticeable to me with this small amount of metal

Does it make a different sound than the ti, if you tap it with a pen or something like that? no

Is the ss light noticably more front-heavy? not to me, again there is just too little of the metal to tell the difference between the SS and Ti. SS is almost double the mass density of Ti. The Ti head weighs 9 grams.

[aikiman44]

Yes, but how doe the Ti make you feel?

[Data]

Yes, but how doe the Ti make you feel?

[paulr]

Thanks. I'm just wondering how different the ti is from ss in terms of handling experience as well as looks. I only have one ti gadget right now, a Snow Peak ti "spork". It's a silly and useless device but the ti is really different from steel or al; it feels more like an exotic hardwood. Of the two exotic lights on my wish-list, the Spy is one and a ti McLux PD Mule is the other.

[moses]

That Damascus is BEAUTIFUL! Wow!

Mo

[orb]

Data Said: Finally I got the robot to polish this the way I wanted it.:

Now I know where I went wrong.....

work Dave

[Data]

Orb, did you notice how different my bar of Damasteel blue tongue was from yours? Mine has very little twist to it. I did not order it that way, I ordered the exact same 25mm bar that you did!

The robot can polish really accurately if I get the program right but that is not worth the effort for just 4 pieces. If I had not had it all set up for the production run of the SS and Ti, I never would have used it. I would have ended up with an emery cloth finish like I saw in several of the knives over on the blade forum. That leaves the tool steel much darker and gives a beautiful high contrast pattern.

Of course I saw the pictures of your Damascus lights, they are beautiful and were the inspiration for me trying this. Thanks for all your help too. I used both HCl and H2SO4 acid. The battery acid was much weaker and took about 90 minutes to work. I did not notice any difference in the two acids in the final results. I came up with a different look than you did but this blue tongue is cool no mater what you do with it.


Cheers
Dave

[orb]

Yes I did notice the layers are a bit further apart. Which looks good around the Diameter. The Tight twist on the Damascus I had looks best on the base of my lights. It could be due to your bar being 25mm Dia & the Bar I used was 19mm Dia Regardless Damascus is an amazing material when you see how it is made.
Complements your Spy Design a treat
Really looking forward to seeing your Spy 007 Ti.

[Data]

Assembly is over half done. It is going well and should be completed today.


The sale of the Ti 005, SS 005 and Da 005 lights could be tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon or Friday afternoon. I will post an update later this afternoon (eastern US) and let you all know. Also, I will be posting a few pictures of the lights with a rundown on what will be available.


Cheers
Dave

[kenster]

Assembly is over half done. It is going well and should be completed today.


The sale of the Ti 005, SS 005 and Da 005 lights could be tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon or Friday afternoon. I will post an update later this afternoon (eastern US) and let you all know. Also, I will be posting a few pictures of the lights with a rundown on what will be available.


Cheers
Dave

GREAT NEWS! PayPal is on standby and I`ll be here waiting & watching!

Ken

[russtang]

I hope its Fri. I've got to work 3-11pm Thurs.

[starfiretoo]

Good luck everyone!

[Data]

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The sale will be Thursday June 28th in the afternoon, starting some time between 2:00 and 4:00 PM eastern time (New York time). That is tomorrow!

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The lights are all assembled and working nominally. I am very pleased with how they came out. I will post all the details of the sale later this evening.

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Cheers
Dave

[Stan671]

Perfect timing. I can postpone the morgage payment one month and put that money to something more useful.

Let me start rehearsing now: She says, "Is that a new flashlight ... How much was it?" I reply, "No, I've had this one for a while - don't you remember? It is really cool, but not expensive at all. Is there anything I can do for you right now, Honey - take out the garbage, cook dinner, wash your car?"

[aikiman44]

Ha! Love that, so true

[starfiretoo]

Mind if i join you? I have to leave for the airport at 2:00PM EST
-SF2

I hope its Fri. I've got to work 3-11pm Thurs.

[Data]

My sales thread will be in the CPF Forum "CPF's Custom & Mod B/S/T". Please look over there for it, not here.

The sale tomorrow is going to be first post first served. I want a post just as a place holder to keep track of the orders. You do not have to specify what you want in the post. Please follow up the post with an email to me. The subject line of the email should be "SPY005". In the body of the email, please provide your real name and physical mailing address. I also need your CPF handle. Please type your address so I can cut and past it for the shipping box label.

If there is a problem with CPF at the time of the sale, I will use the emails for tracking the order of the sales. My email is "spy005@comcast.net". That is also my PayPal ID.

There are 23 titanium 005 lights (20 Seoul and 3 Cree), price is $550 each.

There are 18 stainless 005 lights (15 Seoul and 3 Cree), price is $450 each.

There are 4 Damascus 005 lights, all are Seoul, price is $850 each.

There are 5 custom battery caps, the upgrade price is $50 each.

Shipping is not included in the price. I will charge for the actual shipping cost. All lights sold in the USA will have SF batteries included. They will not be in the light but they will be in the box. Any lights sold to other countries will not have batteries. PA residents must pay 6% sales tax. I take PayPal or you can send me a check in the mail.

There is a limit of two lights per customer. In your email please specify your first and second preference for the light. If you change your mind and decide you do not want the light before you pay for it you can cancel the order and it will fall to the next person on the list.

I will provide some pics of the Ti and SS lights and some pics of the custom battery caps tomorrow at the time of the sales post.

Cheers
Dave

[McGizmo]

Cool stuff Dave!! Goodluck everyone!

[Data]

Don,

I cut your McR18 Lux reflectors with a lip to align them with the Seoul emitter. It worked really well and there was just the perfect amount of material there to do it after cutting in .030". The lip stood up about .010".

Cheers
Dave