Milkyspit Mods, Thoughts, Eye Candy [LOTS OF PHOTOS] Part 4

[Monocrom]

Your Snake-Eyes builds are among my all-time favorites. I love mine.

[737mech]

Hey Scott any chance of you posting an eye candy pic of my build thus far?

[Echo63]

He will, but not just yet.

As for me, there's always this little project, which I prototyped months ago...



Or this, which I'm pretty sure I posted some time ago...



And a few more on the way, like the one bearing this label, dubbed 'Porco'...

#1 looks like a Copper version of the T1A head
better heatsinking + Milky Magic = Monster titan ???

#2 looks like a U2 head too, with a Led i dont recognise

they both look like stunning builds

[nein166]

He will, but not just yet.

As for me, there's always this little project, which I prototyped months ago...

This one looks like PhotonFanatic's Groovy
SST-50 and Stippled 20mm reflector
???bored for 18650???

[bigchelis]

This one looks like PhotonFanatic's Groovy
SST-50 and Stippled 20mm reflector
???bored for 18650???

We have a winner....A copper heatsink, SST-50, IMR 16340 cells only

[ninemm]

We have a winner....A copper heatsink, SST-50, IMR 16340 cells only

Crap. Now I need to go buy a groovy. Did he leave the Kroll switch or change it to a McClicky?

[nein166]

Crap. Now I need to go buy a groovy. Did he leave the Kroll switch or change it to a McClicky?

Oh the thought of those silly little springs in the Kroll trying to handle 2+ amps. I wonder about that? Judco says its rated to 2A at 14v, I'd hit them good with ProGold to enhance the thread connection

[milkyspit]

Room Sweeper Grooviness

Crap. Now I need to go buy a groovy. Did he leave the Kroll switch or change it to a McClicky?

Actually, I've been contemplating a build that would INCLUDE the Groovy... it would be for a turnkey light, just drop in your IMR16340 and click on. I've got access to some great hard anodize, too... that copper is hard anodizing, not type 2! ...and BC is right, the heatsink I'd use would be custom fabricated from solid copper. It's basically a gentleman's version of the Room Sweeper in the same sense that various folding knives with decorative scales are designed to deliver the same cutting performance as their more rugged cousins, but in a more attractive package.

Regarding the Kroll: in this case, the Kroll is still there. I have mixed feelings about that. It does seem to work pretty nicely and the Groovy was made to fit it perfectly... plus the click action is really good. On the other hand, it's clearly a source of resistance and tends to be noisy, meaning the output will briefly flicker or get a little brighter/dimmer during the click operation... since this build is DD the noise won't actually hurt anything, but some might find it annoying. Nein is right, ProGold might help.

How do you guys feel about this prospective package... is an exotic HA plated, gentleman's Room Sweeper in your choice of cool/neutral/warm white, with some latitude as to the beam pattern as well, with a Kroll clicky, of interest? If we've got at least 20 folks who might want such a package, I'll make it happen. I'd need to collect some funds upfront to cover the major supplies, with balance due when the light is ready to ship.

Anybody want one?

Incidentally, I believe the exotic HA is available in both copper and sky blue shades, plus there might be some chrome hosts available.

[ninemm]

Hrm....would be pretty interesting. The blue is worthy too.

(Psst - ML1x email )

[pOkiE]

Sorry if this has been answered already, but have you modified any M3LTs with a higher output/bin 4die? Or perhaps an SST90...?

[milkyspit]

Sorry if this has been answered already, but have you modified any M3LTs with a higher output/bin 4die? Or perhaps an SST90...?

pOkiE, haven't done that yet, but only because nobody has sent me an M3LT for work yet and I don't own one myself. I'm more than happy to give it a try.

[pOkiE]

pOkiE, haven't done that yet, but only because nobody has sent me an M3LT for work yet and I don't own one myself. I'm more than happy to give it a try.

hrmm...its been a while since I've been on here or bought a new light and I'm debating between the M3LT or an M6. I've seen beamshots utilizing the lens on the M3LT and it looks pretty promising for a 4-die LED...I will definitely consult you once I decide which light to get.

[zx7dave]

heh heh heh....I'm enjoying the hell out of this light Scott...fantastic. Amazing quality....thanks again for taking my thoughts and turning them into a indredible build....

Build: Shadow Slayer (X2750.4)

A few weeks back I'd shipped a nice, 4x SST-50 build in a SureFire M4 host, running on 2x18650 cells via 'Califon-D' revision of the Acorn firmware, to ZX7DAVE. Eventually I'd like to do a complete writeup about that build, but for now wanted to share some eye candy. It's a solid-performing light.

[Burman]

Hey Bro!

Any news about my build? Tried to e-mail and pm you but no answers

[gottawearshades]

Scott,

A progress report on my builds would be highly appreciated.

Anything?

Thanx.

[1wrx7]

Latest build to leave the Labs... or at least, the label itself, as IMHO it's pretty interesting...



Translated pretty nicely to printed form...



It goes with this light...



Idea came from one of the customer's favorite movies.

More photos of this build to come in a writeup in the near future. There are also a number of other builds I haven't taken the time to post over here yet, but they're coming too.

I've meant to post my impressions of my BMF for awhile, but I wanted to be able to really get a feel for the light first. First impression.... Holy Crap.... Scott outdid himself The build quality is beautiful. I can see the contact point and the back of the heatsink when the head is removed. All very clean. As you can see in Scott's pic above, the buisness end is well crafted and supportive. When this project started I told Scott this head will spend some time mounted on firearms. That's why the piece of delrin was put into the front of the head for extra suppout from recoil.

I took some pics of different hosts for this head that I use.

First off here's a shot of the back of the head. It looks like Scott used a MN style bulb to create the contact... I love the recycling.






Here's the main handheld host... a Leef 2X18650 body with a SF clicky tail. Not your pocket EDC, but it's extremely useable with this body and AW cells. It can also be run on 3X123 cells with a SF M3, L6, or M3T body... probally some others too.



This the other main host. It's a SF M111D weaponlight. I wondered how the Acorn driver interface would work in this configuration.... it all works perfect The host has a pressure pad, and a slider switch to activate the light. The D in this host # means the slider switch disables the light. That way you don't accidentally activate the light. I have another version of the same host with no pressure pad, and on that host the slider switch turns the light on and off. It's like a stubby M3 body and fits very good in the hand.





And since this is my BMF... I had to throw the drum mag in the AR for this shot.............



My impressions of using this light will be added later tonight

It's ironic that days later I was finally able to find the time to post my review of using my BMF. Then the next day I find out the server had to be reset and my edit was lost to oblivion So let's try this again.

This build has changed several times throughout the process for various reasons. I'd like to start by saying I'm very pleased with both the aesthetics and the versitillity of this head A SF M3 head with multiple emitters and a .40cal Hydroshok hollowpoint bullet for decoration. Designed to work on 2Xrechargeable or 3X123 cells. My needs for the light were... nice tint, bright on high, more flood than throw, four level Acorn, very low low, and built rugged enough to spend some time mounted of firearms. The only need I haven't been able to try yet is getting some trigger time with the BMF mounted. All the other needs have been very well met.

This is the first light I've had with K2 emitters.... I think they're UWOE bin I had seen a K2 in an E-series type build and I liked what I saw. When Scott bought it up I was all for it. They produce a very nice white tint, and are pretty bright especially for not being pushed to their limit. The reflectors used are modified McR16's. They seem to work very well with the K2's and put out a very large area of light. When close white wall hunting you can see the individual beam profiles of the four emitters, like any multiple emitter build. In any real world use the four beams create a beautiful hotspot with a ton of spill..... that is exactly what I wanted the beam to look like

What really surprised me was how far it threw. Living in suburban metro Detroit, I have a lot of ambient light to deal with. My initial use of the light was drowned out by thousands of different light sources producing a horrible nighttime atmosphere for a flashaholic I'm used to it living here, but it made waiting to get away to some real darkness infuriating The fail smilie is probally the wrong one, because my BMF did it's primary job perfectly Even with high power parking lot lights at my work it lit up a large area very brightly. The ambient light drowned out how far the light can throw though. Since then I've been able to use it in some more rural areas My GF's backyard is about 100yds to the tree line, and it lights up the treeline. I actually wasn't expecting that considering how the light was designed.

I think this light is going to get a lot of use. With four diffetent levels, well spaced out. Not to mention the beacon and strobe modes which are very easy to use.... or not to use if not needed. The very low on this light is indeed very low. I can look directly at the LED's, and with night adapted eyes it's perfect for stealthfully moving around. Scott built me another light that used the Acorn driver... and it's the best battery vampire I have. I'm assuming this light will behave the same so I should get a ton of useable light before the cells are completely drained

On a side note.... it's been quite amusing convincing the GF's son that with a special sequence of button taps I can make the bullet fire... of course it can't... but the look on his face is priceless

Thanks again Scott... I'm loving it

[milkyspit]

What's Cooking

Quick update for all. Have roughly a dozen more items (or maybe closer to two dozen?) ready to send back, and will be contacting their owners during the upcoming week. For those not in USA, this has been (and continues to be through Monday night) a holiday weekend. That notwithstanding, I've continued to build intermittently the entire time.

Burman, found your PM. Haven't found your email yet. Will reply shortly. (Not tonight, though, as I'm about to go to bed.)

Gottawearshades, your Arc First Run will be heading back to you in the imminent future, so far so good though the driver was slightly troublesome to place. The Creemator updated to triple neutral white CreeXPG will be heading back roughly a week later. The Kroma will need a couple more weeks... haven't received the 3mm LEDs I'd requested as of yet.

Got a few other people who have been waiting very patiently for their builds, one of whom I don't think realizes just how close his is to returning home. Their lights are slated to head out this week, too.

Writeups

Been spending nearly all my waking hours in recent months on customer builds so I haven't done much in the way of posting the latest creations. That has been a mistake. The silver lining would be that I never stopped taking photos so I have quite a pile of eye candy to share both here, and in dedicated threads about some of the more interesting projects. Now to find time to get all that together...

Next Sprint Run

I'm looking at another batch of Arnor, but this time shipped with more standard 1x123 and 2x123 bodies... think better Gossamer/Gosling builds... as Q says, these will incorporate "all the latest refinements" (shameless James Bond reference) ...not the least of which is VASTLY improved heatsinking! I've never really been satisfied with the thermal performance of the higher-output LED builds, though they've certainly seemed to do the job, at least in the short run... in some of the most recent lights to leave the Milky Labs, I've quietly slipstreamed in my improved thermal design. The new design is painstaking to implement and tricky to get correct, but the result is a markedly better light so I think it is worth it. This next sprint run would incorporate the same.

Might also try a new sales process this time around, something to bridge the gap between immediate gratification (but huge risk for me due to big capital outlay before the lights go up for sale) and the sometimes lengthy wait for a truly made-to-order custom build. Watch this thread for more as that develops.

Room Sweepers

Have hosts and components on hand to bang out maybe 2-3 more Room Sweepers quickly, for the lucky few people who are looking for those. If you've been on the fence for these, please place your order ASAP as I'm running low on some essential pieces. First come, first served. email is best:


(include "CPF" and your username somewhere in the subject line for best results)

Prototypes and One-Offs

Beginning immediately, I've got a handful of internal prototype builds and one-offs available for immediate shipment, for those who might want something a little special but don't want the wait. Most of these are one-of-a-kind builds, and selection will vary from day to day. Some fellow CPFers suggested I make this sort of thing available and it seemed like a good idea. I've always built a variety of one-offs for internal purposes, to test a concept or gain experience with a new component... now some of these will be available to all takers. (Well, at least the FIRST taker for any particular piece.) Want to know what's on hand at the moment? Send me an email. (PM is okay but runs the risk of being full.)

U2by2

There's something new coming on this front, and soon. The couple remaining waiters (I'd long since caught up on the rest) will receive the first of these.

Happy Labor Day!

Time to catch some zzzzz's. Then it's Labor Day here in the USA. Happy Labor Day, all!

A little family time, then back to work.

Hope everyone enjoys their holiday.

[Monocrom]

Thanks for the update, Scott.

But if you're worried about initial outlay with regards to your new way of offering your creations, don't worry.

Your last sprint run sold out in what . . . 9 minutes?

I think that's about right. You're at the point where we gobble up everything you put in front of us, and then happily ask for more.

So, please Sir; could we have some more?

[1wrx7]

Hi Scott

When you mention worrying about initial outlay of $$$ I remember the saying... If you build it, they will come. Your Sprint Runs seem to sell out pretty quickly, so I wouldn't worry. I'm also curious about all the special/one off's you mentioned. If you can get the time for a running sales thread I'm sure it would generate some cash.

I edited my previous post to add my use of my BMF, but it got lost. So I went back today while I had the time to try it again.

Can't wait to see some more eye candy

[737mech]

Got a few other people who have been waiting very patiently for their builds, one of whom I don't think realizes just how close his is to returning home. Their lights are slated to head out this week, too.

I hope you are talking about my build...

[Paulinski]

LoL maybe its mine two builds

[gottawearshades]

That's good news about the Arc, etc, Scott.

The Creemator Cubed should be something special, the same with the Kroma.

Happy Labor day!

[coloradogps]

Great news, Scott!

I really look forward to seeing these "New" lights.

[Troop#26]

Hi Milky,

Im a long time lurker on CPF and have been drooling over your creations for a long time. I recently started purchasing a WHOLE BUNCH of lights, including a few of my first surefires. I picked up a C2 and M6 both of which I love, however the C2 has a Oveready 1100 lumen drop in which makes the M6 look, well not nearly as cool as it could. I have a line on a NEW Millennium Turbo Head and Im thinking it might be time to take the plunge into custom lights, so I would love to discuss some options with you. I have no time line for this light and I have a fairly substantial budget as well so if it took a while that would be fine. When you get a second if you could send me a message my email is:

s.dunn [at] me.com

Beautiful work! I look forward to hearing from you!

Stephen

[blacksheepvictor]

Hello Scott.

That Shadow Slayer light is awesome!!!! I need me some of that . Just sent you an email about it. Keep up the great work.

Mike

[LEDAdd1ct]

Hi, Scott! Email sent from my gmail account.

LEDAdd1ct

(Bryan)

[Monocrom]

Hey Scott.

Got your email. Sent you one in reply. I'm ready to go ahead with the project we talked about.

I sent the email from my hotmail account. And just remembered that the last time I did that, it ended up in your spam folder.



Scott, please check your spam folder if you haven't seen my email to you yet. Thanks.

[John_Galt]

I wonder if it would be possible for Milky to build a light with emitters that were independent of each other. Say, a K2's in some nice reflectors for a throwier profile, then with a series of switch taps, switch the drive to a more flood oriented setup, say a neutral XP-G with a shallow reflector. That would definitely pique my interest.

Flood and throw in the same light. Each independent, with a variety of modes. Sign me up!

[milkyspit]

I wonder if it would be possible for Milky to build a light with emitters that were independent of each other. Say, a K2's in some nice reflectors for a throwier profile, then with a series of switch taps, switch the drive to a more flood oriented setup, say a neutral XP-G with a shallow reflector. That would definitely pique my interest.

Flood and throw in the same light. Each independent, with a variety of modes. Sign me up!

John, already done it, for my own play-- er, RESEARCH purposes. And I can do it again with the technologies on hand in the Labs right now... though it will use more components internally than it really needs to, and cost somewhat more as a result. That's a result of adapting existing drivers like the Acorn to that purpose... they'll work, but not in the way I would design something from the ground up for the task. So if this hasn't scared you or anyone else away, by all means, let's build!

Given sufficient upfront cashflow I would develop a different driver that would give me the same capabilities on a single piece of hardware, and would cost less (both time and parts $$) to accomplish the goal. Right now that upfront capital is a tough nut to crack. The technology will work.

[Troop#26]

Hi Scott,

Just trying to follow up as below. I purchased a whole new Surefire M6 for a project that I would really love to have you build!

I previously sent an email, I'll send another as well as a PM!

I look forward to hearing from you and building something really special!

Regards,

Stephen

Hi Milky,

Im a long time lurker on CPF and have been drooling over your creations for a long time. I recently started purchasing a WHOLE BUNCH of lights, including a few of my first surefires. I picked up a C2 and M6 both of which I love, however the C2 has a Oveready 1100 lumen drop in which makes the M6 look, well not nearly as cool as it could. I have a line on a NEW Millennium Turbo Head and Im thinking it might be time to take the plunge into custom lights, so I would love to discuss some options with you. I have no time line for this light and I have a fairly substantial budget as well so if it took a while that would be fine. When you get a second if you could send me a message my email is:

s.dunn [at] me.com

Beautiful work! I look forward to hearing from you!

Stephen