First post in this section

[precisionworks]

I just want to say how pleased I am that the moderators agreed to set up this sub-forum. About a year ago I first offered machining services & did not anticipate a large response. Now I answer quite a few emails every day from people wanting some type of mechanical modification.

The first thing I want to do is to break down the very long thread titled Surefire Boring. A separate thread for boring & for trit slots should make it easier and faster for someone to find the information they want. Another thread will be set up to show the machining process for various operations. All this is intended to make the topics easier to access.

I really look forward to posting in this section

[TEEJ]

Glad to see it!

BTW - the FIRST time I saw a thread titled "Surefire Boring Service", I thought it was a complaint...

[precisionworks]

Glad to see it!

Thank you for your kind words

BTW - the FIRST time I saw a thread titled "Surefire Boring Service", I thought it was a complaint...

LOL

If the clock could be turned backwards that thread title would be "Flashlight Machining Services" or "Flashlight Mechanical Mods". The first light to get bored was a 6P that had been sitting in the drawer for some time. When that turned out OK the thread was started with the SF name ... but it was never meant to be boring to anyone

A few non-SF lights came in, usually for a one-off mod. Somewhere along the line a member asked if trit slots were something that could be offered. Surely, why not? Talk about an education ... purchased an 8" Super Spacer that now resides on the left side of the mill table, matching tail stock on the right side, and there are more small end mills than I ever had before. Some for aluminum, others for titanium, 2-flute, 3-flute, 4-flute, etc.

Since the shop was busy with electrical & mechanical work plus flashlight mods it seemed like a great time to design an 18650 E-compatible body (see other thread titled ROTOR). PEU & I are partners on this & we'll see where it goes.

[archimedes]

Congrats on the new subforum -

Haven't yet had the opportunity to have any modding done, but the photos of your work that I've seen have all looked very impressive....

[CMAG]

a great time to design an 18650 E-compatible body

[precisionworks]

Congrats on the new subforum -

Haven't yet had the opportunity to have any modding done, but the photos of your work that I've seen have all looked very impressive....

Thanks archimedes I look forward to working with you.

a great time to design an 18650 E-compatible body

LOL

I'd been kicking around the E-compatible idea for a while. My thought was a simple titanium tube made in one piece - this results in a thin O-ring groove wall thickness. In the Machining Forum I mentioned that none of my local shops want to run less than 50 of any small part. PEU emailed & said he knew of a shop where he lives that does small runs & prototypes. He then helped with the design ... to the extent that he put in lots of time & effort creating the SolidWorks drawings. We decided to make this a joint venture.

I'd though about my own sub-forum for a few months as the Surefire Boring thread continued to get larger & larger. It takes a very interested & highly motivated flashaholic to read through 460 posts spread over 16 pages. Greta was contacted sometime before the ROTOR was announced & she just finished setting this up today ... THANK YOU Greta

[JAYKAY75]

great subforum! will be getting my first ever McGizmo next week and already I'm thinking about what to do with it next or what to get next, and I just know that this subforum will be a great place to get information and talk about things, especially for new members like myself, so thanks!

[Mattaus]

Stepping up in the world Barry

Make sure the links on your website match up with this development.

[precisionworks]

great subforum! will be getting my first ever McGizmo next week and already I'm thinking about what to do with it next or what to get next, and I just know that this subforum will be a great place to get information and talk about things, especially for new members like myself, so thanks!

Thanks JAYKAY75

Don makes a number of awesome lights. They have substantial thickness in many areas & really lend themselves to trit slotting. Some locations are shown below:



Something I've just started is the Twin Trit Slot, an idea first developed by CPF member PEU. This works on a Haiku or other light that uses the Ti McClickie Pak. A 1.5x5mm or 1.5x6mm faces the McClickie & a 2x6mm faces out:

Make sure the links on your website match up with this development.

Good point Mattaus. Today has been a whirlwind - finalizing an electrical project that starts in 9 days, quoting a couple of new jobs, discussing the ROTOR project with PEU & (drum roll please) getting started on this sub forum

[Ginseng]

Congratulations, Barry! Both the quantity and the quality of your work merit this honor. I look forward to seeing and learning about many an amazing project in the time ahead.

Cheers,
Wilkey

[nbp]

Well done Barry! Looks like a great place to hang out and learn something. Your work looks outstanding as usual. The slots cut through the Haiku tail are freaking awesome. Keep posting that eye candy brother.

[fyrstormer]

Cheers!

Those trit mods look mighty tasty. I'm curious to see what they look like once the Clicky Pak has a switch boot fitted into place, though.

[precisionworks]

Congratulations, Barry! Both the quantity and the quality of your work merit this honor. I look forward to seeing and learning about many an amazing project in the time ahead.

Cheers,
Wilkey

Thanks Wilkey. I'll try to keep this sub forum interesting & informative. Thinking about a thread that features "how this is done" since there is great interest in that topic.

Well done Barry! Looks like a great place to hang out and learn something. Your work looks outstanding as usual. The slots cut through the Haiku tail are freaking awesome. Keep posting that eye candy brother.

Thanks nbp

You've probably figured out that when the machines aren't running I'm working on some different concept or design. The Haiku TTT resulted from that. Here's the way it developed ...

Jeff Hanko offered the 3D Trit Tail in some of his lights. Drop dead stunning work that is still highly sought after. Wanted a similar but different effect. Jeff's design incorporates the trit vials in the sides of the switch button & uses the internal tail surface as a reflector. Started looking at different lights & found that the Haiku/McClickie Pak has a somewhat similar internal tail surface. Hmmm.

Received a Haiku with no restrictions attached - the owner said simply "do something new & different". That was a while back & the owner would check in from time to time for an update. He was in no rush (thank goodness) & that allowed me to continue thinking about what to do. Got his Haiku out & measured the thickness of the tail just behind the O-ring at 3.81mm.

Plan A was to mill a 2x6mm slot & go deep enough that the tip of the ball end mill would just break through the inner wall of the tail & leave a window that would pass some light. After breaking through with the 2mm tool a 1.5mm tool would finish cut the very thin floor of the slot. Thought about that for a while & then came across the stainless steel bezel designed by PEU & sold here on CPF:



PEU's design is a "stepped slot" that allows a 1.5x5mm trit to shine through to the inside. The Haiku, with lots more thickness available, might allow stacking a 2x6mm over a 1.5x5mm. Measurement showed just enough room for both. Contacted the owner who simply said "go for it".

Plan B involves milling a conventional 2x6mm slot & then switching tools to mill the 1.5x5mm slot at the bottom of the larger slot. Might as well have turned off the lights when milling the lower slot as the tool was out of sight. Instead of looking at the part my focus was on the three digital readouts that indicated tool position. The result was what I hoped for & the owner is happy.

Cheers!

Those trit mods look mighty tasty. I'm curious to see what they look like once the Clicky Pak has a switch boot fitted into place, though.

Good point frystormer. If there was any way to replace the black rubber boot with a polished metal cover the effect would be magnified. Not sure that is possible but open to any and all suggestions.

[dbleznak]

Barry, I'm so glad this is set up!!! I can say that Barry does the best work around. I'm getting a TNC Ti 18650 host and you install trits like none other. Now I need to get your 18650 as well. Thanks again

Dan

[PEU]

Congrats on the subforum Barry !!!


Pablo

[precisionworks]

Barry, I'm so glad this is set up!!! I can say that Barry does the best work around. I'm getting a TNC Ti 18650 host and you install trits like none other. Now I need to get your 18650 as well. Thanks again

Dan

Thanks very much Dan

The TnC machining is top notch & their trit slots are perfectly done. Every trit installation is a challenge but for some reason the TnC installations finish out very nicely.

Congrats on the subforum Barry !!!


Pablo

Thanks Pablo. Separate threads will really help forum members quickly find the information they want ... without looking through one huge post.

[^^Nova^^]

I was wondering where your boring thread had gone. Good job Barry.

Cheers,
Nova

[precisionworks]

I was wondering where your boring thread had gone. Good job Barry.

Cheers,
Nova

Glad you found it Nova

Funny thing is that the thread on the ROTOR got very little response in the other forum & has done well here. Hopefully this thread will stay up near the top.

[nfetterly]

I opened up the sub-forum - 4 threads! Why are there only 4 threads!

Then I realized that you didn't have a forum before - congrats!

I've got a DLC coated Haiku - is it possible to cleanly (which I believe is the only way you do your work) put trit slots in it?

[precisionworks]

I opened up the sub-forum - 4 threads! Why are there only 4 threads!

Then I realized that you didn't have a forum before - congrats!

Thanks nfetterly

I've got a DLC coated Haiku - is it possible to cleanly (which I believe is the only way you do your work) put trit slots in it?

Thank you again for your kind words.

The issue with DLC is the extraordinary hardness. . The HV (hardness value) of DLC can run from 1000-9000. FWIW industrial diamonds are rated at 9000. Solid carbide tooling is rated at only 1000 so it's unlikely that it will cut even the softest of the DLC's.

A diamond coated end mill might work to penetrate the DLC skin. Then a solid carbide end mill would finish the slot. Having never tried this I cannot say if it will work or not. Proving this out requires that someone send in a DLC light with the clear understanding that this experiment may end badly. I cannot imagine that anyone would do that. On top of that an additional $50 would be added to the job to cover the purchase of the diamond coated tool. Doesn't sound like a good idea to me but I'll give it a try if someone wants it done & will accept the risk involved.

[nfetterly]

Doesn't sound like a good idea to me....

I thought that may be the answer. Doesn't sound like a good idea to me either. It's a pretty pimped out light with the DLC coating and an upgraded neutral emitter with bumped levels. Trits would have finished it off perfectly.... , should have started with the trit slots!

I'll look around and see what I want to change. Need to wait for a few lights to come back, have 2 PDs out (Georgia), couple of lights at Matt's (Texas) and Dan (Minnesota) has a few items as well. We'll see where the bank acct is after all that.

[precisionworks]

.... , should have started with the trit slots!

With everything you've done to that light it's already a killer. I wouldn't risk my own light after putting that much work into it.

[nbp]

Hi Barry,

Forgive me for going off topic, but I know you are busy maintaining your own forum now and have been in the McG forum less lately, so I thought I might try over here. If you get a spare minute, would it be possible to get a pic of this setup you described over there awhile back? I'd like to see how you have it rigged as I'd like to do something similar. Thanks man, no hurries.

In addition to the Sapphire, the ring is Ti, and on it are one of Don's large Ti Maxi Clips, a Mac's Custom Ti vial (with a Franklin inside for emergency use) and an Atwood Keyton. I love everything about titanium ... except machining it

[precisionworks]

Hi Barry,

Forgive me for going off topic ...

As I seem to be the king of OT you are forgiven

... If you get a spare minute, would it be possible to get a pic of this setup you described over there awhile back? I'd like to see how you have it rigged as I'd like to do something similar.

People rarely look closely at what's in their pocket. The scratches & rub marks on the McG Sapphire & Mac's Ti vial are almost a shock. The McG Maxi Clip & titanium ring are available & Berkeley Point, Keytons show up on eBay, not sure if Mac still makes the vial.

[fyrstormer]

Scuff marks on pocket-carried titanium are hardly a shock. Nowadays I try to shuffle around my titanium bits so they get evenly scuffed on all sides.

[nbp]

As I seem to be the king of OT you are forgiven

People rarely look closely at what's in their pocket. The scratches & rub marks on the McG Sapphire & Mac's Ti vial are almost a shock. The McG Maxi Clip & titanium ring are available & Berkeley Point, Keytons show up on eBay, not sure if Mac still makes the vial.

Beautiful, thanks buddy.

I'd like to do something similar with some things I have and want to get. I want to get a Ti ring to put my Mako and Keyton (steel version unfortunately, lol. Have to change that to Ti) on, and maybe some kind of Ti trit fob, so I can just shove the whole thing in my pocket in the morning with my McGs and knife etc. I have an idea for a reasonably priced Ti framelock as well to help round out the Ti EDC items. It takes a long time to assemble the perfect EDC kit!!

Thanks for indulging me for a bit here.

[Mattaus]

Try this if you're not aware already. I got hooked a month ago...

[precisionworks]

Try this if you're not aware already. I got hooked a month ago...

That's OK if you have to go light & minimal. OTOH here's what I EDC five or six days each week:



Not shown is the 4'(1.2m) wide Knaack tool chest in the truck. It holds things too large for the Carhartt bibs Every item in the image is a working tool. The Walter Brend CKT (upper right) and the two Atwood tools (lower right) are gifts from my son & he said "use these, don't put them in a display case".

Surprisingly there's still room in a back pocket for my Fluke T + Pro meter.

[fyrstormer]

Is that Aeon anodized or DLC'ed?

[Mattaus]

That's OK if you have to go light & minimal. OTOH here's what I EDC five or six days each week:



Not shown is the 4'(1.2m) wide Knaack tool chest in the truck. It holds things too large for the Carhartt bibs Every item in the image is a working tool. The Walter Brend CKT (upper right) and the two Atwood tools (lower right) are gifts from my son & he said "use these, don't put them in a display case".

Surprisingly there's still room in a back pocket for my Fluke T + Pro meter.

I've got my phone (A Galaxy Nexus...so rather large), my wallet and my car keys, house keys, gym card, bottle opener and a 4Sevens Quark Mini CR2 on a True Utility Key Shackle. Light and easy, I want to add a Leatherman Squirt ES4 to that bundle but any more and it's too much to carry for a desk jockey like me :-(