maglite Bezel and oring leaked

hi everyone. After 30 dives my diy maglite leaked!! It leaked at the bezel where the lens is located. Installed was the boro lens and orings from tlslights. I added silicone were the front orings and lens meet. However the marine silicone started turning yellow and it leaked.

Any ideas to remove the silicone? The lens is stuck because of the silicone.

The driver and the bottom of the barrel is dry but the reflectors are hooped and one of the
leds. I am using Der Wichtel Triple XML dropin.

Interesting that 'marine' silicone would perish like that. I would imagine that 'marine' is the manufacturer's way of saying it's OK with salt water. Was it out in direct sunlight or in a hot place?

I had a similar leak after a few dives via the Maglite bezel. No glue, O-ring only and via the bezel/lens, not the bezel/thread. A few tiny drops inside as a clue to what happened. Enough to short-out two of the four LEDs. The rest of the torch/driver is fine so it's repairable. Another theory I have is that it could have come from the tiny silicone gel bag I put in the space behind the driver to mop up any humidity after sealing. The dessicant could have released the moisture it already had after being heated once the torch was turned on, which then condensed on electrically sensitive surfaces. But I am thinking because the exposed driver is still OK it is less likely to be this.

I have used 2-part epoxy putty (Aqua-Knead-it by Selleys) and no O ring in the past to glue perspex lenses to the Maglite bezel and that method has never leaked. I am wondering whether it will bind with the boro lens as I want to use that next time. The edges of the glass lens are certainly rough enough for the glue to take.

I know that silicone masks get discolored just from being stored near black rubber hoses, wetsuits, etc. Since the silicone was in direct contact with the o-ring, that's likely the source of the discoloration. I wasn't aware that the silicone actually degraded from this, but maybe it does.

Anyone else have experience with putting silicone directly on o-rings?

How was the head machined? How many mm of the head's threads did you remove? I have had Mags go 400 dives + without leaks. Typically I machine about 1.85mm off the head threads. Enough for a very small gap between the head and bezel. This way I can ensure proper o-ring squeeze. Also, I use a lathe and make sure the surface is flat. I do use non-corrosive clear silicone around the o-rings as a back up.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

The light was stored in an old lunch bag. It was near my fireplace so maybe that's the reason why it degraded? Then again, my other light does not have yellow silicone. The only difference between the two is that one has been in salt water and the other one is just sitting there as my backup.

I removed about 1-2mm off the head threads and there is a small gap between the head and the bezel which I've siliconed.

Is Marine silicone a corrosive silicone? How do I find out?

Another option is to purchase another maglight bezel and use a slightly thicker oring -- say, 42x3mm with no silicone. The one I bought from tlslights is 42x2mm (I think? Maybe 350xfire can confirm).

I also put a dessicant in the barrel (I got this tip from Uncle Klem from a while ago). Glad I did that because the barrel was dry! I just noticed that there is some salt residue on the wires leading from the LEDs to the driver. I think it should be fine but I'm still trying to figure out how to remove that dropin out of that maglite head. It was a tight squeeze putting it in there so I'm thinking of heading up the maglite head a bit so it can expand.

One of the XML LED is dead and all three reflectors need to be replaced. But first thing first is I need to figure out how to remove all that silicone off the bezel and the lens. It's stuck in there.

350,

400 dives is a lot of diving and I see the point you are making with this suggestion. I am not casting aspersions on your lenses but merely sharing a similar experience with another poster so everyone can learn from it. These are home-made torches after all and you cannot be held accountable for what we do with the parts...The parts are fine, it's what we do with them. Mea Culpa.

It does seem there has been some chemical reaction between the O ring and the silicone sealant. The silicone liquid gasket I use stinks to high heaven as it cures so no doubt this chemistry is far different to the silicone grease we all use for lubing-up O rings.

I'll try the stainless steel tooth brush this weekend. I was also thinking of heating it up a bit to soften the silicone. I'll wait to see if anyone else has tried 42x3mm orings and if it's successful. Otherwise, I won't put the oring and just use a nice bead of marine silicone. Maybe the oring and the Marine silicone that I'm using are reacting to each other.

On a side note, I don't think anyone is casting any aspersions on 350xfire or any of his parts. This is all DIY and these things are bound to happen. Sadly, it happened to me. :sigh: If I can't remove the lens from the bezel, I'll would definitely order another lens from him again.

Guys, I looked at the pics and that is a heck of a silicone mess in there. I barely put any on my torches. Just enough for a back up seal. Also, I do not use the vinegar-smelling silicone as it is corrosive. You need to use non-corrosive. I found some Dow Corning 3140 MIL-A-46146 RTV Silicone at a surplus place that does not smell and dries a bit soft.

The light with 400 dives ended up failing at cable where it enters the Agro gland. It was actually a unit I built for my cave dive instructor who told me he really liked it. The guy dives nearly every day. I have another instructor that uses one I built with the 6-LED module and a Taskled HBFlex and he tells me that thing is great.

Klem, no worries on bringing up issues. If there are any I would like to know them as well. So far, I have not really heard of any...

This thread motivated me to pull it out and fix it. I've cleaned it up and glued the lens to the bezel, this time with 2-part epoxy (no O-ring). It's more a 2-part putty so it squeezes into the gaps as you turn it in a vise to compress the lens and bezel together. Then left it in the vise for a few hours to cure. I figure there's only need for one accessable seal in the Maglite head, not two. The bezel/head seal is the usual Silicone liquid gasket with the vinegar stench. i've had more luck with glues than O-rings in the pat so this one is getting the full treatment.

Beekeeper, I tried a 3mm O ring today with no joy. It is so thick it won't compress into the bezel groove. Add to that the 6mm thickness of a boro lens and it completely covers the bezel threads so you can't screw it on. Might work with a thinner lens but not a 6mm.

Edit Post...
The 2 part epoxy leaked so no joy there. In the test tub the classic trail of tiny bubbles at one point of the seal so pulled it quickly before any damage. Cracked it open and am using a fresh bezel and lens. Back to the original 2.5mm O ring but this time I'm using roofing silicone sealant on the edges of the boro lens. It's a slower cure but no harsh vinegar stink to it. Liquid gasket for the bezel/torch head seal.