olight s mini patina

camelight

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i am looking for a new edc light and i want a very small one. the s mini is exactly that
recently i also stared to be interest in copper lights. so the s mini comes in copper..so its perfect for me
but i hate when it get patina on it. so is it possible to clean it and make it shiny again? and dose the rose gold model get patina? its look good also not as good as the copper but its a nice plan b
 

jon_slider

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yes people do polish their copper
no the rose gold will not patina, it is a Titanium Vapor Deposition, sort of like a "plating", that coats the material with a non-copper surface layer.

if you hate patina, consider buying lights that come precoated with a varnish, that keeps the copper from oxidizing. Astrolux tends to coat their copper. Of course then you are also only touching a thin coating that is not copper either.

Copper is germicidal, some people don't like the smell it creates on their hands. If you hate patina, I don't think you should buy copper, it tarnishes very quickly.

I have been on a copper kick. I particularly like copper AAA lights that are Neutral White and High CRI, such as the Maratac w Nichia, and the Lumintop Tool w Nichia. They do also come in Cool White, Low CRI, like the Olight.

here is a
List of Copper Lights
bear in mind that some of them use PWM, and not all have the nice 0.5 lumen moonlight low that Olight offers.

your buying decision could also include what battery type you want to use
post your impressions of whatever you buy

Happy Shopping!:)
 
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jon_slider

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I do agree ketchup will strip patina, it just does not leave the light shiny like new. It comes out a bit more dull and a bit more pink.

here is a video about using ketchup, it looks impressive, I tried it, and it does work, but its not a true high gloss finish.


Ketchup creates a micro pitted surface. I find I still need to polish my copper things with a jewelers cloth to get a high gloss shine. I get good results from Sunshine Cloth.

Others have mentioned favorable results using Flitz polish, I have not tried it. Some mention baking soda, I find it too abrasive, it scratches the surface more than I like. Others mention lemon and salt, I have not tried that, but expect it will both pit and scratch, sort of a combo of ketchup and baking soda..

Some use a polishing wheel with green compound. I find that too coarse, it does not shine as well as it does with red rouge, or sunshine cloth.

Shiny copper is fun, it is also high maintenance. I don't try to keep my copper shiny, though I occasionally do polish a light, just for fun.
 
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jorn

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I just use autosol and a polish wheel for a drill. Seconds later, it's good as new. But i rarely polish my copper lights. Fighting the patina on copper light that you use, is a war you cannot win. Well you can, but expect to polish it two times a week :)
 

tuna7

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I've always used lemon to clean up my copper flashlights. Works like a charm.
 

camelight

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Thank you guys for all the information
The video was amazing...it was shainy again.
So i put some copper coins in ketchup and tomorrow morning if it cleand i think i will go with copper. I have the patience to fight the patina. Part of the fun for me in this hobbey is the maintenance
For long time i wanted to try copper lights and with your help i now can to maintain one
And for the smell...i can't smell anyway

And i was looking for a rcr123 light as compact as possible and also wanted copper so the s mini is great
The only downside for me is its only cw. nw is so much more satisfying
 

emarkd

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Ketchup "polishes" copper because it contains a fairly high concentration of vinegar, aka acetic acid. Its not magic. If you're going to be polishing copper regularly do yourself a favor and get a proper polishing solution, like Cape Cod Cloths or any number of general "metal" polishes. If you want to keep it patina-free you'll have to coat it. Something like Renaissance Wax will slow down the patina process, but its certainly not a perfect method and will have to be re-applied regularly.

OR you can just embrace the patina. Cause copper patina is awesome.
 

camelight

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I get good results with ketchup, Cape cod clothes, brasso and flitz.

I'm also going to sell my s mini brass and copper upgraded with neutral /warm xml2, glow stickers, and upgraded 2 way clips if interested.
it sound interesting
i tried ti contact you via pm but it gave me this message
  • gunga has exceeded their stored private messages quota and cannot accept further messages until they clear some space.
 

archimedes

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The discussion forums are for discussions, not sales .... Please take that to B/S/T forums and/or PM.

Thanks !
 
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camelight

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here is another cr123 option,
Astrolux S41 Quad Nicha 219B
w neutral white, plus High CRI,, only part copper, and coated iirc.. uses PWM (Olight s mini does too, but only on moonlight)
The s41 (or menker e14\their both new virtions with 2000lm) are using also 18350 (18650 with extender) so they are thicker than only 16340(rcr123) lights.
Uo to now i have neen edc my zebralight sc600 mk iii hi. Now i want something much smaller. So it must be shorter and thinner. And the sc600 mk iii being very short its not linger than most aa lights.

I think i will go with the rose gold in the end...my test didnt went well. And if it had worked i will have to clean it to many times a day
Thank you for your help guys. I will update what i bought when i buy it.
As buying is very impolsive i always take a lot of time to think about it.
 

jon_slider

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Mar 31, 2015
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I would like to see a Copper High CRI w Nichia.. aka FrankenMiniCu
pull TIR, low battery indicating Switch, and pill, swap out XPG3, and reload into Cu S Mini host.

or, wait for the next S1 Mini High CRI to come out in Copper, and pray for Olight to see the Nichia Light.
 
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