Any tips on how to avoid broken tritium vials?

LEDBE
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mcomb

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 9, 2007
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I've been carrying my Raw NS on a keychain for the last couple weeks and I've managed to break two of the tritium vials in the process. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to avoid breaking the other two (other than stop smacking things into them you dummy)? I'm wondering if I could "paint" them with some sort of thin epoxy to make them a bit more shock resistant?

Thanks,
-Mike
 
Man, the more I surf around, the more common this appears to be. I understand that setting the trits in Norland 61 is a PITA and that's probably why Rob chooses not to do so, but maybe it would be prudent to at least warn people that there is a significant potential for breakage on the Raw series lights. Just a suggestion...:shrug:

I don't want to come off rude (I love my Raw Al!), but what's the point of having them there if they can break so easily? IMO, any drop onto a hard, irregular surface (not to mention keychain carry) has a fair chance of crushing one. I had 2 of 3 of my trits protruding on my Raw Al. After removing and reinstalling them with Norland 61, all of my trits are fully recessed and well protected - I think the odds of breaking one are now pretty slim.

Your only other option would be to cover the body with a transparent material I suppose.
 
As always sorry to here when anybody finds a broken locator on there Lummi Light.
For the record this is not a regular issue. In all the time I have manufactured & sold Lights with locators I can only count a hand full of reports with broken vials. Lately the reason for more than seen before broken vials is due to a small batch of Raw NS & Raw Al locator slots machined with a 1mm ball nose slot drill instead of a 1.1mm. This meant that the locator would sit level instead of slightly below the surface like normal. This error was addressed very quickly & the machine shop are aware that it can cause a problem.
The main cause of breakage has always been when attached to keys, I have covered my thoughts & opinion here : http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=159486
If interested>?
 
orb said:
Lately the reason for more than seen before broken vials is due to a small batch of Raw NS & Raw Al locator slots machined with a 1mm ball nose slot drill instead of a 1.1mm
Click to expand...

Thanks Rob. I was aware of the risk when I decided to keychain carry mine, its just the only way I'll actually have it with me when I need it. If mine is one from the affected batch I'd consider shipping it back for touchup work and to have the broken trits replaced. Any chance that you'd be able to offer such a service? It does seem to me that the remaining two vials on my light sit a bit above the surface level so I'm afraid its just a matter of time before they get broken as well.

-Mike
 
I'd also like to know if that's possible, for example to install trits on my raw NS if I decide I want them later.

Obviously we (the buyers) would pay for shipping both ways.
 
mcomb said:
Thanks Rob. I was aware of the risk when I decided to keychain carry mine, its just the only way I'll actually have it with me when I need it. If mine is one from the affected batch I'd consider shipping it back for touchup work and to have the broken trits replaced. Any chance that you'd be able to offer such a service? It does seem to me that the remaining two vials on my light sit a bit above the surface level so I'm afraid its just a matter of time before they get broken as well.

-Mike
Click to expand...

Mike, I can supply replacement locators or if you send your Raw Al back I would replace the broken vials. It is not economical to rework the slots. It would be more cost effective to supply a new torch body / case with slightly deeper slots. If your always going to attach a Raw Al to your keychain I do not recommend having the locators.

Zipplet: Your Raw NS has the normal slots that do not normally cause a problem with breakages. You can add locators yourself with a small amount of adhesive.
 
Thanks orb for your quick reply as always. If I placed an order at some point with the Raw NS locators (but no Raw NS on the order) I assume you'd be able to ship me the locators? :) Obviously it's down to me if I mess up while installing them but I don't see that happening.

I know I should have done it when I ordered the light but I wasn't sure if I wanted them... however after seeing how they look on my Wee NS... :naughty:

mcomb: I personally wouldn't keychain carry any light with trits, even with them recessed they could shatter if it bashes into anything. I've been lucky with my niteglow ring but then it has thick plastic completely around the trit. An idea maybe, you could add a niteglow ring to your keyring seperately to a light with trits? I keyring carry a Fenix P1D-CE and niteglow ring.
 
I'll say it again, you can carry your Raw on your keychain without fear of breaking the trits; you just have to cover them with Norland 61. I really can't recommend this enough. If the trit is completely covered and the adhesive is properly cured, it's pretty much impossible to break it accidentally.
 
Personally, I don't see anything wrong with keychain carry for the Raw. But, of course, its all a matter of preference and also depends on how much you value the finish of your light (polishing isn't too much effort for most).

Once the trits are completely encased in Norland 61, they definitely have some protection from keys, rocks, asphalt, etc (believe me, I've tested that!). I'm not saying that it would be impossible to break one, but even if one did break, it remains in the adhesive and removing it is very simple (throw the battery tube into an oven at 120°C/250°F, the Norland 61 will soften and can then be removed with a pin). The broken vial remains encased for easy disposal (unsure of proper disposal requirements).

I should also add that, despite the fact that 2 of my locators were protruding a bit from the groove (i.e., not recessed) as-received, once the locators were removed, I was able to scrape the groove out in 30 seconds with a jewelers screwdriver and they slid back in fully recessed - didn't even notice any metal being removed.
 
Isak Hawk said:
I'll say it again, you can carry your Raw on your keychain without fear of breaking the trits; you just have to cover them with Norland 61. I really can't recommend this enough. If the trit is completely covered and the adhesive is properly cured, it's pretty much impossible to break it accidentally.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup: Isak, I have just purchased some Norland 61. I'll post here when I have installed a few vials. Great excuse to purchase a UV LED.
 
Unlucky me, I've broken one locater on my raw NS (and the only one)... :(

Probably I'll order another in next couple of weeks and try to cover them with norland 61 to see how it goes!

Orb, where did you buy yours in UK?
 
Last edited:
orb said:
:thumbsup: Isak, I have just purchased some Norland 61. I'll post here when I have installed a few vials. Great excuse to purchase a UV LED.
Click to expand...

Cool :) I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts after you've used it on a few lights. The process can be a little time consuming (especially on lights with multiple trits) so it would be completely understandable if you decide not to offer it as an option.
 
So I received my replacement trit from Rob yesterday ( Thanks fro the quick shipping man) and decided to modify the slot a little bit ,so I could encase the vial in epoxy. I took the my trusty Dremel and a cute little thing called a diamond tip and went at it. I removed enough material so I could leave a nice little top coat on the vial. Its almost imposible to capture , but you can see the reflections in the epoxy around the vial:

dsc07210ko0.jpg

dsc07202cx2.jpg


I have no Norland so I had to use the cheap Devcon 2 ton stuff. Works well. I used a syringe and manage to put small amounts of the stuff in the cavity, then coated the top of the vial..It did leave microscopic bubbles but nothing you can see from a mile away. Sucking the devcon mix into the syringe was a pain in the ***.The mix is very thick. But the results are nice...
 
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