Bore out Surefire 6P....ideas please

[marinemaster]

Hi,

First time in this mod forum.....all i want to do is bore out the Surefire 6P body to accept the 18650 batteries...nothing fancy. Can I buy a 18mm drill bit and and drill inside the 6P body? Anybody done this....I know about the Leefbody...already invested in Surefire at this point and do not want the 17670 size batteries. Hope this is the right forum....All help appreciated.

Chris

 

[DrifT3R]

i think people normally use a lathe.

Not sure a 18mm drill bit could do a good job.

 

[richdsu]

Proper tools for increasing an existing bore hole is to use a Reamer ( hand reamer).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reamer

Another method is to get a rod of small diameter ( be it metal or wooden),
wrapped it up with sand paper ( #100 ) , insert into the bore and sand it down.

 

[alantch]

I've used the sandpaper, powerdrill with wooden dowel method to bore out my SF L2 for 17670 and SF C3 tube for 18500s. Start with a coarser grit sandpaper like #100, then slowly progress to the finer grits. Takes a bit of time, but it'll be worth your while.

 

[DM51]

If you use richdsu's or alantch's method with sandpaper, this will save you quite a few $$ which you would have to pay to get it done at a machine-shop.

 

[yellow]

costed me € 5,-- for 2 lights in a machine shop I just found by accident (for coffee box)

* Hand reamer (possibly best working method instead of a lathe),
* drill
* sandpaper
will all not be even an centered and I can assure You: there is not too much material left after an 18650 can fit in
(PS: most of them have a diameter of 18.2 mm - up to 18.4 mm)

I'll give a drill that has enough diameter a chance of 1 out of 3 not to cut the end part of the body, where the treads are

 

[marinemaster]

Thanks much guys. I think i will forget the drill bit. I will be using the sandpaper method. I do have a ton of sand paper that needs to be put at good use. I will take my time. Thanks again.

Regards
Chris

 

[frosty]

Let us know how you get on. It's something I've been considering.

 

[marinemaster]

I went to Lowes a hardware store in USA and got me a 5/8 stick, they call it a dowell I think. Is about 15.8 mm wide. The dowell is perfectly round. Paid about $2 US. I will try to do it. Not sure when....1 week or 1 month...it depends. It looks like there is enough cleareance to wrap around sandpaper around the dowell and fit inside the body. I already have 100 grit. Will post results here.... The funny thing is I do not have any 18650 yet...need to order + charger (Pila).

Regards

Chris

 

[Ledean]

I have done it here.

 

[yellow]

problems with the inserts (at least the two I have here) is the usual one: HEATSINKING!

I can assure You my "custom" pill with thick sink, press fitted into the 6P body, makes the whole light really warm on full power.
The inserts cant give the heat away any good except for at the front part of the reflector, where it matches the body.
... but maybe, as the led invent this quick, its even better to get a new one every few months

 

[scott.cr]

problems with the inserts (at least the two I have here) is the usual one: HEATSINKING!

I've always wondered about this. It's been preventing me from purchasing a drop-in. Instead I've been machining press-in/glue-in inserts; it's permanent, but the entire light body still seems barely adequate for heatsinking.

 

[yellow]

20 secs after turning on, the body gets warm, and the heat is moved away directly from the led slug to a sufficient sink to the body (at that part of the light: thick sidewalls + heat can spread in both directions).

the better insert I have (nearly as bright as the mod. running at 0.5 A from 2 18650s --> about same current than the mod) needs endless to put the heat out, and then its at the front end of the head - because it goes from the slug to the small secondary sink, to the reflector, moves all the way up to the outer diameter of it and there, finally, at thin material of the reflector the heat can travel to the thin body of the head
... not the ideal way
as most lights using the normal LAs, or these retrofit inserts, seem to share the same sizes, why not make them with a larger diameter to almost press-fit-like diameter?

as long as mods have the upper hand, the world is still OK