Custom made flashlight head ?

mohammed · Dec 2, 2011

I was wondering what the costs would be if I want to revive a flashlight I have here.
The problem is that is has no head.. though I have an aluminum reflector + glass for it but no head to fit it on.

So I have a tube with pill etc. but no head for it.

thx.

picture for more info: http://i43.tinypic.com/27x1qjb.jpg

johnblue2 · Dec 2, 2011

why you just want to know about Custom made flashlight head ?

mohammed · Dec 2, 2011

johnblue2 said:
why you just want to know about Custom made flashlight head ?

The other parts are available to me.. (see picture)
just wondering what the costs would be to revive the flashlight by letting a head being made for it.. with preferably a design on it.

notrefined · Dec 2, 2011

If it's a mass-produced light, it would probably be easier and cheaper to find another one to scavenge the head from.

mohammed · Dec 6, 2011

notrefined said:
If it's a mass-produced light, it would probably be easier and cheaper to find another one to scavenge the head from.

I tried that option :< no luck ;( sold out

gadget_lover · Dec 6, 2011

It would probably be pretty expensive. Each step of machining requires that you change tools and accurately align them. This is called 'set up' and it can take from 30 seconds to 30 minutes per step.

Here's an example of the time it takes including setup If I were doing it
1) cut off a big piece of bar that is big enough to hold the reflector and long enough that I can grip it while working on it. (using bandsaw) That's only 5 - 15 minutes
2) Drill a hole through it. (using drill) 15 minutes
3) make the hole exactly the right size for the thread ( using boring bar ) 10 - 20 minutes
4) thread the inside of the hole so it precisely matches the body (using inside threading tool) 10 - 30 minutes
5) remount the head the other way around and align it. (5 minutes)
6) cut out the recess where the reflector will go (boring bar again), keeping in mind that the outside will be tapered later ( 30 minutes)

Ok. I'm tired of typing. As you can see, we are over an hour into the project and its nowhere near done. Before you start you need to spend at least a half hour measuring and designing and writing down what you will be doing. At some point it has to be packaged and shipped.

At a shop rate of $60 an hour, you are looking at around 100 to 150 for the head.

Daniel