Design a light for bloodtrailing

[Chameleon]

Hi. I'm a newbie.

I would like to build a light for bloodtrailing. I really like the flood of my Zebralight H30, and would like a much brighter handheld light that produces a great color sprectrum over a great wide flood area so that blood shows up really well. It would also be nice to have some throw like a Fenix P3D type beam combined with the floods. Maybe 2D or 3D Mag light sized.

I am looking for advice on how to build a light like this that would be great for bloodtrailing, and for following a bloodtrailing dog on a leash.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Marduke]

Sounds like a job for the SureFire Kroma. However that $300 price tag might be hard to swallow.

There are a number of headlamps at places like WalMart which offer a blue beam along with white and red. I'm not sure however if that is not bright enough for what you want, or if it is possible that the blue be too bright and wash out the contrast of the blood.

The Rayovac 1xAA Sportsman Extreme headlamp comes to mind for having a little bit of everything.

You may want to get two dedicated flashlights. One blue only, one white.

To that end, the 3-LED blue dropin from NiteIze might work well with a MiniMag. It's probably one of the brighter, readily available blue lights you'll find.


:welcome:

 

[jzmtl]

Take a look at this headlight, pretty powerful and have white/red/blue. The nice thing about it is the mode selection is seperate from the on/off switch, unlike most headlights that you need to click through all modes.

 

[Chameleon]

Thanks guys,. I'm thinking more along the lines of a custom built light that can put out 500+ lumens, but that has a great flood and that can help blood to shine and really show up.

 

[Midnightrun]

My experience with hunting is that blue light just changes the color of blood to black and is not really helpful. The best tip I can give you is to go with the brightest white light as possible. When I am talking bright, I am talking at least 200 lumens.

 

[mahoney]

You need a combination of red and blue light for a "blood-trailing" light. It works with a blue filter over an incandescent lamp because those filters also let red light "leak" through. I would suggest starting with a 6 or 12 volt lantern or cordless power tool light, a bunch of blue and/or royal blue luxeons or Crees, and a couple red luxeons or Crees. A 3D mag could also be a possibility. I would try a ratio of 1 red emitter to 3 or 4 blue emitters.

 

[modamag]

What you really need is one of those Aleph UV light. You can get them from The Sandwich Shoppe

 

[lctorana]

How about this:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230258035333

I'd be surprised if this wouldn't do the job...

 

[M@elstrom]

Hmmm... 500 Lumen+ sounds like a job for a regulated/multi mode P7 (cold white tint) & a colour filter lens :thumbsup:

 

[Icebreak]

Two things.

1.) Blood doesn't glow...unless you crop dust the forest with luminol.

2.) Filters are subtractive. They will not add red to a beam that is anemic in critical red wave lengths.

Incandescent is going to work great.

For an LED mod I think a multi-emitter mix for constant on will work. A red and/or a red orange mixed with whites will cause that blood to pop out.

Zenopus' strategy seems reasonable but I haven't seen one in person. His circuit toggles between blue and red.

Blue by itself to my perception is worthless.

 

[Fulgeo]

Anyone have any actual experience using the Aleph UV light in the field?:candle:

What you really need is one of those Aleph UV light. You can get them from The Sandwich Shoppe

 

[Blue72]

Anyone have any actual experience using the Aleph UV light in the field?:candle:

Its not worth it, you would have to spray the whole field with a reagent, if you are going to go that far they make a reagent for hunters that does not even need a UV light.

In my opinions there are easier ways to track an animal.

I think a super bright light and advance tracking skills would net better results.