I've morphed this thread into a Dorcy Spyder mod, since the point of the Fraen mod was to complete the Spyder project... See updates & pix down the page->
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I really like the Fraen optics and the way they blend light from "lesser than perfect" Luxeons. Unfortunately the early style optics have 4 nasty nubs that get in the way of your fun /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif What to do? Well, there are many options.
I need an optic for my Dorcy Spyder mod because the stock reflector will not focus to a tight beam with a Lambertian 5W. I have not tried the 5W SE yet, so I'm saving it. The Spyder's bezel is 7/8ths and I want to take advantage of as much of that space as possible, so the 5/8th NX-type optics just aren't going to cut it...
I decided to cut the "face" off an "elliptical" pattern Fraen that I have since I had extras in this pattern. The elliptical optic has the same finish on the bottom of the "ball and tube", so I figured that it would work.
I used a belt sander to remove the bulk of the material.
It's a slow process because the plastic heats right up and starts to melt, so take your time...
I finished the face with a mill ******* until smooth then rough polished it with 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Final polish was done using white aluminum rouge on a piece of quality bond paper (25lb). Here's a before and after. The modded optic started out exactly the same as the one on the left.
If you look closely, you can see the single "injection spru" on both optics at about he 8 o'clock postion - with regards to the circular surface of the optic. On the stock optic, this nub is larger than the rest. On the tabless optic, it's the only one. On this modded optic, the smaller tabs were filed away leaving only the larger injection point for the mold.
And finally, here it is in the Dorcy spyder's head - a perfect fit! To the right, the emitter's installed..
I will be posting more details AND beam shots with the new optic on a Spyder 5W mod soon - stay tuned.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
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I really like the Fraen optics and the way they blend light from "lesser than perfect" Luxeons. Unfortunately the early style optics have 4 nasty nubs that get in the way of your fun /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif What to do? Well, there are many options.
I need an optic for my Dorcy Spyder mod because the stock reflector will not focus to a tight beam with a Lambertian 5W. I have not tried the 5W SE yet, so I'm saving it. The Spyder's bezel is 7/8ths and I want to take advantage of as much of that space as possible, so the 5/8th NX-type optics just aren't going to cut it...
I decided to cut the "face" off an "elliptical" pattern Fraen that I have since I had extras in this pattern. The elliptical optic has the same finish on the bottom of the "ball and tube", so I figured that it would work.
I used a belt sander to remove the bulk of the material.
It's a slow process because the plastic heats right up and starts to melt, so take your time...
I finished the face with a mill ******* until smooth then rough polished it with 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Final polish was done using white aluminum rouge on a piece of quality bond paper (25lb). Here's a before and after. The modded optic started out exactly the same as the one on the left.
If you look closely, you can see the single "injection spru" on both optics at about he 8 o'clock postion - with regards to the circular surface of the optic. On the stock optic, this nub is larger than the rest. On the tabless optic, it's the only one. On this modded optic, the smaller tabs were filed away leaving only the larger injection point for the mold.
And finally, here it is in the Dorcy spyder's head - a perfect fit! To the right, the emitter's installed..
I will be posting more details AND beam shots with the new optic on a Spyder 5W mod soon - stay tuned.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif