How do you "Mark" your lights

[colormeugly]

Just got in my first decent light from foursevens (preon2,blue,gen2) and wanted to mark the light with my initials or last name. I took out a trusty knife and just as I hovered over the new matte blue coating on the light something crossed my mind "this light deserves better than my shaky knife marks." There are many shops in my area that engrave trophies and such, was wondering if anyone else has gotten any work like this on their light? I also found one that will do laser engraving, does anyone have experience getting this work done as well? Or in what ways have some of you successfully marked your lights on your own. Pictures or it didn't happen. Thanks Forum.

 

[beach honda]

Well a lot of folks don't mark up their lights because they like to trade and sell. Some use rolled up piece of paper in battery tube with contact info. If you really want to get fancy, go to a jeweler and have them do an engraving.

 

[HighlanderNorth]

THe way I look at it, nobody I know owns the lights I own, except for the few people I gave BC-10's to last year, so I dont have to worry about my lights getting mixed up with anyone else's. Not only that, but if you lose a light somewhere, what are the odds that the person who finds it is going to call you and return it? Maybe 10%? Once they realize its much nicer than the $4 plastic lights they own, they will most likely keep it.

 

[beach honda]

I offer a $20-$50 reward on the battery tube contact info note on certain lights. That's easier for most common folks to stomach than the retail store price of batteries for these lights. Hey, it's worth it for a little extra peace of mind.

 

[fyrstormer]

Just buy a couple spares if you like it that much.

 

[subwoofer]

ZZzzzzzip SSSssssssSSsss

;-)

but on a more serious note, I don't mark them, nor would I get them engraved (and I certainly wouldn't take a knife to any of them - even the thought makes me cringe). I can't think of any good reason to, unless it was going to be a gift for someone else.

There is a UK retailer TorchDirect who offers laser engraving at the time you order the light, but I've not heard of any others offering this.

Why exactly do you want to 'mark' it?

 

[colormeugly]

i dont plan on selling it, its not too expensive for most people to just buy one thats new. It would be really cool 30-50 years from now when my kids are going through my old things and see a flashlight roll around and have my name on it, "that was dads light." This exact scenario happened to me, only it was my grandfathers light, old aluminum slide button type deal. I had it stored for safe keeping but when I moved I lost several boxes and of course the one containing the light is now gone.

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

I wonder if anybody's ever toyed with the idea of etching the anodize off using a stencil or something. I wonder what materials would be suitable for a stencil that can withstand the acid used to strip the anodize? Might be better to ask someone at a metal shop to laser etch it :-)

On the other hand, perhaps your shaky initials manually carved into the light will provide that extra bit of personality that could make this keepsake all the more valuable to your posterity

 

[TEEJ]

Around here there are kiosks and shops that sell memorabilia and so forth....and they offer engraving pretty inexpensively.

Plan B is one of those vibrating impact scribers that you can use to etch your info with....they look a bit like a soldering iron or a woodburning tool, etc.

Vinh has a process where he removes the anodizing from some lights for a different aesthetic - and I imagine that process might be adaptable in relief, etc.

You could also apply a different/contrasting color finish to the inscribed areas to fill the indentations, and so forth.

 

[Cataract]

Carry it and use it. Sooner or later there wil be a mark on it :D

I don't mark my lights. The ones I love too much or cost a bundle stay at home or are carried in a secure (zipped) bag when I need them. The ones I use for work get used and I know I'll buy a better one if I ever lose or break them. The ones I like a lot and carry on the weekend (and thus rarely ever use) are carried in a cargo pant pocket that doesn't get to see much action.

 

[Chrontius]

I log the serial numbers of all my good lights with an offsite backup in my GDrive.

Not many I have that are worth tracking that don't get serialized; I may have to start with my Elektrolumens, however. More likely, I'll just take detailed macro photos of the existing dings and slip contact info into the battery tube.

 

[cplow78]

since a few of us at work have the same lights i have always used a silver in color paint marker and use did a circle or 2 around the body. I do similar to my ar mags, so noone gets "confused" :shakehead

 

[fyrstormer]

I wonder if anybody's ever toyed with the idea of etching the anodize off using a stencil or something. I wonder what materials would be suitable for a stencil that can withstand the acid used to strip the anodize? Might be better to ask someone at a metal shop to laser etch it :-)

On the other hand, perhaps your shaky initials manually carved into the light will provide that extra bit of personality that could make this keepsake all the more valuable to your posterity

If I remember correctly, anodizing is removed using a strong alkali, not a strong acid. Acid is used in the manufacturing process.

I suppose one thing you can say about scratching your initials into a light, it'll make sure nobody will steal it to sell. Kinda like keying your own car.

 

[Ragnar66]

Best way is a marker that is not seen with regular light. That way there is no damage to light and you can write whatever you want on it.....under a florescent light you can then see your writing. This perfect in the event your lights are swiped then recovered. Very easy to id.

 

[jamesmtl514]

^^ very good for IDing your light, but not very useful if someone finds it and wants to get it back to you.