New to CPF, Hello!

[ChillyWilly]

Hello,

My name is Jerry and I am new to CPF. I have been doing some reading and am a little confused. I guess before anything else, how difficult is it to DIY a flashlight? Are we talking changing brake pads or rebuilding an engine? I am very mechanically inclined but lack knowledge. Assuming I know Jack but have natuaral ability is building my own doable?

I am not going to BS you and tell you I am a flashfreak, flashnut....umm I can't remember what I have seen you guys post to identify yourself as a flashlight afficionado (did I spell that right?). I am new to this but I can say that I do enjoy taking on new tasks, learning about and completing them. At this point I can also say that I am specifically interested in a couple of lights for camping (for me and the fambam) and a couple of tacticals (for sweeping the house for badguys while wearing my tactical fruit of the loom holster).

Thanks

jerry

 

[Flashlight Aficionado]

:welcome:

Since you called my name, I figured I'd answer. I have had others mod a flashlight for me. Mainly boring out the battery tube to accept a larger battery. Now a lot of mods only require you to buy a part and replace the similar part. A great example is SureFire's 6P. A ton of easy to do mods are available.

Do you want to modify a light or do you just want a light for camping and tactical reasons?

 

[climberkid]

:welcome:

 

[Kilovolt]

Hi ChillyWilly and :welcome:


When I was young I have rebuilt an engine but I never made a flashlight. Making the body should not be too diffficult while reflector and circuit might be harder to put together from scratch.

 

[Yoda4561]

I'd say the hardest part is learning how to solder properly. After that it's just a matter of putting batteries in a tube, figuring out a switch, and heatsinking the emitter. The basics are simple enough and I would say easier than I remember changing brake pads to be. The devil is in the details of course.

 

[Trashman]

Welcome, Chilly Willy! I used to love the cartoon with the pinguin that went by that name!

 

[adamlau]

Dereelight CL1H V4 w/ 3SM Q5 (1x18650, 2xCR123A, 2xRCR123) .

 

[CLHC]

Greetings and :welcome: Enjoy your stay here!

 

[Aluminous]

a couple of tacticals (for sweeping the house for badguys while wearing my tactical fruit of the loom holster).

LOL! :laughing:

:welcome:

 

[eebowler]

lol adamlau, I don't even know what 3SM means oo:
Welcome to our madness Chilly!
Please tell us, what lights do you have? This will help us determine what mods are possible.
Read THIS THREAD to learn about soldering.

 

[Gunner12]

:welcome:

Well DIY can differ a lot. A simple "mod" would be swapping, for example, the lamp module of the Surefire 6P for something else.

Hardest would probably to design a light from the start along with everything including the light engine, reflector, body, lens/optic, and so on.

The major thing is knowing how to solder.

 

[ChillyWilly]

Thanks for the welcomes.

I have nothing to start with but I would like to work with mags as they are the most prolific and you could beat them to death and they don't cost too much. I am open to suggestions though.

I like quick on the fly, can find what I need to be back up and running (assuming something dies) from local stores kind of stuff. Not, on backorder for 3 months at joe bobs supply depot located in canada 3 miles from santa claus. I want the stuff that burns/breaks to be easily fixable as I will mostly use them camping or fishing or whatever but most likely away from home. I need stuff that is tuff as nails and rock solid not prissy stuff that needs to be coddled.

I actually just got another idea. Here in Commifornia they won't even allow you a baton or in some places even pepper spray so I would like to make a flashlight out of thick pipe.

As for the tactical stuff I just want something that can use rechargables as those 123 batteries are kick in the wallet balls.

 

[Gunner12]

If you want to start with Maglites, this thread can be helpful.

Do you want to start with LEDs or Incans?

 

[Fallingwater]

Hi!

When I started here I had a level of knowledge roughly comparable to your own. Now hardly a week goes by without me modding something that makes light
I've never built a light from scratch, but it's just a matter of time before I buy a lathe and try.

So my advice is: go ahead and try everything you can think of. If in doubt, ask here. Above everything, enjoy yourself.

 

[Aluminous]

I actually just got another idea. Here in Commifornia they won't even allow you a baton or in some places even pepper spray so I would like to make a flashlight out of thick pipe.

Surprisingly, even Texas doesn't allow batons iirc. :thinking: I like the 'legit object with secondary use' approach too.

 

[Fallingwater]

I don't get it. Perhaps I watched too many movies, but I thought Texas was one of the most gun-happy states in the US. You can own and carry around a gun, but not a baton?

 

[Aluminous]

I don't get it. Perhaps I watched too many movies, but I thought Texas was one of the most gun-happy states in the US. You can own and carry around a gun, but not a baton?

Yeah, it's crazy. I just double-checked to be sure I wasn't recalling incorrectly, and it is correct... Texas law considers batons to be clubs, which are illegal to have outside your house, unless you are a security guard or police officer with a special permit for batons/clubs/nightsticks. The permits for carrying handguns are available to normal civilians, but not batons. :shrug: :duh2:

 

[LumenMan]

Texas...it's like a whole nother country ! Your firearms laws are reasonable & sane (a most refreshing change from New York).

 

[Tekno_Cowboy]

:welcome:

Well DIY can differ a lot. A simple "mod" would be swapping, for example, the lamp module of the Surefire 6P for something else.

Hardest would probably to design a light from the start along with everything including the light engine, reflector, body, lens/optic, and so on.

The major thing is knowing how to solder.

What he said

On the can/cannot carry laws: there's a place in Europe where it's leagal to have a folding knife, just so long as it doesn't lock. Locking knives are illegal.

 

[SwissT]

:welcome: