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whiskypapa3

whiskypapa3

Enlightened
Joined
Nov 6, 2002
Messages
475
City & State/Province
Western Maryland
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My Titanium Flashlight. Q3L emmitter, BadBoy 500, CR123 battery and Kroll Switch all rolled into a smooth, sleek "Gentleman's Pocket Light. Pinky ring is heat colored titanium scrap from turning tubing to lenght. Titanium tube part of scrap "liberated" from company "Skunque Werks" back in 1970 and used to make jewelery during the 70's when strange pieces and shapes were very popular.

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Left to Right, Aluminum (6061) parts;
Kroll switch in adapter/rear battery support: battery; front battery support/BadBoy mount/heatsink-spreader/Led mount; Luxeon optics. Not shown, bezel (it's epoxied in end of tube).
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View into ends of switch mount and BB/LS/heatsink-spreader. Heatsink-spreader is used to spread the heat (1.8W) from the LS along as much of the Titanium tube as practicle. Light warms up to about 40C in about two minutes and stays there.
 
Very nice looking light /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif
 
!!!

very nice!

i love the look...simple and elegant /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

and of course, using ti is always a good thing /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Very nice light, whiskeypapa3. I've only seen a couple of titanium lights. Was it McGizmo that made one last year? Seemed like he said it was tough on the lathe.

Anyway, it looks good and will probably last longer than most things I own.
 
McGizmo loves titanium. I believe he is the person you are thinking of IceBreak.

Congratulations on a lovely little torch WhiskeyPapa3, I think even Don will be jealous of that beauty.

Pat
 
Nice Job!

It looks like you have enough Al for conduction of the heat for good intermittant use. Got to love that Ti! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I'm waiting for the technology to increase the photons while decreasing the phonons! Then I'm all over the Ti!

Have you considered drilling holes in the Ti tube to expose more Al? Kind of like a muffler guard?

- Don
 
[ QUOTE ]
whiskypapa3 said:
Titanium tube part of scrap "liberated" from company "Skunque Werks" back in 1970 and used to make jewelery during the 70's when strange pieces and shapes were very popular.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmm... I wonder... Is this the real Skunk Works I now work for? This gets me to thinking. The tubing shop is just downstairs from where I work. There are several "scrap" bins of many different types of metal tubes just sitting there in the corridor, and they're labeled... So what will everyone pay for Ti tubing? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
That basic design in aluminum tubing would make a great "poor man's" "small 123!!" CNC Dan or somedody could provide slug for the "sandwich," and switch adapter. The rest could be hand work. Did you consider using a snap ring to retain the optic? A groove could be ground with a mototool for a piece of coil spring. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Larry
 
One more suggestion. Where the switch gaurd is, machine a hole/slit for a lanyrd.
 
how did you apply the threads?

i've been looking for a 5/8-28 tap for the kroll...but have only found them at one place...and they costs over $50! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif
 
Roth,

Rutland Tool Supply has the taps for under $30 as I recall.

- Don
 
Thanks to all for the comments..

McG; Holes??????? I don't recall ever seeing an elegant piece of swiss cheeze.

LEDmod Man; Skunque Werks was part of proto shop at Comsat Labs (now part of Lockheed)

tvodrd; The tubing was too thin for a snapring grove so I made a bezel that was just a hair large and froze it (dry ice)to shrink it and press fit it. There is a Ti split ring holding the heatsink/etc. slug against the optics.

IssacH; There is a hole for a lanyard, it just doesn't show in the pics.

Roth; Travers has the tap for a lot cheaper than $50. Somewhere in the $10-15 range.
 
Lockheed, eh? So yes, you DO mean where I work! (at least the same company anyway) I'll have to see if I can procure some of the "scrap" Ti tubing from the recycle bins down in the tubing area. I'm sure I can work something out. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif I'll have to get down there with a set of calipers when I get back to Ft. Worth from this trip.
 
If you want to see bins of cool materials, visit the Boeing Surplus Store in Washington. This place was a race car heaven. 3 in titanium tubing, sheets of inconel, nomex honeycomb, large blocks of 6061, miles of any gauge wire you want, etc. Basically, any high tech material you can think of can be found on pallets in every shape and form...for dirt cheap. I picked up enough 10, 12, and 14gauge wire to last a lifetime. I still have pieces of a large sheet of delrin that was going to be a skid plate. Oh, the memories.

Too bad I don't live in that area any more. I visited every chance I got...

Mark
 
thanks guys...i really wish enco had them, there is some stuff from there i need, but nothing from travers /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

whiskey, i think a small hole would look quite nice!
 
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