What Is The Best Way to Clean a Titanium Torch?

[tjswarbrick]

Energizer has an Ultimate Lithium AAA. I it's an L92. Depending upon if it's going to mostly sit, or mostly be on, I'll use that or an Eneloop in all my AAA lights.

Only have 1 Ti light.
When any of mine (Ti, Al, or SS) gather lint or crud inside, I just blow it out with compressed air. I have no problem with denatured alcohol, though, to remove sticky residue or other nastiness. I don't know about down there, but here I can get 99% at the hardware store, or 91% at the drug store. Regular Rubbing Alcohol is usually diluted to 70%, and can leave a little resiude of its own behind.
I agree that acetone is nasty stuff, but I always keep a bottle handy for anything the alcohol can't tackle. Keep away from most plastics, though.

I knew there was some reason I had a single wooden chopstick out in the garage...

 

[Mystery-Man]

Energizer has an Ultimate Lithium AAA. I it's an L92. Depending upon if it's going to mostly sit, or mostly be on, I'll use that or an Eneloop in all my AAA lights.

Only have 1 Ti light.
When any of mine (Ti, Al, or SS) gather lint or crud inside, I just blow it out with compressed air. I have no problem with denatured alcohol, though, to remove sticky residue or other nastiness. I don't know about down there, but here I can get 99% at the hardware store, or 91% at the drug store. Regular Rubbing Alcohol is usually diluted to 70%, and can leave a little resiude of its own behind.
I agree that acetone is nasty stuff, but I always keep a bottle handy for anything the alcohol can't tackle. Keep away from most plastics, though.

I knew there was some reason I had a single wooden chopstick out in the garage...

G'day Yoyoman, I just received a notice from EMS to pick up my torch yesterday at about 4:45pm. The post office usually closes at about 5Pm, so I decided to wait until today. I just got out of bed a short while ago. I will be on my way to the post office shortly. Just hope they won't demand too much ransom money this time!
Tjswarbrick, thanks for the input as well. On my way back home from the post office, I will definitely stop by a shopping mall to get a AAA battery. I think I'd seen Energeizer Max in the mall before. After a bit of research, I found that its an alkaline battery, but the manufacturer claims it would last ten years; amazing! But I still prefer a lithium battery.
I think I will probably dry clean this torch with a cotton ball or a clean cotton cloth. The only kind of alcohol that I can find here are the 70% rubbing alcohol. It seems very common here that people buy it to clean their hands with while out in the public. This kind of alcohol and its usage seems to be more popular here in the Philippines than in the U.S. or Australia. The only way that I can buy 99% or pure alcohol is through a chemical company, and I am not even sure if they would sell it to me.
I will try to give you all an update when I return from the post office with the torch. Thank to all who gave me advices!

 

[fyrstormer]

Please shut off the bold text in your posts, it's not necessary.

Anyway, the way I clean my titanium lights is: I take them apart as much as I can and I scrub them with a toothbrush and soapy water. If there are non-watertight electronic parts that I can't safely remove, I clean the surrounding housing with sprayable CRC Airflow Sensor Cleaner from the auto parts store. It is an electronics-safe solvent that dissolves oil but won't harm plastic. (I also use this to pre-clean threads that have grease slathered all over them, so I don't smear the grease around with the soapy toothbrush later.)

Regarding lubrication: titanium is very difficult to lubricate, and lots of people have different opinions. (there is an entire thread discussing different lubricants.) I sell my own lube in the Marketplace, but I see you're not in the USA, and international shipping has gotten very expensive lately. Among commercial lubricants, Nyogel works okay, but Krytox works better, in my opinion. Krytox is also available as Finish Line Extreme Fluoro Grease from Amazon.com.

 

[tjswarbrick]

Regarding lubrication: titanium is very difficult to lubricate, and lots of people have different opinions. (there is an entire thread discussing different lubricants.) I sell my own lube in the Marketplace, but I see you're not in the USA, and international shipping has gotten very expensive lately. Among commercial lubricants, Nyogel works okay, but Krytox works better, in my opinion. Krytox is also available as Finish Line Extreme Fluoro Grease from Amazon.com.

Thanks for that, fyrstormer. I like nyogel for o-rings, and it does okay on aluminum, but didn't do much for my Ti.
I picked up the smallest tube of CRK fluorinated on sale grease and like it - but it's tiny, and I've been wondering what I'll do when I run out. Krytox is prohibitively expensive, and I can't find a local source for it. Most local bike shops carry Finish Line!

 

[tjswarbrick]

Regarding lubrication: titanium is very difficult to lubricate, and lots of people have different opinions. (there is an entire thread discussing different lubricants.) I sell my own lube in the Marketplace, but I see you're not in the USA, and international shipping has gotten very expensive lately. Among commercial lubricants, Nyogel works okay, but Krytox works better, in my opinion. Krytox is also available as Finish Line Extreme Fluoro Grease from Amazon.com.

Thanks for that, fyrstormer. I like nyogel for o-rings, and it does okay on aluminum, but didn't do much for my Ti.
I picked up the smallest tube of CRK fluorinated on sale grease and like it - but it's tiny, and I've been wondering what I'll do when I run out. Krytox is prohibitively expensive, and I can't find a local source for it. Most local bike shops carry Finish Line!

 

[fyrstormer]

Finish Line Extreme Fluoro Grease is essentially identical to Krytox, the only difference is it doesn't come in multiple viscosities and it is sometimes slightly discolored.

 

[Yamabushi]

Krytox is prohibitively expensive, and I can't find a local source for it.

Krytox grease and oil are readily available in various sizes of small containers on eBay.

 

[Mystery-Man]

Please shut off the bold text in your posts, it's not necessary.

Anyway, the way I clean my titanium lights is: I take them apart as much as I can and I scrub them with a toothbrush and soapy water. If there are non-watertight electronic parts that I can't safely remove, I clean the surrounding housing with sprayable CRC Airflow Sensor Cleaner from the auto parts store. It is an electronics-safe solvent that dissolves oil but won't harm plastic. (I also use this to pre-clean threads that have grease slathered all over them, so I don't smear the grease around with the soapy toothbrush later.)

Regarding lubrication: titanium is very difficult to lubricate, and lots of people have different opinions. (there is an entire thread discussing different lubricants.) I sell my own lube in the Marketplace, but I see you're not in the USA, and international shipping has gotten very expensive lately. Among commercial lubricants, Nyogel works okay, but Krytox works better, in my opinion. Krytox is also available as Finish Line Extreme Fluoro Grease from Amazon.com.

I spent nearly all day at the Philippines Bureau of Customs in Manila yesterday, and paid the Customs agents nearly half the worth of this light, and finally picked it up. By the time I got home, it was a bit late and I was tired. I snapped a few photos and thought about posting them here, but I have little experience of uploading images on the Internet other than Facebook.
The light is brand new, in nearly pristine condition, and not a speck of dust inside. I don't understand why the manufacturer recommended cleaning it, especially the inside of this light. Maybe I misunderstood, and maybe they meant to clean it when it gets dirty.
I already ordered a small quantity of lubricant. It will be posted to a friend of mine in Australia, and he said he would bring it with him when he comes to visit me here in the Philippines. In the mean time, I really don't see the need for lubricants just yet.
I will be having a dental appointment this morning. If anybody wants to see the images of this light, please let me know, and I will look into doing that.
Cheers,
Mystery-Man

 

[yoyoman]

You sound totally unstressed - good. So, did you pop a cell in and light this sucker up?

The lubricants are mainly for the o-rings. Without lube, they stick and rip. Most lights come with some lub on the o-rings.

 

[Mystery-Man]

You sound totally unstressed - good. So, did you pop a cell in and light this sucker up?

The lubricants are mainly for the o-rings. Without lube, they stick and rip. Most lights come with some lub on the o-rings.

Yes. I was not able to find any Energizer lithium battery in the local mall yesterday, but I had an Energizer Lithium battery that I purchased in the U.S. for my single cell AAA Maglite Solitaire many years ago. I put that battery in my brand new Titaner torch, and it worked like a charm! After my dental appointment, I went to Festival Megamall nearby, and purchased four more Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries. It costed me less than 500 pesos, or less than $12.50, a good bargain, I think.
I own a few other inexpensive torches, but it never occurred to me that I may need some kind of lubricants until I start doing a bit of research on this forum. When my friend comes to visit me here in the Philippines, I will probably put a tiny drop of it on the o-ring. But right now, it seems to be working very well for me.

 

[yoyoman]

Good on you mate.

 

[fyrstormer]

You sound totally unstressed - good. So, did you pop a cell in and light this sucker up?

The lubricants are mainly for the o-rings. Without lube, they stick and rip. Most lights come with some lub on the o-rings.

Aluminum and titanium lights definitely need lubrication on the threads as well. It's not optional; the threads will grind themselves to bits without lubrication. Steel and brass usually won't grind, but since dust (especially dirt) can get trapped in the threads and cause grinding anyway, it's best to always lubricate the threads.

 

[yoyoman]

^ You're right. I wrote my note too quickly. What I meant was I have received a few lights with some lube on the threads and dry o-rings. Thank you for clarifying.

 

[Mystery-Man]

In the mean time, is it okay to use K-Y jelly as lubricant? There is very little chance I can get any kind of lubricants other than cooking oils and K-Y jelly locally.

 

[fyrstormer]

In the mean time, is it okay to use K-Y jelly as lubricant? There is very little chance I can get any kind of lubricants other than cooking oils and K-Y jelly locally.

No, that is water-based and could cause a short-circuit if it came in contact with the driver board, and it would dry out in a few hours even sealed behind O-rings. Also, it isn't capable of resisting the kind of pressure applied to metal threads.

If you have no other options, differential oil for a car will work fairly well. It will probably damage plain black rubber O-rings, though.

 

[fyrstormer]

^ You're right. I wrote my note too quickly. What I meant was I have received a few lights with some lube on the threads and dry o-rings. Thank you for clarifying.

True, O-rings often get neglected at the factory. It's worth mentioning, though, that anodized aluminum threads don't absolutely need lubrication, so they can be used dry in situations where lubrication would attract dirt, like on a light with the O-rings removed to make it easier for someone with arthritis to operate it. The Fenix E05 comes to mind.

 

[dlmorgan999]

Krytox is also available as Finish Line Extreme Fluoro Grease from Amazon.com.

Finish Line Extreme Fluoro Grease is essentially identical to Krytox, the only difference is it doesn't come in multiple viscosities and it is sometimes slightly discolored.

This information is very helpful - thanks!

 

[Mystery-Man]

No, that is water-based and could cause a short-circuit if it came in contact with the driver board, and it would dry out in a few hours even sealed behind O-rings. Also, it isn't capable of resisting the kind of pressure applied to metal threads.

If you have no other options, differential oil for a car will work fairly well. It will probably damage plain black rubber O-rings, though.

Hm, I am starting to get stress out already.
I don't drive. I haven't been behind the wheels for over ten years. I don't even know what 'differential oil' is. I suppose I can go to a petrol station and purchase a gallon of it, and all I really need is only a drop or two.
Buying lubricants from Amazon or from the merchants directly is nice, but its considered to be a 'chemical', and the Philippines government will demand documents to proof that its safe to import such chemical.
I already ordered a small amount of the proper lubricant for my new torch to be delivered to a friend of mine in Australia, and he will come to visit me here in the Philippines in July. In the mean time, what about baby oil or mineral oil? Apparently there are many applications with this kind of oil. If not, what about cooking oil, such as olive oil?
If all else fail, then I suppose I can go to a local petrol station or a garage and ask for a bit of 'differential oil'. Thanks very much for the info. :thumbsup: I will stay away from K-Y for sure.

 

[fyrstormer]

Amazon should provide the necessary customs information for you. Check your PMs.

 

[Mystery-Man]

Amazon should provide the necessary customs information for you. Check your PMs.

Sorry, I am still a newbie with posting messages on a forum in general, and with CPF in particular. I really don't know how to do 'PMs'. I assume it means 'Personal Messages'?
I had purchased different kinds of chemicals from the U.S., and the customs agents here always give me a hard time, and demand different certificates and documents from various government agencies. I am not willing to pay them any money 'under the table'. Its illegal and immoral. I absolutely refuse to do it.
I don't see any difference buying it from Amazon. But thanks for the suggestion.