Heat shrink tubing to cover & protect a flashlight ?

Would heat shrink tubing on the exterior of a flashlight cause it to overheat the LED ?

I'm aware that the housing acts as a heatsink but usually just the head area gets hot. Would covering all of it disperse the heat to more areas of the metal body or trap too much in ?

I'm considering doing this to all models of my Fenix lights since they are a straight tubular design.

Just thought it might be a good way of protecting them against dents & dings.


Has anyone tried this or is it a bad idea ? ?



___________________________________________

The fenix is already protected with the HAIII finish.. but if you must I think there is a chance of overheating but it's slight. How will you open it back up to change the battery? Here's LED Zepplin's shrinkwrapped clone AAA. There's no way that's overheating. It makes for a nice look I think.

does the light get warm the way you use it? my fenix stays cool (typically 1-5 min runtime), so not much heat to dissipate there...

That light is not even in the same class as the fenix. It can't get hot, not enough juice.

carbine15 said:

That light is not even in the same class as the fenix. It can't get hot, not enough juice.

Click to expand...

_________________________________________

What were you refering to ? What's not same class ?

you asked about changing batt's. I would cover the front end -then the back end in 2 seperate opperations . Hairline crack where the two halves screw together.

I 'm redundant - wanting to protect the HAIII finish . Kinda like a bra on the front end of a car to prevent stone chips in the clearkote that protects the paint. Better resale value



_________________________________________

Carbine15, thanks for noticing!

The Clone, or any other stock AAA light I've used the shrink tube on doesn't generate enough heat to worry about. Neither will the Fenix, but I did a Lux SX1K modded Arc AAA head, DD with a Li-ion, and that puts out enough heat to warrant hand-cooling, and a corresponding amount of light.

If you are able to find the G&B brand of shrink tube, it has no printing for a cleaner look.

What I like about shrink-tubing lights on my keychain isn't just scratch prevention, it helps quiet the jingle of my keychain.

The heat shrink will come loose eventually. Any time it gets bumped or scraped it is stretched on a small scale. So if you put it in an environment where it will do some good as a protective coating, it won't last. At least with the heat shrink I tried, when you stretch it, it stays stretched to some extent.

Scott

beezaur said:

The heat shrink will come loose eventually. Any time it gets bumped or scraped it is stretched on a small scale. So if you put it in an environment where it will do some good as a protective coating, it won't last. At least with the heat shrink I tried, when you stretch it, it stays stretched to some extent.

Scott

Click to expand...

____________________________________


The Fenix finishes are not as slick as chrome or polished metal lights. I was hoping that heating the tubing and shrinking it around the housing would provide a pretty tight fit on the HA-III finish. Maybe a tiny bit of contact cement would help also.

I also thought the tubing would be easier to grip than cold metal. Similar to a plastic/rubber coating.

And it would be quieter like LED Zeppelin said - didn't think of that .



___________________________________________

I installed heat shrink tubing on an Arc AAA-P worn on a neck lanyard. I left the portion near the head uncovered by heat shrink so I can fit a rubber end cap over the head to keep it clean when not in use.

I have the body of my Arc AAA covered also. I carry it in my pocket with my coins (and in Canada we have a lot of coins) so this lessens the noise (ane wear) somewhat. Also I mouth hold it once in a while and the heatshrink protects my teeth. Thirdly, I used clear heatshrink and have my name and phone number on a small label that is covered by the heatshrink. So if I lose it I might get it back.

It's true that the heatshrink does stretch and loosen up. I usually re-shrink mine about once a month.

You can see a picture of mine in my 2-level RS 1W link.

Greg

parnass :

The rubber end cap is a good idea too. It would also protect the lens if dropped.

I use my ARC AAA on a lanyard too. I unscrew it just till it turns OFF - then I can just apply side pressure to the head with a finger for *momentary* opperation .

Thats easier than twisting while its around the neck. I always unscrew it a little more when i take it off to prevent activation when not being worn.



________________________________________

TooManyGizmos said:

Maybe a tiny bit of contact cement would help also.

Click to expand...

I thought I'd throw this out there- I don't know if you are aware of adhesive lined heat shrink tubing. I just Googled for it and found some here and here and here and here. This may work a little better than contact cement.

srvctec said:

I thought I'd throw this out there- I don't know if you are aware of adhesive lined heat shrink tubing. I just Googled for it and found some here and here and here and here. This may work a little better than contact cement.

Click to expand...

___________________________________________

Thanks srvctec :

that was very neihgborly of you to Google that and link it for us. I was not aware. I may get some . Your helpfulness is appreciated .



___________________________________________

Here is a pic of my "Fenix Condom" The Part on the head is tight but you can still slide it off if you want to run it for a while and allow some cooling. The back is tighter because it shrinked around the Hex part. Battery slides in from the front.