Gadget_Guru
Newly Enlightened
My Dad made this light on board ship back in the '60s, when he worked for Sea-Land after graduating from the USMMA. It was made from brass bar stock. The reflector/bulb mount, lens, internal switch slide and tail cap spring were scavenged from a commercial flashlight. The rest was made on a lathe.
The reflector is steel, with bright plating on the front side (chrome, nickel?), and a copper wash on the back side, where the switch slide makes contact. The lens is actually laminated safety glass, like an auto windshield.
I last used it about ten years ago, with what I thought was a pretty "high-tech" setup at the time. I had a pair of Radio Shack high capacity (4000mAH) D-cell NiCds, and a Radio Shack 2-cell halogen bulb. Seemed quite bright to me, with good run time.
It's been sitting in pieces for years, so I decided to give it a new lease on life. I threw all the brass parts in my huge Lyman tumbler and ran it 2 or 3 hours to shine the parts up a bit. I put it all back together with Deoxit ProGold, and installed a PR type SMJLED. The LED works very well, with a very broad, smooth spill, and a good hot spot. I haven't tried it at night yet, but I expect it will be pretty good at medium distance. I'm running alkaline Ds in it, as with such huge run-time, rechargeables would be dead from self-discharge long before the Alkys go dead from occasional use.
It's quite a handful at a hair under two pounds loaded. It would make quite a club if needed. Not at all waterproof, though, as the sliding switch is not sealed. I do rather like this old beast, for sentimental reasons and for it's very solid feel.
Here is a zip file with a bunch more photos of this light, should you wish to see the innards.
The reflector is steel, with bright plating on the front side (chrome, nickel?), and a copper wash on the back side, where the switch slide makes contact. The lens is actually laminated safety glass, like an auto windshield.
I last used it about ten years ago, with what I thought was a pretty "high-tech" setup at the time. I had a pair of Radio Shack high capacity (4000mAH) D-cell NiCds, and a Radio Shack 2-cell halogen bulb. Seemed quite bright to me, with good run time.
It's been sitting in pieces for years, so I decided to give it a new lease on life. I threw all the brass parts in my huge Lyman tumbler and ran it 2 or 3 hours to shine the parts up a bit. I put it all back together with Deoxit ProGold, and installed a PR type SMJLED. The LED works very well, with a very broad, smooth spill, and a good hot spot. I haven't tried it at night yet, but I expect it will be pretty good at medium distance. I'm running alkaline Ds in it, as with such huge run-time, rechargeables would be dead from self-discharge long before the Alkys go dead from occasional use.
It's quite a handful at a hair under two pounds loaded. It would make quite a club if needed. Not at all waterproof, though, as the sliding switch is not sealed. I do rather like this old beast, for sentimental reasons and for it's very solid feel.
Here is a zip file with a bunch more photos of this light, should you wish to see the innards.
