Chrome Sleeper inspired by MacTec

Well, I was in Ace Hardware and spotted this old fashioned looking chrome flashlight for $6. After reading about MacTec and his sleeper flashlights, I thought I'd give it a try. Ran by Wally World and picked up the last Mag 2 cell LED module and... Mag made the module too big. Well, my handy dandy leatherman made short work of the inside of the flashlight and "BAM!", let there be light! OK. OK. It took 15 minutes of swearing and cursing sitting inside my car with the leatherman and a knife. I consider that it went well as I didn't cut myself and now the light works.




There are a few rings but the hotspot is darn good with very good side spill.
My first sleeper.
Now, how can I get aircraft landing lights for headlights of my car?

Nice going! That flashlight chromie brings me back some. . .

Enjoy!

Took it out in the field with me tonight. Some of the other officers looked at me like I was out of my mind... except for those that know me!

I remember my father having lights like this around. I just may give it to him for Christmas this year and try to get a picture of him when he turns it on!

Why does the Reflector have small dents?? Does is Help?? Me and My Dad Had these lights, but dont remember those little dents.

I like it! If I can find one for $6 I'll get one too.

Back in the good old days, flashlights had vacuum tubes in them that made them stick to the wall.


Since no one else has you about the 1st pic, I had to.

Ken

It's funny you should bring that flashlight up, i picked one up last week and it's sitting in the car, i tried the MagLED but it didn't fit, and the MJLED PR has craptacular output, so it's staying in the car until i can find an appropriate LED bulb or a way to hotrod it

The flashlight needs some "creative leatherman work" done to it in order for the MagLED to fit.
I think the dents are to smooth the beam.

See [my] posting #24 in:

http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=130536

for a cheap alternative reflector or for easily turning one of these into a 3C cell incandescent.

I found that the dots on the original reflector created some bizarre artifacts with incandescent bulbs. These may or may not present a problem with a good dropin.

It would be interesting to improvise some sort of heat sink using spare washers or whatever to conduct heat from the Magled to the body. Some of the impediments to routing the heat to the body are not present in this model because it doesn't have the MAG focusing mechanism.

Thanks Thunderlight,

Let's see if I can't turn this into a heat sinked 3C LED.
Time to run to Home Depot!

I was able to put the 3C Magled into this light along with the modifications to turn it into a 3C as described before. The plastic bulb base holder will hold the Magled, however, it will not snap into place. Therefore, it is necessary for the batteries to hold the bulb base and Magled in place. The downside is that you must be careful when changing batteries. Also it makes sense to use NIMHs because an alkaline leak may destroy the LED.

The heat from the Magled spreads thoughout the base plate below the reflector that connects to the switch. Some of the heat reaches the outside surface of the bezel area of the light.

Since this was accomplished with the Eveready Industrial reflector, it can be done with any of the standard Eveready reflectors with the cheap bulb base holder like the one found in the Eveready economy bright lights.

hey this is my first post/reply or anything on CPF. i had a question. i have the classic chrome light and was trying to replace the bulb with a MAG LED 3 Watt bulb and read how you where able to accomplish it. i took mine and was able to file down the hole to the appropriate size for the small plastic base to fit through. well i put the light all back together and can not figure out how ot work it. it will not turn on. i have been tinkering around with it for the last three hours and my mind is SHOT!! so any help would be appricaited. all i can figure is either it is not making any contact with th brass plate underneath or i got a defective bulb. ANY hellp would be GREATLY appriciated. thanks

Different! I like the old meets new aspect.

Hi Yellowgeko,

It is a tight fit with 3 C batteries. You have to make sure that the protruding positive end of the battery makes direct contact in the center at the back of the base of the magled. Based on a suggestion in a related thread, instead of a base holder, get a package of 1 inch metal prong fasteners from an office supply store like Staples for around $3.

Roll up one of these fasteners, really a narrow strip of metal, tight enough to encircle the base of the magled and fit inside the aperature at the rear of the reflector assembly. If this is done properly, the prong fastener will keep the magled centered. It will also handle the heat better than a plastic bulb holder.

Bottom line for me ... this works. However, I decided that I liked this light as a 3C incandescent and put the magleds back in the mag. Ultimately, I would have preferred a better METAL bulb holder. Either way, incandescent or LED, definitely replace the stock reflector with the Eveready industrial reflector. The improvement in beam quality is substantial.

Orange peel reflectors for LIFE>!!!

An ACE hardware store near me is selling the same model with a large oilcan semispherical reflector head. Otherwise, pretty much the same model originally designed to handle 2 D batteries. The same modifications discussed earlier in the thread to convert these to 3 C batteries will work. Of course, you will not be able to replace the reflector unless you have a comparable size reflector. Nonetheless, it's still neat for nostalgia value. Don't know whether this is old stock or a new item.