wakibaki
Newly Enlightened
The first flashlight I can remember owning I got for Christmas '57, I would have been 6.
It had a thin (less than 1mm), I think spun aluminium body and took 2 'C' cells. The body had a single opening at the reflector/lens with a (probably rolled) thread which was visible on both the inside and the outside surfaces. The lens was a single piece of moulded transparent plastic which fit the thread in the body only with considerable galling. The bulb screwed into the chromed reflector with which it made contact. The reflector had just a kind of circular hole with the lips bent this way and that. A spring in the bottom of the body was meant to ensure contact between the bottom of the bulb and the centrepost positive terminal of the uppermost cell, and made assembly of the torch difficult. The switch was a long brass tongue rivetted to a slider in a slot in the body. It made contact with the reflector which fit inside the insulating lens. The exterior was lacquered (I think) black with silver bands left uncoated.
I was pleased to get it, but in the end I didn't think much of it. It was dim and unreliable even for those days, and the batteries lasted no time. I used to borrow my dad's green mil-spec torch, but he didn't really like that...
The other torch you used to see a lot then was a 3D job with a complete rubber skin. The switch was so stiff I used to have to press with both thumbs.
Hmm. I guess I was hooked way back.
Funny what remember when you start to think about it.
w
It had a thin (less than 1mm), I think spun aluminium body and took 2 'C' cells. The body had a single opening at the reflector/lens with a (probably rolled) thread which was visible on both the inside and the outside surfaces. The lens was a single piece of moulded transparent plastic which fit the thread in the body only with considerable galling. The bulb screwed into the chromed reflector with which it made contact. The reflector had just a kind of circular hole with the lips bent this way and that. A spring in the bottom of the body was meant to ensure contact between the bottom of the bulb and the centrepost positive terminal of the uppermost cell, and made assembly of the torch difficult. The switch was a long brass tongue rivetted to a slider in a slot in the body. It made contact with the reflector which fit inside the insulating lens. The exterior was lacquered (I think) black with silver bands left uncoated.
I was pleased to get it, but in the end I didn't think much of it. It was dim and unreliable even for those days, and the batteries lasted no time. I used to borrow my dad's green mil-spec torch, but he didn't really like that...
The other torch you used to see a lot then was a 3D job with a complete rubber skin. The switch was so stiff I used to have to press with both thumbs.
Hmm. I guess I was hooked way back.
Funny what remember when you start to think about it.
w