so I relubed an old A2 and it drowned...now what?

recently bought A2, old square model
bezel was dry, tail thread was dirty...I thought I relube both.
took it for a dunk test to verify its sealed...usually is. so no battery no bulb and into the tub we go
everything looked fine until the next day when I found the entire bezel to be fogged...the windows fogged, small water droplets on the reflector, bulbs wet and the entire LED ring [when removed] looked as if I dipped it in water [droplets under LEDs and such]:shakehead

first timer

Is there a way to disassemble the entire bezel to clean all this mess out?
I've tried cooking the bezel with my other A2s which managed to dry everything except the light fog on the reflector. I'm afraid of touching the reflector and ruining it. it doesn't alter the light output but I would prefer the interior of the light to be dry.

you should know better then to dunk test...

well...my other two A2s had no issues whatsoever....I didn't expect it came out like this....especially since I heavily lubed this one.

all the lights in my collection, with the exception of the ones not made to be sealed are dunked after lube and had no real problems

I suspect the leak is from the bezel ring, not where the bezel attaches to the body, the gap is wider than my other square A2 and a heck of alot wider than my round A2

far right is the problem A2

on the last pic the white marks appear to be scratches on the anodizing since i cant pick it off with a toothpick or using the canned air stuff to get it off

i dunno if I should just pound it in, or fill it up with epoxy and wipe down the excess...since its an old square body, calling surefire for a replacement would not be a good idea...unless they sell the bezel as a part:shrug:

chesterqw said:

you should know better then to dunk test...

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Yes, but then again Surefire should not be telling places like LED Museum or Flashlight Reviews that their entire flashlight line is waterproof to 10 meters if they aren't. If you can live without your light for a while I would call Surefire and have them fix the reflector.

tussery said:

Yes, but then again Surefire should not be telling places like LED Museum or Flashlight Reviews that their entire flashlight line is waterproof to 10 meters if they aren't. If you can live without your light for a while I would call Surefire and have them fix the reflector.

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I own 3 A2s so its not a significant issue...plus the fact the light is fully functional...just a bit foggy

just out of curiosity wondering how others clean their A2s when such problem like fogging arises

You'd be far better sending the light's head in to get fixed than trying to do it yourself.. unless it's still wet, in which case you should just take the bulb out and let it sit for a while

ACMarina said:

in which case you should just take the bulb out and let it sit for a while

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its currently sitting there, bulb and LED ring removed
water vapor on the reflector....
when theres water vapor on the reflector and and I light it up the vapor disappears and accumulates on the window, but when I extract everything out and cook the bezel with heat vapor collects on the reflector despite the fact theres 4 openings to the outside

Do you have an airing cuppard or a boiler cuppard? leave it in there for a day and it'll clean its self. Obviously just the head and take the bulb and leds out.

blow dryer

Tupperware bowl with dessicant, leave it for a few days in a warm spot.

Don't have any dessicant? Go to a clothing store (Wal Mart, whatever) and look in the pockets of leather or pseudo-leather purses, you'll find little packets of it. One would suffice, but toss a few in there, seal it up and warm it up.

And for the love of god, if it's obviously still damp, stop using the light.

I'll try that tonight, first blow dryer then if that doesn't work...the tupperware

:thanks:

I've found that long, slow drying works best compared to fast heating.

I've also used a hygroscopic desiccant similar to 'silica gel' to remove the water.

I left an E2e (disassembled) to dry out for a week at 45C 10% RH in a dehumidifying chamber. 2 days was insufficient as the reflector/window fogged up still so it went back in for a further 5 days...

Al

I'm glad to hear it still works. What lubricant were you using?

Another source of the silica gel (if you can't find enough "DO NOT EAT" packets") is the "damp rid" and similar products for drying out basements. A large tub is usually less than $10. Hint: choose an unscented one. Put the tub and the flash in a 5 gal bucket or other sealed location. A large ziploc bag might work.

DM51 said:

I'm glad to hear it still works. What lubricant were you using?

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nyogel 760G



left the blow dryer on for a good hour and voila, its clean!
thanks Supernam for that tip

Illum_the_nation said:

...since its an old square body, calling surefire for a replacement would not be a good idea...unless they sell the bezel as a part:shrug:

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It's funny you made this thread because I had the same exact problem. I noticed fogging and water in my bezel after a dunk test, and was understandably pi**ed. I decided to send it to SF for warranty, and sure enough they replaced everything except the body, which is what I wanted to keep anyways.:twothumbs This happened to me exactly one year ago, it's interesting how events coincide!

oo::huh::thumbsup::thinking:
that is interesting...I've heard so much about surefire replacing entire units I was getting scared...for no good reason

Unfortunately, the SureFires are not officially waterproof to the IPX8 standard, unlike other flashlights I could name.

MikeSalt said:

Unfortunately, the SureFires are not officially waterproof to the IPX8 standard, unlike other flashlights I could name.

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IPX8 is a static pressure test procedure which is useless for these purposes - a dynamic test is required for equipment which will be operated underwater, rather than just sit there.

IPX8 also requires a figure in bar to quantify the pressure. Without this quantifying figure it is meaningless to talk of "the IPX8 standard".

The vast majority of SureFires are rated as 'weather proof'.
Many SureFires can be individually tested and 'certified' waterproof (usually to 30 metres depth) by SureFire. Such models are given the suffix "N" (for Navy). Only a few models are rated waterproof as standard without testing (such as the Military Series handgun WeaponLights)

I believe that all SureFires are designed and manufactured such that the internal and external components can survive being submerged - once slowly dried out will function again (likely replacement Lamp Assembly required)