Schmutz in C2 Tube

I got a Surefire C2 last week and I'm wondering if it's normal to have a little greenish schmutz in the tube.





Any idea what it is? Something from the anodizing process? The flashlight functions perfectly and if it's a purely cosmetic thing - not to mention one I'll almost never see, I could give a rat's behind. But I'm curious if anyone else has noticed this. My 6P is perfectly clean on the inside.

Nothing to contribute to thread but I just love the word "schmutz"

Glad I can help

It's a highly technical term.

Have a look at this thread...

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/213944

Thats a Surefire light with corrosion in the tube, much more severe than what you have though.

Cosmo7809 said:

Nothing to contribute to thread but I just love the word "schmutz"

Glad I can help

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I like that term also. It has so much more character than "dirt."

KowShak said:

Have a look at this thread...

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/213944

Thats a Surefire light with corrosion in the tube, much more severe than what you have though.

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Yeah but his is a week old and not a G2 that has been dyed.

well in another thread I have posted a pic of my 6P with machining marks (drill chatter) in the tube...

Go figure...

Way back in about 1969, I worked one summer for an electronics manufacturer in Ottawa. They made industrial radio gear that was mounted in anodized aluminum housings.

They would dip bare aluminum housings into an electrolyte bath using clips to anodize them with an electric current. When complete, the housings were drawn out of the bath and the electrolyte was allowed to drain and drip off.

Often, the liquid would not drain off smoothly and completely, particularly at the bottom edges. The result was uneven and cosmetically imperfect, but obviously good enough for the intended purpose. The housings were normally rack-mounted and not exposed to public gaze.

I think the schmutz you refer to has been created by the same 'dripping' effect described above. If you've seen how the process was done, you'd see how difficult it is to get it cosmetically perfect.

I imagine the manufacturer is saying that the imperfections are on the interior of the flashlight barrels and have no negative effect on their functionality.

Thanks for your explanation PhotonBoy. That sounds like what happened. If it amounts to a "cosmetic imperfection" I'm not the least bit worried. What I am worried about is corrosion in my new $100+ light. I've sent an email to Surefire customer service. I'm hoping they'll tell me pretty much what you told me so I can forget about it.

When the aluminum is in the bath, it's bonded at the molecular level with the electrolyte. When drawn from the bath, the excess electrolyte dries on top of the bonded layer, with no negative effects other than cosmetic ones.

This Wikipedia article goes into a lot of depth:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodize

Enjoy your flashlight.

edc3 said:

I've sent an email to Surefire customer service.

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FWIW, based on CPF reports here, SF's CS is best phoned for better & faster results.

isneyk said:

FWIW, based on CPF reports here, SF's CS is best phoned for better & faster results.

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You're right. They never replied to my email. Kind of crappy for a company not to reply to their customer service email, but I don't plan on calling them. Based on what PhotonBoy wrote, it's a dead issue to me.

I'm loving my C2! :twothumbs