"machined" finish light, what do you think?

So I've been doing a lot of "fancy" surface finishes but I do love a nice, raw machined finish. I've been playing around with the idea of offering this as a standard "retail" light that I will sell through other online and brick and mortar retailers. You'll still be able to buy the fancy finishes directly from me.

Raw machined body with flame colored titainum clip

I've also been considering having an outside machine shop make these lights in higher volume that is practical for me to make in my shop. Again, this version would only be available through other retail outlets. If you want to hear a little more about why, and see another photo, read on after the jump.

Getting a little fancy: Titanium flame coloring

So I've been meaning to do this for ages. Finally remembered while I was in the shop today. Titanium produces some awesome temper colors when heated, much like steel, but even more dramatic. I do this by hand with a propane torch so every one will look a little different. The fade and asymmetry is intentional :)

I think it goes great with the nickel finish! But I'm biased. 

The different colors represent different temperatures as I heated the material. I've done this on some other Ti stuff over the years and I'm really pleased with how the clip turned out. I plan to offer this as a new option for an extra $5 bucks. Any feedback? Don't forget to click on the image for a larger view!

Flashlights: (NOT) all fun and games

Ouch. So this actually happened about a month ago and I'm all healed up so don't worry. I'm scrounging for content because being buried under stuff to do has turned me into a poor documenter. That's not a word is it?

Anyway, the cut I gave myself was actually much worse that it looks in the photo. I was reaching inside a storage cabinet to pick up my 4 jaw chuck...and apparently there is an exposed edge of sheet metal inside the cabinet. My thanks to the manufacturer.

Worshipers of duct tape...meet painters tape. 

Since I was holding the chuck in my hand it had a ton of momentum and even though it was just a "bump," it cut through all the layers of skin over the knuckle of my thumb. I stopped short of flexing my thumb enough to see if there was any tendon or bone showing beneath.

I braced it with a tongue depressor (that I use for mixing silicone rubber) and babied it for about a week because I had to go out on a contract fabrication job for one of your favorite TV shows the next weekend. It was tender for a long time but it seems 100% now! A little more gore for your viewing pleasure...

Can your flashlight do this?

We were up in Sun Valley, Idaho last week and I found a cool spot for a "beam shot." This is inside the Sun Valley Opera House. Not much explanation needed. Just note the distance and width of the beam...and then how you can barely see the actual flashlight in the shot. This is not a "long" exposure shot, it's basically what you see with the naked eye.

A "wall of light" as we call it in the industry

Every time I get into a setting like this I'm astonished at the amount of light the Alpha produces. I know, you can't take my word for it because I'm selling them...but I tell ya, the ability to blast darkness into submission with a little light I carry in my pants pocket still makes me giddy.

Ohhhhh yes I did!

Let's keep this one short. A photo is worth a thousand words right? Put me down for 2K...done.

Tinkering and a new camera

Welp, after 10 years of dithering I finally bought a digital SLR camera. I thought this would also be a good opportunity to show you something I've been tinkering with in the lab...the "copper head." Is that to literal? I got some new "N bin" MCEs in stock; they are the brightest bin of MCE in existance and costs nearly double compared to a "regular" MCE. In honor of that I decided to go crazy and make a solid copper head. It's immensely heavy and looks fantastic paired with the raw aluminum body. I've been carrying it my pocket for a while and it's starting to patina nicely.

Creative huh? 

Hopefully I'll be able to live up to the Nikon D7000. As you can see, I'm reaching already and had to come up with a fancy setting :) This SLR also shoots HD video (that's foreshadowing) and now I can put the lenses I have back into service. I have a Nikon film camera that has been gathering dust, along with the lenses, so I'm pretty excited to give them a new life, paired to the new D-SLR. Okay, okay. One more photo.

That's a real reflection. The light is sitting on a sheet of "60% lighting white" acrylic. 

So, have anything you want to see in a YouTube video? Let me know!

Tiffani Saxton Designs . . .The Blog: Gifts For Your Groomsmen

Tiffani Saxton Designs . . .The Blog: Gifts For Your Groomsmen: "...As your rehearsal dinner nears, you might be pondering how best to thank the friends and relatives who you've invited to stand with you.  With so many possibilities, I've narrowed down my Top Etsy Picks for Groomsmen Gifts."

It's starting to be that time of year again...wedding season! I was recently featured on the (above) blog and that's pretty exciting!...if you are me. I might be biased but I totally agree with Tiffani; I think one of my lights would make a fantastic groomsman's gift...or wedding gift! A matched set perhaps?

In the past, I've personalized a few lights with letter-stamped initials and they look really nice. Just be sure to give me at least 30 days lead time because I take batches of lights to the plating company every month or so, and I have to stamp the lights before the are plated. Alternately I'm happy to pass on the $75 minimum charge from the plating company if you need one...like right now! :)