36 inch Gorilla

[LightSward]

My tribute and a temporary substitute for the 60 inch WWII carbon arc searchlight, for anyone with limited space for storage, (light as seen can hang in closet).
This is an excellent design after many experiments. Someday if I have the room, I'd like to get a GE or Sperry, but for now this will work.:

Excited Law enforcement officers informed me they could see it many miles out on their patrol and just had to come by and see it, since they knew no businesses are out this far.

Big learning experience. I built this 50 inch Monster reflector six years ago and sort of didn't do much because it needed a very bright bulb to do it justice. Dimmer bulbs just barely made abeam. This thing took the light a and shot it into the night sky. For ease of transport, storage with ease of extraction, I have decided to make this my big light for now. The 72 inch is so big, I had to partially disassemble it just to store the pieces. For now the 50 inch MONSTER will be the big dominant light until I get a shop where I won't drive my neighbors crazy. Have to decommission things a little until I can get into a production facility.

This thing is "AWESOME" Had kind of shelved this light in favor of more efficient reflector designs. This set up allows for less light to be collected from bulb, but with a much longer focal length, the light travels further in a more parallel beam configuration. Beam had the effect of looking somewhat like a laser and was hard to tell from which direction it was coming from when beam aimed near horizon.

50 inch Searchlight MONSTER was shelved for a few years while I was waiting to secure a 4,000 watt HMI 385,000 lumen light source. It is a good substitute for the 60 inch WWII searchlights that need much loving care to keep going. This 50 inch MONSTER will help keep the big light legacy going well into the 21st century and beyond. The beautiful beam is a nice painting to a glorious night sky. Photo from a yard or two away.

Photo taken behind MONSTER showing the beam traveling several miles.

Photo taken from a block away

Photos taken a few blocks away.

Photo from a block away. Beam paints a nice color in the night sky. Turquoise blue color looks nice.

Photos taken around and from a few hundred feet distance.

Photo from a block away. Walking way from searchlight, the beam appears to follow. Aimed near the horizon, people couldn't tell which direction it was coming from...nice narrow beam compared to my other searchlights.

The beautiful beam is a nice painting to a glorious night sky. Photo from directly beneath the beam, next to searchlight.

Photo from near mail boxes, block away...300 feet...

Some good views from a block away...several hundred feet. Couldn't go any where with the crowds coming to see. Police almost said they'd stay and watch while I drove around to take photos.

Some of these composites were hard to align with the camera tripod. Software to straighten the photos was unavailable.

Photo from a block away.

Photo from a block away.

Photo from a block away.
Photos showing beam traveling overhead. Laser like look, hard to tell direction beam came from when aimed near horizon.


Photo from a block away. Beam paints a nice color in the night sky. Turquoise blue color looks nice.
Photo from behind searchlight.
I'll get back to posting on this shortly.

 

[LightSward]

Just a quick note on some of the main searchlights I'm working on.
Made some adjustments to focus and center the split reflected image of the arc chamber back through the center of the arc chamber between the electrodes. Over all made about three millimeters adjustment moving the over all arc center two millimeters away from main reflector. The image and resultant beam is awesome..!

Here is a quick look at three basic searchlight reflector designs I've used. Three main reflector designs using the deep, most efficient but worse focal length design, common with flashlights and car headlights, a second design is medium high efficiency reflector with split reflector and good compromise on focal length and the third oldest design using a shallow plate design common with telescopes. This flatter reflector has been used the longest by the military for it's very long "through", but is the least efficient gathering light from source but with the best focal length, is resulting in a long narrow beam for long distance..

There are variations and other combinations that utilize lenses either alone or in combination with the reflectors in some of today's searchlights.

Side and front views of upper deck I will position the searchlight a surround with scrim to block excess light.

Happy Halloween..!

These are all great lights.

 

[LightSward]

The 36 inch Gorilla is one of my base greats and is built and outfitted now for the 4,000 watt HMI 385,000 lumen bulb, but I don't have the resources to power all the lights at once. Would like to have them all on at once, some day. Here is how the 50 inch Monster looked Halloween Night.
Hard to say, I'd like to one day have the means to compare many of my searchlights together. For now I can do a 1,200 watt HMI, NightHawk or 36 inch Gorilla, comparison to the 4,000 HMI 50 inch Monster, when the neighbors won't be bothered. Have to do it when the nights come real early next month.
Yes the light was phenomenal. Never had such a line of vehicles like this before.
Just wanted everyone to know this MONSTER 50 inch searchlight is a winner. So many cars came by and used up much of our trick or treat candy..! Met many people from far away towns and small cities. People from towns twenty miles distance said it was bright where they were located.

One day would like to power all the lights at once, but will take a while to have the resources to power all the lights at once. Would like to have them all on at once, some day. Here is how the 50 inch Monster looked Halloween Night.
Hard to say, I'd like to one day have the means to compare many of my searchlights together. For now I can do a 1,200 watt HMI, NightHawk or 36 inch Gorilla, comparison to the 4,000 HMI 50 inch Monster, when the neighbors won't be bothered. Have to do it when the nights come real early next month.

Just wanted everyone to know this MONSTER 50 inch searchlight is a winner. So many cars came by and used up much of our trick or treat candy..! Met many people from far away towns and small cities. People from towns twenty miles distance said it was bright where they were located.

Here are some quick photos, (better ones to be transferred soon), of the awesome Halloween night 50 inch MONSTER searchlight Trick or Treaters flood and hundreds of vehicles on our private street to see what the "Big Light", was all about.. Awesome. Met many great people.


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Another shot taken from a camera hard to transfer photos from. Looks great, will get it in better quality soon.



First photo of the night my cell phone camera could actually take.
At sunset I turned the searchlight on and found it was already dark enough to be seen.

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Searchlight is bright enough to be seen at sunset.

Halloween begins with this brilliant beam that could be seen twenty miles in distant small towns.




My 385,000 lumen Four thousand watt, HMI high efficiency, medium arc, 50 inch diameter MONSTER searchlight drew in Hundreds and hundreds of vehicles, multiple dozens of "Trick or Treaters", more than all other years here combined. One photo is from cell phone and one with a rainbow vein, like a rainbow caught in the light beam.
(You can see the high tech light bulb cooling down next to the air cooled 'split half reflector', which redirects otherwise wasted back light, back through the arc chamber, and onto the main reflector.)

Beam looked thinner to the eye, but cloud nicely lit.


Cool photo showing beam splitting raindrops up into colors like a rainbow.

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While the rain was falling heavily, rainbow patterns were visible at various parts of the light beam. Looked real neat.


4,000 watt, 385,000 lumen HMI High Tech bulb cooling down.

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The split reflector cooling system has reduced the tarnishing effects of the intense heat assaulting the back split reflector.


Beam was bright enough for the my cell phone to capture the beam in rain.

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Very impressive. The beam could be seen for many, many miles. People from many of the small and large towns and small cities scattered in the area, came for some candy and to see a searchlight, many had never seen one in person before. The look on many people's faces was like they had just seen God, or were otherwise spiritually lifted.



Car headlights compete with the much brighter searchlight beam 1:200 ratio in brightness.

Beam isn't totally culminated, but it looks like a laser when underneath it in another neighborhood...I'm told.


Way worth the effort. Now we get many Trick or Treaters when in the entire history of our small part of town, we had almost no people come by on Halloween...ever. I'm stoked....don't have to eat so much left over candy now....HA.

Will have to do this again. Originally I was going to make this the last appearance of the light, but due to high public approval, I may do it again, next year..!

When resources allow, the World's Biggest Searchlight will be "resurrected". For now the 60 inch WWII wann-a-BE Monster 50 inch searchlight will be my Big Light for now. A true WWII searchlight will blow mine away, but it'll be interesting to see how the two would compare. Maybe at Flash-a-holic event to be scheduled soon...I hope..!

 

[LightSward]

The 36 inch Gorilla searchlight has been the center of my searchlight efforts for many years now. I've learned much, and the Gorilla has been ggreatly improved, with the ability to accept anywhere from a 1,000 watt Haolgen 30,000 lumen beam all the way up to the 4,000 watt HMI with it's 385,000 lumen output.

I've made improvements to the light since this photos and have added a large cart with big wheels and a solid base for the Gorilla. I'll get an up to date photo soon as I make some last minute changes.



My brother is very interested in searchlights like many of us on CPF. My shop is full to the bursting point and the Gorilla takes up the most space, so for Christmas my brother will be inhering the Gorilla..! He found out about this a few days ago and is obviously very excited as he's been bugging me for one of my searchlights during the last few years. Jon has a large truck to be able to move the Gorilla much more easily than I. The 50 inch Monster is actually much lighter weight and easier to move than the massive Gorilla.

Congratulations to my brother Jon for becoming the new owner of the awesome 36 inch Gorilla. Jon and I will stay in constant touch about any progress or changes he wants to make to the 36 inch Gorilla and provide me with any beam shots from Las Vegas where he resides.

I will be making a duplicate base 57 inch reflector soon to continue experiments on an open flame basis.

 

[LightSward]

Big Changes to the New Gorilla design using metal instead of Fiberglass for the Reflectors.
New big changes in how I make my reflectors, now in metal; and how much more significantly improved these Aluminum and steel reflectors are over my successful Fiberglass class of reflectors I've been working on for over half a dozen years on..!

These newly made Aluminum reflectors I've made, along with several others; and more on the way, are truly amazing..! The ease and precision that can be accomplished: quickly, silently, easily, artfully, and without odors or other issues with an incredible result. Still needs to be "dialed in", but the results are already better than the Fiberglass. No Orange Peal effect, that was actually a subtle defects in the Fiberglass surface, invisible until the reflective surface was applied. The metal doesn't have such an issue. Live and learn. This new personal "discovery of skills", will go across the board on all my searchlights. So far several: 7, 24, 26 and 30 inch reflectors are finished or about to be and several 36 inch Aluminum discs are on standby to be converted shortly. Several simultaneous tests on the different reflector designs will occur to determine the best route(s), to be taken at this time. EXCITING!

Polishing is not feasible at this time, as it involves too much noise and not as good a reflective surface as this window glazing I used. I'll use the chrome tape with it's better reflectivity in future reflectors. NOW I HAVE A LIGHT METER AND CAN TAKE ACTUAL READINGS.

My upside reflections caused by the 'magnifying glass' effect of the two different style reflectors.

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Aluminum reflectors made from flat bottom water tank collection pan.


My upside reflections caused by the 'magnifying glass' effect of the two different style reflectors. One is a deep 200 degree capture design with more light reflectivity compared to the 130 degree capture with it's superior long distance light throw..




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These reflectors are so much more easier to make out of Aluminum discs than the Fiberglass process I've been using. I did a "quick" production routine to make these and others in progress at a larger diameter, I'm just amazed. The beams are much more culminated with a smaller diameter reflector needed for better, narrow beam effect. Will experiment with the different reflector designs.

 

[LightSward]

With the original Gorilla now in Las Vegas, I've been experimenting with metal reflectors and have obtained excellent results. Experimenting with various sized metal reflectors from 6" on up to hopefully 50", mostly aluminum. Excellent results, in fact stunning..! Maybe not yet perfect, but at least now I have a relativity fast, inexpensive, reliable, customization-able and fairly accurate production source of reflectors in a variety of sizes and design configurations, all virtually at my finger tips.

Most of my searchlight reflectors will be smaller, more compact, lighter weight, better light-beam characteristics and all in an affordable yet strong housing for a light fixture that is sure to last for many years. These new reflectors will offer the same performance characteristics as their older, wonderful fiberglass cousins they'll be replacing, yet to get even more, I'm keeping many of these larger sizes now in Aluminum, to improve them all.

In my college years, during the days when I examined many of the 60 inch searchlights in Las Vegas, I noticed some of the mirror reflectors weren't perfect, and in fact some were quite flawed, maybe even shoddy replacement mirrors, or homemade like mine; yet at night, some of these flawed mirror lights would have the most impressive, brightest, appearing to be well focused beam, even from across town. Generally I'm going for improved performance, quality and economical and environmentally friendly courses to achieve my goal of making some of the funnest and maybe a few impressive lights to have a good night interacting with.

Working on several things at once, I figured I'd try and save a few thousand off my next HMI ballast, so I built one. It's progressed past this stage already and has a protective metal cooling case and fan to be added next. Already has wheels and handle I built in unit frame, for easy transport of the hundred plus pound beast. 80 pounds less than the real 4,000 watt ballast I purchased a couple years ago.
:devil:

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I plugged it in and flipped the built in circuit breaker and it came on with just a slight auto-transformer buzz. All the voltage readings checked out and now it just has to be tested on the bulb itself....
Friday..? Should go well....I hope... Fingers crossed.:scowl::thumbsup:

As you can probably tell, I combined four standard metal halide probe start ballasts with my ingenious hand activated manually controlled ignition system, similar to ones used on the early florescent lights. All tests show readings well with-in range...with all the modifications. Actual bulb test later today..!

Tried several different wiring configurations when the first test sequence just resulted in a sputtered and blackened bulb. Later realized, while trying several alternate wiring configurations; had by-passed one of the capacitors when removing a jumper cable, wrongly installed earlier on one of the simple capacitor multi-tab terminals, (many possible connections are close together), so I returned the wiring of the ballasts to the configuration as originally designed, and is now working very well. :thumbsup:

Running the blackened bulb through the "Real Ballast", for sort of a Halide cycle, clearing the bulb in less than fifteen minutes, (whew!),. After wires fixed, the bulb was again fired up on homemade ballast, ready, set, "ignition" went well, but bulb voltages are a little lower than expected, since I'm running 240 into the 277 volt tabs, the lower operating and start-up input voltage of this particular voltage tab of 23% variation, (as my original plan to bring the ballast's normal output voltage down from 265 volts to the 178-237 volt range the bulb is designed to run at, just didn't expect this low of voltage of just under 180 volts, thus the bluer color, (looks the same in sky since the blue color of the air is lit up as normal),., so I will try either the 120 on these this homemade ballast, and/ or just see what happens when I wire up the new expected arrivals with the 240 volt terminals and see if the voltage is about 205-210, which I'd prefer for a "whiter color" and more halide cycling, but if not, the current situation would be adequate. . No problem bringing the voltages up, have to tweak some issues to get input voltages as specified, as this batch of ballasts was very inexpensive because of the commercial voltage ranges ballasts are designed for. Just had to order some inexpensive accessories to remedy the costly low voltage input gauge increases normally associated with standards. ...For my personal searchlights I can use adequate cabling that I wouldn't use in commercial products meant for re-sale.

Am paying a nearly 60% increase in ballast price on the next batch to have more of the common voltages as input tabs, that are more in line with smaller generators commonly found at hardware stores. All the ballasts I work with have 120 volts, but I avoid this like the plague, because the wiring gauge jumps to a dramatically more expensive size that doesn't have to be used with the higher voltages..! The less expensive ballasts use higher voltages more commonly associated with large warehouses, football fields and traffic street lights. My original plan was to use these voltages, but may not be as economical as just purchasing the slightly more expensive ones. However, if I was to make these for the Hollywood set lights that use mostly giant 110 volt cabling, I'd just use the warehouse type ballasts at 120 volts, since these ballasts can handle up to and over 23%, plus or minus, voltage variation. Once electricity is dropped from the transmission and distribution high voltages of the many thousands of volts down to the hundreds of volts, the voltage leaving the transformer drops rapidly with every foot of wire. After several hundred feet, the voltage has dropped substantially, and to lower the costs associated with lighting large areas where voltages would be all over the scale, ballasts with large voltage input ranges were developed, and the fact that these are auto-transformers as well with the power factor capacitor, makes these ideal old school devices..! After having experimented with many different configurations, I'm absolutely amazed at how well these worked, even with all my wiring variations and capacitor changes and placement experiments...Laugh:welcome:

Great learning experience. Now I can make some inexpensive ballasts for the "Big Bright Beasts". The next 36 inch Gorilla, now in the making is going to "Gorillalize", the sky like nothing else..!:wave:

 

[LightSward]

Well the original 36 inch Gorilla searchlight is at my brother's home in Las Vegas with plans to eventually do some photo-shoots on the Las Vegas strip and surrounding desert mountain and canyon terrain.

The light pollution is now so bad in Las Vegas, even the bright professional searchlights are hard to see. Brother knows the family that owns most of the searchlights used in Las Vegas. We're going to get the Gorilla on the back of a truck for easy transport around Vegas.:thumbsup:



GOOD NEWS:
THE 36 INCH GORILLA IS NOW BEING MADE OUT OF 1/8th inch thick Aluminum discs at 36 inch
diameters on an English Wheel, pictured here in the next few photos.

Starts off as a flat round Aluminum disc on steel frame, then by using an English Wheel, I'm able to create 36 inch diameter searchlight reflectors from flat sheets of Aluminum metal.





Using an awesome English Wheel, the flat aluminum disc is brought to shape of the parabolic reflector.

This piece of equipment is awesome..! Can make so many different things; almost instantly, with little or no setup, just some basic templates.:thumbsup:

How 36 inch Flat parabolic mirror looks in living room.

How it looks sitting in the living room. May work similar to the 50 inch Fiberglass Monster.







Brought the newly polished reflector out for a quick photo shoot.

Quick break between rain showers for a photo shoot.




Starts off as a flat piece of Aluminum sheet metal.

Starts off as a flat round disc mounted on a rigid steel tube frame. Using an English Wheel, I'm able to create 36 inch diameter searchlight reflectors from flat sheets of Aluminum metal. Motions similar to rolling Pizza dough are used to "roll" the metal into the parabolic reflector.

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Homemade 4,000 watt HMI searchlight ballast made from four 1,000 watt HID grow lights.

Nearing completion, with plugs, circuit breaker, meter, indicator lights to be added. Homemade 4,000 watt HMI 385,000 lumen bulb is only around $250.00 when finished....real ballast is $5,000 minimum..! Mine works better than real one which often blows breakers but homemade one does NOT..

 

[LightSward]

Getting ready to make a new product line debut.
Now have THREE ballasts at Four Thousand watts HMI each..! Two are homemade lightweight units; that don't blow the breakers once in a while like the other real one I have, does. Some treaking and finishing my all metal searchlights added to the ballasts that are looking good. These are going to make this little outfit awesome for shining a bright searchlight beam from the parking lots around town..! Photos to come soon.

I joined four ballasts @ 1,000 watts each for football field lighting or warehousing, grow lights, etc. The ignitor for these units is rated for a 400 watt ballast, yet seems to work. After I combined the four ballast wiring together, I removed all but one of the ignitors from the circuit and joined it to all four ballasts. Works fine for now../.. We'll see. Seems to match the requirements needed.

Saved $4,750.00 over the $5,000 normal fee for the big ballasts. Some voltages a little low, we'll see how long they last....they operate fairly cool to the touch.

 

[LightSward]

This all metal aluminum searchlight replacement perhaps for the fiberglass version of the Gorilla. May use a new name for the 36 inch Aluminum Searchlight I'm finishing soon. Just about ready to shine.:
It's really turning out nice. The aluminum and English Wheel allows and easy and effective way to quickly and attractively produce so many very different parts with minimal set up and preparations.

New Aluminum 36 inch Searchlight

Basic bulb and reflector configuration is installed. Next the cooling system.


New Aluminum 36 inch Searchlight
Basic bulb and reflector configuration is installed. Next the cooling system.



This is where the 4,000 watt, 385,000 lumen medium arc HMI high efficiency bulb is positioned. A massive air cooling system cools all the surrounding reflector, housing and socket but just barely the bulb itself, per manufacturer's recommendation.

New Aluminum 36 inch Searchlight Socket will be wired for homemade ignition system, just in case the automatic ignition system doesn't work with all the metal to pull away the "wimpy", acting 20,000 volts. The homemade ballast was made with the four 1,000 watt ballasts I mentioned, but I only used one of the ignitors, (said on ignitor that came with the four; 1,000 watt ballasts, ignitor panel says only for a 400 watt ballast..! I've had success wiring ONE of the ignitors to all the ballast together so everything would work in sinc and the ignitors wouldn't all be fighting each other. Works so far, but after ignition, the heating up voltage dips more than I'd like. It operates within the manufacturer's voltage range.

Here is the basic framed searchlight case. I'll get more photos, much has progressed since these were taken last week.

Cheers..!

 

[LightSward]

The telescope reflector version of the 36 inch Gorilla is moving along. Not sure what to call it, Monster Jr., the New Gorilla, etc. Bottom picture you can see the two high powered searchlights together before beam shots are taken soon.

See? This is the stuff they used to burn down the old ships in another fleet

High powered stuff..!

More progress:
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Searchlight reflecting sky to light

Nice view of the searchlight and cooling equipment.




A little closer to see the cooling fans

Close-up Searchlight

Searchlight getting closer to completion.C ooling fans installed. My usual Home Depot $15.00 bath fans. To get twice the CFM capacity, most fan makers charge up to 10 X higher, so I just buy two.

Will fire up both of these at the same time for a total output of 8,000 watts HMI, equivalent to 24,000 watts incandescent of Xenon. 385,000 lumen output each for a TOTAL: 770,000 LUMEN..! That's bright..!




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Old and New generations:wave::tired:
The old and new high powered telescope style searchlights. Notice the difference in the mirror orange peel effect from fibergalass to aluminum with it's much smoother finish. Hopefully makes a nicer beam..!

Will keep things posted as I make progress.

 

[LightSward]

Set up and tooled my shop to make a nice 36 inch Gorilla Reflector from aluminum with precision geometry, even CAD operated in the forming of the reflector. Been real busy doing things I needed to do with little time to posts. Am making huge progress on this and will get back to posting more as I get some time. This is going to be awesome. My brother in Las Vegas is having fun with the original 36 inch Gorilla searchlight seen in earlier photo shoots. He's going to be playing with all kinds of different bulbs...even neon...kidding, but we have many ideas for lighting up some remote mountain at night for fun with a bunch of friends..

 

[LightSward]

The Aluminum old style searchlight is getting a slightly redesigned reflector.

Getting a bit cocky and maybe even slacking...lazy, but I thought the lower portion of the Parabolic shape was spherical enough to where I could get by just using a large compass to draw the profile for ease. Using the supercomputer, (AutoCAD on home PC and MAC) a few months back, the resolution was with thick lines so I missed the error of the slightly misaligned curves. After checking why I was having two or three slightly different focal points on my homemade reflectors, I realized the resolution wasn't fine enough to reveal the misalignment on the lower arc portion...how ever slight, was making for a fatter beam.. Have ordered new materials and hope to receive them in the next week or so and try...for the fourth time to make that "perfectly focused" aircraft aluminum reflector that is almost in my grasp. Some of you probably noted the slight error, and let me roll with it not mentioning it because of my strong personality and my kind of Hill Billy style of making reflectors entirely from scratch and design too, a bit off the "cuff". Hope to have an awesome, not just kind of awesome searchlight soon, in time for some light shows.:naughty:

 

[LightSward]

Three searchlights are or are about to be finished or close enough for demonstration purposes to warrant a show. Have started a totally new type Gorilla searchlight using eight prisms and mirrors for a laser like beam. one of these babies will be a "New Gorilla". The original Gorilla is not just visiting Las Vegas...it stays in Las Vegas, as it's new home is with my brother. he's taking it out into the desert and lighting up deserted mountaintops for fun after-work activities. new owner is trying an assortment of lights and will start a page and or report back to me and we'll give an update on that, plus I'll keep you all informed as the lights become "awesomeness"!

 

[medmike]

Great news.....I'm looking forward to some pics and design details!

 

[LightSward]

My brother has the original 36 inch Gorilla, back down in Las Vegas where I did many of these beam shots. Brother getting the hang of things and should be bringing the original to the Las Vegas Strip soon with beam shots.
Here is the new line of aluminum searchlights, this being a new aluminum version of the 36 inch Gorilla. I've made deep dish reflectors too, and am fine tuning them. Hoop shape and calibration very important. I paid the machining price not realizing just how important those were.

After fine tuning several reflectors and even making a deep dish reflector to be revealed soon;, I've more or less gotten better at these aluminum reflectors
picture shows: Searchlight coming to life during daytime test

New all Aluminum 36 inch 4,000 watt HMI Searchlight for Halloween




Powerful beam as seen from behind searchlight. Beam can be seen for 5 miles distance.

New all Aluminum 36 inch 4,000 watt HMI Searchlight for Halloween⤡


New all Aluminum 36 inch 4,000 watt HMI Searchlight for Halloween


Beam in night rainy sky as seen from a block away


Looks awesome



Beam from behind searchlight. Beam can be seen five miles distance or more

New all Aluminum 36 inch 4,000 watt HMI Searchlight for Halloween:candle:

Powerful 380,000 lumen beam stabbing the night sky for five miles and can be seen all over town

Beam seen close by as cars started rolling by.

Beam seen half a block away

Light can be seen almost focused, yet hard to do with such hot equipment






Searchlight seen across the street warming up with color bands formed by camera interaction with 60 hertz / 120 flickers per second.


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36 inch aluminum searchlight warming up

Searchlight as seen from a couple blocks away as seen through trees and rain patterns

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Light beam looks incredible during rain...rainbows and different light patterns.





Searchlight cooling down.

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Cooling down bulb takes about a minute to stop making any light.

 

[LightSward]

Beam from the newly finished 2,500 watt searchlight. Focusing efforts continue yet you can already see the beam for many miles, says all the cars showing up.

36 inch Aluminum mini WWII carbon arc replica searchlight at 200,000 lumen.400,000,000 million candle power light.

The upper Beam is the 36 inch Large LIGHTSWARD size at 2,500 watts HMI with an output of 200,000 lumen and a potential for 300,000,000 candle power.
[URL="https://www.flickr.com/photos/11735136@N06/32147503852/in/dateposted-public/lightbox/"]The lower brighter beam is the 36 inch Aluminum mini WWII carbon arc replica searchlight at 4,000 watts HMI nearly 400,000 lumen. at potential of 700,000,000 million candle power light.


[/URL] Seen the 36 inch 4,000 watt HMI 385,000 lumen searchlight being slid through the sliding door onto deck for Halloween searchlight beacon.

Searchlight seen in dining room headed to deck for Halloween Beaconing.

Searchlight beam over night sky from behind light.

This Beam can be seen for many miles. People showing up from several surrounding towns.


Searchlight cooling down.

People show up from many miles when I light this up. Now I'll add some weather proofing to this and the 2,500 watt version with a deeper dish, for rental.

 

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36 inch Aluminum Searchlight gets ready for renting

Second "effects" searchlight mirror is added at bottom and flips into position to grab a small percentage of beam making an impressive second beam that rotates with main bigger beam. Can be aimed at store or building while main beam stay sin sky attracting customers from the critical three mile radius.


[h=1]36 inch Aluminum Searchlight gets ready for renting[/h]

[h=2]I'm pleased to stand in front of one of my latest creations. Will be powered by, solar charged batteries; eventually.[/h]

36 inch Aluminum Searchlight gets ready for renting

Beam looks impressive and draws a large crowd. Not a very good picture. Will get better shots at our Portland, Oregon Area Get Together.:thumbsup:

 

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New toys

[h=2]Left side shows homemade searchlight beam and the right side shows the new Xenon pencil thin searchlight beam.[/h]
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The new 1000 watt Xenon. Coming soon new 4000 watt xenon to compliment the set up.