# 1955 Francis Searchlight - 400W Short Arc - Restomod



## PolarLi (Sep 6, 2015)

*1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Hi folks!

Here is my second short arc build. 
This project started with a Francis marine searchlight made in 1955. I did a rather extensive restoration and modification on the light. It's now a *megathrower* in a good looking package :thumbsup:
I first tried a 400 watt metal halide lamp in the light, but that is now replaced with a 350 watt modified UHP lamp (Ultra High Performance) 

*A few details:*

*-55 Million Candela 
-Range: 14.8 Km/9.2 Miles - 0.25 Lux, or 7400 meters - 1 Lux
-19.000 lamp lumens*
-200mm/7.9" custom parabolic reflector with Aluminium-Quartz coating from Phoenix Electroformed
-350W modified UHP lamp. 1 mm arc gap
-UHP Ballast
-40 and 60 mm cooling fans
-Borosilicate front glass
-Stand in laminated pine with Mahogany Sapele veneer

Started out like this:







And ended up like this:



















You can read the thread for all the build updates, or click on the pictures/shortcuts below:


Starting the sanding:



Reflector mounting:





Air intake/cooling: 




Lamp adjuster and air outlet: 





Polishing and beamshot with the old MSR lamp:





The stand and install of the old lamp:





Picture of the finished light and some beamshots with the old lamp:



*Beamshot with the current 350 W UHP lamp:


*
Installation of the 350 W UHP lamp and Lux readings:



Comparison with my other SA light:



*If you are interested in a different type of short arc project, check out my 62 Million Candela 850W 14" Stock pot light*


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## nfetterly (Sep 6, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Cool !!

Great job on cleaning up the light.


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## xcon (Sep 6, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Restore looking good so far


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## Ladd (Sep 6, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Polished brass and bronze -- beautiful!


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## sledhead (Sep 7, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Love that you know the history of it. Good luck on the restore......1955 my Birth year.


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## PolarLi (Sep 7, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Thanks guys! 
___________________________________

The goal is to make a badass thrower, in a good looking package. I will try to keep the number of modifications on the housing down to a minimum.

Light was in decent condition when I got it. Almost no dents an no missing parts, just a couple of broken screws. But it had a couple of flaws. A long brass lip was brazed on under the light, as a shield for spill light. The lip was cut off when I got it, but I had to grind off the remains. But the biggest problem was the fact that someone had come up with the not so good idea to sandblast it (including the glass!) to remove paint. On a distance it appeared to have a nice patina, but close up the surface was like coarse sandpaper. Since I want it polished, I had to sand down the surface till all the pits was gone, and that took a while...











I used an angle grinder to remove the remains of the brass lip:






The sanding begins:






The small parts too:






I think the new reflector is an improvement over the old, no?











I won't be polishing the housing before I have fitted all the internal parts and tested it. So I left It with a 240 grit finish for now. I will go up to 400-600 grit before I finish it. 
But I did polish some of the small parts, and it's looking pretty good:











Fun fact, the seller told me the history of the light, and I was able to find a picture of the actual boat it was installed on:






More to come.


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## WarRaven (Sep 7, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

That's awesome, thank you for sharing.
+1


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## PolarLi (Sep 16, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Have installed the reflector mount. It's a copy of the other light, but that worked great, so no need to change it. I cut the ring out of a 4 mm aluminum sheet with the jigsaw.
What I did change is how I mount it in the housing. To avoid drilling holes, I made these brass studs with threads in, and soldered them on. To get them in the right place, I used the reflector ring as a guide, bolted it on with threaded rod, and fired up the propane torch. 
















The white plastic strips, that I later pulled out, is to get a little space between reflector and ring for the silicone. No metal to metal contact give the reflector some room for thermal expansion.











The silicone bead is looking rough, but when it's fully dry, I will finish with another bead on top. The silicone is one-part, so I can't build up a too thick layer in one go.






I do have a setback though. I was not able to get the Philips 350 lamp for the price it was listed at. I can get elsewhere for like $295, but that's not going to happen. 
So plan B is a MSR 400W SA. Should be straight forward with the ballast I have. Pretty much plug and play, but not quite the short arc I want. (3 mm) But is does produce 30.000 lumens, so that's a plus 
Plan C is another 350W UHP lamp with 1.3 mm arc gap that I have. It's a China lamp, and it doesn't ignite/work at the moment. This is actually the second lamp. The first one I had, same model, another brand, exploded violently and set my carpet on fire... (first and last time I test short arc lamps indoors ) I'm not too keen to have another one pop in my new reflector, so there's that.
So I will continue the project with the 400w lamp for now. But I can promise one thing, I have not given up on the UHP lamps


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## FRITZHID (Sep 16, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

:thumbsup: watching adamantly


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## sledhead (Sep 18, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Setting the carpet on fire.........Yipes!!


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## PolarLi (Sep 19, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*



sledhead said:


> Setting the carpet on fire.........Yipes!!



Oh yeah... 8 burn marks the size of coin from small pieces of scorching hot quartz glass. One spot catch fire just second after it blew. The burn marks was spread all over the carpet so that was completely ruined. One piece of glass melted itself stuck to a laptop, one piece burned holes through some papers. And there was glass dust on every horizontal surface in the room. Not to mention that all this cr*p was mercury infested :green: So lot's of airing out, then out with the carpet and a 3 hour cleanup and washdown.


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## WarRaven (Sep 19, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Thankfully only material casualties👍🔦


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## PolarLi (Sep 27, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

For this light to work, I had to cut a hole for a fan. There was no way around it. It's probably some Francis enthusiasts that wish bad things upon me for cutting up a vintage light, but I'll take my chances :wave: 
To make up for the 'damage' this is what I did:






Cut a piece off a brass sheet, bent it to fit the profile of the housing and cut another hole. Soldered brass strips in place, then sanded the outside smooth.
For dust filter I use a #60 stainless mesh, and for the look, a #12 bronze mesh. 
I have some brass mesh too, but I thought the bronze was better. It give a nice contrast, and it match the other bronze details on the light. Feel free to agree or disagree. 
If anyone was wondering, this fan intake is _under_ the light, so you won't see it unless you look for it.
*The screws will be replaced by old style slotted brass screws... *





















Now on to one of the fan outlets. I drilled a 22 mm hole in the front glass. But there is more to this than just the hole. I have a plan... But waiting on some other stuff, so stay tuned.
A comment about the glass. It's actually made for 3D printers, and I got it really cheap. Just pure luck one of the standard sizes was the correct diameter. Time will tell if it handle the heat...


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## NoNotAgain (Sep 27, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

For future cutting of glass using a diamond hole saw, mix some dish washing detergent with water, then place in an old plastic bottle that you punched a ball point pen into. Invert and allow to drip on your work piece.

I see you're using a piece of aluminum as a pilot. I've found that wood makes a better pilot holder as it doesn't transfer aluminum to the diamond.

Can't see what you're using as a backer, but particle board works well.

I'm impressed with your fabrication knowledge. Nice filter cover.


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## PolarLi (Sep 27, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Thanks and thanks for the tip! First time i'm drilling glass. I used the garden hose for cooling... The pilot was not aluminium, just a piece of pine. Backer was indeed particle board with some hard laminate stuff on top. I think a brand name is formica? Anyway, the drilling went surprisingly fast. Most likely a little bit too fast cause I got some chipping on the back. Look closely on the last pic and you may see it, but It will be covered anyway so no big deal.


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## SemiMan (Sep 28, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

I have had glass cut with waterjet before. I was not doing anything too complex, but it was pretty reasonably priced as long as I could wait on their schedule. Perfectly clean edges. You can have virtually any pattern cut.

Semiman


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## PolarLi (Sep 28, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

The original plan was to get custom/water cut glass made, but reasonable price in Norway is a relative term... 
Paid $110 for 14" tempered glass for the other light, plus shipping. While custom made tempered glass is a two part process, it's also more common than borosilicate glass, so I think the price would have been similar for this. Anyhow, I stumbled across this 3d printer glass from China. $20 shipped, plus $5 for the diamond hole saw. On the other hand, only a good deal if it doesn't explode 30 seconds after the lamp is lit


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## SemiMan (Sep 29, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*



PolarLi said:


> The original plan was to get custom/water cut glass made, but reasonable price in Norway is a relative term...
> Paid $110 for 14" tempered glass for the other light, plus shipping. While custom made tempered glass is a two part process, it's also more common than borosilicate glass, so I think the price would have been similar for this. Anyhow, I stumbled across this 3d printer glass from China. $20 shipped, plus $5 for the diamond hole saw. On the other hand, only a good deal if it doesn't explode 30 seconds after the lamp is lit



I use this waterjet cutter company for other stuff and I have been dealing with him 15 years now and sent business his way. He gives me a break, as long as I don't screw up my CAD files in which case I get at least a verbal lashing.

That sounds really expensive for glass, even tempered. It does look quite thick though. 

Solar panel glass, the better tempered grades, come in 4mm I believe. I am not sure if that would work? It is quite cheap for the size. Just have to make sure you get the smooth surface, as numerous surface textures are used to improve performance.


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## PolarLi (Oct 2, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

It's alive, it's alive! Finally got to fire it up for the first time tonight. Well, not quite. This was just a temp test, and the lamp you "see" is *not *the MSR lamp, but a GE A1 244, 500 watt halogen lamp.
It has the same base and light center as the MSR so I figured it was perfect to check if the glass and cooling system is able to keep up. And the good news is that I can probably run 1000 watt with this setup. Housing temp was only 10 celsius over ambient! I may slow down the fan, cause it does sound a little bit like a vacuum cleaner now 
Edit; Yeah, I forgot to mention the most important thing: I did briefly test the MSR lamp too, and let's just say I won't be standing in front of it taking pictures (unless I want to fry the camera sensor)


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## xcon (Oct 4, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Can't wait to see the MSR lamp installed and in action !


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## PolarLi (Oct 4, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

I can't promise any beamshots before I am finished with the housing. At the moment everything is dismantled and I have started to prepare for polishing. But I do have pics of the lamp installed. An update and some other build pics from the weekend is coming soon.


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## PolarLi (Oct 5, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

As seen in my last update, lamp mount is ready. A piece of 4 mm aluminum that I cut from the leftover of the reflector mount. (pictures of this below) Three screws with 
springs on give me full control over the lamp. I did drill holes in the housing for the adjusting screws. I had plans for internal lamp adjustment to keep it as "stealth" as possible, but I came to the conclusion it was just too inconvenient in this housing. To make the external adjustment smooth, I had to make three tiny brass bushings/washers in the lathe. Then I sanded a 10 degree slant to them, so it matched the profile of the housing, and soldered them on. In this (not so good) before picture, you may see how the screws wasn't fully seated:







Then after mod:









I wanted more lamp cooling and a air vent in the front glass is nothing new. The part I came up with is the cooling tube. With that I get whatever airspeed I want over, or close to the lamp seal without any additional cooling fans or bulky duct work. By adjusting the airflow thru the other outlets, I can fine tune the amount of air passing this tube. I also made a sleeve so I can adjust the length of the tube and extend it over the lamp seal, but I won't be using that with this lamp. I also have an idea for pre-cooled air entering the tube, but again, it's not needed for this lamp. But with a high power UHP lamp it's another story.

I spent a few hours with the lathe making the parts. Unfortunatly the power feed has been disabled on my lathe, so no threads, but a collar with a set screw does the job. (Have to visit a RC shop for that set screw...) Made a custom sized hole punch in the lathe and punched a piece of the same bronze mesh I used on the intake, then soldered the outer flange, mesh and tube together. To avoid metal to glass contact, I made another custom sized hole punch and made two washers of thin PTFE. Then filled in the space behind with silicone.

Lathe work:






Soldering the tube to the outer flange with the mesh between:











Making PTFE washers:






Polished and installed:






First pic show how I will be using it, and the optional adjustable sleeve for a hotter lamp


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## xcon (Oct 5, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Nice craftsman ship


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## PolarLi (Oct 6, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Thanks! For the most part I just take my time, and then things usually turn out decent.


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## lucca brassi (Oct 7, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

 I LIKE IT 

PS : maybe for back adjustable screws https://www.ganter-griff.de/en/prod...d-nuts/DIN-464-Knurled-screws-Stainless-Steel


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## PolarLi (Oct 7, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Those knurled screws are nice, and I know they are available in brass too. (Need to be M4x20) When I think about it, I have removed the original knurled lamp adjuster (see the first and second picture in this thread) so it make sense to add new ones. Hmm, I have to consider this seriously now...


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## lucca brassi (Oct 8, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

it is just good to know that it is a lot of ''fancy'' screws from standard design (DIN XXX ) and are available worldwide under this code

https://www.ganter-griff.de/en/prod...-screws-Wing-nuts-Knurled-screws-Knurled-nuts

http://www.mechanicalcomponents.co.uk/en/page/thumb-screws


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## PolarLi (Oct 8, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Ok, so I'm more or less finished with the light itself. Everything is installed in the housing. And it works great so far :twothumbs But I still has to make the stand, install the ballast and a PSU, and glue on the mahogany veneer (that i'm still waiting on) so no pictures of the light before everything is ready  But I did add a little teaser below. And of course beamshots! 

Polishing:






Every little screw...






After 10 hours(!) there is some dust...






A few word about the beamshots and the camera setting. The objective was to get the 2800 meters/1.7 miles target illumination as accurate as possible seen from where I was standing. I landed on 1/2 sec, ISO 800, f/2.8. Unfortunately I did not take into account the resize to 800 pixel... so I added a crop for a little more target detail.

This is the control. Well, actually, just for giggles, I put a very popular 1000 lumens flashlight on the table behind the light. You may see a tiny white spot there 






The 30.000 lumens 400 watt MSR SA lamp @ 2800 meters:






Crop of same picture:





And finally, the 14" light got some company! 100.000 lamp lumens in action :devil:






Sorry for the green stuff that ruin my beamshots :shakehead (the two pics below are 2.5 sec exposure)











And the little teaser at last


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## PolarLi (Oct 8, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*



lucca brassi said:


> it is just good to know that it is a lot of ''fancy'' screws from standard design (DIN XXX ) and are available worldwide under this code



So I checked the measurements, and I figured the head was a little bit too big and the collar too long, So I think I will make these myself. Just need to buy a knurling tool first, but I need that anyway. But thanks for the input, appreciate it!


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## SemiMan (Oct 8, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Beams and Borealis ..... Absolutely amazing!!!!


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## PolarLi (Oct 8, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Thanks!
Actually, the only reason I got these Northern Light pics tonight, with the camera only 10 meters away from the light/beam, is beacuse the NL intensity was very high. I just saw the so called K-index that go from 0-9, was a 7 when I took those pics. Because of that I got away with only 2,5 sec exposure. Normally I need much longer exposure for NL. But if I used that so close to the beam, everything around me, including the beam would have been very overexposed. To get good NL pics under normal conditions with a light beam this intense, I need to have the camera 200-400 meters away from the beam.


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## SemiMan (Oct 8, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

It looks like a once in a lifetime shot. I am envious


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## BVH (Oct 8, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Beautiful shots!


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## FLfrk (Oct 9, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Incredible beamshot with an incredible backdrop. Love it!


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## jonathan.eric (Oct 9, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

That's a mighty impressive light, thanks for sharing.


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## PolarLi (Oct 9, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

:thanks: I think I've mentioned it before, that I can't really take credit for nature, but I'm glad you guys like it! 



SemiMan said:


> It looks like a once in a lifetime shot. I am envious



It was a good display for sure, but definitely not a once in a lifetime. NL is very common around here.



jonathan.eric said:


> That's a mighty impressive light, thanks for sharing.



I'm very happy with it myself! Quite the thrower in a very non-intimidating package. Now I'm very curious about what numbers I can get on a lux meter, so I have ordered one. Should be fun to compare it to the big light


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## PolarLi (Oct 10, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

I need some input here. I cut the pieces for the stand/ballast box yesterday. Have not assembled it yet, because I can't decide if I want to round the corners (see the pencil line, that's a 17 mm radius, and I cant go much more or less than that) or if I should leave all corners sharp? As mentioned, the box will be covered in mahogany veneer.
There is no sharp corners on the light itself, so round corners make sense, but if I round the corners, I fear the box may end up looking like Apple's TV box :laughing:
Anyone?


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## NoNotAgain (Oct 10, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

If it were me, I'd just run the box thru a router using a 1/16-1/8" rounding over bit on all the edges. Any more than that and you might have an issue the vernier. As for the vernier, are you planning to glue vertical or horizontal? How thick are you planning and are you going to steam it to get the best fit?


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## PolarLi (Oct 10, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

With 1/16-1/8 rounding bit, do you you mean the radius, right? I have never worked with veneer before, but from what I've been reading, I thought I could only go down to a 1/2" radius, any less it may split? So on the sides I figured it was easy enough since I can run one long lenght of veneer around the box. But if I also round the top corner (that I normally would love to do), it's a whole different animal with straight seems, and bend both along and across the grain, so I feel that's way beyond my beginner level. The veneer is iron on, so only heat, no steam.

Edit: The Veneer is 0.6 mm thick.


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## NoNotAgain (Oct 10, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

That's correct, the radius.

With your metal working talents, I doubt that you'll have a problem ironing veneer on. If by chance you have an area that doesn't want to adhere, Elmer's Carpenters glue is your friend.

I had a side board server that I thought was solid wood, that turned out to be a veneer finish. I was sanding with a belt sander and burner thru an edge. Out came the steam iron. 20 minutes the veneer was removed and the under laying wood was cleaned up. I use contact cement and dowels to keep the adherents apart until I'm ready to squish them together. In my case, the smaller the radius, the better.


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## PolarLi (Oct 11, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Well, metal and wood, two different things  But I'm gonna do some tests first. see if I find a router bit I can use, and lay the veneer on some pieces and see what I can do and what I can't. Update another day. 

Either way, i'm still open for more opinions on sharp vs rounded corners.


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## NoNotAgain (Oct 11, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*



PolarLi said:


> Well, metal and wood, two different things  But I'm gonna do some tests first. see if I find a router bit I can use, and lay the veneer on some pieces and see what I can do and what I can't. Update another day.
> 
> Either way, i'm still open for more opinions on sharp vs rounded corners.



Yes, attempt a piece of scrap first. I don't know what type of home repair of shop supply stores you have access to, but this http://www.homedepot.com/p/Vermont-...ound-Over-and-Bead-Router-Bit-23129/205211166 bit is what I'm talking about.

On a small project like your box, I'd use a laminate router as they are light and have plenty of horse power to cut thru laminated wood without splintering. The other thing that I do is to apply a few layers of tape for the bearing to run on, then remove a layer each pass. That way your final pass will only be .005" of material.

I try whenever possible to purchase carbide bits with a good bearing. Here in the states, Dewalt, Black & Decker, Porter Cable and a few other companies are all owned by Stanley Tool Works. There are a few independent companies making wood working tools but most of them are tool steel.


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## PolarLi (Oct 15, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Well, this is what I ended up with. I hope Apple don't sue me  Not to happy with the color, so I will sand it some more and put on a few layers with clearcoat. Anyhow, before I can cut holes in the back plate for fan, switch and socket, I need to figure out where to put the name plate. In the front, dead center, or on the back plate? When not in use, the backplate will always be facing a wall, so not really visible. In the front, perhaps too visible? On the other hand, the big shiny searchlight on top will probably draw most of the attention anyway, so i'm not really sure. :thinking:
Note: If I don't place the name plate on the back, I will most likely put the switch beside the socket, not over as the picture. Hence the reason I need to figure this out before I start cutting.

Back:






Front:





Edit, update with the build details coming some other day.


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## xcon (Oct 15, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

The colour looks good  , the curved edges are nice , good job 

Can you not mount the name plate on the top ? , if not, name plate on the front looks good


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## PolarLi (Oct 15, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Thanks! The edges turned out great, freehand shape no less. I never got that roundover router bit... And the color is ok, just a little bit to brown, I think. Obviously my own fault, cause I found some leftover wood stain and used that. But some light sanding should take some of it off and bring back more of the redish mahogany color. 

But yeah, the name plate. No, I can't center it on top cause the light stand take up most of the space. Off center may be possible. But your suggestion about the front placement is noted!


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## PolarLi (Oct 23, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Two updates today. First the build pics, and then the complete light 

As I said above, I never got that roundover bit for my router, so I had to round the corners by hand. Filled in the screw holes with spackling paste and sanded everything smooth. The veneer went on easy, (Just hope it stays on) Some wood stain on that, and 8 layers with clearcoat. (I can still smell it...) Wet sand that and polish. 
















As usual there was plenty of other tasks to take care of. And this is just some of them.

All the internal parts of the original cable gland was long gone, so I made a new part from a plastic one in the lathe, and glued that in place.











Then there was cutting some holes with a Dremel in the brass back plate. Cutting is easy. Making it smooth takes more time.






To keep the light from rotating more than 360 degree and potentially damage the cable, I had to make a stopper. One custom made brass bushing with a wood screw on the box, and a threaded rod on the tube from the light. This also lock the the tube from being pulled out when I lift it.











Ignitor is installed on a piece of brass that I soldered on. Then a piece of 3M VHB on that plus two zip ties. Probably have to use a blow torch to get it off 
Installed helicoils in the lamp adjuster to make sure the threads hold up.
Silicone coated fiberglass sleeves on most wires.






Also cemented on a temp sensor on the lamp. 






Ballast, PSU, some fans and some wires.






And the underside. The air outlet and the "HiFi feets" with rubber insert.


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## PolarLi (Oct 23, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

So here it is, finally done! And I couldn't be happier with the result! I don't like to brag, but i'm not afraid to say it does look amazing, and the performance? Well, it's amazing too! 































Cheers Xcon  Of course, some of the stuff on that sign is a big fat lie :laughing:







No shelf queen allowed here! Out in the cold to spit lumens, and that gave me some splendid results!






During the test run yesterday, I point it at a 6500 meters/4 mile target, and I thought, "Nah, I don't think I will reach that, but maybe I can see it with binoculars?" Well, I didn't see anything behind the blinding light, so I walked to the other side of the house, and there it was, clear as day! Ok ok, not exactly as day... but I definitely hit my target, visible with the naked eye! Later I noticed it was 81% humidity so i'm thinking not perfect conditions either. I think that's pretty bad *** performance from a retired 8" searchlight from 1955  Lamp upgrade to UHP is put on ice for now, because that little MSR lamp in combination with the Phoenix reflector does it's job quite good I must say. 
First pic, very close to real life, the other one has enhanced brightness to show what we actually looking at.


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## NoNotAgain (Oct 23, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Was the routed area on the upper portion of the box one of those oh heck moments? Looks like you needed a little more clearance for the fans.

Otherwise, awaiting your completion pictures.


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## PolarLi (Oct 23, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*



NoNotAgain said:


> Was the routed area on the upper portion of the box one of those oh heck moments? Looks like you needed a little more clearance for the fans.
> 
> Otherwise, awaiting your completion pictures.



Yes and no  I deliberately designed the box as low as absolutely possible, long before i started cutting the wood, and routed out the area on top for the ballast fans and also the rear fan before I put it together (have the pics to prove it ) However, that pic will also show that the area was narrower than it is now... I measured from the outer edge, forgetting 18mm of side wall...  So the ballast didn't fit... so I had to go in after the box was glued together, but luckily before the veneer and all that, with the router, that barely fit inside the box, and make it wider. Some part of it I had to do with a chisel. You may see the square corner on the left, and the rounded router corner on the right.


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## NoNotAgain (Oct 23, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

I've got two things to say.

WOW!

That's BEAUTIFUL.


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## PolarLi (Oct 23, 2015)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Thanks! And what can I say? It better be!  Cause I have spent awfully many hours building this thing :sick2:


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## FRITZHID (Oct 23, 2015)

PolarLi, that is truly excellent. Absolutely beautiful! Kudos.


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## sledhead (Oct 24, 2015)

Just stunning! A labor of love that turned into a work of art......

Those beamshots with the Northern Lights are truly amazing....icing on the cake!


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## kj2 (Oct 24, 2015)

That look so darn beautiful  well done! :twothumbs


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## PolarLi (Oct 24, 2015)

Thanks again guys! Appreciate it :twothumbs



sledhead said:


> Just stunning! A labor of love that turned into a work of art......
> Those beamshots with the Northern Lights are truly amazing....icing on the cake!



Thanks! I don't think I will go into any art discussion, but rememeber that this thing came out the factory like this!  (kind of )
More Northern lights pics will hopefully show up, and have to try out my infamous "moonlight" mode again, and definitely some lux readings when I get that meter.


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## Walterk (Oct 24, 2015)

Wonderful! Very very impressive. 
Now keep it clean and well adjusted.


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## PolarLi (Oct 24, 2015)

Walterk said:


> Wonderful! Very very impressive.
> Now keep it clean and well adjusted.



Yes sir!


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## [email protected] (Oct 26, 2015)

Great work all around. Your attention to detail is beyond impressive and the respect you gave towards the old design while making updates was my favorite part.


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## xcon (Oct 26, 2015)

Very impressive  , nice craftsmanship from start to finish


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## PolarLi (Oct 26, 2015)

[email protected] said:


> Great work all around. Your attention to detail is beyond impressive and the respect you gave towards the old design while making updates was my favorite part.



Thanks! And I couldn't avoid noticing your username, so :thumbsup: The main goal was to keep the orginal look (with some small deviations) and then find the tech that could fit. 



xcon said:


> Very impressive  , nice craftsmanship from start to finish



:thumbsup:


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## PolarLi (Feb 3, 2016)

Got myself a new lamp.. And yeah, a "bit" more throw... 
You have seen the before pics, but I post them here for comparison. Distance 2800 meters/1.7 miles.
All same camera setting, 1/2 sec ISO 800, f/2.8

Old lamp:






New lamp:





And the crop.

Old:





New 




Note: There is snow on the target on both pics, but not down here on the old pic, so don't pay attention to the extra light around the house on the new one. 

I will post some info about the upgrade and some lux readings another day.


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## sledhead (Feb 3, 2016)

I'm thinking you're a happy man!! Great shots as usual. :thumbsup:


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## PolarLi (Feb 4, 2016)

Oh yeah, starting to close in on the 14" in throw! Although, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing...


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## Davekan (Feb 4, 2016)

Wow, very nice restoration, and very very likely higher cd than the original. 

Dave


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## ICUDoc (Feb 6, 2016)

Wow, polarli- I've been away for a loong time, just came back for a look around. But I had to log in and comment, because I think this is one of the best restorations I've ever seen! Great job- it looks fantastic! I love the super-power in a beautifully-restored cabinet, it's just fantastic. Cant say enough good things, mate...


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## PolarLi (Feb 6, 2016)

Thank you for the kind words!
___________

BTW, if anyone was waiting for lux and candela numbers, hopefully one day next week. I'm working on yet another lamp(...) and i'm waiting for some supplies.


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## PolarLi (Feb 10, 2016)

So I bought a Lux meter. (Amprobe LM-120) and long story short, that ended up costing me some time and money  I did the readings at 104 meters, and first out was the MSR lamp. I got 12.7 million candela.
Great, but not spectacular. So I went back to my plan A, UHP. But after the 350W lamp accident, I wanted to start out small. So I tried a 190W lamp and ballast. That gave me 37.8 million candela. Quite the throw improvement, but lamp lumens was down to only 11-12000.

Since I already had a 350W lamp, I just had to try it  New reading was 46.6 million candela. Now I was on fire! (not literally this time...) so upgraded that with a even better lamp a few days ago. Supposedly has a 1 mm arc gap. Around 19-20000 lamp lumens. 
*
And the latest reading gave 5110 lux at 104 meters. 
That is 55 million candela. 1 lux @ 7400 meters. Or if you are used to the ANSI flashlight standard, 0.25 lux @ 14.8 Km/9.2 miles.* 

Keep in mind that this is not a lab measurement with calibrated equipment, and this results is from only one measurement, so there could obviously be some errors. I will probably do a few more tests in the coming weeks. 

So here is the retro, retro fit... Had to drill new holes for the PSU's and ballast. You may also see a piece of a CD cover to direct air from the fan over the ballast. Removed the old multicore cable and replaced it with my own high and low voltage "hybrid":






I made a spacer for the ballast fan to get more air flow and less noise: 






This is how the inside of the light looks like (the pic is of the "old" 350W lamp) 






Here is the empty glass reflector after I have removed the lamp:






And the new lamp with my custom brass base before potting:






My two 350W lamps completed. New one to the right: 






And here is the throw factory in all it's glory, a picture of the arc:






If anyone was wondering, no, I have not damaged the light doing all this testing. The new cable is the only visible change to the light's exterior:


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## Davekan (Feb 10, 2016)

Nice to see such high numbers from 8" reflector. I have found some bare uhp lamps, up to 350 watt, but none with 1mm gap in 350 watt. 
What are you using as a potting compound.

Thanks Dave


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## PolarLi (Feb 10, 2016)

I used Omegabond 600 for the potting. Note, I only have a couple of hours runtime on that, so no guarantees. But so far, so good. You also have something called Omegabond CC and 700 that may work. As for the arc gap, I have a feeling you never really know for sure with these no name lamps.


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## NoNotAgain (Feb 10, 2016)

PolarLi,

I've been looking for either a Francis or Carlisle & Finch light for a while, to no avail. The ones that show up are either beat to crap or missing the yoke and adjustment rack. 

Found a Perko 12" light last week. The good news is that it uses a CZX 500watt bulb, though a short 25 hour run time. Perko lists 8 different wattages and 4 different voltage bulbs, so if got lots of options for power. 
The light is dent free and has a new mirror and front glass. 

For starters, I'll try the 500 watt bulb, then probably look at swapping to a short arc. 

You've set the bar mighty high.


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## eVoX (Feb 11, 2016)

Very nice project!
So are your 350W lamps comparable to the 'Philips MSD Platinum 17 RA' ?
The specs seem to match.
Are you using the same 350W ballast for the MSR and P-VIP bulbs?
Also im wondering, why the 30k Lumens of the MSR Bulb look dimmer than the 20k of the P-VIP (Post 61). I mean, the beam directly at the Searchlight should actually be brigter, shouldn't it?


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## PolarLi (Feb 11, 2016)

NoNotAgain said:


> PolarLi,
> 
> I've been looking for either a Francis or Carlisle & Finch light for a while, to no avail. The ones that show up are either beat to crap or missing the yoke and adjustment rack.



Used marine searchlights in good condition don't seem to be that common. It's also my impression that Ebay is not the right place for these type of lights. Did you plan to use this on a boat, stationary, or portable? 
Anyway, If you need a Universal AC HID ballast 350-800 watt, I happen to have one left over :thumbsup:



eVoX said:


> Very nice project!
> So are your 350W lamps comparable to the 'Philips MSD Platinum 17 RA' ?
> The specs seem to match.
> Are you using the same 350W ballast for the MSR and P-VIP bulbs?
> Also im wondering, why the 30k Lumens of the MSR Bulb look dimmer than the 20k of the P-VIP (Post 61). I mean, the beam directly at the Searchlight should actually be brigter, shouldn't it?



My latest lamp should be comparable to the platinum 17 RA. But buying clone lamps for 1/4 of the price, you never really know what you get. The first 350w lamp started out as a Osram P-Vip, that exploded... I got that replaced by a no name lamp. 
I am using a different ballast now. 

So why does the beam appear brighter in air? Well, It is more collimated. The UHP lamp also has a higher color temp than the MSR lamp, so the camera sensor may respond different to it. Even different air conditions will have a visible effect. As I said, the camera settings are identical on both pics, so I can't explain it any better than that.


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## NoNotAgain (Feb 11, 2016)

PolarLi,

You are correct, eBay is a waste land for marine search lights. Every once and a while one pops up from an estate sale, but most of the ones being sold are ones that the nautical dealers have passed on purchasing.

I've been down to Virginia Beach and Norfolk Virginia, as there are a lot of outfitter shops that purchase the lights. The problem is, they purchase and refurbish with the intent of selling as ornaments not lighting, so they command a very high price.

Your restored light would command $1200 with no working electronics, just polished up and the box you have it sitting on.

An old girlfriend had family living in Gulfport Mississippi a couple of blocks from the waterfront. Gulfport was one of the largest shrimping ports in the US, and a lot of ships would be scrapped out. There were many shops selling old ships lights. Hurricane Katrina wiped out the entire area, more than a mile in from the coast. I'd imagine that over the next 50 years, some of those lights and other equipment will end up washing a shore.


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## PolarLi (Feb 11, 2016)

It guess I was lucky when I found this one pre-restored. Paid $200 for it, and I think it was a fair price. These old brass units are up a notch in price, and the sellers usually know it. But if you just need a working light or something as a project host, cast aluminium or steel will save you some money.


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## PolarLi (Feb 13, 2016)

Happy Vale... Ok, let's try that again. V for Victory? Yeah, that'll work  :laughing:






The uncropped version over the roof. 
Light pointing to the left is the 850W 14", The other one is the Francis.






Also did a new lux reading, and corrected what I thought could have given me a too high reading the first time, but it was false alarm. I got the exact same result: 55 mcd. 
I also tested the 14" light. That came in at 62.4 million candela. 

So how does all this candela look when I point them both at the 2.8 Km target? Well, the picture pretty much tell the same story as the lux meter. The Francis is sooo close to the 14" in throw. And the color is much nicer, huh? 











However, the big light has one trick up its sleeve, electric focus
I can make the spot even wider with very little reduction in intensity at these distances.


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## Davekan (Feb 14, 2016)

Very nice shots. Perhaps its time to put one of those 1mm gap bulbs in the 14". that should get you to about 150+ million candela.

Dave


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## NoNotAgain (Feb 14, 2016)

Davekan said:


> Very nice shots. Perhaps its time to put one of those 1mm gap bulbs in the 14". that should get you to about 150+ million candela.
> 
> Dave



I've been looking at Carlisle & Finch's site for a while and the only short arc they show with 150 million candle power is a 2500 watt unit. 

Their 500 watt short arc is rated @ 45 million candle power. This is based on using a 14 or 15 inch light. 

Decisions, decisions, decisions!


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## PolarLi (Feb 14, 2016)

Davekan said:


> Very nice shots. Perhaps its time to put one of those 1mm gap bulbs in the 14". that should get you to about 150+ million candela.
> 
> Dave



Thanks! 
It's tempting, but no. I put so much time and thought in the 14", it would be a shame to rip it apart, just to get more candela. (I am aware, that sounds like the biggest paradox, coming from me ) The big light still produce 70K lumens. That is some serious power. As I mention, I can zoom it much more out, with little effect on throw. The UHP lamp in that reflector would be more like a needle. But sure, it would be interesting to see.


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## lightlover (Feb 14, 2016)

PolarLi,

That whole thing is beautiful - I'm speechless.

How do you arrange the (lovely) beamshots - you're obviously some distance away ..


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## PolarLi (Feb 14, 2016)

:thanks: and please don't stop speaking, hehe. 
By arrange, I guess you mean the V? Well, I put the camera on a tripod on the opposite side of the house, approx 20 meters away. The lights itself was only spaced 5-6 meters apart. Then I had to go back and forth a few times adjusting the lights before I was able to line the beams up. So yes, I have a few pictures with some very asymmetrical V's  The other beamshots are just pointing the light on one mountain (of many) and take the pictures.


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## xcon (Feb 14, 2016)

Amazing pic's again PolarLi :thumbsup:


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## ven (Feb 16, 2016)

WOW , astonishing work, truly amazing and what a read through it.........

As for the pics, stunning, you live in a really beautiful country.


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## PolarLi (Feb 16, 2016)

Thanks! 
And I noticed your location, so I can remind you the light was made in England :thumbsup: not far from you I believe? (Bolton)


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## ven (Feb 17, 2016)

Up the road !! 

:laughing:


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## Mr. Tone (Feb 17, 2016)

What a great thread, PolarLi. Thanks for sharing all your hard work with us and taking so many pics along the way. I love these build threads. Your attention to detail is great and you sure got some incredible performance out of this. The end result is simply beautiful, great job.


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## LeanBurn (Feb 17, 2016)

I am simply astonished at the quality, time and degree of your restoration work. You are quite talented. 


lovecpf for this reason.


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## PolarLi (Feb 17, 2016)

Mr. Tone said:


> I love these build threads


Me too! Build threads, in general, is an awesome way to kill some time and learn something new :thumbsup:


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## poolmike (Feb 18, 2016)

Nice work! I stumbled upon this forum/thread searching for info on a boat spotlight that I found. I am glad I did. Not sure if I can make mine quite as nice as yours!


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## PolarLi (Feb 18, 2016)

Thanks, and welcome to the forum! 
If the light you got, or planning to get, is a old brass, bronze or copper light, and it's not full of dents or deep scratches, the metal itself will polish up just as nice with some very straightforward steps and a basic soft metal polishing kit. It's not black magic, it just take some time. Just ask if you want more details on how I did the finishing job on this one.


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## PolarLi (Apr 4, 2016)

I realized the thread was missing a decent picture of the reflector with the UHP lamp installed :duh2: Fixed! Sunshine for that extra sparkle. Sunglasses mandatory


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## xcon (Apr 4, 2016)

Perfect PolarLi :thumbsup: looks amazing restored


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## staticx57 (Apr 4, 2016)

That is one awesome looking light there


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## NoNotAgain (Jun 19, 2016)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

A few months back after inspiration by Polarli, I purchased a brass 16" searchlight. 
During shipping, the carrier broke the lens, so I had to have a new one made. Instead of just getting heat resistant glass I opted for tempered heat resistant glass with AR coating. I've now got that installed. 

My mirror needed resilvering, so after searching for a company that could correctly do the job, off the parabolic mirror went. 

Saturday my newly silvered mirror was returned, but it's in many pieces. I built a wood crate allowing 2" of foam surrounding all sides, but the shipper still managed to break it. 

Anyone following this thread have an idea where another 16" parabolic mirror can be found?

Somehow I don't think I'm wanted to build this light. 

Polarli, who did you purchase your reflector from again?


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## Ladd (Jun 19, 2016)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

Now thats one of the saddest mod stories ever! Did the carrier reimburse your loss?


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## BVH (Jun 19, 2016)

*Re: 1955 Francis Searchlight - 350W Short Arc - Restomod*

I had a couple 14" VSS-3a Parabolics made by Phoenix Electroform - an advertiser here. I am happy with the products I got. Pricing was very reasonable.


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## NoNotAgain (Jun 19, 2016)

Ladd said:


> Now thats one of the saddest mod stories ever! Did the carrier reimburse your loss?



FedEx paid the $248 bill for the new lens. 





I have to either drive to their terminal or have a call ticket issued so that they can verify damages. 

The resilver job was $180 but I've got the insurance for $500 since I knew it would be next to impossible to find a replacement. 

I really want to keep this light as an incandescent version as I've got a few 500, 750 and 1000 watt bulbs and a new light stand with socket. 

BVH, I've looked at Phoenix's site before. If going with a reflector then I'm pretty much going to have to go the arc light route and power supply. Staying incandescent I can run from my small Honda generator for portability. A 2000 watt arc or HMI light probably is going to need more power.


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## PolarLi (Jun 20, 2016)

Sad story indeed! I can't believe how they managed to break that mirror :thumbsdow Wasn't it pretty thick too?

I got this reflector from Phoenix. But when you keep your light incan, I would try to find a new glass mirror, or alternatively, a polished aluminium reflector. You can try to contact 
dealers that sell commercial marine searchlights. They will be able to get you a mirror or reflector, _close_ to the right size. 
Perhaps a few simple modifications to the mounting brackets, and you should be back in business.


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## Obsessedwithlights (Feb 6, 2021)

Hello all,

Just wanted to say you guys all do such an amazing job. This is my first post and wanted to ask you guys a couple of questions. The Francis searchlight restore and mod was amazing to see and read about. Looking forward to posting some pictures of my restore and modification.

I have a carlisle and finch 19" halogen marine searchlight with independent controls for up and down and left and right movements. I am in the process of fully restoring it and have recently fixed all of the electrical components that move the light and currently I am sand blasting it and getting it powder coated. 

I have installed brand new searchlights using xenon short arc technology, but it was all together and I just had to wire it up. 

My problem is that this 19" searchlight uses a standard halogen bulb sitting in the vertical position and I want to upgrade to a brighter source of light. I don't want to spend the money to use xenon short arc so I was leaning more towards a MSR 1,200 watt bulb. I can find the bulbs all day long, but I can not find anything regarding the power supply / ballast needed for different types of bulbs. 

Any recommendations for what type of bulb would be great, it has a parabolic mirror with NO center drilled hole. If I am going to mount the bulb perpendicular to the reflector it will require making some slight modifications to the original bulb base.


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## IgNITEor (Feb 8, 2021)

Hey Obessedwithlights!

Welcome to the place where Legacy Spotlights get a chance at a new life.

We don't have a thread for the 19" C & F lights yet, as far as I can tell. You may want to start one if you are serious about upgrading yours. We like to see progress pics, of course.
I have three of the 19" C & F incandescent (pre-halogen) with one operational using a 1200W DHT projector lamp. This is the brightest old-school lamp with a compact C-13D filament and works well with the factory glass reflector.
I did mount a HMI 1200 SE lamp in this light as a test for one season. The original ballast was a Frankenstein build, and I still have it. The ignitor used for the HMI was a BAG Electronics model SE 15/7U that was mounted inside the drum below
the lamp. Worked well and very bright. Lamp was mounted vertical and with the original focus-adjusting base. The BAG ignitor is not a hot restrike type.

The DHT lamp has a short operating life, 25 hours. They are affordable on eBay. It's a very hot lamp and requires forced air for cooling so I installed two intake filters on the bottom of the drum and a axial fan on top.

You can see the Baby Ray here


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## Obsessedwithlights (Feb 9, 2021)

Thank you so much for your response. I am very serious about upgrading the lamp, however it may be a little while I sent the light out to have all the old paint removed.. I have the light stripped down to nothing. It has a horizontal and vertical motor to control the searchlight. 

I am sending it off to have it powder coated afterwards. 

I will start a thread for it, I am so lost when it comes to these specialty lamps and building a circuit for it.. I understand I need a power supply which I found one out of an old movie theater. I believe it is a strong industry 1kw-3kw and I also found an irem igniter, but figuring out how to wire it so it works reliably is a whole other issue. 

I will take your advice and start a thread, just didn't want to start a thread and not have much to show right now.


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