Home-Made Swirl Light (Sun Gun)...under $30

Lasthope05 said:
From what I remember the bulb isnt whats patented in the 3m sun gun it was the electronics or something else as i remember it has an over drive feature. I cant exactly remember what it was as its been a few months since i read that thread.

You can buy the same exact bulbs the 3m gun uses for only a few dollars.

::EDIT:

I stand corrected the bulb is patented. Here is the thread I book marked on it.

The Ultimate Home-Made swirl spotting torch - Detailing World
Click to expand...

Yes, it's the bulb that's patented by 3M....But a person can purchase it without buying the Sun Gun/Sun Gun replacement parts.

In laymen's terms....The Sun Gun's electronic "over-drive" is nothing more than if you use a 14 volt variable speed drill with the 12v lamp....When the v-speed trigger is fully depressed it will cause the "surge" (but this will lessen the lamp-life over time...same as the Sun Gun.)

:)

Bob
 
cpa5oh said:
Given detailingworld is in the U.K....

Is this the bulb? Amazon.com: EiKO 35003 SoLux True Daylight Flood 35 Watt MR16 Halogen Lamp, 36 Degree Beam Angle, 12 Volt, 4700 Kelvin: Home Improvement

And is this the holder?
Amazon.com: TP-61 G/GU/GX/GZ4 G/GU/GX5.3 G/GX/GY/GZ6.35 lamp holder: BulbAmerica

The above bulb says it's a 36 degree angle...I'd imagine that either doesn't make a difference or when everyone is referring to 35 degree bulbs they're just rounding the 36 down a bit. And the holder looks like it's universal for a bunch of different bulb styles.
Click to expand...

Yes that's the lamp....The 36 degree does make a difference...if one wishes to exactly mimic the Sun Gun and its attributes...the same attributes that body shops use the Sun Gun for.
Similar lamp holder...many different styles available (optional, but makes for an easier "homemade-build").

A couple other places have them also.

:)

Bob
 
Wills.WindowsAndWheels said:
Yes that's the lamp....The 36 degree does make a difference...if one wishes to exactly mimic the Sun Gun and its attributes...the same attributes that body shops use the Sun Gun for.
Similar lamp holder...many different styles available (optional, but makes for an easier "homemade-build").

A couple other places have them also.

:)

Bob
Click to expand...

Thanks Bob! I'm gonna order my *stuff* today...as for the drill, I'm gonna do some recon at Sears today - they have a new 14.4V drill for 24.99 (surprisingly, even places like Harbor Freight are selling only 18v drills...not alot of cheap 14.4V's anymore.) 24.99 makes it a 40.00 project, which is good for me.

(When I was referring to the "36 degrees," I was just making sure that the 36 degrees and the 35 degrees mentioned in the detailingworld thread were essentially the same...it's only 1 degree, I imagine that 1 degree isn't an issue.)
 
cpa5oh said:
I'm gonna do some recon at Sears today - they have a new 14.4V drill for 24.99
Click to expand...

Good for you! And happy DIYing.

The 14.4v drill will enable you to have the "over-drive" function when you fully depress the trigger. (Using a 12v lamp, that is.)

Even though using the "over-drive" function will reduce the life-expectancy of the "special 12v halogen lamp"....With a 4,000 hr. total burn time, this particular lamp should last awhile....Surely, You Don't Have That Many Swirls, Do Ya? J/K

:)

Bob
 
Cool project Will. Thanks for sharing it and the in depth step by step! :cheers:
 
Wills.WindowsAndWheels said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by FUNX725
This is how I made mine...
Since I'm going to use an old drill I had lying around, and the batteries and charger are no longer usable, I'm going to hard-wire it with a 120v-12v convertor (from an old computer set-up) with a 30ft cord length".
Total Cost (USD): $10.93
I saved $389.00.
Bob



So you actually did yours with a hardwire..or are you still just planning on doing it? How did it turn out if you did it?
Click to expand...


I definitely do not want to hi-jack your thread Will...You did a fantastic DIYer!!

(I may start a new thread?)...

But since you asked....Here's a sneak peek:

Brillanteelsol_15.JPG


:)

Bob
 
I'm not finding it real easy to buy a cheap, new 14.4v drill. I can find cheap, new 18v drills (at HarborFreight and Sears,) but not 14.4v.
 
cpa5oh said:
I'm not finding it real easy to buy a cheap, new 14.4v drill. I can find cheap, new 18v drills (at HarborFreight and Sears,) but not 14.4v.
Click to expand...

A 12v 3/8 drive drill will work just fine...

Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, and big box bargain stores usually have some drills like: Black&Decker 12v on sale, if not now, in a couple of weeks (Before/After Christmas Sales), if you can hold out a little longer.

:)

Bob has some
 
FUNX725 said:
A 12v 3/8 drive drill will work just fine...

Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, and big box bargain stores usually have some drills like: Black&Decker 12v on sale, if not now, in a couple of weeks (Before/After Christmas Sales), if you can hold out a little longer.

:)

Bob has some
Click to expand...

Wouldn't the 12v be less effective? I thought the 14.4v nature of a 14.4v drill was what gave the bulb the power to produce so much light?
 
cpa5oh said:
Given detailingworld is in the U.K....

Is this the bulb? Amazon.com: EiKO 35003 SoLux True Daylight Flood 35 Watt MR16 Halogen Lamp, 36 Degree Beam Angle, 12 Volt, 4700 Kelvin: Home Improvement

And is this the holder?
Amazon.com: TP-61 G/GU/GX/GZ4 G/GU/GX5.3 G/GX/GY/GZ6.35 lamp holder: BulbAmerica

The above bulb says it's a 36 degree angle...I'd imagine that either doesn't make a difference or when everyone is referring to 35 degree bulbs they're just rounding the 36 down a bit. And the holder looks like it's universal for a bunch of different bulb styles.
Click to expand...

The bulb is correct and this is the connector i got (i think yours is right but cant swear to it) eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

The seller has it listed at a crazy price now, i think its just a mistake cause i got mine for 99c + like $1.49 shipping. I think you're correct about the bulb holder being universal, but id check w/the seller first to be sure..if you have any doubts that is.

The actual bulb i got is this one and it is 36 degree, i may have made a typo in the write up if i said 35...i believe its 35 watts, not degrees

Amazon.com: EiKO 35003 SoLux True Daylight Flood 35 Watt MR16 Halogen Lamp, 36 Degree Beam Angle, 12 Volt, 4700 Kelvin: Home Improvement
 
CEE DOG said:
Cool project Will. Thanks for sharing it and the in depth step by step! :cheers:
Click to expand...

Sure thing Corey! Was kinda fun and challenging having to alter it a bit w/the 1/2"...used it today though...worked like a charm. Had a Chili red Mini cooper with a black top...this thing is bitter sweet...its sweet in the fact that it shows EVERY flaw in the paint...its bitter in the fact that...it shows EVERY flaw...in the paint lol. Was only a single pass unfortunately, though a few spots i did a couple passes as they were too bad for me to just leave, but it turned out sweet. Owner tipped nicely and said he'd be having us back to do his 07' black Vette...no single pass though on that one hehe :props:

cpa5oh said:
Thanks Bob! I'm gonna order my *stuff* today...as for the drill, I'm gonna do some recon at Sears today - they have a new 14.4V drill for 24.99 (surprisingly, even places like Harbor Freight are selling only 18v drills...not alot of cheap 14.4V's anymore.) 24.99 makes it a 40.00 project, which is good for me.

(When I was referring to the "36 degrees," I was just making sure that the 36 degrees and the 35 degrees mentioned in the detailingworld thread were essentially the same...it's only 1 degree, I imagine that 1 degree isn't an issue.)
Click to expand...

$25 isn't bad for a new drill..i couldn't find a cheal 14.4 either, thats why i went on the hunt for used ones...even amazon and ebay wanted crazy amounts..i checks c-list but couldnt find many under $25...something under $20 would be ideal..but you might have to bide your time to wait for the right deal. Sears may offer some sort of additional discount if you are a card holder or if you can find an promo code :)

FUNX725 said:
[/I][/B]
[/COLOR]
I definitely do not want to hi-jack your thread Will...You did a fantastic DIYer!!

(I may start a new thread?)...

But since you asked....Here's a sneak peek:

Brillanteelsol_15.JPG


:)

Bob
Click to expand...

Bob no problem man...id love to see where that goes. Looks like an auxiliary hook up? Someone did something like that on DW, he installed a switch to choose the power source and everything if i remember correctly. After he did it all he said in retrospect it was overkill lol...but id like to see where yours goes. Btw, im jealous of the case. I might have to hit goodwill to see if they have any cases...hmm, now that i think of it...goodwill might have some old drills for cheap and everyother saturday is 1/2 off EVERYTHING....i might have to make a second light :dblthumb2:

cpa5oh said:
I'm not finding it real easy to buy a cheap, new 14.4v drill. I can find cheap, new 18v drills (at HarborFreight and Sears,) but not 14.4v.
Click to expand...


Like i said above, it had the SAME problem. Try c.list...or classifieds. Or if you have a goodwill or maybe even a pawn shop (though sometimes they screw you worse than stores...try to talk them down) you might find something old and useable. You dont need lithium ion or anything that holds a SUPER long charge with this project since it will only be used in short bursts (the light)...so even a so/so battery should work good.
 
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