Great Light For Press

K

kingdarb

CGN frequent flyer
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
41   0   0
Location
Ontario
I know alot of guys use a light to look into cases and check powder drops on their presses. I thought I would share what I got, as it is working out really well. I use a Dillon 550b btw.

Bought a Gorilla Torch Blade. It is a bit pricey but... It recharges... its super bright.. has a couple of light intensity settings.. and it has three articulating legs that can wrap around stuff to grip it and hold it on... the foot of each leg is also magnetic... so its a pretty easy thing to find a way to position.. it also works really well as a general handy tool around the house!
 
LED light from ikea for cheap.
jansjo-clamp-spotlight__0098924_PE240309_S4.JPG
 
I'm not going to bash your light because in many cases there just isn't another decent alternative.

I don't like lights that cast heavy shadows. Not when I'm hand loading or working on a machine etc.

Shadows are blank spots, especially as your eyes get older.

I use only fluorecscents. In my shop, if have 16 four foot tubes. All are suspended 18 inches down from the ceiling, for as much light as possible.

A bit more expensive but if I only had a small limited space for light, I would get a fluorescent tube set up and plug it into a wall outlet.

There are a couple of dozen different fluorescent tube set up systems out there. If you are in a cold area, you will also want to get the extreme temperature ballasts.

The more light you have and the least amount of shadows, the better. Just one more irritant you don't have to deal with.
 
I have an LED light strip that I made on each of my presses, you just plug in the transformer into the wall and there is more than enough light to see what you are doing.

I have had this for about 10 years now and have told lots of people about it and then a guy shows up and does the same thing and sells them. How many times have you kicked yourself in the back side and said I should sell this and then find someone else did it. LOL

He uses velcro to hold it on and I just used tie wraps. Here is his website info.

http://www.inlinefabrication.com/LED_LIGHTING_SYSTEMS.html
 
bearhunter said:
I'm not going to bash your light because in many cases there just isn't another decent alternative.

I don't like lights that cast heavy shadows. Not when I'm hand loading or working on a machine etc.

Shadows are blank spots, especially as your eyes get older.

I use only fluorecscents. In my shop, if have 16 four foot tubes. All are suspended 18 inches down from the ceiling, for as much light as possible.

A bit more expensive but if I only had a small limited space for light, I would get a fluorescent tube set up and plug it into a wall outlet.

There are a couple of dozen different fluorescent tube set up systems out there. If you are in a cold area, you will also want to get the extreme temperature ballasts.

The more light you have and the least amount of shadows, the better. Just one more irritant you don't have to deal with.
Click to expand...

I agree! More lights are better. I do have some regular ceiling lights above in the basement with some bring bulbs, as well as a task light on my reloading bench. There are of course some shadows, but nothing bad. The little gorilla light I use to specifically look into stage 3 after I drop powder and before I put a bullet in. It positions pretty well and I can get a view into the case with no shadows. There are cheaper lights that can look into the same spot (I was using a book light before) but I like the gorilla torch alot. Its also super useful for around the house crap. I just used it under a sink when I was plumbing in a new vanity - worked great and no cords!
 
I have the regular ceiling lights and a 100W equivalent CF daylight bulb in an articulating arm type mount attached to the bench that I can position anywhere.
 
Regular ceiling lights to chase the monsters out from under the bench.

A fluorescent lamp under the storage cabinet over the bench to provide good illumination on the bench.

A floor-mounted gooseneck lamp from Ikea beside the bench for point light as needed - grab it, pull it and set it back.
 
If it works for you, then good! Any light is better than no light! Use whatever fits your needs/budget!

I built my workbench downstairs in the utility room where the electrical panel, hot wate rheater, oil tank, etc is. There was original a single bulb socket that runs off of the light switch. I replaced the bulb with a 2 bulb y splitter, and screwed in a 200 watt halogen spotlight on one side pointing down the one end of the room. The other side i put in a plug outlet adapter, and hung a 2 bulb 4 ft fixture above the bench and plugged it in. I don't think I'll ever need more light. Overall cost was about $50.
 
bearhunter said:
<snip>

Shadows are blank spots, especially as your eyes get older.

I use only fluorecscents. In my shop, if have 16 four foot tubes. All are suspended 18 inches down from the ceiling, for as much light as possible.
Click to expand...

ATOM said:
A fluorescent lamp under the storage cabinet over the bench to provide good illumination on the bench.
Click to expand...


Some electronic scales are adversely effected by flourescent ballasts.
My Dillon D-terminator goes wonky with the nearby undershelf tube light on.

Took a good long while to determine why my handloads were running hot, then cold.
All is good if there is 8 feet or more standoff.
 
I bought a 2 set of clip on LED lights at Costco for $15. I use one on my reloading press and one with my Amazon Kindle.

They are small but powerful, with a very flexible neck. I clip it to the bullet seating die and point it at the bullet seating station.. Works well and cheap.
 
travellerw said:
I bought a 2 set of clip on LED lights at Costco for $15. I use one on my reloading press and one with my Amazon Kindle.

They are small but powerful, with a very flexible neck. I clip it to the bullet seating die and point it at the bullet seating station.. Works well and cheap.
Click to expand...
+1 for Costco lights, I bought my set on sale for $8 and loved it, so I bought one more set just as reading lights.

Rigged the one on my bench to use an old cell phone charger - totally unnecessary, that was before I realized how long batteries last in those things.

The LED head is small, no shadows, the light cone is tight so it won't shine into eyes, and gives strong illumination for the shell plate and inside the brass to check for powder.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom