DIY 3M sun gun for $55.

[CTSV]

This is just a copy and paste from my thread on another forum. As discussed below I ended up using the flash-light(instead of a cordless drill as the write-up I used does), it's been in use throughout my current full-correction and has so far worked flawlessly, the 35W bulb I'm using is a bit too bright for me, as I have to move it way above my head to see any swirls, but most people don't have as much metallic as I do either. If you're attempting this, I'd pickup a 20W bulb in the same color and choose which is best for yourself.

bold comments are things I noted afterward just for you guys

I also removed the img tags.. for some reason they were getting blown up by 2-300%..



Problems;
1) Black diamond is very hard to identify defects in and requires extremely bright light to spot them in.
2) I'm a weekend-warrior, so $350 for a 3m sungun is a ridiclious spendature.
3) having 500-1KW halogens makes for a hot work environment and they're clumsy at best.. and if you have a black paint like mine, they'll heat up the paint enough that it'll burn off any polish you're trying to work with..

Solution;
The DIY sun gun;aka, hand-held halogen!

Since the orginal write up was done in UK over at detailing world, you'll have to tweak some of it for the US market, but the pricipals are all the same, nothing about this is set in stone except the bulb size, color, wattage and the connector, and even some of those are flexible(the bulb/wattage) to your liking. For those unfamiliar with said write-up, I suggest googling it, but suffice to say, the only part that has a patent in the 3M sun gun is the bulb, and those can be purchased very inexpensively.

So..

Product selection; This is critical more than people think. Finding a 12-14.4V cordless drill that's <$100 is harder than it appears. Remember, cheap is key here since we're buying a housing, switch and battery essentially.

What I ended up with is a $39.99 Black and decker 12V(the sun gun has a 14.4V turbo mode, but they're hard to find). Batteries are $27 a pop (and avaliable at wallyworld..), and in this case I get a free flashlight. Critically though, it's nothing fancy, what you want is a Drill without hammer features, fancy torque wheels or one without one at all. The drill pictured below is *exactly* what you should look for. Some have odd housings that won't work, and some cheaper ones have the spot you want to use closed off. If you want to use the drill, buy something like this in 12-14.4V flavor.

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/z...z/DSC_0181.jpg
http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/z...z/DSC_0187.jpg
Notice the seperation near the housing and the torque wheel? you want that.

you'll also need a GU5.3 Bulb with MR16 connector-- which these days can only be bought on-line(actually, my home-depot had these in a hidden area, but none were the correct color). You'll also need the connector for it, which can be had on ebay for <$3. I acutally picked mine up at a local lighting store for $3.5. The GU10 recessed lighting kits ( the DW DIY suggests buying these kits for a 5.3bulb for the connector, I couldn't find any) that littered home depot and lowes will *not* work, since they're 120V and we need a 12V

this is the color correct bulb
Amazon.com: EiKO 35003 SoLux True Daylight Flood 35 Watt MR16 Halogen Lamp, 36 Degree Beam Angle, 12 Volt, 4700 Kelvin: Home Improvement
this is the correct connector
Amazon.com: TP-61 G/GU/GX/GZ4 G/GU/GX5.3 G/GX/GY/GZ6.35 lamp holder: Home Improvement

after taking both units apart, and since I was able to snag two connectors, I'm toying with the flash-light application. It's a oneway switch instead of the resistor style in the drill, and I don't have to destroy the drill either.

It was held together with screws, so, 5 minuites later
http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/z...z/DSC_0182.jpg

Black and decker CLEARLY had this mod in mind; the connector wedges in the bulb spout perfectly! I used some epoxy to reinforce it in it's new home, but otherwise no cutting required.
http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/z...z/DSC_0184.jpg

The way the light holds the frame together requires the use of the plastic lense. I cut some vents into the sides and left the rear bulb opening free in an attempt to keep things cool
http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/z...z/DSC_0186.jpg

I won't bore you with the wirejob, polarity doesn't matter, and we're only talking about 2 wires here. it couldn't be simpler.

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/z...z/DSC_0188.jpg

[VelosteRyan]

Cool! Any shots of it in action?

[CTSV]

unfortunately no- the car is corrected as it sits right now :/ . I will say that while it's very good for what it is, I still find that I need my tactical LED to spot some defects, but generally I use the sun-gun clone 90% of the time now, and I can retire my 1200W halogen stands, so for my purposes, it's been a good $55 spent.

edit; actually, I did find one picture

http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/z...z/DSC_0179.jpg

[VelosteRyan]

Very cool.. I may have to invest in one... I love my brinkmann swirl finder though...

[CTSV]

Originally Said by VelosteRyan Very cool.. I may have to invest in one... I love my brinkmann swirl finder though...

If that's working for you, I'd continue using it, sometimes you just need different lights for different paints, and sometimes you need 2 different lights for the same paint... my stand-up halogens had 4 bulbs, so by the time they hit the paint the light was too dispersed to identify anything. It's why my tactical LED and 35W sun-gun can spot stuff but 1200W of halogen light cant.. If you look at the picture, you can only spot stuff that's directly in the beam of light, but nothing where it's dispersed.

[Osok]

Ok..i'm a bit lost here (sorry). Looks like you rewired one of those black and decker flashlights to run a brighter halogen bulb now. Where in here does the black and decker drill fit in to this design? You mentioned "Product selection; This is critical more than people think. Finding a 12-14.4V cordless drill that's <$100 is harder than it appears."

What am I missing?

[CTSV]

the original write up has you removing the electric drill motor and using the opening for the bulb, you then wire into the drill's resistor switch which lets you control bright-ness, but you also have to hold it down to get full power, which I didn't want. The flashlight was a last-minute idea, originally I bought the combo for the drill to use the drill as the flashlight.

[VelosteRyan]

I have a bunch of defective 14.4 dewalt xrp's at work.. Hmmmm.

[Osok]

Originally Said by CTSV the original write up has you removing the electric drill motor and using the opening for the bulb, you then wire into the drill's resistor switch which lets you control bright-ness, but you also have to hold it down to get full power, which I didn't want. The flashlight was a last-minute idea, originally I bought the combo for the drill to use the drill as the flashlight.

Thanks for clarifying.

[ssbusdrvr]

BlackDiamondTricoat is just stunning.