Making a Salvo light head rear clip-off point

[Matt S.]

My Salvo light has no place at the rear of the light head to attach a clip. A friend of mine has machine tools and has offered to try and make something--it would basically be a split ring clamp that tightens around the rearmost part of the head, right by the cord. The new fitting would have a hole or something to attach a bolt snap to.

So, assuming that you had a new fitting back there, what would be the best way to use it?

1. Use a single-ended snap and tie it to the new fitting with cave line/bungee
2. Use a double ended bolt snap on the new fitting
3. Something I haven't thought of?

(I'm thinking #1, so you get the benefits of a flexible joint... but there may be a good case for using a double-ender which I haven't considered. However, a fitting with an aperture big enough for a double-ender to bite will be bigger too.)

Any thoughts?

 

[TSandM]

A very nice way to do the light is to put a loop of bungie on the back of the light and another on the handle, and put a double-ender clipped into both. Then, when you want to clip the light off, you can undo which ever end is appropriate, and clip the other end to your D-ring. (Handle of the light for permanent stowing, butt for doing things like bag shooting.)

The GUE way is to tie a regular boltsnap to the handle, and put a loop of something -- bungie, O-ring or whatever -- on the butt of the light. You then use a spare double-ender to clip the light off for temporary needs.

I have an o-ring tied to the butt of my light with caveline. If you do this, it works better if you wet the cave line before you tie it, so it won't loosen when it gets wet and stretches. My GUE instructor has an o-ring ziptied to the butt of his light. O-rings can fatigue and break over time, but you generally don't butt-clip the light except underwater.

 

[Matt S.]

Interesting, I didn't think I could affix a loop of anything to the butt of the light--it's just a smooth cylinder so I figured anything I tied on would slip right off under load.

(I've got a snap on the handle already, but I wanted to try head-down to see if I liked it better.)

 

[rookers]

I have an o-ring secured with caveline to the rear clamp nut on the light head. The seam between the nuts is really tiny compared to others, but the tiny groove there, tying it really tight and a little hot glue did the trick to secure it. The hot glue will pop off under hard stress, but it seems to be holding well over the last 6 months.

 

[TSandM]

Yeah, I just tied the cave line so it bit into that tiny groove, and it worked after a couple of tries (the doing it wet thing was the key).

You will want two clip points, because clipping off to the handle when the light is on causes it to shine in your eyes and your buddy's eyes when you are doing things. Clipping off to the butt shines the light directly downward, so it's aimed at your hands and you can check gauges, too. But the handle clip is more secure, and better for permanent stowing.

 

[Matt S.]

Oh, I see what you are doing. The seam on mine is VERY slim there, like a sheet of paper... I could maybe get monofilament in there but not anything useful.

 

[TSandM]

No, the line doesn't actually go into the seam. It's just enough of an irregularity to capture it and keep it from sliding off, if you tie the line really tight. A zip tie works, too.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I just used duct tape ... I'm such a stroke ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TSandM]

I just used duct tape ... I'm such a stroke ...

You're gonna die . . .

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

You're gonna die . . .

Definitely!

... Bob (Grateful Diver)