Impressioning magnifier

[_RAGNAR_]

The falle-safe one has different colored LEDs in it and it does help. But at 1900 pounds I'll take a pass!

[Eyes_Only]

Honestly I think I'm spoiling myself for planning to get the lightbox/magnifier from ukbumpkeys but 1900 pounds for a similar product with a disco ball built into it feels like buying a ITL code machine just so you can be 100% sure you're cutting the most accurate Kwikset bump key. I don't think most of us need it.

[zeke79]

Yeah but man when you have 2000 keys to cut like I did just a while back you are glad you have that ITL machine .

Zeke79

[_RAGNAR_]

oh I know, I won’t be buying the falle light box out of my pocket, just letting you know the options.

I just ordered a $300 light box and plan to mod it to take multiple LEDs if it doesn't come that way. I will review it when it arrives.

(actually I think it arrived already I just don't get home until sat.)

[Eyes_Only]

Is the $300 lightbox you ordered the one from Ben-Jim?

[raimundo]

Ive been collecting different 2dollar cigarrette lighters that have little led lights in them of various colors includeing a blue that will floresce some things. they come off the lighter with a tiny screw and you have a plastic chassis with a LED a switch and several button batteries. Im gonna make a box with different lights that either are in it or can be inserted.
one of the concepts I was thinking about was to make it from a rubber bike innertube. so the box is colapsable and even perhaps, the rubber will protect the delicate parts.
the keybow can just be pinched in one end of the rubber tube section, and because the whole thing is flexy, you can move and vary the distance or angle to the light.
Or I might just send a bunch of these little units to Jimmme and see what he might make.

[zeke79]

One could easily make a chassis for one of these units by just buying a 3/4" PVC tee. The white color of the tee would reflect any color of light in the proper color and help in keeping the box lit by reflecting light well. You could cut one of the legs down a bit so the key could be fully inserted, then put your light into the other end. If the 3/4" opening is too small for your light you could use a swage type fitting to get a larger opening (not the best idea but it just popped into my head, something better would be easy to come up with after a bit of thought). On the branch side you could either look into it without magnification or fit a cheap plastic jewlers loupe to get your magnification.

Another good idea would be to again use the PVC tee and plug the end the flashligt went into in the above description and cut down the side the key is inserted into. One even might be able to slot the top side the small portion left which could hold some keys by the head while viewing. The jewlers loupe would again go on the branch end. Then one could easily drill a hole in either the plug or on the side of the tee and then buy a few of those LED keychain lights in the colors you want. Then one would simply turn the keychain light on, poke it into the hole, then look at the key. Switching colors would be easy. I thought of making one of this type out of an elbow instead of a tee but I don't think there would be enough room to move the key in far enough to see the cut closest to the shoulder.

This setup would be easy to make for just a few dollars and I am sure it would be easy to build one with all of the different LEDs and coin cells built into the unit itself. If it didn't work well then one wouldn't be out much money for trying.

I might give this a shot as I have several of those keychain lights in various colors and even in UV.

-Zeke79-

[_RAGNAR_]

Is the $300 lightbox you ordered the one from Ben-Jim?

yes I ordered the Ben-Jim one.

[Eyes_Only]

Let us know how it works.