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Harbor Freight is offering a line of moderately-priced flashlights with spot beam, flood, and UV capabilities under the Braun name. Having a dedicated UV flashlight is quite useful for bench work and finish assessment of vintage instruments, and the cheapest version is an alkaline battery powered stubby for $8.

https://www.harborfreight.com/uv-leak-detector-black-light-led-flashlight-59279.html

Penlights work pretty well for guitar work, but there are times when a small flood is very handy (e.g., ramping and slotting work on a bridge).

A step up on the standard big box Milwaukee tool is the Braun rechargeable penlight/flood/UV flood flashlight that Greenridge has been using recently. The battery is swappable, although not as easily changed as the larger versions. This is also the flashlight they suggest their customers use when shopping for vintage guitars (along with the usual kit of inspection mirror, 6" rule, accurate pocket tape measure, and a 24" ruler with a fair edge). $23 for this USB-C rechargable version.

https://www.harborfreight.com/400-lumen-rechargeable-penlight-with-uv-light-70764.html

Finally, for a standard bench-use penlight, the Braun standard USB-C rechargeable penlight is a rugged light with all-aluminum construction and a 450 lumen spot, and is the one I carry in my purse (remember to pull it out every week or two to charge).
[url]
https://www.harborfreight.com/450-lumen ... 70806.html[/url]

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For the times they are a changin'

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What purpose does the UV function serve?

You can use the black light to check for these things:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMIZ8OQQQ-w

We raised a litter of Yorkie pups way back when. Did our best to keep them corralled. Our carpet took a beating as shown by a black light. I'm now an expert hardwood flooring installer after pulling the carpet and matching the rest of the floors.

When doing the uke building class with kids I have them use the blacklight to find any glue that needs to be sanded off the body before putting finish on.

Inevitably there is always a glue fingerprint or two from when they glued the plates on.

It’s fun for them. I got the idea because I think LMI used to sell a glue that highlights in blacklight. Am I remembering that right?

It works with Titebond too but not like the glowing effect of the LMI stuff.


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