Kel-Lite Repair

Kel-Lites are a good fun project light to repair. Lights that are not functioning can usually be had pretty cheap at around $20 - $30 and are relatively easy to source parts for. Don Keller has since bought back the Kel-Lite name and has a site that sells most parts for first gen lights. These can be found at: http://www.kellite.com/shop/. A common light in good condition can sell for upwards of $60 so assuming no major parts need to be sourced they are usually a pretty sound investment.

I picked up this 6C recently for $20 and it had 2 batteries stuck near the end cap. It's nothing special, it's from the tail end of the first generation in 1974 because it has the plastic switch, a serial number, but no Kel-Lite stamp, and a Barstow end cap. The dating guide for these lights can be found here. The light was in great external shape and looked decent aside from the stuck batteries.

I removed the batteries as per the post in my Maglite blog. Basically this entails soaking the light in vinegar until the alkaline is neutralized and the batteries break free. But there's more to this light than just breaking the batteries free. Kel-Lites are one of the simplest, easiest lights to work on. The switch mechanism is much simpler and easier to diagnose than a Maglite.

Basically the positive end of the battery sits right against the positive nub of the bulb as shown below in the head reflector assembly. The negative side of the bulb contacts the steel reflector which is isolated from the light by the rubber shock gasket against the lens and housing. A picture of this is also shown below. This gasket must be in place to isolate the negative side of the bulb from the body of the light.

The negative end of the battery sits against the tail spring which then contacts the body of the light through the tail cap. The slide switch which is made up of the plastic switch button and the copper contact strip then serves to complete the circuit by contacting the metal reflector and the body of the light when in the on position which allows current to flow and the bulb to light. The switch is secured by the screw and nut which go through the body of the light.

The most common issue with these is that when the light is pushed into the on position the copper contact strip does not contact the metal reflector. This cam be fixed by bending and adjusting the strip but not so much so that it interferes with the batteries inside the tube. A second common issue is that the copper contact strip is corroded and it has a high resistivity which doesn't allow the bulb to see enough current. In this case the bulb may be dim or not light at all. The spot where the copper contact strip makes contact with the body of the light is especially susceptible to corrosion and needs to be extra clean.

My corroded copper contact strip is shown below on the left. This is easily fixed by soaking it in vinegar for a day or so and then brushing it with an old toothbrush. It should look like a shiny new penny when complete. The after picture is shown on the right.

Once this is all cleaned up and all the gunk and grime has been removed from the switch I'll re-assemble the light and try it out. If you've done everything correct it should look like the image below of the re-assembled switch and tail spring in tail cap.

And if you're really good it should light!!

Thanks for reading and if you need help diagnosing or repairing a Kel-Lite please feel free to give me a shout. My contact info is on the right.

As always I'm looking to buy vintage and rare aluminum flashlights. Please let me know if you have any, top dollar paid.