Tritium tube visibility in translucent 91mm scale

SgtTowser · **on:** March 31, 2021, 03:05:15 AM

Watched Felix open the fourth slot on a 91 mm scale. Wondering if I glued a tritium tube into that slot in a transluscent scale, if it would glow enough through the scale at night to be seen on a night stand?

Anyone tried it?

kamakiri · **Reply #1 on:** March 31, 2021, 03:23:48 AM

There’s a thread somewhere about this being done here. comis and another member did it.

nate j · **Reply #2 on:** March 31, 2021, 04:24:40 AM

If only Victorinox would make some 91mm SAK scales that glow in the dark. Oh wait...

comis · **Reply #3 on:** March 31, 2021, 05:36:06 AM

I did one for Sos24 last year, and it was an interesting project.

SgtTowser · **Reply #4 on:** March 31, 2021, 06:55:41 AM

Quote from: comis on March 31, 2021, 05:36:06 AM

I did one for Sos24 last year, and it was an interesting project.

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

Thx for sharing that superb work. I guess they do show through! 👍

What size tubes did you use?

I would like just two small tubes — one white and one Orange or red not sure how to achieve through blue transluscence scale media)—one placed at each end, on only one side, so I can see a faint glow from bed and know which end is which.

I don’t like how big the glow dots are on Swiss Bianco’s orange scales. I don’t like they are the same color. I don’t like if they need charging by flashlight. That’s why I am pro tritium.

I admire the beauty of your work, but I don’t want it to glow so bright that it is easy for someone else to see entering a motel room, camp site, etc. Just me, from my pillow, looking at the night stand by my bed, as I lay in bed, or sleeping on the ground.

I want to lay the knife on its side with the tubes facing me, same as I do with my tritium watch, so someone does not see it entering the door way.

I like tritium watches that are subtle and do not make me a target with glow.

Again, I want someone entering a motel room to see no glow...only I see it from my angle. And it is dim enough it does not cause me to lose any night pupil dilation.

Darkness is my ally.

I don’t like to give intruders glowing targets that orient them.

I like to give them darkness.

comis · **Reply #5 on:** April 02, 2021, 12:51:53 PM

Quote from: SgtTowser on March 31, 2021, 06:55:41 AM

Thx for sharing that superb work. I guess they do show through! 👍

What size tubes did you use?

I would like just two small tubes — one white and one Orange or red not sure how to achieve through blue transluscence scale media)—one placed at each end, on only one side, so I can see a faint glow from bed and know which end is which.

I don’t like how big the glow dots are on Swiss Bianco’s orange scales. I don’t like they are the same color. I don’t like if they need charging by flashlight. That’s why I am pro tritium.

I admire the beauty of your work, but I don’t want it to glow so bright that it is easy for someone else to see entering a motel room, camp site, etc. Just me, from my pillow, looking at the night stand by my bed, as I lay in bed, or sleeping on the ground.

I want to lay the knife on its side with the tubes facing me, same as I do with my tritium watch, so someone does not see it entering the door way.

I like tritium watches that are subtle and do not make me a target with glow.

Again, I want someone entering a motel room to see no glow...only I see it from my angle. And it is dim enough it does not cause me to lose any night pupil dilation.

Darkness is my ally.

I don’t like to give intruders glowing targets that orient them.

I like to give them darkness.

Sorry it took me awhile to get back. I do like the "blink" effect of GITD and tritium, and it is easy to spot if you leave the tool in a room. But how bright you want the mod to be is totally a personal preference.

For tube sizes 1.5x6.5mm will be extremely tight fit and risk fracturing when you are installing the scales onto the chassis(since the scales would actually deform a little as you snap on the scales or in case if you just drop the SAK on ground, it may break since it's such tight fit). So I'd advise 0.65x6.5mm tubes for installment.

And if subtlety is your preference, you could even consider other colors for the tritium tubes. Green is usually brightest, blue is less, and something like red or orange will be a lot less. But given the small size of 0.65x6.5mm vials, they probably won't be very bright to begin with.

I have previously written a tutorial about how to make transparent SAK scales or even turn them into GITD scales. If all you want is tritium, I think that could easily be done without the GITD powder. For regular SAK red scales, I think it is possible to drill a hole thru the scale, then refill it with clear epoxy to serve as a 'window' for the tritium tubes inside the scale. Another alternative is drill a really shallow divot, then just epoxy the tube in the divot from the outside(but gonna be extremely careful not to drill thru the soft plastic of SAK scale). Anyhow, have fun and enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2FMClMqc4U&ab_channel=ComisGear