temp of a running MH

[r00onmac]

how hot does a halide get when its running?

i bought a new reflector and i want to hang it with hooks.. but the #6 was too big for the holes in the reflector and the #8 is a little too small so i was thinking i would solder the bolt in place... do you think the lamp will heat the reflector hot enough to melt the solder? the solder says it melts at 430 degrees fahrenheit... which is pretty hot.. but i do know that these things vaporize water on contact so it may get that hot...


the only other thing i can think of is waiting to hang it until my dremel comes and cutting down the bolt and grinding it until it widens at the bottom and catches in the hole... id offer up some pics but im stuck at work and didnt have time to take any yet.

 

[musty baby]

Not catching you here- why can't you just get the #6 and drill the holes out a bit? #8 and a washer? I guess I'm not familiar with the equipment you're using.

 

[r00onmac]

valid point... guess i could drill out the holes but id rather not mangle my new reflector.. id rather mess with the hook screws because those are 98 cents a pair...

ill see if i can find a pic..

 

[r00onmac]

here is the top view... same reflector but pic is from the guys at hellolights.com

see the two small circle holes on each side of the bracket... i want to put hook screws in there so i can hang it from a chain... the 8 is too small and the 6 was too big... rather than mangle the reflector by drilling id like to find a way to make the 8 fit... i can solder it in place, but do you think the solder would melt with the temp of the halide or i could try and grind the screw so it makes a wider flat area that will ultimately be wider than the hole and catch... what do you guys think?

 

[BurntOutReefer]

use the #8 with washers on both ends....

 

[BurntOutReefer]

sorry...and as far as solder...are you talking regular buy at Radio-Shack "hobby" solder...or are you using a arc-welder?
I wouldn't trust using hobby solder at all......

 

[r00onmac]

well the solder is electrical solder... like for wiring (i have to wire the new reflector to my current ballast and then heat shrink wrap it...) and figured i could maybe use the same solder to hold it in place if the temp wasnt too hot to melt the solder..

i suppose i could use a washer.. but if i show you the hooks there really isnt a place for a washer... its not a bolt... its a screw.. a hook screw... so idk how that would work..

 

[BurntOutReefer]

ohhh....so its the wrong screw...is it self-tapping?
that not the right stuff....you want to get a O-Bolt....
dont use that solder mate....so much $$ and time spent already...go out and by two .90 cent O-bolts...I think they might be called eye-bolts......

 

[BurntOutReefer]

http://www.boltdepot.com/metric-eye-bolts.aspx

you can buy at any hardware store

 

[r00onmac]

there was a very wide selection of those but all of the "bolt" type ones were quite large and looked far too large for the hole..

ill skip the solder cuz its prolly not the best idea but i may try the grinding idea.. because its not like i can return the screws... and the dremel should be coming tomorrow... if i cant grind it down then ill go ahead and look for a bolt type screw...

 

[r00onmac]

found a good way to mount it and did the wiring this morning.. new reflector looks better and the light "looks" more intense...

i took the chain and unbent one link.. put it through the hole and re bent it... the chain is meant to hold 17 lbs so i seriously doubt there will ever be enough strain on the chain to unbend it again...

 

[musty baby]

Glad you found a solution.