Flashlights and Accessories
For the Fluorescent Mineral Hobby

4 min read

UV Flashlights - Outlandish Claims of Power

I’m really getting tired of all the BS out there. Chinese vendors make outlandish claims about their flashlights and non-technical...

4 min read

What is the Best UV Flashlight for Minerals? (No bias, no clickbait - just the facts)

Longwave, shortwave, midwave flashlights are all the rage lately. 365nm, 255nm, 310nm - some amazing fluorescent minerals are being...

6 min read

The Next Evolution in Fluorescent Mineral Flashlights - Shortwave and Midwave

(work in progress....) Just a few years ago my feeling was that we would not see SW flashlights "in my lifetime". I was so wrong. They...

DIY: Converting a Work Light into a Portable Short Wave Lamp

Michael Isaacson

8 min read

DIY: Converting a Work Light into a Portable Short Wave Lamp

I'm not sure how many people have built the 18 watt SW conversion from Mark Cole's plans on MinerShop, but if you did or intend to do so,...

DIY: Converting a Transilluminator into a Short Wave Lamp

Dennis Michael

4 min read

DIY: Converting a Transilluminator into a Short Wave Lamp

My small hand-held short wave lamp is useful, but has its limitations. I was interested in a much more powerful light for display and...

Bruce W (by M Cole

2 min read

Black Display Boxes for Flats

(This is copied from a Facebook post by Bruce W. Black boxes are had to find for our hobby; white boxes destroy fluorescence.): Ever...

BATTERIES - Selecting the Proper Battery for your 365nm UV Flashlight, Convoy S2, Convoy C8, FyrFly

M Cole

10 min read

BATTERIES - Selecting the Proper Battery for your 365nm UV Flashlight, Convoy S2, Convoy C8, FyrFly

In general, the Ah capacity of batteries sold from China are not worth the plastic they are printed on. The vendors/manufacturers lie so the

FyrFly Convoy C8 365nm UV Flashlight - The Next Generation Convoy - an Original Design by Group Cons

M Cole

7 min read

FyrFly Convoy C8 365nm UV Flashlight - The Next Generation Convoy - an Original Design by Group Cons

The most powerful 365nm flashlight in its class (or any class). Open source design

What Kind of Flashlight Do I Need? (365nm versus 390/395/400nm Unfiltered UV Flashlights)

M Cole

2 min read

What Kind of Flashlight Do I Need? (365nm versus 390/395/400nm Unfiltered UV Flashlights)

Friends don't let friends use crappy unfiltered 390nm flashlights. This is an educational post, directed towards folks new to the hobby....

M Cole

3 min read

Power Claims of Convoy Type Flashlights

A pet peeve of mine is honesty in advertising. Over the past 3+ months I’ve seen companies advertising ever higher power Convoy type...

Convoy S2+ 365nm False Power Claims - It Ain't 5 Watts (4, 3.5, or even 3)

M Cole

4 min read

Convoy S2+ 365nm False Power Claims - It Ain't 5 Watts (4, 3.5, or even 3)

It's the wild west out there! About three years ago I wrote a blog post about the Convoy S2+ here on Nature's Rainbows. The FLM...

Buyers Guide to the new 365 nm LED UV flashlights

Doug Bank

7 min read

Buyers Guide to the new 365 nm LED UV flashlights

I have happily been using and recommending the Convoy S2+ 365 nm UV flashlight since early 2017 when Mark Cole first posted about it. It...

Lighting Controls - Automatically Cycle Longwave, Shortwave, Midwave, and White light in your Displa

M Cole

3 min read

Lighting Controls - Automatically Cycle Longwave, Shortwave, Midwave, and White light in your Displa

Over the years I've had requests for lighting controllers that would allow us to remotely control our different wavelength lights, as...

LED Longwave (LW - 365nm) Lighting for Home Displays

M Cole

9 min read

LED Longwave (LW - 365nm) Lighting for Home Displays

By now the fluorescent mineral community has heard of the new Convoy S2 365nm flashlight that has taken our hobby by storm. It is the...

Collecting Fluorescent Minerals - The Basics, Where to Find Them, and How to Collect Them

M Cole

11 min read

Collecting Fluorescent Minerals - The Basics, Where to Find Them, and How to Collect Them

Fluorescent minerals are found almost anywhere there is a good selection of white light minerals. Mine dumps/tailing piles are obviously gr

Convoy Type S2+ 365nm Flashlight Torch Review, The Most Significant Innovation in UV Mineral Lights

M Cole

13 min read

Convoy Type S2+ 365nm Flashlight Torch Review, The Most Significant Innovation in UV Mineral Lights

This post was made over four years ago. Since that time it has become outdated. There is a new light - the Convoy FyrFly which is...

Fluorescent Mineral Light Review - Shortwave Battery Powered Field Lights

M Cole

1 min read

Fluorescent Mineral Light Review - Shortwave Battery Powered Field Lights

Rock collecting is a cheap hobby. Fluorescent rock collecting is an expensive hobby. View the Entire Review Here: Mineral Lights We've...

M Cole

1 min read

Can I Carry my Battery Pack on a Plane?

This question always comes up when we're traveling to some far off, glorious glow rock haven. Luckily, the FAA has published rules that...

RIP Wood's Glass Longwave UV Bandpass Filters

D Newsome (posted by M Cole)

5 min read

RIP Wood's Glass Longwave UV Bandpass Filters

Several weeks ago there was a lot of discussion within our Facebook Group about the availability, and where to find, Kokomo 400 LW filter...

Comparison of 365nm Flashlight to 390nm Flashlight

M Cole

3 min read

Comparison of 365nm Flashlight to 390nm Flashlight

A friend of mine bought a 385nm to 395nm 100 LED flashlight (presently being sold on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/uvBeast-Intensity-Fla...

Is there a fluorescent mineral that will allow one to distinguish between different UVA wavelengths

Facebook Discussion (post by M Cole)

10 min read

Is there a fluorescent mineral that will allow one to distinguish between different UVA wavelengths

A recent discussion on Facebook evolved about using a mineral to determine if an LED is 365nm or 405nm. The result of the discussion was...

From FB (by M Cole)

5 min read

Ozone - what's that smell??? Is it bad? How do I get rid of it?

(NOTE: This blog post was archived from the Facebook Fluorescent Mineral Group) Graham F: I bought two of these (bulbs) to make a display...

Cheap Shortwave Mineral Lights on Ebay (and other places) - BUYER BEWARE!

M Cole

2 min read

Cheap Shortwave Mineral Lights on Ebay (and other places) - BUYER BEWARE!

This needs to be said. Over the years a few disreputable sellers have been marketing a little 4/6 watt shortwave light for fluorescent...

Does your Hoya Shortwave Filter have White Scum Disease?

G. Fraser (by M Cole)

3 min read

Does your Hoya Shortwave Filter have White Scum Disease?

Graham Fraser on April 3 Graham Fraser posted a significant discovery on Facebook which is worthy of documenting here in the blog. The...

405nm Laser Pointers - Mega-thread from the FLM FB Group

Fluorescent Mineral Group

9 min read

405nm Laser Pointers - Mega-thread from the FLM FB Group

A large thread developed discussing 405nm laser pointers and their use with fluorescent minerals. The text content is copied below. The...

Ballasts to drive fluorescent bulbs/tubes

M Cole

1 min read

Ballasts to drive fluorescent bulbs/tubes

Our UV lights are mostly based on fluorescent bulbs. These bulbs require a special ballast to operate. Lots of folks buy surplus...

Flashlights and Accessories For the Fluorescent Mineral Hobby

Flashlights and Accessories
For the Fluorescent Mineral Hobby