Painting a Hydra 26

Raptor72 · Jan 10, 2019

I am setting up a RS 170 and would like to paint the light and bracket white to match the stand. Would this void the warranty and if not, would a Krylon type spray work?

stacksoner · Jan 11, 2019

I'm not sure about the warranty, but I sprayed my 3 AI Twentysix lights white with Rustoleum High Heat Ultra and they look super fresh. I have a white RS Peninsula 500 and I was super ticked off when it arrived. When it first came out, they didn't disclose the fact that the interior was completely black (as if it wasn't a big deal when you just paid more for the white version). I painted the interior white with Rustoleum Cabinet Transformation paint as well.

Here is the disassembly video for the lights, which makes it super easy to separate the outer shell from the components.

Raptor72 · Jan 11, 2019

slewrock1 said:
I'm not sure about the warranty, but I sprayed my 3 AI Twentysix lights white with Rustoleum High Heat Ultra and they look super fresh. I have a white RS Peninsula 500 and I was super ****** off when it arrived. When it first came out, they didn't disclose the fact that the interior was completely black (as if it wasn't a big deal when you just paid more for the white version). I painted the interior white with Rustoleum Cabinet Transformation paint as well.

Here is the disassembly video for the lights, which makes it super easy to separate the outer shell from the components.

Thanks. This helps a bunch.

PugsAndFish · Jan 11, 2019

@slewrock1 Any pics of the painted light?

TheHarold · Jan 11, 2019

@Raptor72 painting the light will without a doubt reduce cooling, as you are covering the aluminum fins/heatsink. For that reason I would personally not do it; LED lifespan is defined by how hot they get.

Raptor72 · Jan 11, 2019

Thanks. I went ahead and ordered a 52 for a bit more coverage. I’ll just sell this new one with the arm.

stacksoner · Jan 12, 2019

PugsAndFish said:
@slewrock1 Any pics of the painted light?

Setting up ATI T5 hybrid as we speak. Here are pics of the caucasians.

stacksoner · Jan 12, 2019

TheHarold said:
@Raptor72 painting the light will without a doubt reduce cooling, as you are covering the aluminum fins/heatsink. For that reason I would personally not do it; LED lifespan is defined by how hot they get.

What evidence do you have to show that metal paint acts as insulation? If paint had any significant impact on thermodynamics, AI wouldn't sell these lights painted in black or white. The fins are a design feature for increased surface area, which aids in heat transfer.

TheHarold · Jan 12, 2019

slewrock1 said:
What evidence do you have to show that metal paint acts as insulation? If paint had any significant impact on thermodynamics, AI wouldn't sell these lights painted in black or white. The fins are a design feature for increased surface area, which aids in heat transfer.

I did not claim that it would be a "significant" increase in temperature. Adding another coat of paint on the heatsink- adding ANOTHER insulating layer of paint on top of the aluminum- would be frowned upon in many industries. Look at your computer's internal heatsinks. Or your AC condensor. You dont want to be painting those

. Aluminum's thermal conductivity is the reason it is used as a heatsink, and coating it in paint would decrease the net emissivity. More heat. Reduced LED lifespan. Perhaps by a nominal amount, one would need to look at many more factors to determine significance.