A few new questions about Lasers!

hey guys I feel like an idiot asking this but

1. what is the minimum amount of mw output I would need to see an exceptionally thick beam off a green laser?

2. is there anywhere in this forum I could get some "VERY" "VERY" basic tutorials on building a laser,

3. I heard that if you take unexposed film and develop it, it will become an IR filter, is this true and will it work for laser pointers?

thanks in advance

-hellfire911

1. I don't know exactly what "exeptionally thick"(sounds kinda wrong) means to you, but a 30mW greenie seems to do a good job in visibility with a 1.5-2mm thick beam, so just calculate 30mW for every 2mm[sup]2[/sup] of your dot surface :-/
2.Experiments and Modifications
3.I'm not sure if it works, but if it does filter IR it wouldn't be too great for a green laser as it filters a good quantity of green(or blue or yellow/orange or other DPSS achievable color) too and wouldn't work with higher powered lasers because the film would simply melt :

1-If you want a decent beam in the dark you need about 20 mw+.
3-The film IR filter isn't a good idea. It will probably melt on anything over 30 mw and it will ruin the beam quality.

This is probably the easiest way to make a laser since you don't need to make the entire circuit, just add a resistor, or a capacitor, I'm not sure which one. Just read the thread, don't pay attention to me. ;D
http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1181635652

film makes an ir PASS filter. it will block out all BUT ir light