High powered laser safety and visablility

Hi everyone,
This is my first time posting here so I do apologize in advance if I'd made a mistake or anything.

So anyway, I bought this
https://www.ebay.com/itm/808nm-500m...925791&hash=item4b09facfa5:g:8XIAAOSw-0xYSM3E

And this
https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pieces-8...122432?hash=item2a599d8740:g:XvMAAOSwdvpWEArI

Now first, will I be able to see these beams?

And secondly, will I need eye protection even though I obviously won't be looking into the beam?

You should start by making an introductory thread and tell us all a little about yourself. The two diodes you linked are infrared and hardly visible at all, though they can still blind you once put into a module with a driver and a lens, after which you will want to put all that into a host.

Okay I posted an introductory thread.

I'm just wondering if I could damage my eyes by looking at the dot the beam makes on a surface. I'm rather concerned about that.

Both will appear as dull red dots, no brighter than a 5mW 650nm(red). Both can blind you, as Paul said, even just viewing the dot is dangerous. You need eye protection - check out survival lasers.com

Would these glasses be suitable?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1064nm-800...815509?hash=item4b25bee855:g:h3sAAOSw10dZlD0F

If not, are there any that you could recommend me? Something under 30 dollar would be good

Matt Renna said:

Okay I posted an introductory thread.

I'm just wondering if I could damage my eyes by looking at the dot the beam makes on a surface. I'm rather concerned about that.

Click to expand...

The answer is yes and you will need laser goggles/glasses to protect you eyes--even if you can not see the IR beam or dot at all.

You very obviously have no clue at all about lasers and laser safety. You would be well advised to study both prior to building or buying anything.
Lasers are not play toys for children--they are dangerous for several reasons.
An accidental hit to you eyes of less than 0.25 second can leave you permanently blind forever--same goes for anyone around you that gets hit in the eye

Those diodes were and idiotic choice if you want a visible burning laser.
808nm is normally outside of the human visual range but most people can "see" 808nm laser light in the dark depending on the spectral sensitivity of their eyes and the number of photons hitting the retina at the same time--then you can see a weak/dim red dot. For explanation see: https://source.wustl.edu/2014/12/the-human-eye-can-see-invisible-infrared-light/

Will be as dangerous and any 500mW laser of even the brightest visible wavelength And no you will not see the beam

You ought to try learning at least something about lasers, wavelengths, and human vision before you dump money on useless waste of time items--unless you want to forge ahead "blindly" and make an invisible laser anyway. In that case since you have no clue about what you are doing you then become and accident looking for a place to happen--a danger to yourself and others.

Those 808nm diodes are used in making DPSS 532nm green lasers requiring a double crystal system to convert the IR to a visible wavelength.
At least read about 532nm green laser pointers here see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_pointer

Read up on all aspects of laser safety on this excellent web site: Laser Pointer Safety - A comprehensive resource, for safe and responsible laser use

Matt Renna said:

Would these glasses be suitable?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1064nm-800...815509?hash=item4b25bee855:g:h3sAAOSw10dZlD0F

If not, are there any that you could recommend me? Something under 30 dollar would be good

Click to expand...

These are ok low priced laser goggles/glasses but the pair you need is $59.99: https://www.survivallaserusa.com/Safety_Goggles/cat1667093_1527285.aspx

NOTE: Ask your parents for permission, first, before you do anything if you are under 18. They are responsible for you and everything/anything you do including any damage/injury to yourself or other people.

The problem with 808nm lasers is they can be barely visible as a dim red spot on a wall. The beam you will not be able to see. If you have it pointed at a nonflective surface like a painted wall, it won't reflect off that but may only appear as that dim red dot. You likely won't get more than 500 mW out of either of these diodes, so by the law of inverse squares, the dot won't hurt you looking at it from 15 feet away. But, since you cannot see the beam it is better to try a visible laser diode rather than an infrared one. You won't know when you are pointing it at a window or glass that can reflect the beam back to you or someone else in the room.

Encap said:

The answer is yes and you will need laser goggles/glasses to protect you eyes--even if you can not see the IR beam or dot at all.

You very obviously have no clue at all about lasers and laser safety. You would be well advised to study both prior to building or buying anything.
Lasers are not play toys for children--they are dangerous for several reasons.
An accidental hit to you eyes of less than 0.25 second can leave you permanently blind forever--same goes for anyone around you that gets hit in the eye

Those diodes were and idiotic choice if you want a visible burning laser.
808nm is normally outside of the human visual range but most people can "see" 808nm laser light in the dark depending on the spectral sensitivity of their eyes and the number of photons hitting the retina at the same time--then you can see a weak/dim red dot. For explanation see: https://source.wustl.edu/2014/12/the-human-eye-can-see-invisible-infrared-light/

Will be as dangerous and any 500mW laser of even the brightest visible wavelength And no you will not see the beam

You ought to try learning at least something about lasers, wavelengths, and human vision before you dump money on useless waste of time items--unless you want to forge ahead "blindly" and make an invisible laser anyway. In that case since you have no clue about what you are doing you then become and accident looking for a place to happen--a danger to yourself and others.

Those 808nm diodes are used in making DPSS 532nm green lasers requiring a double crystal system to convert the IR to a visible wavelength.
At least read about 532nm green laser pointers here see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_pointer

Read up on all aspects of laser safety on this excellent web site: Laser Pointer Safety - A comprehensive resource, for safe and responsible laser use



These are ok low priced laser goggles/glasses but the pair you need is $59.99: https://www.survivallaserusa.com/Safety_Goggles/cat1667093_1527285.aspx

NOTE: Ask your parents for permission, first, before you do anything if you are under 18. They are responsible for you and everything/anything you do including any damage/injury to yourself or other people.

Click to expand...

Yeah I don't know anything about lasers. What I'm trying to do is get something that will be able to engrave wood.
My parents are perfectly fine with me doing this, don't worry about that.

Matt Renna said:

Yeah I don't know anything about lasers. What I'm trying to do is get something that will be able to engrave wood.
My parents are perfectly fine with me doing this, don't worry about that.

Click to expand...

That is because your parents are not aware
of the dangers of Burning Lasers.

If you want to engrave wood you can start
with a wood burning iron until you learn some
basic Laser Safety and handling practices.

You sound young and Laser inexperienced and you
don't want to spend the rest of your life navigating
with a white cane.

Jerry

Matt Renna said:

Yeah I don't know anything about lasers. What I'm trying to do is get something that will be able to engrave wood.
My parents are perfectly fine with me doing this, don't worry about that.

Click to expand...

If true, your parents assume you know what you are doing but you don't so the wake up call would be "I need to go to an eye doctor because I can't see or can't see clearly" or some such thing.

Google "laser to engrave wood" it gets about 500,000 listings.

You can search the LPF database using the LPF Custom Search at the bottom of the page.

You can also have a look on eBay here: https://www.ebay.com/bhp/laser-wood-engraver

"Wood Engraving Produces Different Results on the Same Setting"
"Wood is one of the most laser-friendly materials available not only because it can be cut very easily, but also because it engraves very well.

However, different woods have different reactions when they are laser engraved and produce different results. Lighter woods, like cherry or maple, produce a nice contrast where the laser burns away the wood, while denser woods require more laser power to cut or engrave.

Grain density can change dramatically depending on the type of wood you are working with. Cherry, alder, walnut and maple have fairly small veins of grain in them, while oak has medium to large veins. For example, if a large square was engraved into a piece of cherry, it would have a very uniform appearance; the area engraved would be smooth with little variation in height. However, if the same square was engraved into a piece of oak, its appearance would vary greatly in height and would have a very non-uniform appearance.

Here are some tips when engraving with wood:

Maple and alder are some of the the most popular woods for engraving, providing a rich contrast.
Bare wood engraving produces smoke and debris during the process that can become embedded into the grain of the wood. To reduce this effect, always engrave from the bottom up – this helps draw any smoke away from the engraving.
When engraving stained wood, excess smoke and debris can be wiped off the surface of the wood with a damp cloth after engraving."
From: 5 Common Mistakes in Laser Engraving and How to Avoid Them ~ https://www.epiloglaser.com/blog/5-common-mistakes-in-laser-engraving-and-how-to-avoid-them/