Best current laser to charge glow- and basic forum layout question

[Permanent Waves]

Been a long time guys! Hope everyone is doing well. Last time I visited the forums green lasers were about $300. Just curious, does everyone see the front page of the forums as a stretched out column on the right hand side? Looked in account preferences and couldn't find a way to adjust.

My question is about the best laser to charge up glow pigments. I have a project in the works to test glow paints and pigments from some of the top companies in the world and besides still needing to find a super accurate tool to measure the light emitted after charging up the glow painted on small paracord beads, I need to find the best laser to charge up the pigments. I already have some info out there on converting the old OSHA standard to measure glow signage which is charging them with a 1000 watt xenon bulb at a set distance and time- and I am going to find the equivalent in an LED blacklight or UV lamp... but this is about me just charging up the glow so I can paint them and be able to see what I'm doing.

So my question is what would you recommend for a relatively strong pointer in 365nm or 395nm? It may not matter the precise wavelength, but I want to find a sweet spot comparing price and power. I think there will be diminishing returns and increased hazards after 200-500 mW or so- what do you think? The other thing I was wondering is if there are any lasers that have a bit of an adjustable beam divergence so that I can spread out the light at close range as opposed to a very focused pinpoint. Probably the opposite of what most people want, and I'm hoping that this might help me on the price (something that diverges quickly I'd imagine would be less costly).
On the flip side of this is a red laser with a lot of divergence to "erase" glow drawings on a canvas treated with glow pigment. Also, the red lasers charge red glow pigment which is a toally different material (not strontium aluminate like most of the greens and blue glow paints).

I'd be grateful if anyone has ideas on which laser to get in both the blue/violet and red... and if you have any ideas about where to find a tool that's capable of measuring a small object that has the glow paint applied, PLEASE, I've been looking for something for 3 months but can;t find anything accurate enough to measure lumens down to at least 2 decimal places below 1 (as in .001 or even .01 lumens).

Thanks SO MUCH for any advice you have!

 

[hakzaw1]

by far--405nm is the best for GITD.

afaik 365NM ECT is not readily available in a pointer form.

~$3 for the 405 pen pointer style uses 2 pcs aaa. Sold as 5 mW but none IIRC are under ~50mW. The 'rules' are 5mW max power allowed at ebay etc.
405 nm Lab lasers ahve active cooling and most can run non-stop if there is a fan--and more fans can be added if the driver/PS has another port to plug in an additional fan. these make the best/smallest dot- Very good
burners-/engravers etc. Diodes are now affordable for 1W+ 405 and getting cheaper. There is a big difference between the best 405 , and next best. i have found that 450 etc blue lasers do not focus well--and red nms are not good burners..
Other members will chime in who know more. We always like to see pics.
good luck with your project.....hk

 

[Permanent Waves]

Is there any particular style to look for? I see many that look similar- the design with the black body and keys for example.
I ordered a $5 blue laser and was not impressed, does not look to even be 5mW

 

[hakzaw1]

You are confusing preceived 'brightness' with Power/mW.
You blue is likley a 405 nm 'violet/purple'
even 1W does not LOOK powerful but it is VERY powerful making it IMHO one of the most dangerous.
-----
I like lasers that use the 18650 Li-ion its rechargeble and the batts can be had REALLY cheap.

Not all the '303/304/305 etc are the same-
none are 5 mW--get a meter- lowest MYB 50 mW- highest >100mW.
cons-

some are not 100% aligned etc- the beam may not be perfectly straight-- some make a sound when shaken- Batts too short or spring not long enough...poor machining-& anodizing. and not much heat sinking... the switches are momentary (not clicky) --since these too need a 'rest' cycle
the switch is good--I like 2min on-duty and 2min off rest.
OR stop when it gets medium warm..

. its what you get at this price--~$5 +/-

We no longer afaik have our member /Ebay laser shop owner (Alan)and their store- they binned them for forum members-
??? what? Covid MYB- 'KingKube' was/is in Wuhan... no replies at FBook.. sad--hope they are OK and will be back.
I pray that everybody will stay healthy.. Wearing a Mask--'no brainer'.

sorry for the rant
hk

--



they a good EDC trio.

 

[Cyparagon]

Using a laser for illumination might be fun, but it is wildly impractical. LEDs are cheaper, safer, and far more effective as a general light source.

 

[Permanent Waves]

I understand where you are coming from.. I am a responsible adult that respects a understands most of the science and safety.

The point of charging with a laser is the difference of being able to save 5 minutes per bead which adds up to hours and days even of what I am able to produce in my workshop.

Not just that but also a laser allows me to see how well mixed my pigment suspensions are. A 5 second sweep of one of the paint bottles reveals how well mixed things are as opposed to a charge with a lamp that produces much more uniform results.

So if I understand you correctly then the 18650 battery powered lasers are the best bang for the buck?

While we are on the topic, can anyone recommend the best value in protective Eyewear for blue/violet and red? Also any ideas on tools to measure low level light or ideas on a wide beam at 2 feet or so?

 

[hakzaw1]

check this ;

Thoughts on these goggles

As I will soon try to get my dye laser working, I started thinking I don't have goggles for the 500-560 nm range. But I will be using a 405nm to pump it. I haven't found many choices at all that cover both of these. Any thoughts on this pair...

laserpointerforums.com

and

WHAT RANGE DO YOU NEED ? This Eagle Pair covers 190nm to 400nm+ 560nm-640nm at OD4 is $42.99 at Survival laser see: https://www.survivallaser.com/Eagle...nm_Laser_Safety_Goggles/p556088_12825366.aspx

This is Beijing Eagle Pair the makers site http://www.eaglelaser.cn/En/View/791.html

 

[Cyparagon]

What does a pointer accomplish that working under a black light does not?

 

[Jim H]

What does a pointer accomplish that working under a black light does not?

w/cm^2

 

[Cyparagon]

Jim, you missed the part where it was said:

this is about me just charging up the glow so I can paint them and be able to see what I'm doing.

A black light is a hands-off approach that makes glow pigments plenty visible immediately. No eye hazards or fiddling with battery power required.

 

[Jim H]

Jim, you missed the part where it was said:



A black light is a hands-off approach that makes glow pigments plenty visible immediately. No eye hazards or fiddling with battery power required.

Actually, you must have missed this part which explains why a laser is more desirable:

"The point of charging with a laser is the difference of being able to save 5 minutes per bead which adds up to hours and days even of what I am able to produce in my workshop.

Not just that but also a laser allows me to see how well mixed my pigment suspensions are. A 5 second sweep of one of the paint bottles reveals how well mixed things are as opposed to a charge with a lamp that produces much more uniform results."

 

[Cyparagon]

The mixing thing is tenuous, given our logarithmic response to brightness. My question remains how does a laser save 5 minutes per bead?

 

[Permanent Waves]

It saves 5 minutes because it charges way faster than anything else. I AM on the hunt for a good blacklight to plug in- I ordered some T8 fluorescent bulbs and am going to compare to LED of similar wattage, but I think that the flourescent is going to win.
Do we talk about fluorescents and LED's here too?
If anyone has a good price on a powerful LED or other blacklight (fluorescent...maybe there is something I am not thinking about like xenon, IDK) please let me know. I still need a better workbench light.
Also still on the hunt for the best deal on a 365 to 395nm pointer!

 

[Encap]

There is no best deal on 365nm to 395nm pointers.
There are no 365 to 395 laser pointers, they don't exist--no demand/need for them- ---only lab lasers.
405nm is as close as you are going to get at any price within reasonable and not a custom made only one on earth.

You can buy a 70mW 375nm diode for $4,758.00 and make a pointer with it but... https://www.thorlabs.com/newgrouppage9.cfm?objectgroup_id=5400
Here is a 395nm laser diode in lab type housing $7,700 https://www.laserdiodesource.com/shop/395nm-120mw-scientific-series-source-and-control-system

You can see most all the laser diode offerings in that range here: https://www.laserdiodesource.com/laser-diodes-filtered-by-wavelength/375nm-laser-diodes

If you want a 405nm laser pointer Sanwu sells a metered low cost $15 100mW 405 pointers see: https://www.sanwulasers.com/product/304

Re: light meters---1 Lux is 1 Lumen per sq. meter -- there are Lux meters that can read 0.001 Lux

What is it you are actually trying to accomplish?

 

[WizardG]

GITD phosphors respond differently to different wavelengths of pump light. A 405nm laser will work for most phosphors but you may see weak or no excitation of some red and orange phosphors.