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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Brand new, noob, *TRYING MY BEST TO BE RESPONSIBLE*

burnedup69

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Long story short: I live way out in the country and I want a laser that will "spark" a fire from about 10 ft away..........

If I have to / need to use "flash paper" in order to accomplish this - fine. I'm perfectly fine with that.

My main concern is "safety" for not only myself but for any neighbors who might just look out their window at the exact moment I am trying to start the fire.

I have watched youtube videos for 5 straight weeks now and I still don't have the answers I'm looking for. (Lasers are hard - lol) I'm not kidding you - I had a "sales rep" from Sanwu lasers tell me to get the 7W Striker and everything would be perfectly safe for me and the neighbors and I knew based on what I had seen online that was a flat out lie........... and I did not order it.

Since I live in the country, I have a lot of "brush piles" that I need to burn to keep the property clean. I recently had an accident thanks to those new and improved "safety" gas cans ---- and I wound up with 2nd and 3rd degree burns. I have vowed to never let that happen again. So ---- in my head > Build the brush pile and prepare to burn it. Use *Kerosene* / not gasoline ---- and give the pile a good soak in Kerosene. Place a "flash paper" / paper in place ---- step back 10 ft and hit it with a laser for 2 / 10ths of a second, the flash is created, fire > fire....... we're done. Lock the laser away until next time. That's it.

I am actually trying to be the "responsible person" you guys love to preach to... (no offense but you do preach a lot and rightfully so) ----- I'm trying to do things the "right" way and the safest way for me and anyone around me. I know the guy that told me to order the 7w striker may as well have told me to order a nuclear weapon. <smh>

Yes, there are much easier ways to start a fire. I'm aware. ------ But the heart wants what the heart wants. I'm going to get one , one way or the other but I'd really like someone with the right knowledge to tell me exactly which laser / tool to order so I can accomplish my goals and be a responsible human being all in 1. Otherwise I'm calling it a day.........say I tried really hard to get good info and will just order the freakin' 7W striker anyway. (Which is so dumb)
 





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Since I live in the country, I have a lot of "brush piles" that I need to burn to keep the property clean. I recently had an accident thanks to those new and improved "safety" gas cans ---- and I wound up with 2nd and 3rd degree burns.

Oh my.......2nd and 3rd degree burns huh ?

Unfortunately it sounds like you're a bit reckless.

You probably shouldn't be messing around with lasers, you could burn your eyes out or worse yet hurt someone else.

Here's something to get your fire going without those nasty gasoline burns. > https://www.phoneskope.com/store/accessories/pyro-putty/

You can play with this to get it started. > https://www.phoneskope.com/store/product/10/623/
 
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Unown (WILD)

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How did the gas cans cause you 2nd and 3rd degree burns? What's the name of the sales rep that told you a 7 watt laser was safe?
 
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For the practical side, lasers definitely are NOT the best or safest option by a LOT. Probably much easier to light a small piece of something on fire and throw it in. Kinda like a road flare or similar maybe? Or maybe just skip the highly volatile fuel altogether.

I think for lighting with a laser the best/easiest/safest option might be flash paper. If you could paint/sharpy it black, it might lit better?
 
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burnedup69

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How did the gas cans cause you 2nd and 3rd degree burns? What's the name of the sales rep that told you a 7 watt laser was safe?
I wish I could remember his name but it was on the chat thing. Anyway, I knew the info he was feeding me was pure BS and dangerous AF.
 

burnedup69

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For the practical side, lasers definitely are NOT the best or safest option by a LOT. Probably much easier to light a small piece of something on fire and throw it in. Kinda like a road flare or similar maybe? Or maybe just skip the highly volatile fuel altogether.

I think for lighting with a laser the best/easiest/safest option might be flash paper. If you could paint/sharpy it black, it might lit better?
Yes, the black will make it better. Pretty sure you can order them already black. Which would be nice. It's ok. I've been trying for 5 weeks to get the appropriate answer. I'll keep researching until I get the right one. I am getting one so that's that.
 

Unown (WILD)

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Ok ok you both said the F word. Let's just move on from here. But please keep the swearing out of reports thankyou
 

julianthedragon

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If you got the 7W striker, you probably wouldn't need the flash paper to light a fire. You might need to get closer than 10ft due to the high divergence of the diode though. You are correct about it being incredibly dangerous but it's not like a "nuclear weapon" lol, if you're going to be realistic about laser safety you should be realistic on both ends. If you're a responsible adult with the proper eyewear and know how to operate the laser you will be fine. It is an incredibly bright beam of collimated light, so pay attention to where it is pointing, keep safety glasses on at all times, only use when necessary and ideally by yourself.

Personally if you want a slightly safer solution with flash paper I would think about a laser in the 1-2W range with less divergence. Divergence depends on the diode and optics of the laser system and will permit a higher power density at a greater distance. (Power density and beam profile contributes a lot to burning/cutting ability.) It's difficult to find a high powered single mode laser but 405nm comes close. I'm tempted to recommend Sanwu's challenger II 405nm 1.6W
 

CurtisOliver

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A 7W laser should never be someone's first laser. It's like giving a new driver a Lamborghini. It is unsafe for those with no experience with high power lasers. I highly urge you to do some research into Class 4 lasers so you get an idea of hazards surrounding them. As you've already admitted to having accidents maybe you should re-evaluate a little. You don't want to add laser related injuries to your problems.
 

julianthedragon

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A 7W laser should never be someone's first laser. It's like giving a new driver a Lamborghini. It is unsafe for those with no experience with high power lasers. I highly urge you to do some research into Class 4 lasers so you get an idea of hazards surrounding them. As you've already admitted to having accidents maybe you should re-evaluate a little. You don't want to add laser related injuries to your problems.
This made me reevaluate my reply a bit.😅 I’ve been in this hobby for a while and still don’t want/own a 7W capable laser. It’s definitely not for beginners. I was just trying to be realistic since op seemed mature and tired of the “preachy” answers + genuinely scared of the 7W and rightfully so. But it’s hard to truly judge character through an anonymous forum and I wouldn’t want to encourage anyone to take that risk I suppose
 

CurtisOliver

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Class 4 obviously starts at 500mW. That's dangerous without a doubt and correctly categorised. But I almost believe there should be a subcategory once you break 2W, as this is where you notice even the multimodes instantly burning materials. And there would be no going back on your eyeballs. With my 7W, I have noticed that I become very particular about its placement and the beam stop. There is no room for error. Its a massive fire risk. Nearly everything burns or reacts to the laser at close range. I have a black coated steel makeshift beam stop with paint stripped from the exposure. The NUBM44 is a laser that requires a healthy respect at any experience level. Its up there with solid states and CO2's for care needed. The hazard is multiplied if the laser is portable.
 

burnedup69

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If you got the 7W striker, you probably wouldn't need the flash paper to light a fire. You might need to get closer than 10ft due to the high divergence of the diode though. You are correct about it being incredibly dangerous but it's not like a "nuclear weapon" lol, if you're going to be realistic about laser safety you should be realistic on both ends. If you're a responsible adult with the proper eyewear and know how to operate the laser you will be fine. It is an incredibly bright beam of collimated light, so pay attention to where it is pointing, keep safety glasses on at all times, only use when necessary and ideally by yourself.

Personally if you want a slightly safer solution with flash paper I would think about a laser in the 1-2W range with less divergence. Divergence depends on the diode and optics of the laser system and will permit a higher power density at a greater distance. (Power density and beam profile contributes a lot to burning/cutting ability.) It's difficult to find a high powered single mode laser but 405nm comes close. I'm tempted to recommend Sanwu's challenger II 405nm 1.6W
An actual reasonable answer. Thank you.
 
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I was just giving you grief as I expected you might be trolling, I mean seriously......2nd and 3rd degree burn from " safety " gas cans.......really ?

But just in case you actually ordered your 1st laser to start fires in your yard, let me urge you to use caution when lasing, remember that lasers produce a concentrated beam of light that's dangerous to eyesight and distracting for long distances.

That said get the laser safety glasses and also the beam expander because the divergence of the 7w laser diode is quite poor and you will likely be disappointed trying to light your bonfire, however you should buy several large fire extinguishers and remember not to leave your bonfire unattended.
 
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Unown (WILD)

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Comment Removed for Posterity
I know I know. RCB is a good guy but yes we do get a lot of trolling and spam on this forum so when someone says something that is overexaggerated the common feeling is that it's got to be another troll. Be careful with that laser alright? That link to the electric extended fire starter that Red gave you looks like a good alternative just in case the laser doesn't work for you. To start a fire will take time with a laser even with flash paper. You will have to be close as these high powers have bad beam quality.
 
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burnedup69

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I was just giving you grief as I expected you might be trolling, I mean seriously......2nd and 3rd degree burn from " safety " gas cans.......really ?

But just in case you actually ordered your 1st laser to start fires in your yard, let me urge you to use caution when lasing, remember that lasers produce a concentrated beam of light that's dangerous to eyesight and distracting for long distances.

That said get the laser safety glasses and also the beam expander because the divergence of the 7w laser diode is quite poor and you will likely be disappointed trying to light your bonfire, however you should buy several large fire extinguishers and remember not to leave your bonfire unattended.

I forgive you. I apologize as well. "Life" has been handing me a lot lately and I snapped. My wife - a woman I've known for 35 yrs btw since the 7th grade... just up and literally turned on me and walked out while knowing my 20 yr old son was fighting cancer. He lost that battle last March 26th. 3 time State Rugby Champion. And then the wife thing at the same time . There's no words........ bottom line is you choose love or you choose hate.

Life goes on. Yes to explain the safety feature gasoline thing - context is needed. I'm a 49 yr old male born and raised in the South / United States. You may use the term redneck if you'd like. I've been throwing gasoline on brush fires for most of my life. With everything else going on in my life I failed to notice the new "filters" they place inside the new safety / plastic red standard gasoline can. ----- in the old days there was none of that crap. The filter indeed does work by keeping trash out of the can. ----- It also screws up all the physics and "muscle memory" of throwing gas on a fire. Gas trickled out onto my shirt and that was it. I'm not blaming the can. I blame myself. I'm just explaining the "how" part. The filter acted as a dam / and I learned. Quickly. (When you bring gasoline to a fire fight, use the old gas cans) (Positive spin)

Trolling a laser pointer forum. ? ...... But why though? Trolling how? And again, > why? That makes no sense to me.

No, I didn't come here to troll. I came here because after laying in bed for 5 weeks watching Styro Pyro's vids - I became enthralled and terrified and I wanted to be a "good person" and come here and get some real answers. I did not order the Striker. I did however order what I'm pretty positive is the "standard" 1w - ish gattlin style laser off of Amazon. The silver case and the 5 star caps or whatever I could care less about. > $58 ---- based on the price and the reviews that it would and does indeed burn.... I concluded it was most likely the 1w 450nm blue that's literally everywhere......... I did order that. I got it today. It works just fine but ..... I have put it down now because I am awaiting a proper pair of goggles. I talked to a rep on the phone today from survival lasers and he confirmed based on what I told him that he was 100% confident a certain pair would be just fine for me.... I can't recall the exact product right now but they were about $45

He explained to me (thankfully) that those goggles included in the cheap box were not entirely useless -- he explained that as long as I was pointing at something non reflective and on the ground / into the ground about 20 ft away - using those included goggles would be "ok" but he confirmed it was the possible reflection that was the problem. But he made it crystal clear to *NOT* use them at all for up close work.... and I agree.

If you have any input there, I'd be happy to hear it. --- And I can't see myself ever getting involved in "other colors" or wavelengths. Getting firm answers is hard with lasers and I understand why. Lots of math and science. Tons. I don't intend to ever get 'into' it..... I just want this thing as a specific tool. As far as the lighting the fire part - I'm 100% confident in my skills there.

Thank you again. No. I'm not a troll. I have a high / extreme interest in science, physics, etc..... and laying in bed burned up I stumbled onto the laser rabbit hole. Had to have it. But to put it into context - it terrifies me more than my 9mm laying right here beside me. Hell, I took the batteries out after the "brief test" tonight just to confirm it works. Oh it works........ Tried the tried and true youtube method of trying to burn the black styrofoam stuff inside the top of the cheap silver box. I saw "wisps" of smoke from 4 ft away. Immediately. ....... That was enough. Off / batteries out / onto the goggles now..........
 




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