I am intentionally necro posting to bump this thread because this is a safety issue we need to be sure people think about. The subject of safety came up in the thread about our newest very powerful blue diode. Instead of continuing the off topic subject matter I thought it best to post here.
These new diodes are too powerful to be pointing them around just anywhere when inside. 4 of my lasers are a fire hazard if I were to be careless with them, 2 of them very easily set stuff on fire, 1 can set white paper in flames almost instantly. Sooner or later we will see a news story, "Man burns down apartment building with laser. 50 people left homeless". This will do more damage to our hobby than idiots pointing them at a jetliner.
My first powerful laser I built is a 1.5W M140. I remember nearly blinding myself when I went to kill a spider, I also nearly started a fire with it, I also burned myself once when it slipped out of my hand. These were in the first few days after I built the laser. These mistakes only happened once and I fully understood the dangers of my laser. My point is that if you go from a <5mW laser to something class 4, you may not fully understand the power it has and the danger. I worry about someone going from a <5mW laser to one that is in the 4W to 7W range or even getting one for their first laser.
People are always stressing the importance of safety glasses. With lasers of this power we also need to remind people of the fire hazard as well as to avoid any direct contact with the beam. This sounds like common sense but common sense is uncommon. People learn from their own mistakes, not the mistakes of others. I welcome your thoughts on this.
Alan