OK, if your sure you have NOTHING TO LOSE, and you have enough tube current to light the tube, and are within the specified tube current +/- 10 percent.
Clamp the tube firmly using something other then metal. Ie wood, plastic. Dont crush the glass, but you need a firm compression clamp over the central two thirds of the tube.
Get a foot long, thick walled, plastic tube that just slides over then end mirror mount. Make sure its plastic, else the shocks are very painful.
Gently push the tube about 2-3 millimeters onto each optics mount.
Start with the LONG one. Do not push the tube all the way to the "flex" grove in the optics mount.
Rotate the plastic tube in a cone around the piviot point, using no more then a few ounces of force in any direction.
With luck/prayer you will see a flash. Note carefully the direction the tube was bent in, that caused the flash. Mark a line on the tube at that point with a black sharpie marker.
Power down the laser,
Stick a large flat bladed screwdriver with a highly insulated plastic handle in the grove in the mount at a point 180 degress away from the bending direction. Apply gentle force with the screwdriver to bend the flexure mount just a tiny bit. Angle the screwdriver handle toward the tube body. Note it is extremely easy to apply too much force and crack the glass. Most people who have done this would make a ring tool out of a hardware store shaft collar with allen screws 120 degrees apart. You need to overshoot on the bending a bit, just a bit, past where it will lase, as the metal will relax back to the old stress point. You can also "twist" the screwdriver in the slot, instead of the bending moment. This works better, but requires some feel.
These tubes are great capacitors. and will shock the $hit out of you if you do not discharge them when handling them.
Flex the mount with all care you would apply to touching a supermodel's face with your index finger.
More complete directions are in the HENE alignment section of Sam's Laser FAQ.
THIS IS A LAST DITCH "HAIL MARY" technique, you can easily break the glass until you learn exactly how much the flexure mount can flex.
But if your sure you have a non-lasing tube and a modest home work shop, it might be worth the risk. IT can take a hour of flexing to find peak power.
Only flex the end that is out of alignment.
I really dont reccomend this technique for anyone, especially if a tube is aready lasing. Tubes are not that stable after this technique, because the factory will align BOTH mirrors to the tube bore using special techniques and expensive jigs that do not stress the glass. But you may find steady lasing.
Steve
