My new Home-made laser safety goggles *Edit* Pics!

[Geneticz]

Hello fellow LPF'ers,

I recently got a X-25 laser, with a 33mW avg. and 41mW peak. When doing the very few fun things you can do with such a low powered laser ( Smoking dark plastics, popping dark balloons, occasionally burning through THIN tape) I noticed that the dot was bright. Very bright.
So today I picked up some dark red acrylic ( Scrap-Bin at school), and brought it home. Shone my laser through... AND absolutely 0 dot on other side. Nothing at all. Viewed the dot through the plastic; Small, dull dot.

I am soon going to find or buy some cheapo lab goggles and attach them. Just asking, why don't more people do this? I have tried shining the laser at the same spot for approximately 1 minute, with no apparent effect. ( the plastic is about 2mm thickness). I guess others have higher powered lasers, but the plastic works like a charm.

My Blu-Ray laser will soon be in construction, so I am wondering whether I can be able to use these homemade goggles with it - I should be getting about 95 mWs of violet light. So are they at all safe for Blu-Ray? Or should I go 'certified'?

Btw, this forum is awesome. Once I start making my Blu-Ray will probably have some more questions, so see you guys around.

 

[MarioMaster]

Re: My new Home-made laser safety goggles

main reason is that other goggles are designed and certified to protect your eyes - also if it doesn't allow you to see the dot at all then it's hard to aim/use the laser :-/

basically I think if you can fork out for the laser then the goggles shouldn't be a big issue

 

[Geneticz]

Re: My new Home-made laser safety goggles

Hrrrrmmmm....

I didn't buy the laser- Xmas present from those less knowledgeable of laser safety ;D

But I can see the dot, its just its not a big bright thing thats all in your face. It makes it look like a <1mW red. The only thing i wont be able to see is the beam as well. But dot=visible. :-/

True, they wont be certified. But these seem to protect just as well from what I have seen on youtube or other sites.

You are completely right about the whole " if you can afford the laser you can afford to protect your eyes". But in my eyes, *no pun intended* this seems to be just as good. Anyone know about the Blu-Ray?

 

[randomlugia]

Re: My new Home-made laser safety goggles *Edit* P

They should work for blu-ray, too. But keep in mind, if the dot of your greenie becomes that dim, blu-ray will be invisible. Some people can't even see a 100mW dot 10' away in a lit room...

 

[691175002]

Re: My new Home-made laser safety goggles *Edit* P

The reason people don't do this is because you can't be sure.  The dyes may fade over time (And their degradation might not be noticeable), you have no idea what wavelengths it covers (IR?), you have no idea of the level of protection it might provide.

There are so many possible risks and unknowns.  If you are playing with high powered lasers, a freak reflection into your eye could end everything, and I wouldn't place extreme trust in some cheap colored plastic.  I would consider this fine for 30-40mW, but not much further.

Would you take a 300mW green straight to the face for ten seconds with these glasses? Not that I would enjoy it, but with certified goggles I know I will be safe.

 

[rocketparrotlet]

Re: My new Home-made laser safety goggles *Edit* P

For the green, it's fine. They will work, and your testing seems to be okay for a use of a low-powered laser.

Blu-rays, however, are much different. They will degrade plastics and dyes easier because of their wavelength. Also, that kind of power in your eye is BAD.

I took a hit with my blu-ray through goggles, reflected off a mirror. I wouldn't have trusted a thin sheet of plastic to do the same thing.

-Mark

 

[Deleted member 8382]

Re: My new Home-made laser safety goggles *Edit* P

I also noticed the same. the 3D movies glasses (those with one eye on blue and other on red) are also making the same (the red part ofc).

They are not filtering IR but thats nt a problem on such a low power.

Yes, you will be protected, but whats so funny to be protected agaisnt it if you can't see it? In my case I barely see a dot at 2 meters, nothing at 3 or more meters, so it's useless :/

 

[benmwv]

seriously how many of you guys even wear goggles with anything less than 150mw except for close up burning? I know i dont espescially with a 30mw

 

[Bluefan]

I do, as well as many others. With a few mm thick acrylic you have some protection, but no idea about how much attenuation, how much power it can take under ALL possible circumstances, the rate of degradation, possible secondary radiation and the list goes on. For your 30mW 532nm you can get away with it, but if you plan to stay with the laser hobby, buy proper laser eyewear, it's worth it.

 

[AJ_Dual]

IR probably isn't much of a risk.

The optics in a DPSS green are set to focus the 532nm output from the face of the final KPT crystal, and not the 808nm diode, or the 1024nm IR coming out of the Nd:YV04 crystal. The IR leakage (if any) is probably going to be poorly focused and not collimated well at all.

To get significant IR exposure, you'd probably need a direct shot or bounce within a few inches of the aperture.

But again, the emphasis is on PROBABLY here, and there's deals on tested calibrated glasses with known OD's per wavelength to be had that won't break the bank.

However, I understand the desire to be cheap with what will PROBABLY work. As a kid, I used to tape a couple pieces of G-14 welders glass I bought out of a bucket at American Science & Surplus to a pair of binoculars to look at the sun during eclipses, or to see sunspots.

So I don't judge too harshly.

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

As a kid I used to stare at the sun. Everybody told me not to, but they never told me why. All they had to do is tell me that the sun is an approximation of a very powerful point source that, when imaged, can create a very intense point.

I stopped doing that once I discovered what magnifying glasses did to that sunlight that I looked at.