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Real UV flashlight






@Seoul_lasers: bookmarked! I don't have Autunite but I definitely have some of the ones listed there (ruby, calcite and fluorite). Can't wait to try 'em out!

@cilegray: strange, it's listed as 365nm but seems like it's 400nm. If that's right I don't think it will serve for sterelization nor forensics
 
Cool, just a matter of time, then.


Just tried to fluoresce a piece of calcite with 405nm but it didn't work (didn't really expect it to) but I accidentally found out some stuff that does, including a piece of plastic that will glow a *very bright* orange and some small printer cartridge PCBs that will glow yellowish green. Funny thing is that not all of them fluoresce but the ones that do look very cool! Wish I could take a picture but the camera overloads with violet.
 
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Atomicrox said:
Cool, just a matter of time, then.


Just tried to fluoresce a piece of calcite with 405nm but it didn't work (didn't really expect it to) but I accidentally found out some stuff that does, including a piece of plastic that will glow a *very bright* orange and some small printer cartridge PCBs that will glow yellowish green. Funny thing is that not all of them fluoresce but the ones that do look very cool! Wish I could take a picture but the camera overloads with violet.
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IF you really want true UV you'll have to go (shortwave 200nm-300nm), and the only way you'll be doing that is by Hg discharge quartz tube (can be found in water purifiers) and a sheet of woods glass. Woods glass is kind of special glass (Ba-Na-SiO4 glass and about 9% Ni oxide) blocks all visible light and lets through
IR, 400nm-300nm UVA and down to 200nm UVB light.
 
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My dad has self build lamps for his minerals (he has a room full of it)

They are short wave with special glass infront of it..
Kinda dangerous stuff.. :D
 
Atomicrox said:
I wanted to stay in UVA for safety but there's a very easy way to get an UVB tube:

Bathroom Toothbrush / Shaver Razor UV Sterilizer Sanitizer (6 x AA) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

But you got me tempted with the minerals thing! Do you know where I can find proper goggles?
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Actually Korea has quite a few UVB sterilizers for toothbrushes. They are cheap as well. the tubes are maybe $15ea. 5cm sized gas discharge bulb inside.
Goggles are UV and Safety Protective Eyewear | Edmund Optics
$25.00 ea
 
Thought goggles would be more expensive, I'll wait for the flashlight ad maybe get one of those.
 
Regular polycarbonate safety glasses stop UVB. There's no need to pay that much.

The problem with germicidal lamps is they emit lots of visible light, too. You need to filter that out, or you won't see much of anything.
 
According to Wikipedia Wood's glass will filter out UVC so that's not an option..
 
piferal said:
This one is between 365 - 370nm, and to be Gallium Indium Nitride LEDs with this wavelength, is not too expensive.

There are other more expensive options around.

And also significantly cheaper, arround $ 10, flashlights using fluorescent tubes of 6".

See if this helps you.
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I have that light. Using my eyeglasses as UV filters (UV400 coated) they do filter out much of the UV light, and much of the overall power so most of the light produced is UVA, since the eyeglass lenses are designed to block UVA. I tested the output using fluorescent materials.

It's similar or the same as this light and it does have a small amount of broadband visible emission centered around 550nm which gives the LED's the whitish glow. Still a worthwhile source of UVA.
 
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Atomicrox said:
According to Wikipedia Wood's glass will filter out UVC so that's not an option..
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UVC is something you don't want in a shortwave UV flashlight. The concept of a flashlight isn't to create ground level ozone or air ionization. UVC is useless for flashlight purposes.

Wood's glass is used in the high end professional UV lamps for scorpion hunting, and shortwave mineral hunting. You are really after outputs ~200nm to about 360nm max
 
Seoul_lasers said:
UVC is something you don't want in a shortwave UV flashlight. The concept of a flashlight isn't to create ground level ozone or air ionization. UVC is useless for flashlight purposes.

Wood's glass is used in the high end professional UV lamps for scorpion hunting, and shortwave mineral hunting. You are really after outputs ~200nm to about 360nm max
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Wiki says UVC is between 100nm and 280nm, so I think the range you're calling shortwave is the entire UVB range plus parts of UVC and UVA.. Wood's glass should filter out anything below 320nm, shouldn't it?
 
Cyparagon said:
Regular polycarbonate safety glasses stop UVB. There's no need to pay that much.

The problem with germicidal lamps is they emit lots of visible light, too. You need to filter that out, or you won't see much of anything.
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The problem with these things is that you need to use skin protection as well. Germicidal lamps can give you a nasty sunburn rather quickly, and obviously increase skin cancer risks with repeated exposure.
 
You don't want germicidal lamps. 253.7nm is going to give you cancer, not light up scorpions. I wouldn't use that without a mask and long sleeves.

If you want to light up scorpions, use a black light or longer wave UV lights. "Black light" is around 365nm and fluorescent black light tubes are pretty efficient. Just buy a compact fluorescent black light at your local store and attach it to a DC-DC converter/Joule Thief circuit to make it portable. There are also those 4W lamps such the ones found here.
 
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