So I'm not sure this is the best sub forum for this question, but I'll ask here. If there's a better place please point me there. I'm sure we've all seen and loved tee videos of tee surface prep lasers cleaning rust or paint off of metal. It's my understanding they're a co2 laser in the 500-1000 watt range. My question is has anyone here taken on building one?
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Rust cleaning/ surface prep lasers
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Radim
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Encap, I would not underestimate Laserbuilder's projects. Who knows with what he will come in the future? He has a very good access to so many laser stuff what I noticed. I would not be surprised if he gets some 1 kW CO2 tube. 
Where I do appreciate you all making fun. I have searched a fair amount. I have seen those hobbyist kits as well. As with all of us I was hoping to get one built at home cheaper than $275k. I have looked through many forums and this one seemed to have a great deal of knowledge and as such be a great resource for asking the questions I couldn't seem to find the answers to yet. I was wanting advice and build specs not to be made fun of and joked at my first post ever. I've been lurking here for month researching. I can appreciate that this may be an elementary question for experienced builders like yourselves. Probably one that's been asked before. I just couldn't find the thread. Perhaps I didn't have the right search terms.
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diachi
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They don't use CO2 lasers - they use Q-switched Nd:YAG with a diode pump. Different beast entirely.
No one here has attempted to build a Q-switched YAG that powerful. Laserbuilder may be up into the low end of the 100W range, and a few people have or have had systems at those sorts of powers. I'm sure a few people here could manage those sorts of powers but the cost would be very high, just for R&D alone, never mind making the final product.
This isn't really something you can just cobble together in your basement in a week from scratch.
Maybe if you get lucky on eBay you could put something together for a few 10s of thousands of dollars, plus a massive amount if time invested in learning how to put something like this together, then research and design on top of that.
Thank you for a constructive response. Reading here the co2 lasers I've found were more specifically for cutting. That's what threw me off. I appreciate the clarification. I agree its not going to be a quick project. I'm not even sure I can accomplish it, but I'm not sure I can't. It's at least interesting to research either way.
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I did the attempted humorous reply because I thought you had to be joking if you had researched laser rust removal units, technology, or cost so...
Is far too expensive and complicated for any hobbyist. Nobody would do so there is no advice or build specs.. Evryone can think of alot of better things to do with the money required. It might be an idea for someone with a real business purpose for one. Perhaps someone could "Rube Goldberg" one together with enough knowledge, time, money but why reinvent the wheel. Much better to buy a demo unit or used unit of well proven piece of equipment that actually works. The are also available for rental use for short term use at $7500/week for a 500W unit and $4500/week for a 100W.
It seem the 1000W model is $480,000 but they make a baby 20W model that is $80,000 see link here: https://www.carthrottle.com/post/does-laser-rust-removal-work-and-is-it-affordable/
At the price of making a 1000W rust removal laser, building you own car or house makes as much sense as building a 500W to 1000W rust removal laser. Is a matter of enough time, money, education, skill, and the will to do it.
PS Lots of links if you google "rust removal laser"
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I saw this thread earlier and thought it was something i had already responded to. diachi, is right, as is usually the case.
LarryDFW
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Check the Q-switched Nd:YAG model StyroPyro demoed on YouTube.
It definitely removes rust.
It definitely removes rust.
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You beat me to it Larry. I was thinking about that tattoo removal laser in one of Styro's latest videos. Back off on the power and increase the rep rate and that might do a decent job. It will certainly work as is but the rep' rate is too low to be practical for removing large areas of rust.
