the REAL DIY laser goggles!

[alexjt]

Is it possible to just get the OD rated plastic/glass that goes in the laser glasses and make your own? I mean, granted I have a certified pair and everything (and money is NOT an issue,) but I want to get another few pairs for pals. And seriously, if you're going to be messing with lasers, you might as well do it in style. My basic premise is this:

Go ahead - Tell me this would not be totally awesome. I repeat: if you're going to be messing with lasers, you might as well do it in style - seriously.:yh:

 

[Benm]

Hehe.. sure, you could. If you were to cut some lenses from proper laser goggles at fit them into frames that shield the eye on all other sides, there is no reason to assume this approach would not work.

It seems like a heck of a lot of work though, no worth the price of an additional pair of adequate glasses.

 

[alexjt]

Yeah I know... I'm still searching to see if there's anywhere that might supply just sheets of the material. No luck yet...

 

[LSRFAQ]

google laser safety barrier. You'll buy more goggles before you pay for that stuff.

Steve

 

[alexjt]

google laser safety barrier. You'll buy more goggles before you pay for that stuff.

Steve

Thanks Steve, that's exactly what I needed! Actually, with a bit of searching, I found this:

KTP and Argon Laser Safety Window

$139 for a 12"x12" sheet sounds pretty darn good to me! I could make at the very least 4 pairs out of that. OD 4+ for the 445 range would cover my most powerful laser at the moment. Now that said, I'd want to give them a ring and ask about what the difference might be between thicknesses, or if there is any. Does anyone see anything wrong with this plastic for this use?

-A

 

[dasraiser]

hi what about using the the same stuff in thats in scanners that reflect certain wave lengths and lets the others though, that is if it comes in sheets

 

[alexjt]

I don't think they work that way. Even if they did, I'd never trust my eyes to it. I'm pretty sure they'd reflect the wrong wavelength. I'd much rather play it safe and use officially certified sheets like the ones I linked to.

 

[Kahless1984]

Those would be such awesome goggles!!
Kinda steampunk looking.

Keep us informed on your progress
If all goes well I might be interested in buying some in the future

 

[Isoleucine]

Probably will work, but could several layers of theatrical lighting gel work? Some gels have low light transmission and have very dense colors. Furthermore, most gels are high-temp for use up in stage lighting. They cost usually five dollars for a 10 inch square.

 

[HaloBlu]

You really don't want to trust your eyes to some gels.
Wish the OP didn't go awol. Was so looking forward to steampunk goggles!

 

[alexjt]

I'm BACK! Sorry, Sorry, I know, I did kinda go awol. I forgot to update my email forwarding, so I wasn't getting these messages! Also, I cannot stress enough: THEATER GELS WILL NOT WORK AND YOU WILL GO BLIND IF YOU TRY TO USE THEM. pleeease don't use them, Isoleucine. There are several threads you can search for more detailed explanations as to why.

Well, as a matter of fact, guess what I bought?

Cost me a pretty penny, but it's worth it. Plus, I'll have plenty of scrap to make extras as well. I'm super pumped. Now for the goggles. I ordered a bunch of welding goggles that should come in on Friday, I think. I work as a laser engraver, so I'll just cut out the acrylic circles in the machine at work, and then replace the welding lenses with *+*LaSeR LeNsEs!*+*

I'll keep you all posted. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

 

[Mohrenberg]

I see a new hot product for sale on the forum in the near future

I bet your steampunk laser safety glasses would be very popular

 

[Trevor]

I'll keep you all posted. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

This post is 50% to ask you what a pair will cost me and 50% to subscribe to this thread...

-Trevor

 

[willpine]

i saw some steampunk laser goggles for sale awhile back. a company does them on limited runs but they were kinda expensive look like what you were talking about. damn i cant find right now but they were on a shop from laser forum site that came up from time to time. maybe photonlexicon or cpf or laseralcholics or laser slurplus parts etc. he sold wicked laser goggles to. ahhh i cant remember but maybe that will ring a bell for someone else that goes to multiple sites, maybe hacksaw or laserbee would know. i will post if i find. Let us know how they turn out

 

[alexjt]

Ho-kay, So:

The goggles came in today, yay! They're an ugly welding-goggle green, but I'll spray paint them and they'll be pretty. I'm thinking black with a gold rim? Anyone want to suggest other colors? Oh yah, we can make this very Haute Couture. I'll paint them tonight, laser out the lenses tomorrow and the first pair should be done and ready to post pics of by tomorrow night!

@Mohrenberg and Trevor, thanks for the kind words! I actually hadn't really thought about selling these en masse as it were, but that would actually be a great idea. I crunched some numbers last night:

I *think* I can get 17 pairs of goggles out of the 12x12 sheet. If that's true, I could sell these goggles for $25 bucks a pair and still come out a tad above what I paid for the goggles, lenses, and spray paint. So, that's actually pretty damn good, I think. At least compared to what I paid for my last pair of goggles with this rating. By the way, the rating for these goggles will be as follows:
OD 5+ (190-375 nm)
OD 4+ (375-532 nm)
OD 5+ (10,600 nm)

I'm could also make them for other wavelengths, but I'm not sure if the price would stay the same. I can check if anyone is interested.)

Does anyone else think this might be a good alternative for newbies who otherwise might not invest in the proper laser safety eye wear? I know a few people who's eyes I am still very concerned for.

@willpine, Thanks for the info, sadly, I couldn't find anything either. If you figure out what shop was doing it, I'd be interested in checking that out!

 

[alexjt]

And, here's the basic idea in black, white, and green. Lemme know what you think! Please note, this is not a final paint job by any means, just a quick spray paint job to get an idea for how they might look in different colors...