want an intro to burning lasers

[GSS]

I am having a big interest in burning lasers I have read and researched fairly well but I tend to learn alot better by everyone on the forum. I need to obviously start slow as I did with my green pointers. As cheap for now as possible without being dissapointed (I know everyones dream!) Violet seams to be the cheapest and all im looking for is to light at least a match. Believe me I really really appreciate all the help ive gotten so far. Please any suggestions? thx

 

[NightExplorer96]

Before buying such a laser, get some goggles. 405 in on the edge of human vision, and with that is capable of burning (some) materials a lot easier then other longer wavelengths!
Eagle Pair® 190-540nm Standard Laser Safety Goggles

daguin, posted a video of 35mW's of 405 lighting a match, but it was achieved with the help of lenses and had to be carefully focused, so it is possible. In your case, 50mW will do the job. Below is a link to where you can purchase such a laser.
LP 405nm 5-80

Be safe!

-Alex

 

[Laser Chick]

445nm seems to be about the best bang for your buck. $$ per mW
There are several factors to consider other than just power output such as beam width, wave length and the focal point. Some have more affect than others.
If the laser is able to be focused also.
If you want to use an external magnifying glass lens to concentrate the beam width.
Generally you will need at a minimum around 50mW to 75mW of output.
Please remember that any laser over 5mW needs to be used with great care as eye damage can occur if not used safely.

 

[Pi R Squared]

I second that, a 445nm gives you the most for your money, also my 450nm is very impressive, maybe a little higher power density than a 445nm of the same power. They have very visible beams. A 405nm burns very good and at longer distance than a 445nm, but you may be disappointed, especially at a low to medium power because it won't have a visible beam. This also makes a 405nm more dangerous because it's looks are deceiving. A powerful 500-1000mW 405nm can burn at up 90 feet, it will have a visible beam but not very bright. Once you get up to 500mW+ (class 4) lasers become very dangerous and can even be a fire hazard if you go carelessly pointing at things and can easily leave scorch marks on walls doors and furniture.

Alan

 

[SyKo]

Have you thought about starting out with some 650-660nm Lasers, from my knowledge they tend to be cheaper and you can get LPC-826's and diodes alike (ML101u29 etc) although they get pretty costly after around the 300mW range, however if all you wish to do is pop balloons, light matches etc then you could look at these diodes as an affordable option so long as 405/445 wasnt your preference.

Also are you looking for only complete units or are you a DIY build it yourself kind of person when it comes to Lasers?

Just some things off the top of my head, feel free to correct me if i'm wrong.

 

[NightExplorer96]

Have you thought about starting out with some 650-660nm Lasers, from my knowledge they tend to be cheaper and you can get LPC-826's and diodes alike (ML101u29 etc) although they get pretty costly after around the 300mW range, however if all you wish to do is pop balloons, light matches etc then you could look at these diodes as an affordable option so long as 405/445 wasnt your preference.

Also are you looking for only complete units or are you a DIY build it yourself kind of person when it comes to Lasers?

Just some things off the top of my head, feel free to correct me if i'm wrong.

When it comes to burning it all comes to how the wavelength is absorbed by the material one wishes to burn. When it comes to dark materials a shorter wavelength, in example 405/445 will burn better then longer wavelengths at 650/660 of similar power. Try cutting black tape with 50mW's of 532 and then with 50mW's of 405, you'll see a huge difference

Another good example,

Some CO2 lasers are used to cut glass, even though their wavelengths are much, much longer then IR diode wavelengths! This is possible because their wavelength is more easily absorbed by glass when compared to IR lasers(with a shorter wavelength).

-Alex

 

[Pman]

Know for a fact you can light a match with 40mW of 405nm $5 pen. Don't think I have one lower than that to try. Most of those Ebay pens are way over-spec. Pop the top, refocus lens and you're done. Buy from the right sellers and you're practically guaranteed a 405nm >60mW and 650nm >100mW and the correct ones to make yours fully focusable I can list a couple sellers in the US that I recently purchased from that were correct.
I recently built a bunch of LPC-826 that can all hit >300mW with acrylic lens. Just look in the reviews section. The US seller has them back in stock. I think he's the only one on Ebay in the US that sells them so if you search he comes right up. He also sells those 150mW (when pushed hard) 405nm diodes really cheap but they are not as robust when pushed. If you set your driver for 150mW decent chance the diode will poof.
I keep saying I need to post all the links I know to the best deals I know of because newer members don't know and lots of others have forgotten or something in a new thread just to make it easy.

 

[GSS]

Everybody thank you! Im leaning towards the blue 445mw. A few reasons my better than nothing cheep red saftey glasses say for green and blue lasers (like I quoted before dont know how true) the blue is more visable at 445mw (beam) I have my cheep reds that I play with my cat, I dont want to burn out my 75mw opotronics greenie its one of my 2 prides for now. The blue at that mw will kinda give me a little of both worlds , nice color and can burn the best. Forgive my ignorance for talking about a duty cycle on the post before.I dont even know why I asked that a good burner should light a match pretty quickly ( ive read enough just a brain freeze) Pman can you still look up those sights please? and like I mentioned before I can take a chance on a few cheepie e bay ones Every one thank you for being so helpfull

 

[hwang21]

Hang on. OP seems to be fairly new to burning lasers. I don't recommend anything over 100mW

Honestly, if what you're trying to burn is black, as long as you focus the laser well, you won't notice much of a difference between the laser colors. 50mW is enough to light a match if you focus it well, but I would recommend something more along the lines of 75mW

I would not recommend getting cheap laser goggles- they're protective equipment. Do you really want cheap quality protection from a dangerous laser? Eagle Pair goggles get the job done, get them before you roast your eyeballs

Duty cycle has nothing to do with burning ability, for the most part. Duty cycle refers to how long the laser can remain on before it gets too hot. That is more directly related to the size of the heatsink and the efficiency of the laser diode/module

As your first burning laser, I would try a green laser pen from laserbtb or something along those lines. Until you're familiar with higher power lasers, I wouldn't even recommend LPC-826 laser diodes, much less a 445nm/450nm. Granted, they present the best bang for the buck power, but seriously those are scary power levels for new laser owners. Stick to something at or below 100mW

 

[BowtieGuy]

GSS, is this "www.laserbtb.com" the site you were looking at?
Those are SKY lasers, sold by Laserbtb, they are a well regarded site here. The SKY Logo looks like SOKY, with that symbol placed in between the S and the K.
Many members have purchased these and been happy with them.
There also have been quite a few group buys of these, here is a link to the last one.