Its very greeeeeeeeen

[Psi]

splash maybe, but it was pretty curved, you're not going to get a beam off it.

[resonator]

i did pay 220 pounds for my 1064 laser eye protection.
and i did not get Second rate protection.

It seems to me that Exsperenced people with high power laser knolage are lacking here.
i think class 4 lasers should only be used by licenced people, and that 1w blue is too dangerous for the general public.
A little knolage is dangerous.

[rszemeti]

I suppose it is worth remembering that the US limits for laser pointers are lower than European limits ... theres probably a reason for that

[steve-o]

Can you post a youtube vid of you sticking your hand in the beam of your LS at full power? I wanna see

[White-Light]

Whatever, 100W will not create a "wicked fire instantly" ... unfocused, it will cause gradual charring of wood. Having personally got my hands in the way more than once of 100W class YAGs, I can tell you that its no worse than touching something hot and providing you react, no harm is done.

No-one is doubting you obviously have experience with very high power lasers and a lot of knowledge. However, you do come across a little blasé towards safety especially where the causal reader is concerned.

Visible light can be hot enough to burn quickly even at lowish powers. I have a Kvant Spectrum 2 W putting out 2.8W. With a static non modulated beam I can burn a surface "dent" into chipboard in less than one second!! Yes the board won't instantly burst into flames, but a 2 or 3mm hole charred in less than a second into wood is easily enough to burn your retina permanently beyond repair. I'm quite happy to put up a video if you don't believe. In fact my kitchen cabinets bear the scars as well.

My point here is not that you're not experienced or know a lot about lasers, but rather that you need to be a little more careful with your safety assumptions especially on a board read by total newbies.

[resonator]

In fact my kitchen cabinets bear the scars as well.

you run up your laser and burn your Kitchen cabinets well thats dangerous.

[resonator]

In fact my kitchen cabinets bear the scars as well.

you run up your laser and burn your Kitchen cabinets well thats dangerous.

[rszemeti]

Yes the board won't instantly burst into flames, but a 2 or 3mm hole charred in less than a second into wood is easily enough to burn your retina permanently beyond repair.

Then my recommendation to you remains as ever : "DO NOT STARE INTO BEAM WITH REMAINING EYE"

My point here is not that you're not experienced or know a lot about lasers, but rather that you need to be a little more careful with your safety assumptions especially on a board read by total newbies.

yes, well, whatever, this is a forum not some crap TV channel where everyting is dumbed down to the level of the least intelligent viewer. Lasers cover a wider variety of things and powers and laser users cover a similarly wide variety of levels of experince. If you think I am going to write in baby talk, just incase a 10yr old reads it, you are wasting your time.

[dsli_jon]

Whatever, 100W will not create a "wicked fire instantly" ... unfocused,

Stay tuned...

Perhaps if 60W of YAG is so dangerous, you can explain why the guy...has not gone blind or suffered any eye damage?

...that he *knows of*!! Why don't you have a review thru some facts and then tell us all just how 'safe' you think flinging 60W or more of NIR around a lab is.. http://www2.ensc.sfu.ca/~glennc/e894/e894l9k.pdf ..and, fine - maybe the guy got 'lucky', as they say... but that's certainly a far-cry from unqualifiedly-declaring that 60W+ of YAG is 'not that dangerous'... it sends the wrong 'message' about good-practices in working with lasers, especially Class IV...

...(unlike my friend Roger, who learnt that you can't have your arms sewn back on, but thats another story)...Providing you are not putting others at danger, why worry?

I honestly cannot believe you just put these two things together in the same sentence... So, really, then, all education / forewarning is just 'needless worry', then, eh? I agree that 'hands-on' IS the best way to learn - but only with proper education / precautions!! Otherwise, most people in the educated-world would call that person a FOOL.

Not only do I believe people should be allowed to play with dangerous things, I think people should play with dangerous things and occasionally get hurt. Theres nothing like the smell of burning flesh and a missing bit of skin to bring the lesson home in a practical manner.

Well, it's a bloody good thing for your hometown that you never made a schoolteacher, then, eh!

However, to your point - what about the radical concept of showing a class what 60, or 80, or 100W of 1064, etc does to flesh, with a chicken-leg or something, vs just letting them 'have a go', come what may?? ..And, what about using a model of an eye, with a lens / liquid-center, and a blood-pak at the retina - ever try that? Makes quite the point, and everyone leaves with their sight... What a concept, eh?

The purpose of life is to get to the end with everything worn out, not unused and in perfect condition!

Fair enough, but that's small consolation to, (ie: ) a 20 yr old who's just blinded-himself, cause he 'read on PL that YAG is not that dangerous'...

If you think I am going to write in baby talk, just incase a 10yr old reads it, you are wasting your time.

Fine, but just because *you* think you are Austin 'Danger' Powers does not mean that you can post unqualified statements on this forum without others counterpointing with some balancing-truth and best-practices being underlined... You can simply *qualify* such statements, w/O 'dumbing' anything down... you can do that, can't ya?

ciao...
j

[rszemeti]

Showing people what a tickle of 1064 does to a chicken leg is pointless, unless they are into cooking chicken very very slowly. Its only when you get that whiff of burnt-pork and ouchy pain in your finger you really learn the lesson, the rest .. might as well read it in a book, it never seesm to stick with some people.

I haven't read the PDF, I fully expect it will say how everyone in the lab should wear glasses whenever the beam is on, stand behind screens, and never let Class IV beams outside sealed enclosures ... I also know from spending happy afternoons watching several hundred watts of 1064 melt firebricks and set stuff on fire that its not instant death either. Do you stare at the beam? course not. Do you bounce it off silicon mirrors held in the fingers? probably not. But theres no need to go over the top, simply looking away or closing your eyes for the shot is usually fine and if its safely into a nice target like a bit of wood, its fine.

To be honest, if I was writing up a lab safety sheet, I would insist on VERY strict procedures .. but I would also ignore them completely in my own shed.

I do know a guy who accidentally had his finger over the business end of a 300W Ferranti CO2 when he found out what a full power alignment pulse will do straight through the finger, nail and all .. how he screamed .. how we laughed. If that had been YAG, he'd probably have got away with a nasty little red patch burn ... but not CO2.

You are welcome to post you counterpoints, but don't go expecting me to necessarily agree with them. 60W of 1064 is, in my terms safe provinding you don't so anything particularly dumb ... and I got too bored long ago wondering about the ways dumb people will come up with to harm themselves, so perhaps you could post the safety briefings for me, save me a bit of bother?

I just hope of dumb people are going to manage to cut/burn/vaporise themselves they at least have the decency to post a decent YouTube of the event!

By the way, did you like the Lumonics piccy ? up there^^ ??