*LASER SAFETY WARNINGS*

[Laserius]

I remember signs where I once worked (Scientific labs at University):

Warning ! Do not look at laser with remaining eye !

Pay heed, my friends.

[AeroClassics]

Rich,
The glasses you link here, will they fit over prescription eye glasses?

Thanks,
Doug

[GenerationsCustomCreation]

...Should I or anyone else watching my laser function be wearing safety glasses? If so, what type?

OD 6+ 9000nm-11000nm. Yes, my friend lost the vision in his right eye from a reflection off some metal he was engraving. The Co2 only looks safe because the beam is invisible, however it can reflect off many items, including anomalies in wood. Free Mascot makes the cheapest certified glasses. Here's a link.

Rich

Rich,

Thank you for the information. I tried the link and I get told it won't work. IS there a search topic in google I should look at that will narrow down the safety glasses for CO2 lasers?

Thanks Again,

Rob

[BrokawWm]

Hello, this is great information. I purchased safety glasses based off these recommendations right away. I am using Lightburn with my diode laser. When moving the laser to the starting position, I have enabled the fire button for precise positioning with the power set to .5 percent. This is a nice feature to confirm framing, however it is still sometimes hard to see exactly where it is going to burn. Can you look at the position of the laser during low power without glasses or is it still not safe even at that low of a power with a diode laser?

Thanks,

[Hohenwaldo]

I live in a very small apartment with limited options for placement of my laser equipment. I use a scrap piece of countertop to provide a flat surface on top of my stove.

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My only option for providing ventilation is on top of my stove. The range hood vents through the roof so that helps.

There are some very important things to consider if you must use this option. Here are just a couple.

#1 Make sure your range hood vents to the outside. Many range hoods that you THINK are providing good ventilation are NOT! If you have a gas range, chances are your hood vents to the outside (at least it should, to be up to codes in most places). Look at the top of the hood to see if the rectangle shown in this picture is solid or louvered. If it's louvered turn the fan on to see if it's blowing through there. If it is then your vent hood is nothing more than a fancy grease trap, it's not going to provide ANY help with ventilation, it's just recirculating air.

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#2 Any time you're burning something indoors you better be prepared in case of fire. Even if you try to be vigilant you may have to step away for a minute, to go to the bathroom or chase a screaming kid for example. I would suggest some automatic fire extinguishers. It's a really good idea even when you're not lasering. These mount magnetically to the range hood and if a fire occurs, they will release dry chemical to extinguish the fire. They are activated by fuse and must come into contact with a flame, which is a little more advanced than I’d like, but it’s definitely better than nothing. Thankfully I haven't found out how "explosive" they are when activated. I'll take a firecracker going off indoors over a full-blown house fire any day. (Turns out they're not that explosive, see Amazon link below)

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These were provided by management, so I didn’t purchase them. This brand’s website doesn’t show prices. You’ll have to request pricing by email. I did find some very similar on Amazon for about $80 a pair. Kind of expensive for me, but probably worth it. There is a video on the Amazon page that shows it in operation.
https://www.amazon.com/Rangehood-Fire-S ... B0863BFNWB

And perhaps, maybe the most important thing of all is NEVER leave a laser operating unattended!

Any more suggestions for ventilation or fire safety will be greatly appreciated.

My next cheap step will probably be a shower curtain attached with magnets to contain somewhat and provide a bit of enclosure for the smoke and fumes until a can get a real enclosure.

Maybe not so much fire or safety related, but regarding my air assist. I tried the aquarium pump thing and that just doesn't cut it. My Two Trees TTS-55 came with a plastic light shield. Normally I wouldn't do something like this to a brand-new piece of equipment, but I figured what the heck, it's just a little plastic piece and the potential benefit outweighed the risk. I just drilled a hole at an angle at the very highest part of the shield where it would come through flush with the cone inside and angle toward the target. If it didn't stay in the optimum place and angle, then I would glue it in place. At the proper angle and a very snug fit no glue was necessary. My pancake compressor is being worked to death so I will be getting a proper air assist pump ASAP.

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Y'all Be Safe and Have Fun,
Jeff

[unequaltomg51]

Hi,
I notice that there is no mention of warning signs.
Having been involved with high powered laser for 30yrs (500W up to 20Kw) it was a requirement to have warning signs at all points of entry stating which class of laser equipment was located in the area.
Regads Unequaltomb51

[Sparkxy]

This may or may not be helpful for some of you asking about the prescription glasses fitting under the safety glasses.
I don't have prescription glasses but need readers with my aging eyes to see detail so I bought a pair of DollarTree glasses and cut the frame off, then used E6000 to secure inside the frame of the safety glasses. The E600 is flexible and so far just a little dab is holding them in. Can see great with them now and not fighting putting on both pairs.

[mtguy]

I bought a pair of Jiler glasses but now I'm questioning if I got the correct pair.

The front of the glasses has the following printed on one lens;

180-315 nm D LB6+ IR LB3>315-532nm DIRM LB5

and has this printed on the other lens

180-532 nm OD = 6+48%VLT

Will these protect my eyes from an XTool D1 laser? or do I need to get a different pair?

[LAHobbyGuy]

...I bought a pair of DollarTree glasses and cut the frame off, then used E6000 to secure inside the frame of the safety glasses...

Genius idea!! Thanks!

Rich

[parsec]

Effects Of Laser Fume Exposure?
Some side effects of laser fume exposure include:

Irritation. Exposure to several chemicals can be irritating to the eyes, nose, mouth, and skin.

Buildup of toxic chemicals in the body over time. Lead is present in some metal alloys, and the chemical reaction caused by laser cutting can release the lead into the air. Exposure to this lead may cause lead poisoning over time. Cadmium is another element that can build up in the body and cause kidney problems.

Metal fume fever. This is caused by zinc fumes, which can be released when cutting certain steel alloys. Symptoms of metal fume fever are similar to that of the flu: fever, chills, aches, and fits of coughing.

Exposure to carcinogens. One particularly nasty particle, hexavalent chromium, has been shown to cause cancer in addition to causing several immediate side effects such as skin sores and irritation of the eyes, nose, and mouth.

Fernando