This makes me sick !

[Laser Zone]

This little argon never had a chance . What goes around comes around buddy

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V4gOg-TESKk

[loopee]

Photonicinduction's back

[macona]

Wow. That was pretty neat.

Meh, it was an old worn out tube. Thousands more are just scrapped. At least this one got one final blast of glory!

[mixedgas]

Dont try this at home Kiddies, BeO dust in the 1-2 micron size range is really toxic. Think Death from Black Lung, only faster/slower depending on amount, and a little dab will DO ya. The BeO particle starts at the top of the lung and "Eats" its way down through the tissue, in the most unkind way.

BeO laser tubes are very safe to handle, if you do not A. Grind on them producing dust B. Overdrive the living crap out of them till they explode, and leak any internal dust.

If one does "POP" on you, spray water on the laser with a windex bottle, double bag it in plastic bag, and dispose of in the trash.

That said, I have a pile of them on my desk and really do not worry about it.

You really have to work at it to produce BeO dust. Only two ways to do it, A. Grinding wheel, diamond saw, smash on the tube, B. Explode it and release any dust from years of being etched by ions. Explode in this case means overdrive like above video, a normal laser power supply would enter internal meltdown long before you got to the above conditions.

A mere crack or fracture does not work.


IF the tube had enough gas pressure and cathode left to do what you saw above, it was a excellent tube.
RIP little argon.

Gas is not dead by any means where I work. In fact its durn useful.

Steve

[flecom]

dejavu?

I swear we had this exact same thread the first time he posted that video

[steve-o]

^ Yeah, it's weird aint it? 'xept in the other thread someone pointed out his blower fan pointing down on the heatsink blowing at it.
He shouldn't have murdered that innocent lil tube like that. There should be a law. There probably is .. hazmat 'n stuff ..