YAG Rod Adhesive and Other Questions...

[300EVIL]

Does anyone know what the proper adhesive would be to glue a YAG rod to a pair of rod holders? The seal has to be watertight as well. I wis thinking something UV cure but I'm really not sure. Here is the rod and holders in question.



The rod is 6.3X102mm and the holders are made of stainless. Each holder has three holes in it where adhesive is injected. The rod was originally held in with clear silicone but I'm guessing that's the wrong stuff to use.

I'm also looking for a flow tube for this rod. I need a 12mm OD X 95mm flow tube with a thickness of 1mm and 10mm ID Pyrex or quartz. Does anyone know where I can get one this size? I asked Cascade Laser but they want me to order a minimum of 5.

[Laserman532]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOO

you use o rings!

switch away from that technology even if you have to buy new ends.

[300EVIL]

LOL! Yeah, the biggest problem I have is no money. I can't afford to buy new rod ends. Although, If some form of silicone is okay, which I doubt it is, I can easily remove the rod If I needed to. I'm glad that's what they used. It made removing the rod and cleaning off the silicone a piece of cake.

[300EVIL]

As for the flow tube.... Any reason I can't just buy this on ebay and have a local glass blower cut and flame polish the ends for me? http://cgi.ebay.com/Pyrex-Glass-24-i...-/190397825780

[Laserman532]

ok understand completely...FYI...O-rings are made of silicone *wink*

[300EVIL]

ok understand completely...FYI...O-rings are made of silicone *wink*

You lost me.... So, silicone sealer would be good for gluing the rod into the holders? There are no O-rings in the rod holders and I don't think I could get ones small enough to fit.

[Laserman532]

the o rings would take some thought. You need them tight enough on the rod to keep it from leaking and they need to fit inside the rod holders so you have a ID and OD sort of mathematical issue to work out there, then you go in search of a "Silicone o-ring" with a ID of *balh* and a OD of *blah*...rotsoruck!

[300EVIL]

the o rings would take some thought. You need them tight enough on the rod to keep it from leaking and they need to fit inside the rod holders so you have a ID and OD sort of mathematical issue to work out there, then you go in search of a "Silicone o-ring" with a ID of *balh* and a OD of *blah*...rotsoruck!

Yeah, I sourced the o-rings for the rest of the laser head but I don't think they make O-rings that would fit in the grooves of these rod holders.... I'll look around but I doubt I'll find anything that thin. Why exactly would I not want to use the original recommended adhesive or even just silicone adhesive?

[Laserman532]

frankly, i have never heard of silicone seal being used in ANY laser, but that dosnt mean it dosnt happen. It just dosnt sound like a good idea to me. Compression o-rings is generally what these systems are designed to use, but not holding it in my hand i really cant tell. WADR - yes you have a rod, but it will be a long learning and curving road to get a beam. Then you could q-switch it, then double it, then start a laser light show company, rule the world, grow old and sell it in a garage sale if you can find a buyer...ooops...I was drifting again back on task...

[300EVIL]

WADR - yes you have a rod, but it will be a long learning and curving road to get a beam.

More than just a rod... I have a cavity, flashlamp, resonator mirrors and blocks, cap, inductor, HV supply, lamp simmer, trigger coil... ECT. I've built SS pulsed lasers before, I know "Mostly" what I'm doing. I'd imagine I'll have a beam in a couple of weeks if I can just figure out how to fix the rod and the holders back together with no leaks.