A plea for safety, pl edition.

[flecom]

It's the web dude. You mean I'm embarassing my online persona. I'm ashamed, ashamed I tell you.

I've never met anyone here in person... or on LPF for that matter so I can very safely say that no one here knows a damn thing about me except what I might say and do on here. The beauty of the webz is that I can say anything here. I'm free to be myself in ways only the internet can provide.. If you piss me off, I can tell you to screw yourself without feeling guilty *or* embarrassed about it afterwords. Same for you. I do spend a lot of time here, and I know I have a big mouth. (well, that part's true in real life too).. Luckily for everyone, what you post on a forum isn't what defines you.. I'll admit I certainly even occasionally get pissed off at other people on the web, but embarrassment? Not so much. What's to be embarrassed about? An online altercation? Maybe I should have been more clear (I know how you like clarity): I don't like your online persona, Jon. We have lots of misunderstandings and it pisses me off.. It's nothing overly personal, and certainly nothing to be embarrassed about.

Maybe sometime we'll have those drinks.. wish I could make it to SELEM, there are quite a few folks I'd like to meet for a variety of reasons. It would be interesting to see what everyone is really like.

this reminded me of this



lol

[buffo]

Hey Frank;

That's a good one. I've seen that graphic used before to describe how a text-only conversation can turn to shit in short order.

But it also illustrates my earlier point perfectly. Some people will look at that and say, "yeah, that happens a lot, isn't it weird?", while other people will say, "Hey! He just called me a dickwad! I'm offended!" And in that case, once again we're off to the races...

Adam

[ElektroFreak]

That image fits this scenario perfectly lol. I can be a huge dickwad... I ain't afraid to say it. But so can other people.. It's not like I'm the sole member of the "sometimes I'm a dick to people on the internet" club. I also have really bad road rage.. people drive like SHIT!

[flecom]

I also have really bad road rage.. people drive like SHIT!

and thats why I never have a loaded firearm in the vehicle with me... lol

[carlos3621]

LOL, Some people just dont get it.

[mixedgas]

Closing time boys, take the drama off the safety thread please.

Bad enough carmangary took us off topic.

Not that I have not done my fair share this week.


Steve

[mixedgas]

Back to safety, some tips from the "Other body" about pointer and general laser safety:

Eidetic pushed around 100% recyclable electrons to say:

QUOTE:

1. Always secure the laser to a solid table or other rigid mount. The beam can't be controlled or used if it's flipping around the place as though some child is having a Star Wars fantasy.

2. Use them in a room with easily dimmable light. All on or all off discourages the comfortable use of goggles.

3. Verify the beam's termination before turning the laser on.

4. Use a beam dump that captures all the reflected light in an enclosure or tube of some appropriate material.

5. Always keep the beam terminated as close to the laser as possible.

6. Use the beam at waist level. Danger increases as the beam gets closer to anyone's eye level.

7. Keep the beams reflected off mirrors in a plane. It keeps back reflections and forward deflections in the same plane.

8. Keep the beam plane horizontal. Beams going up out of the horizontal plane are the most dangerous, getting worse as they approach the vertical.

9. Be aware of short people and children's eye heights when they are present. Stray beams often shoot off a table very near their eyes.

10. Use black anodized aluminum sheets instead of cardboard or foamcore for baffles and enclosures. It won't burn unexpectedly.

11. Blackout foil is your friend. Share a box with a buddy and you'll be glad you did. You'll be reusing it for years and years.

12. Use black cards instead of white cards to view the expanded beam. Makes it easier on the eyes.

13. Beware of black rubberized fabric "safety" curtains. A Watt will poke a hole in them. Nothing like sitting in a chair behind a curtain you think will keep you safe, and the next thing you know a beam is blowing through it onto the back of your head. True story.

14. When inserting a shiny object into a beam, tilt it so the incident surface reflection goes down.

15. Before you insert anything into a beam, announce it to anyone standing around so they can look away.

16. Don't wear wrist watches or other jewelry when working with laser light.

17. Verify that all real focal points are clear before turning the power up.

18. Enclose all real focal points to prevent accidental intrusion and burning there.

19. Never let anybody else put anything into your beams.

20. Keep these lasers out of the hands of children and the childish.

END QUOTE.

I'm adding:

21. Enclose all the beams in something that can contain them, mark with the proper warning stickers as containing a hazard, and add interlocks to prevent access if the box or tubing is removed. This is a great idea when measuring power, running tests or adjusting the laser.

22. If your doing a public demonstration, such as a laser show, keep the beams 2 meters horizontal and three meters vertical from the highest public access point, downrange of the laser or scanners. Never leave a operating laser unattended, make sure you have a way of doing a "emergency kill" and never leave the controls in the hands of untrained persons.

23. Mark the entrance of your work area with the proper Hazard Warning sign.

24. Control access to your device with a lock on the storage area and/or a keyswitch as required. Remove the keyswitch when not using the laser or when your done for the day.

25. Emission indicators are a must when wearing laser goggles and are required on most IIIA, all IIIb, and Class IV lasers. Make sure the goggles block the laser light but not the indicator light.

26. Its a good idea to make a bench top beam dump that contains the beam and is built solidly so it cannot roll away or fall over.

27. Adjust at low power and work your way up.

28. Control access to your work area.

29. While a few mW of dim red might be a great exercise tool once in a long while for Fido or Fluffy, keep the laser light away from pets. A blind pet is just as bad off as a blind human.

30. Pilots are allowed to fly at night with their lights off, at their discretion. They are required to report laser light incidents when seen, keep the beams out of airspace and off of apartment buildings and radio towers. Remember, helicopters can fly between buildings, such as when landing at a hospital, so there is no such thing as too low. A few microwatts is enough to distract some times. This goes for ground and sea transport as well.

Steve

[polishedball]

Back to safety, some tips from the "Other body" about pointer and general laser safety:



26. Its a good idea to make a bench top beam dump that contains the beam and is built solidly so it cannot roll away or fall over.

Steve

Have you a link to any plans, tried a search of "beam dump plans" didn;t get a hit. tia

John

[DMills]

Here is my beam dump recipe.

Block of ally, drilled through at you chosen diameter (should be a few times longer then the diameter of the bore.

Counterbore from the other side with a slightly larger drill to a few mm or so.

Then take a short piece of round bar, chuck it and turn to clear the bore diameter, leaving a small section larger to fit the counterbore.

Now here is the trick: Remove this from the lathe and cut the end at a 45 degree angle so that you have a plug that fits from the back of the block and extends only a short way down the bore, with an end that is NOT square to the bore.

Anodise black and epoxy or interference fit the rod into place (If planning to interference fit remember to allow for the thickness of the anodising!).

The effect is that light scattered from the end of the insert will scatter against the sides of the bore and be absorbed, and there is no direct path for reflected light to escape.
It is possible to get fancy and use a fly cutter to make the 45 degree surface a convex conic rather then flat but that is probably gilding the lilly.

Make it right and this is good to at least 50W Q Sw.

Regards, Dan.

[flecom]

I like DZ's beam terminator from a table I got from him, a 35mm film canister, worked really well... dunno if 1W would burn through it though