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Robert Silvers
07-29-2013, 12:45 PM
How many of you bought and use laser safety glasses for setting up and debugging your tube?

How easy is it to get injured by not wearing them for this process?

Jonathan Brown
07-29-2013, 12:49 PM
How many of you bought and use laser safety glasses for setting up and debugging your tube?

How easy is it to get injured by not wearing them for this process?

For the 10600nm CO2 laser wavelength? Home depot carries laser safety glasses for that wavelength. They cost about $4 so there is no reason you should operate a CO2 laser without them.

Dan Hintz
07-29-2013, 1:51 PM
Any acrylic/glass lens is going to protect you from a CO2 laser. Fiber/YAG is another story, but few here have those.

Robert Silvers
07-29-2013, 2:23 PM
The lowest price glasses that mention that laser wavelength is $30, as far as I can tell. Home Depot's website does not list any.

But CR39 or polycarbonate lenses are good?

These don't have special filters applied to the plastic lens?

http://www.phillips-safety.com/media/wysiwyg/web/Laser-Specs/LS-CR39-LB%20Spec%20Sheet.pdf

http://jla.aip.org/resource/1/jlapen/v5/i1/p49_s1?isAuthorized=no

Rich Harman
07-29-2013, 3:17 PM
Glass, acrylic and polycarbonate are opaque to CO2 lasers. Any cheap pair of safety glasses will block the beam.

A simple test to perform would be to go out and buy a pair of the cheapest glasses you can find, save the receipt. Place the glasses in the beam path* with the receipt on the other side with some air space between the two. Fire the laser through the glasses to see if you can make a mark on the thermal sensitive paper that the receipt is made of. Hmmm, sounds fun, I may have to try this myself....

*not at the focal point - that would not be a fair test.

Robert Silvers
07-29-2013, 3:33 PM
My every day prescription glasses are polycarbonate safety glasses, so this is good.

Matt Turner (physics)
07-29-2013, 3:55 PM
Any safety glasses will work, but you probably want something with side shields.