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jermey fontenot
08-21-2017, 11:03 PM
Any one know of any risk associated with possible eye damage with using this laser ... looking into it while it marks . ???

Gary Hair
08-21-2017, 11:17 PM
Your eye has no blink reflex for the wavelength of light that the fiber produces, so yes, there is a very real possibility of permanent eye damage watching a fiber laser do its magic. Either block it completely or get glasses suitable for that wavelength of light. They aren't cheap, at least not for something other than the "sunglasses" you'll find on eBay for $25, but how valuable are your eyes?

jermey fontenot
08-21-2017, 11:19 PM
Thank you for your reply. I have read a lot of your replies/comments...
You are a gentlemen and scholar

Dave Sheldrake
08-21-2017, 11:41 PM
366552

400 - 1400nm it's going to be permanent

Gary is spot on, spend decent $$$'s on quality protective eye wear, Eagle Pair are very good. 1,064 spooks me more than the evil 445nm

Jed Lawrie
08-22-2017, 2:43 PM
http://www.lasersafetyindustries.com/Laser_Safety_Glasses_for_Nd_YAG_Laser_1064_nm_s/12.htm

Tim Bateson
08-22-2017, 2:53 PM
This is what I'm currently using: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UJE6VA0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

matthew knott
08-22-2017, 7:25 PM
Noir make good glasses, proper glass lenses with an OD over 7 and good optical clarity , i.e. Easy to look through unlike the green ones , well worth paying that little bit extra

jermey fontenot
08-22-2017, 7:44 PM
Tanks guys . I picked up some up to 1400nm . Hopefully I haven't done too much damage eye balling my Laser

Kev Williams
08-23-2017, 12:19 PM
So, how do you guys know those glasses you bought actually work?

With all the counterfeit knock-off stuff out in the world, I tested mine to be sure---
366640

--but like a bonehead I just stuck the lens in the beam path with no pre-planning, and now I have a melted glob in the middle of the lens :D
- I actually don't notice it much ;) -- but bottom line, I know they work!

As I understand it, there's 2 types of laser safety lenses, absorption and reflection-- My green ones are absorption, and I got them because if they get scratched, they'll still work, whereas (from what I read) reflection type glasses are just coated, and if the coating gets scratched, it'll let laser light thru...

So do a simple test: get a piece of scrap metal, trophy metal works great, set it on your work table and focus to it. Draw a tiny box, like 2mm, and hatch it once. Red light it to where you want it on the scrap metal, then put your glasses over the metal, and align so the red light's hitting near an edge (not the middle like I did)- run the laser at 500 speed, 100% power and 30 freq...

Absorption type should melt a bit like mine, and the metal won't engrave--
Reflection type probably won't melt (but not sure) but if they're working, the metal won't engrave
---if the metal does engrave, your glasses are fake or are blocking the wrong wavelength...

John Lifer
08-23-2017, 1:00 PM
Well, Kev, I just did my Ray Fine provided pair. I engraved 2mm circle as black mark on some steel to insure it was in focus, and then after moving the steel to new location, placed corner of glasses over it and tried again. No engraving and actually no damage to the lens. So they work fine at preventing the laser to go thru. Yep, everyone should do this...

Bill George
08-23-2017, 1:26 PM
I doubt if anyone is going to put their eyeball directly under the laser beam. Are not we talking about reflective light way out of focus so it may not burn but damage the eye internally if you look at that reflection?

Kev Williams
08-23-2017, 4:45 PM
If you engrave anything round in a rotary, you're likely going to get hit with stray reflections. You'll know it when you do, it's a sudden rush of heat, like a blow dryer without the air. I've been hit several times with my LS900 and the fiber. But always when engraving cylindrical or curved objects. Flat material isn't prone to reflecting sideways-- but right now I'm doing a few hundred aluminum alloy serving trays, which are rough-cast and the bottoms polished. Because they're rough-cast they're all different, and the bottoms are not at all flat, they're very wavy. I've read somewhere, maybe here, maybe from Dave, that shiny and/or molten aluminum is the most reflective material to engrave with a fiber as far as possible reflections. So engraving these trays is pretty much like engraving wavy mirrors. I've always been of the opinion that once the beam hits the material, most reflections will be well out of focus by the time it hits me, but even so, that blast of heat is disconcerting! I don't know if out of focus 'ambient' laser light is as dangerous to my eyes as fairly in-focus 'coherent' laser light, but I do try to remember to wear the glasses :)