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co2 laser tube with a light bulb?

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LAN_403

Thu Mar 09 2006, 06:13PM

Registered Member #256 Joined:
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Posts: 124

i dont think this is posible but my friend and i are trying to get a co2 laser going and he thinks we can make the laser tube out of a light bulb. is this feasible, if not, i am sure that most laser tubes are above $100, if this wont work is there anywhere i can get a co2 laser tube for les than that?

vasil

Thu Mar 09 2006, 08:00PM

Registered Member #229 Joined: Tue Feb 21 2006, 07:33PM
Location: Romania
Posts: 506

One major problem is that the output radiation form a CO2 laser is infrared. You need special output windows (alcaline halogens cristals as NaCl, NaI..), the glass will not work. The power gain is proportional with the discharge lenght, so it would be almost nothing for a light bulb. And some water cooling for the discharge tube also.

So...I dont think it is a good idea.

Thu Mar 09 2006, 08:43PM

Registered Member #256 Joined:
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Posts: 124

thats what i was thinking, well he also wants me to handblow glass n stuff, i do not know what to do for this, and i got an oxy acet torch, i assume is hot enough to do though. i think i should convince him to buy a tube but he is kinda hard headed sumtimes

Hazmatt_(The Underdog)

Thu Mar 09 2006, 09:16PM

Registered Member #135 Joined: Sat Feb 11 2006, 12:06AM
Location: Anywhere is fine
Posts: 1735

I'm teaching myself glassblowing right now. In order to make a precision device like a laser you will need probalby 5 years of experience, glassblowing is that hard!
Plus a laser will require quartz windows and you need a hydrogen torch for that because of the quartz and contamination.

Short answer, you will have to find a premade tube or have one made.

Carbon_Rod

Fri Mar 10 2006, 03:16AM

Registered Member #65 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 06:43AM
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Posts: 1155

CO2 laser tubes are cheap to buy ($25 to $150 surplus)... itâ€™s the support hardware and regulated gas supply thatâ€™s pricey. The cheapest functional medical unit I saw was on ebay for $600 US. Mind you one has to be an authorized medical tech to purchase off of some of these sellers (there is more than a few people getting scammed this way.)

Hazmatt, have you tried Pyrex glass yet? Compared to most it can be very unforgiving indeed (5 years I would say is optimistic.) =] lol

Some of the best furnaces can be found in surprising locations. Notably the Art schools have some of the better techniques for handling larger designs. It should be pretty cheap to audit a class for orientation etc. and get full access to the equipment.

Cheers,

Hazmatt_(The Underdog)

Fri Mar 10 2006, 03:44AM

Registered Member #135 Joined: Sat Feb 11 2006, 12:06AM
Location: Anywhere is fine
Posts: 1735

The only glass I work with is Boro in fact. And these days its incredibly difficult to find a vendor of soft lead glass tubing. You have to go to a sign vendor to get it.

So far I can do T seals, I'm blowing more bulbs now ...successfully but lopsided.
Playing with the torch that is my avatar, making Christmas ornaments, and I'm hopeful to use my Uranium glass to seal Tungsten into some small apparatus for practice.

I want to make a condenser of any type, but I need an annealing oven for that. You would be surprised how difficult it is to do anything without annealing, It means I have to be really good.

Someday I will get a lathe second hand, and then things will get really interesting.

Carbon_Rod

Fri Mar 10 2006, 05:02AM

Registered Member #65 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 06:43AM
Location:
Posts: 1155

I like tube, round stock, and sheet work. Most of the detailed stuff can be done in cold water with a diamond saw, file, and router. The nice part is most of the stuff is flat or thin enough to fit on a few plug-in smooth surface iron heater lab plates. A 1/2â€ spun ceramic blanket on top keeps it toasty while slowly dropping the temperature over a few hours. For other stuff there is a local studio that has a furnace in the back and a few old kilns for annealing ovens.

Bulbs / Spheres may be made vertically by swinging to even out the wall thickness (like a pendulum at around the working point.) If uniform size is desired, a glass mould can be made fairly easy and kept heated as mentioned above. If need be a tedious flame annealing can be done on small parts.

A practice project like a simple Erlenmeyer flask would need at least a few steps: pre-heat stock, at working point temperature seal the end, use a mouth piece valve and tube to slowly increase the bulb size wile rotating in a flame, reheat bulb to working point temperature, place inside mould cavity and blow cast while at the while working point, carefully remove item while still hot, roll score tube with file and tap to snap the piece free (fire proof mitt to catch piece), reheat tube end to working point temperature to round off the edges, place on hot plate at softening point to make a flat bottom, then transfer to an annealing set-up. (This is a simplified method that does not require a few transfers.)

Fri Mar 10 2006, 06:39PM

Registered Member #256 Joined:
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Posts: 124

well im thinking he would settle for buying a tube, he just wants to make evrything possible so this would be a good idea! any good surplus sites?

...

Sat Mar 11 2006, 07:08AM

Registered Member #56 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:02AM
Location: Southern Califorina, USA
Posts: 2445

there were a buch of seled (no gas needed) new water cooled heads of ebay for cheap...

Michael W.

Sat Mar 11 2006, 03:13PM

Registered Member #50 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 04:07AM
Location: Vernon, B.C, Canada
Posts: 324

They are quite expensive. I don't know what your budget is...

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