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"Do not stare into laser beam with remaining eyeball." Seriously, this sort of project is dangerous. While there's a big fat disclaimer and warning on their ho

"Do not stare into laser beam with remaining eyeball." Seriously, this sort of project is dangerous. While there's a big fat disclaimer and warning on their home page, the wiki info about exhaust filtration is sketchy at best, and there doesn't seem to be any sort of serious attempt at health and safety guidelines. Remember: any laser cutter that can actually cut wood can actually cut skin and muscle, cause serious burns, boil your eye in your skull, and creates toxic particulate exhaust.

marcinzm 7y ago
>creates toxic particulate exhaust. And that's if you cut the right material on it, some materials will release much much more toxic compounds when burned.
anonsivalley652 7y ago
Not to be operated by fuckwits. - sticker AvE. Go back to your safe space under the covers while other people will use their brains to actually make things and ignore FUD from non-makers reacting out of fear and ignorance that you try to barf uncool Culture of No toxicity into the world. This is why we can't have model rockets, chemistry sets or anything fun because of people like you.
- dang 7y ago
  Personal attacks will get you banned here. Please make your substantive points thoughtfully. Posting like this destroys the community no matter how right you are, so it's not ok on HN. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
ben_w 7y ago
More worryingly, it’s possible to buy pre-built laser etchers online that don’t come with safety glass: https://www.amazon.com/Compact-Engraver-LaserPecker-Engraving-Portable/dp/B07W5SYWSF/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?keywords=laser+cutter&qid=1581172254&sr=8-14 https://www.amazon.com/Compact-Engraver-LaserPecker-Engravin... And Q-switched pulse lasers for hair removal (i.e. to be aimed at your face) whose included safety goggles are more than a little suspicious: https://youtu.be/-BeTq99LqUo https://youtu.be/-BeTq99LqUo
- detritus 7y ago
  You should see how some low budget Chinese factories that pump out laser-cut cards (etc) operate. I've seen videos of workers huddled in a small room operating wholly unshielded galvonometer-type lasers (as in the sort that were popular in laser shows in the 80s.. but with lasers designed to actually cut) without any extraction, using bits of corrugated card to manually waft away fumes.
- snarfy 7y ago
  They don't come with safety glass, but 'safety' glasses, which I recognize as brazing/welding glasses. They are absolutely the wrong color to protect from that blue led laser.
detritus 7y ago
I'm with anonsivalley652, who has had his response here killed - for sure, lasers can be dangerous, but caveat emptor, and all that. I've a plan for a type of laser rig I've never seen before and as soon as I have the readies I'm going to try and build it. The more information that is out there from people in the same boat, the better and ultimately - safer.
- avian 7y ago
  I’ve stopped going to Makerfaire-like events because home-made laser cutters seem to be the thing now and I’m vary of visiting hackerspaces. I’ve seen too many of these things out in the open with zero protection, just waiting to blind some random onlooker. A lot of people building these have zero respect for eye safety.
  - detritus 7y ago
    Well that IS stupid - I'm a little surprised the organisers allow it.
  - jedieaston 7y ago
    That's mind-boggling considering the amount of children that go to those events. You'd think they'd have more safety regulations before someone gets their kid blinded when they just wanted to show them cool technology.
    - sandworm101 7y ago
      And then ten years later. after seeing TopGun IV, one of those kids wants to become a fighter pilot. "Sorry kid, the optometrist just discovered your right eye has a huge blind spot in blue wavelengths. You will never fly, and you might want to think twice about driving after dark." One slight accident as a kid can vastly alter future career paths. Safety equipment or not, children simply should not be around lasers at these powers. Lasers like this, even diffuse reflections of the working surface, can instantly and permanently give you color-specific blind spots. The human brain quickly fills in the gaps. After a couple days you will think all is fine. Your standard eye-doctor visit might not turn up anything. Only years later, when you get a colour-specific field test, do you finally realize that you just don't see blue/red from one direction.
jacquesm 7y ago
Just one little anecdote: the stray reflection of a beefy laser off the side of a chrome chair frame was enough to puncture a hole in a car tire standing outside the space where the laser was. So through a window as well as being reflected already three times.

marcinzm 7y ago

>creates toxic particulate exhaust. And that's if you cut the right material on it, some materials will release much much more toxic compounds when burned.

anonsivalley652 7y ago

Not to be operated by fuckwits. - sticker AvE. Go back to your safe space under the covers while other people will use their brains to actually make things and ignore FUD from non-makers reacting out of fear and ignorance that you try to barf uncool Culture of No toxicity into the world. This is why we can't have model rockets, chemistry sets or anything fun because of people like you.

dang 7y ago
Personal attacks will get you banned here. Please make your substantive points thoughtfully. Posting like this destroys the community no matter how right you are, so it's not ok on HN. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

ben_w 7y ago

More worryingly, it’s possible to buy pre-built laser etchers online that don’t come with safety glass: https://www.amazon.com/Compact-Engraver-LaserPecker-Engraving-Portable/dp/B07W5SYWSF/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?keywords=laser+cutter&qid=1581172254&sr=8-14 https://www.amazon.com/Compact-Engraver-LaserPecker-Engravin... And Q-switched pulse lasers for hair removal (i.e. to be aimed at your face) whose included safety goggles are more than a little suspicious: https://youtu.be/-BeTq99LqUo https://youtu.be/-BeTq99LqUo

detritus 7y ago
You should see how some low budget Chinese factories that pump out laser-cut cards (etc) operate. I've seen videos of workers huddled in a small room operating wholly unshielded galvonometer-type lasers (as in the sort that were popular in laser shows in the 80s.. but with lasers designed to actually cut) without any extraction, using bits of corrugated card to manually waft away fumes.
snarfy 7y ago
They don't come with safety glass, but 'safety' glasses, which I recognize as brazing/welding glasses. They are absolutely the wrong color to protect from that blue led laser.

detritus 7y ago

I'm with anonsivalley652, who has had his response here killed - for sure, lasers can be dangerous, but caveat emptor, and all that. I've a plan for a type of laser rig I've never seen before and as soon as I have the readies I'm going to try and build it. The more information that is out there from people in the same boat, the better and ultimately - safer.

avian 7y ago
I’ve stopped going to Makerfaire-like events because home-made laser cutters seem to be the thing now and I’m vary of visiting hackerspaces. I’ve seen too many of these things out in the open with zero protection, just waiting to blind some random onlooker. A lot of people building these have zero respect for eye safety.
- detritus 7y ago
  Well that IS stupid - I'm a little surprised the organisers allow it.
- jedieaston 7y ago
  That's mind-boggling considering the amount of children that go to those events. You'd think they'd have more safety regulations before someone gets their kid blinded when they just wanted to show them cool technology.
  - sandworm101 7y ago
    And then ten years later. after seeing TopGun IV, one of those kids wants to become a fighter pilot. "Sorry kid, the optometrist just discovered your right eye has a huge blind spot in blue wavelengths. You will never fly, and you might want to think twice about driving after dark." One slight accident as a kid can vastly alter future career paths. Safety equipment or not, children simply should not be around lasers at these powers. Lasers like this, even diffuse reflections of the working surface, can instantly and permanently give you color-specific blind spots. The human brain quickly fills in the gaps. After a couple days you will think all is fine. Your standard eye-doctor visit might not turn up anything. Only years later, when you get a colour-specific field test, do you finally realize that you just don't see blue/red from one direction.

jacquesm 7y ago

Just one little anecdote: the stray reflection of a beefy laser off the side of a chrome chair frame was enough to puncture a hole in a car tire standing outside the space where the laser was. So through a window as well as being reflected already three times.