[General] Laser Cutter Class Announcement: 1/31/12 @ 7:00pm

Thu Jan 26 12:00:56 CST 2012

Alli, It seems we just can't get enough of toxic fumes at Makers, can we?
lol. When we're working with our fiberglass outside, the bulk of the fumes
are immediately dissipated into the outside air. Any remaining odors, while
indeed could be harmful after *extremely long exposure*, are pretty
insignificant compared to the burning plastic of the cutter working with
plexi. It's really no different from that of an auto-body repair shop, so
realistically everyone should be fine if they're not working right over the
material like we are. For one, the odor you're smelling from the fiberglass
is just the odor of the material. The odor of the cutter/plexi is from a
harsh chemical reaction to the laser. I suppose a good analogy would be the
"smell of gasoline" versus "burning gasoline." Both are "bad," but one is
way, *way* worse.

Additionally, while the cutter is being vented out of the "clean room," it
is being vented *indoors*, and that is definitely a huge health concern in
general, but probably way more of a prominent health concern compared to us
fiberglassing outside. I can see this turning into a nasty argument very
quickly, especially since one odor producer (myself) is raising health
concerns about another, but I really just wanted to raise awareness about
the plexi burning odor in particular. Basically: If you're going to be
burning plastic, try to be safe about it.

David Reimer

On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 11:36 AM, Alice Scanland
<alice.scanland at gmail.com>wrote:

> David,
>
> You do bring up an interesting point here. If it is appropriate for the
> person working on the project to be using a respirator is it ok for the
> people also in the room to not be wearing a respirator? I had noted that
> 2storyprops use respirators for some projects, but those fumes are still in
> the room around the rest of us. Often times that work is being done outside
> (which I'm sure helps) but the doors are usually open and the smell
> certainly is wafting into the building. Is the danger also wafting into the
> building?
>
> I don't understand the dangers from these things, I have not worked with
> the mediums and therefore not looked into the safety. What are your
> thoughts on this? Should I supply myself with a respirator for the times
> when plexiglass is being cut, and bondo/fiberglass being worked?
>
> Thank You,
> Alii
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 9:23 AM, David Reimer <davidreimerartist at gmail.com
> > wrote:
>
>> Hey everyone. I just wanted to toss this out there in hopes that members
>> become aware of other safety concerns with the laser cutter. A few people
>> have been cutting plexiglass on the laser cutter, and when that happens, it
>> vents out into the rest of the shop. Not only does it just smell bad, but
>> the odor is actually toxic and harmful to breathe in. I'm aware that the
>> cutter is set up to vent out of that area, but when dealing with toxic
>> fumes, you can never be too safe, so I'd just like to encourage members who
>> regularly work with plexiglass on the cutter to pick up an
>> appropriately-rated respirator (not a dust mask, a *respirator*).
>> 2StoryProps uses respirators when we work with our fiberglass and bondo. So
>> I'd just like to encourage everyone to be safety-minded when burning
>> plastic-based materials on the laser cutter.
>>
>> David Reimer
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 8:40 AM, David <ainut at knology.net> wrote:
>>
>>> **
>>> I'm not a safety Nazi but there was no mention of the laser goggles on
>>> the wiki.  Do we even have any?  Highly recommended whenever the beast is
>>> in operation.
>>>
>>>
>>> David Merchant
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Enabrin Tain wrote:
>>>
>>>  I think Candleknight did update the wiki page: (
>>> https://256.makerslocal.org/wiki/40_Watt_Laser_Cutter)
>>> /me applauds
>>>  :-D
>>>
>>>    ------------------------------
>>> *From:* Joshua Pritt <ramgarden at gmail.com> <ramgarden at gmail.com>
>>> *To:* General discussion about makerslocal
>>> <general at lists.makerslocal.org> <general at lists.makerslocal.org>
>>> *Sent:* Wednesday, January 25, 2012 8:37 PM
>>> *Subject:* Re: [General] Laser Cutter Class Announcement: 1/31/12 @
>>> 7:00pm
>>>
>>>  I hope someone takes notes and puts it on the wiki!
>>> On Jan 25, 2012 7:43 PM, "Justin Richards" <ratmandu at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> I've been experimenting with it a lot as well, but i'll be there also.
>>> It's always good to see other peoples opinions and results with things
>>>
>>> On Wed, Jan 25, 2012 at 6:21 PM, WebDawg <webdawg at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Ill be dere.
>>>  On 25 Jan 2012 18:08, "Enabrin Tain" <enabrintain at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>    according to the fount of all human knowledge:
>>>
>>>  Fiberglass:  yes, sans polymer (
>>> http://www.cnczone.com/forums/laser_engraving_cutting_machines/46407-can_laser_cutter_cut_fiberglass.html
>>> )
>>> Carbon fiber: No (http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/749)
>>> Kevlar: Requires 1,500watts? (
>>> http://www.ambox.com/laser-cutting/materials/kevlar.html)
>>>                 I dunno about this one, there was very little about
>>> Kevlar...
>>>
>>> [-CO-C6H4-CO-NH-C6H4-NH-]n doesn’t have any Cl in it, so experimenting
>>> with a piece  shouldn't be disastrous. ;-)
>>>
>>>  All that said, ours is a 40W laser so there are things that could be
>>> cut by a more powerful laser, that ours can't.
>>>
>>>      <<<snip>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> General mailing list
>>> General at lists.makerslocal.org
>>> http://lists.makerslocal.org/mailman/listinfo/general
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> David Reimer
>> 256-323-0853, davidreimerartist at gmail.com
>> Graphic Designer / Illustrator / Web Designer
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> General mailing list
>> General at lists.makerslocal.org
>> http://lists.makerslocal.org/mailman/listinfo/general
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> General mailing list
> General at lists.makerslocal.org
> http://lists.makerslocal.org/mailman/listinfo/general
>

-- 
David Reimer
256-323-0853, davidreimerartist at gmail.com
Graphic Designer / Illustrator / Web Designer
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.makerslocal.org/pipermail/general/attachments/20120126/c2aad3d5/attachment.html>