Looking for Custom Glass, Don't Know Where to Look?

[wolfman29]

Hey everyone. I'm not particularly interested in glass work. Sorry about that. But I am here for a purpose, and that purpose IS interesting to me!

I'm a regular over at laserpointerforums.com (probably not much overlap, but you never know), and I have had a host of custom laser cases made for me (including some I machined myself). Two of my favorites include literal pieces of artwork made of solid silver in which I built a laser.

Anyway, for my next project, I am looking to build a laser encased in glass. For said project, I would need something like the following:

A thick glass tube, with one end (ideally about an inch and a half) having an ID of 12mm and OD of 25mm, and the other end having an ID of 15mm and OD of 25mm. Further, I'd like a screw-on tailcap for the end that is 15mm.

Is that even possible to make? I'd like it to be as perfect a cylinder as possible, but not sure if that's possible.

Anyway, I figured that talkglass would be the right place to hear from the experts! Thanks for your assistance :)

[BlueBeard]

possible yes. The problem your gonna have is the wall weight..i could be wrong but i dont know of a 25mm od glass that has a 6.5 thick wall to make your id 12. I think a standard heavy walled tube of 25mm has a wall weight of 3.2-4mm wall weight. Also the taper from 12mm id to a 15mm with the od staying the same is damn hard to do unless its drilled which takes a lot of time and also leaves the glass looking "frosted". my suggestion is to figured out which of those dimensions are absolutely critical. The screw cap shouldn't be a problem. I work for a scientific glass company that does this sort of thing all day. if your interested pm me and i can give ya the phone number to talk to the boss and we may be able to help.

[wolfman29]

Hmm. Unfortunately, both dimensions are critical. The 12mm ID is for for the module and the 15mm ID is for the battery. And, unfortunately, I'm looking for perfectly clear glass all the way through. Would there be no way to polish the interior of the tubing after it was drilled?

[Greymatter Glass]

It can be done...it just comes down to budget.

Keep in mind, unlike aluminum, brass, or silver, glass is a very good thermal insulator - you'll get no heat sinking for the diode, and you'll have to run your laser at a much lower power to avoid burning it up. If you run it too hot, even with borosilicate glass (pyrex) it could still get hot enough, fast enough, to crack thick glass.

As for tolerances, it can be close, but you're not likely to get a friction fit to hold everything together. You'll probably need to use a bit of epoxy or a dab of silicone.

[wolfman29]

Well, I have a budget of probably around $200. I understand that it won't heatsink well, so I'll keep it low-powered. Going to be more an exotic wavelength than high-power burner. But that's beside the point. I do typically use epoxy for my builds anyway, so I'm not really worried about that.

Are there any clear materials that are decent thermal conductors, though? Just curious.

[Greymatter Glass]

Are there any clear materials that are decent thermal conductors, though? Just curious.

Polycarbonate has decent thermal conduction for a clear plastic, but a pretty low softening point.


Anyways.... if all you need is a clear tube with a 12mm end on a 15mm ID tube, that should be easy enough.... and I think it would fit in your budget. I know how I would go about doing it, just don't have the tools I'd need. The threaded end would be difficult for me to make properly. If you could work with a glued in metal or plastic threaded barrel, that a plastic cap would screw into, that would be easier I think.

Probably someone here who can come up with something that will be great, if you don't want to keep checking here you could leave an email address or something, just kind of obfuscate it so spam bots don't get it...

[wolfman29]

Well, ideally, the 12mm ID end has the same OD as the 15mm ID end. Ideally, it looks like two pieces attached to one another (but with no seams) with the following dimensions:

Head -
ID: 12mm
OD: 25mm
L: 25mm

Body -
ID: 15mm
OD: 25mm
L: 50mm (or so, would need to be worked out in detail depending on the tail cap)

Unfortunately, I was looking for some sort of crystalline structure. Something that really sparkles! I was actually looking at quartz ;) Think that quartz may be doable? Would be expensive, but worth it.

EDIT: Just to be clear, I could probably machine some plastic myself to do the job. But that would not be a work of art, then, would it? I'm looking for something unique that hasn't been done before, and plastic has been done before tons of times.