Dirty lasers...

[ClusterOne]

So we have two lasers we used last year for a vortex tunnel hallway, but after each night I had to bust them open (no doubt voiding the warranty) and clean the two mirrors off with windex and a q-tip, other wise the light lost it's sharpness and looked kinda lame. The mirrors got all hazy from what I am guessing was the fog machines running in the same space.

Has anyone come across this problem? Is there some magic mixture, like spit and peanut butter, I can use to coat the mirrors so they stay clean?

Thx,
Joel

[damon carson]

Have you tried to mount the laser above the fog machine and run the laser light through it? Or maybe from the other side of the room. ? If it is a smaller machine, try to put a clear plastic bag over it and then tie it or seal it all the way around leaving the lense where the laser shines through open. Worth a try ????

[ClusterOne]

I thought about the bag idea, but with the cooling fan in the back and the laser hole in the front are, there are not any other access points, so I don't think that would do it.

And its not like I have the fog machines pointing right at the laser, its across the room. But as the fog heats up it goes towards the lasers.

At first I thought it might of just been dust, but it was kinda hazy and grimy.

There is a glass product called Fog-X, made by rain-x...think that might work!?!?

[Joedog]

coming from an automotive guy,
I was going to suggest a Rain-X product. It couldn't hurt

[Jim Warfield]

"Dirty Lasers" cleaned by rain-"X"!?
These lasers must be rated "X", then?
Porno lasers!
Anybody getting excited besides sub-atomic particles?
Small things get excited too!

[slash]

What kind of laser do you have? We use the American DJ Widow, never had to clean it in three years. We have the fog on the floor under it, as the fog rises up it creates the tunnel.

[ClusterOne]

They are the Chauvet lasers, Scorpion I think.
The tunnel effect starts off great, but as the night goes on it looks worse and worse.

[SSP]

What is the range on laser beams? I'm sure it varies, but as damon carson said, maybe keep the laser on either the opposite side of the room, or even in another room shooting in. I have no experience with lasers at all so I don't know what the range on the beam is, that may not work, but the fog tends to settle on whatever low surface it can rest on, so maybe keep the actual mechanism away from that area.

[dale911]

the fog juice is basically glycerin and water. The glycerin will stick to anything it gets to. I have filled a room with a thick fog and once dissipated, the entire room is filled with a coating of the glycerin. As you already know, it's a pain to clean off. Water alone won't do it. The best solution to your problem would be to create a Plexiglass box to put it in with a fan that pulls air from the box or to put it behind a piece of glass that seperates it from the room it's in. you may also try using a hazer instead of a fog machine. It's a different chemical and although you may end up with the mist, it's much less and the effect is the same. Good luck.

[damon carson]

That was my next option but someone beat me to it. A plexiglass box or a wooden cabinet with the glass in front. If your worried about the unit over heating put holes in the box where the fan draws air or somekind of screen or air filter to help keep the fog out. I've got a black widow and never had this problem. But hope something works for you.
Damon Carson