So I finally got my quote back for all the ULS parts this week. It came in quite a bit higher than I anticipated. While most of the items are tolerable, some aren’t. [all prices are Canadian, and don’t include the 13% tax I need to pay as well]
Well today I decided to try and salvage the flying head that carries the #3 mirror and focusing lens. I had pretty much written it off, as it was partially encased in molten glass & plastic. It also fell into the fire, so I assumed the worst for the parts of it that I could not see.
I decided to fire up the laser again, and get some pictures this time. So while I was at it, I decided to check the beam alignment between the visible and burning laser beams. I also got some pictures of the test set-up.
It’s tough waiting for something, when you’re excited about a project. A week and a half ago I sent off that email for quotation on the replacement parts to my local ULS rep. I know it’s only been a week and a half, but it feels like it’s been forever. I sent off a ping at the end of last week, and they replied that the parts guy was off that week, but he would get back to me early this week. So here we are at the end of this week, and I still haven’t heard anything. I got tied up with work today, so I didn’t get around to sending off another reminder email. I am disappointed in the delay, it seems as if they aren’t all that interested in my business. If I don’t hear back by Tues of next week, I’m going to contact ULS direct again, apprise them of the situation and see if they’ll quote me directly.
So I took a few minutes this weekend to give the chassis a quick bath to get off any soot and loose dirt to get a better idea of the condition. I managed to get a few pics too.
I took a few hours yesterday to give the unit a quick wipe-down to clean off any loose dirt, and take a few pictures now that my hand is feeling a bit better. Over the next few days I’ll be posting a review of the state of the various components. But first, I’ve had a couple of questions about the laser/power, so I thought I’d make a quick post about it.
As I prepare to have the chassis stripped of its current paint & rust coating, I’ve been thinking about how I should refinish it. The chassis itself is built like a tank out of heavy gauge welded steel. It needs some sort of protective coating, or it will just rust into nothing. My initial intention was to have it powder-coated, but now I’m having second thoughts.
Ouch my eye! 