Hi,
I am buiding accessories for a UW strobe. I have everything that's needed : a 3D model I designed, a 3D printer, unused Loclines I had laying around for years in the workshop, and fiber optic.
The fiber optic is multicore, 5mm diameter or so, and made of thousands of individual glass fibers. Easy to cut but nasty (mask required because of the debris).
I slavaged this extremely flexible fiber from an old but high quality laboratory lighting (the lightbox had a 150W halogen bulb). It's 1.5 meter, and I want to make two 0.50 meter fiber optic snoots
My problem is : how to seal the ends of the fiber optics ? The individual fibers are really thin (0.01mm or so, much thinner than a hair), the sealant has to be as fluid as possible so it can go everywhere between the fibers (10-20mm would be enough) ; next, I will polish the ends (emery + diamond). Rest of the fibers will be held together with heatshrink.
I've been thinking of using cyanoacrylate, but they tend to cure too quickly, and could cause some issues :
Wikipedia says : "Applying cyanoacrylate to some natural materials such as cotton (jeans, cotton swabs, cotton balls, and certain yarns or fabrics), or leather or wool results in a powerful, rapid, exothermic reaction. This reaction also occurs with fiberglass and carbon fiber. The heat released may cause serious burns[33] or release irritating white smoke. Material Safety Data Sheets for cyanoacrylate instruct users not to wear cotton (jeans) or wool clothing, especially cotton gloves, when applying or handling cyanoacrylates."
(no explanations, but I suspect it has something to do with the surface/adsorption : thousands of cylindric fibers represent a huge surface !)
What sealant could I use ?
Some thoughts ?
I am buiding accessories for a UW strobe. I have everything that's needed : a 3D model I designed, a 3D printer, unused Loclines I had laying around for years in the workshop, and fiber optic.
The fiber optic is multicore, 5mm diameter or so, and made of thousands of individual glass fibers. Easy to cut but nasty (mask required because of the debris).
I slavaged this extremely flexible fiber from an old but high quality laboratory lighting (the lightbox had a 150W halogen bulb). It's 1.5 meter, and I want to make two 0.50 meter fiber optic snoots
My problem is : how to seal the ends of the fiber optics ? The individual fibers are really thin (0.01mm or so, much thinner than a hair), the sealant has to be as fluid as possible so it can go everywhere between the fibers (10-20mm would be enough) ; next, I will polish the ends (emery + diamond). Rest of the fibers will be held together with heatshrink.
I've been thinking of using cyanoacrylate, but they tend to cure too quickly, and could cause some issues :
Wikipedia says : "Applying cyanoacrylate to some natural materials such as cotton (jeans, cotton swabs, cotton balls, and certain yarns or fabrics), or leather or wool results in a powerful, rapid, exothermic reaction. This reaction also occurs with fiberglass and carbon fiber. The heat released may cause serious burns[33] or release irritating white smoke. Material Safety Data Sheets for cyanoacrylate instruct users not to wear cotton (jeans) or wool clothing, especially cotton gloves, when applying or handling cyanoacrylates."
(no explanations, but I suspect it has something to do with the surface/adsorption : thousands of cylindric fibers represent a huge surface !)
What sealant could I use ?
Some thoughts ?
; so I am unable to show the first prototype for the conical snoot (printed with PETG), and the 3D model of the 2nd iteration intended for the fiber optics.
