Special Effects
Some cool DIY effects that enhance the interest level of your laser beams
Here I'll show some of the things you can use to get some of the special effects you might see at a laser show or special event that is using lasers for show. There are some surprisingly simple and very inexpensive items that can be used to obtain some super cool laser lighting effects that I've used (and even created) myself. These are displayed below with some explanation of how to make them or how to use them. But first I'll start off with a few items I purchased that bear mention... The one shown in the 'OptykMuse' logo image above (and on the main page) and one more that's even cooler...
One safety note - because the laser can deflect at unpredictable angles it's advised to be familiar with the lumia you are using and know the limits of where the beam will go, or use a mask to prevent it from deflecting into your audience.
There used to be a really fun shop to go into that was in most malls back in the 90's or early 2000's called Spencers Gifts. Remember those? Well it was in one of those stores I found this really cool device called the "Laser Gazer" which would project swirly images (called "Lumia" in laser show terminology) using three low power red lasers under a slowly spinning dome of rumply clear plastic. The lasers could be individually pointed using the black thumbwheels. the lasers would show through the rumply plastic above them which performs a magical transformation on the beams that must be seen as it's really difficult to explain. The image above shows a glimps of how it looks for an instant, but the laser effect is constantly changing for each of the three lasers. Just turn off the lights, turn on the Laser Gazer (and some Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon), and be amazed! The most unfortunate thing is that these have not been available (at least not that I've been able to find) for years. Dispair not though, there is another even better one I discovered more recently that should still be available that uses three different colors!
For those who were ready to run out right away and get a Laser Gazer, will check this one out instead... It's call the "Laser RGB 3D Hologram Projector" by Holiday Show Home. It's not really projecting holograms, but like the Laser Gazer it will project the most cool Lumia patterns on the wall or ceiling (wherever you have it pointed). The farther away from the wall the projector is, the larger the lumia image will be. There is a phone app that operates the unit via bluetooth which allows on/off control of each laser color, lumia motor speed, color fade type, and power on/off. These might be in short supply lately but I've seen a number of them on Ebay for a decent price. To the right is a photo of the box and an example of the type of lumia display you can see with this projector. I stopped the lumia motor for the photo but it's constantly changing shapes/patterns/colors during normal operation. The image is bright enough to be seen in a lit room but is super awesome in a dark room! I like these so much I have two of them. These can be layered also if you have more than one.
Here is an example of a homebrew lumia wheel which works just like the rumpled dome on the Laser Gazer and the disk inside the Holiday lumia projector. In its previous life it was a clear CD disk from a package of blank CD's (they would put these clear ones on the top and bottom of the stack to protect the blank CD's). To make it what I needed it to be I used a propane torch (like they have at Harbor Freight) and very slowly and CAREFULLY softened the disk until it began to warp and shrink and continued around the disk until it was rumpled all the way around, being careful not to melt the center where it needs to be flat for mounting to a slow gear motor, preferrably 1 RPM or less. If it's a DC motor the speed can be further controlled using a variable power supply. The other photos are wheels cut from shower glass or plastic ceiling light sheets and these can be obtained free also from broken sections. It you don't have a way to cut glass a glass shop could do your cutting for a small fee.
Another method I've seen is to use smooth glass or plastic disks and rub clear silicon adhesive or clear epoxy around on it and let it cure. I've not yet tried this myself but if I do make another Lumia wheel this will be the first thing I try out.
Here is an example of a way to use a glass candy bowl I bet you never though of... I was looking for things to shine my laser pointer through when I first started looking into the lumia affect (years ago) and spotted this candy bowl. My wife saw my excitement and the cool way it affected the laser beam and decided to donate it to the cause. I used a small 'third hand' clip holder from my electronics tool box, a couple of P-clamps, a DC gear motor, some velcro, and finally, the candy bowl to create my own multi-laser lumia wheel. I used this arrangement for my first laser show on a cold new year's eve in the late 90's. The lasers were powered from the Laser Power Controller (Other Hardware page).
Here's a commercial type lumia projector - it has several laser positions shining through several different types of lumia arrangements. One uses two lumia wheels on separate motors which can be rotated either direction for added effect, another like it with only one lumia wheel. Two more positions use turntables to spin found glassware like my wife's candy dish. You can see how creative one can get and how a collection of glass dishes and bottles might grow over time... I forsee many trips to the local thrift shop on the hunt for rumpled glassware! :)
A similar lumia projector could be homebrewed just from looking at this picture. I have not yet done so but made a copy of the image just to add to my own ideas. This is actually a great way to expand your own compliment of laser show equipment - doing image searches to get ideas which might send your thinking in a new direction and a novel new effect.
Here we have another form of special effect - FOG. The can is the less expensive way of employing this effect if you don't plan on using fog very often, or just want to illuminate the beam for a short time for testing or just for fun. Similar cans are available from Amazon. But if you want to fog up a room the unit to the right is the way to go. This on is a 'fogger' and another form is called a 'hazer'. The fogger uses "fog fluid" which is a heavier liquid that produces larger droplets. The hazer produces much finer droplets that hang in the air longer and are less visible than fogger fog but have about the same effect on the laser beams. The can is pretty much the same fog as from a fogger.Hazers are generally more expensive than foggers so for the DIY laser hobbyist the foggers are a less expensive way to go. Fog fluid can be purchased by the gallon on Amazon. I've obtained two foggers for myself. One disadvantage of them is that the fluid pump can clog and stop working necessitation disassembly and cleaning (another learning process). But I've done this a few times and it's not really that difficult if you're mechanically inclined.
This is about as cheap as an effect can get... this is a pair of disposable 3D glasses from a movie theater. The interesting thing about these is that if you shine a laser beam through it the single beam turns into a fan of beams! And pretty much for free, other than the price of the movie. If you just happen to have one of these around go ahead and shine a laser through it and see for yourself. You could even take the lenses out and attach them to a motor and see what happens when you shine a laser through it when it's spinning! Of course a bit of fog from the can in the entry above would make it even more fun :)
Another effect is to use mirrors to bounce the laser beams around a large space or a room. This effect requires some effort though, as the mirrors have to somehow be mounted at the reflection positions and manually aligned using a live beam (so best to use a safe low power beam for that part of the process). I don't have any photos of bounce mirrors but if you've been to any concerts that use lasers you have probably seen beams being bounced around using this method. Larger mirrors make the job easier. The mirrors would also be "first surface" type mirrors where the reflective surface is directly on the surface of the mirror that the laser beam hits.
A cheap way to get mirrors for this is to find a few bad computer hard drives and take them apart. The disks in these drives have a great reflective surface that will work fine for hobby / low budget applications.