Thanks for the quick response, Jo. I actually got a bit antsy and ordered some transparent amber acrylic from Amazon where one of the reviewers said he used it to filter the light from a 445nm laser. Always glad for other cheap science enthusiasts! I'll be sure to contact you if this acrylic doesn't work out either. I actually don't need much. I had some old military surplus goggles laying around that I decided to convert (like these http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/J-gAAOSwBLlU7qX~/s-l400.jpg) so I only need to cut out two circles about 2.5" in diameter each.
The site listed as the supplier for the blue filter, acrylite-shop.com, also has transparent amber acrylic. Have you tried that? It could be an alternate to list on your site if people want to buy extra, either for making glasses or an imaging box. I bought some cheap "blue filter" glasses on Amazon that people wear at night to fall asleep easier, but they're also incredibly fluorescent. It would be nice to find a cheap pair of glasses like those that works for this purpose so people could buy those instead of making them or giving Invitrogen $55.
We currently use the amber filter at an angle while cutting, but it's still in the way. I think it's a great solution to include with the kit, since one piece can be used both ways, which keeps the cost down, but everybody in the lab agrees that it would be better to get it out of the way completely. I do enough gel extraction that I'm willing to put in the time and effort to have something I can wear.
