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RE: Vacuum Gaps
Stephen Sanders wrote:
> I thought I would build the gap and have a neon man do it, he
> could put it in the right size tube and put electrodes on the ends, > gas and seal it.
> Stephen Sanders
Stephen,
I Think that you will find that Neon sign companies employ tubing
benders, not glass blowers. They never make glass to metal seals. They
are only required to make simple butt joints when they connect the
electrodes, which come already installed in a short piece of glass
tubing. Neon tubing is thin wall soft glass, which makes it easy to
bend with an air-gas flame, but also makes it fragil. The wires which
come through the glass are very small because neon signs operate in the
range of 30 to 90 milliamps. In a Tesla coil circuit, very heavy current
flows through the spark gap. If you really want to try this , I suggest
that you use a short length of Pyrex pipe and a pair of flanges and
gaskets which are available from laboratory supply houses. The pipe is
thick walled, very tough, and has a thickened rim which allows you to
bolt its flange to a metal plate of your own making, which can mount as
massive a gap electrode as you desire. Good Luck, and keep us posted on
your progress.
Storey Clamp
San Antonio, Texas