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Commissioned Gas Discharge Glow Tubes for SSTCs

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Sigurthr

Tue Sept 25 2012, 05:30PM

Registered Member #4463 Joined: Wed Apr 18 2012, 08:08AM
Location: MI's Upper Peninsula
Posts: 597

Hey everyone,
A few months ago I was on the hunt for Geissler tubes and the like when it dawned on me that I'd have to settle for small capillary discharge spectrum tubes or find someone to make something custom. So, I chose the latter and did just that! I discovered a glassworker and tubemaker named Ron Soyland who accepted my comission. He even built himself a SSTC to test the tubes out during the production process.

Here is the end result!:

I mis-spoke about the relative pressures in the video as pointed out in the description.

Ron is selling these tubes at ~$70ea and you can choose custom pressures and gas mixes. He has: Ar He Ne CO2 Freon(s) and will accept any pressure of your choice within the safe operating voltage of the glass. I've asked him if he minds my giving out his contact info, and if he agrees I will include it here. For now you can contact him on YT via his channel: Glasslinger

zrg

Tue Sept 25 2012, 06:15PM

Registered Member #4762 Joined: Sun May 06 2012, 05:59PM
Location: Russia
Posts: 93

Well well well what do we see here :)
I've been doing the same for the last year, and as there are virtually infinite combinations of gases at different pressures, and different mixtures of them with halogens, organics and metal vapours.
You can ask the glassworker to add 1) iodine - gives deep blue color to Ne; 2) ethanol (or other basic alcohol) - gives greenish to argon at high pressures.
Such custom tubes are much harder to break than you think them to be. They survive even high power SGTC strikes w/o exploding (but that may lead to microsized break points which will leak air inside the tube).
Here are some photos from my collection. There are more than 50 such plasma containters different from each other, and thousands of photos and videos, but I'm too lazy to measure and write down the exact mixtures and combinations...

Sigurthr

Wed Sept 26 2012, 12:55PM

Registered Member #4463 Joined: Wed Apr 18 2012, 08:08AM
Location: MI's Upper Peninsula
Posts: 597

Hi Zrg! Yes, haha, these are the tubes I mentioned when I first contacted you on YT. I can't wait to receive the one you made, your spheres are stunning!

Inducktion

Wed Sept 26 2012, 02:44PM

Registered Member #3637 Joined: Fri Jan 21 2011, 11:07PM
Location: Buffalo, NY
Posts: 1068

Hey zrg... I'm guessing you're the glassblower that Sig mentioned? :P

Is there any specific minimum size for these tubes? I had a really cool idea for these.

If you take a smaller tube, and use a sort of "stand" with them, using an AC flyback transformer you can make a display piece for a tube of your choosing, allowing it to run indefinitely and showing off those pretty colors. :D

Sigurthr

Thu Sept 27 2012, 03:04AM

Registered Member #4463 Joined: Wed Apr 18 2012, 08:08AM
Location: MI's Upper Peninsula
Posts: 597

Hehe, no, Zrg is an amateur maker of RF discharge tubes in Russia who I bought from but did not commission.

The glassworker finally OK'd releasing his info;

Ron Soyland - Glasslinger -

and Tubecrafter.com

Just email him via YouTube.

zrg

Thu Sept 27 2012, 12:21PM

Registered Member #4762 Joined: Sun May 06 2012, 05:59PM
Location: Russia
Posts: 93

I found an interesting mix a few days ago: krypton and... vacuum grease that I use to tighten the connections!
Two big balls made with that mix are really awesome.
I wish I'd had a fellow chemist who would be able to predict the effects of adding different organics, metal vapours and other impurities to the gases...

RateReducer

Thu Oct 04 2012, 07:06AM

Registered Member #4603 Joined: Wed Apr 25 2012, 07:33PM
Location: Austria
Posts: 159

Very nice!
I also tried some things with gas discharge tubes...
Even sealed with electrodes ;-)

Argon:

I was wondering where you got the Xenon/Krypton gas...?

Greetings

Steve Conner

Thu Oct 04 2012, 10:57AM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

I love this one, is it related to the "weird dots mode" shown on Youtube?

I would seriously consider buying one of these tubes if you'd make me one. :)

Sigurthr

Thu Oct 04 2012, 02:23PM

Registered Member #4463 Joined: Wed Apr 18 2012, 08:08AM
Location: MI's Upper Peninsula
Posts: 597

Gas discharge tubes really do add a whole realm of fun to TCs. After having two of my own and a third en route I can't recommend them highly enough to anyone with a CW tesla coil.

zrg

Fri Oct 05 2012, 08:02PM

Registered Member #4762 Joined: Sun May 06 2012, 05:59PM
Location: Russia
Posts: 93

A friend of mine made an awesome video today:

and I was making still shots:

all colors are natural as seen by eye and camera (at least in the photos) :)

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