Subject Tungsten Cathode, no Welding Required
Posted by Jon Rosenstiel on 2004-09-10 00:10
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The photos below should give a pretty good idea of the process.
I used 0.026" diameter tungsten wire from Small Parts Inc. (Part# TW-026-60) This particular wire was amazingly ductile for tungsten wire. I also attempted to make a grid using 0.022" wire but it was much too brittle. As the saying goes, "your mileage may vary".
The tubing is 7 gauge thin wall 304 stainless steel hypodermic tubing from Small Parts also. (Part #HTX-07T) My HV feedthrough stalk has an OD of 0.156" and the 7 gauge tubing has an ID of 0.160". Produces a nice friction fit.
I cut the slots in the end of the ss tubing using a thin cutoff wheel in my Dremel tool.
There was no difference in performance (neutron count) compared to the more traditional 5 circle grids I had been using.
This grid will take some punishment. I've run my fusor at over 1kW input for 3 to 4 minutes at a time. And she ran exceptionally stable!
Jon Rosenstiel
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2004-09-10 00:10 Tungsten Cathode, no Welding Required 
(Jon Rosenstiel) [Latest: 2006-10-24 08:24]