Leak Troubles

Every fusor and fusion system seems to need a vacuum. This area is for detailed discussion of vacuum systems, materials, gauging, etc. related to fusor or fusion research.
Jerry Biehler
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Re: Leak Troubles

Post by Jerry Biehler »

Look up copper crush gaskets, they are used on all sorts of things like hydraulics. Aluminum ones too. Either will work and there is a huge selection in size.

Heck, you could put a nitrile o-ring in there and it would be fine. You would be limited on bake out temps but I would not worry about it for what you are doing.
Tom McCarthy
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Re: Leak Troubles

Post by Tom McCarthy »

Whoa, thanks for the tip Jerry, copper crush turned up a treat, and affordable too. Ordered a pack of 1.5mm thick ones, they should do, old ones were 2mm. Arriving Monday.

Thanks for the gauge info Peter, the chamber actually seems to be holding up at 20 microns with the old gasket in the gauge, I've yet to check readings with the turbopump running though. Reading through those docs.

The more you get into it, the less mystifying the nuts and bolts of science hardware seems to get. From the outset it seems incomprehensible, but things simplify as you work on them. Point being it seemed to me at the start as if conflat etc had to be rigorously justified by in depth models and so on. In reality, the only model that looks like it matters is experience.
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Richard Hull
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Re: Leak Troubles

Post by Richard Hull »

That is what the hands-on imperative is all about.....Do and learn. It is why "labs" are used in college. Labs in college are only for exposure. Living of life must forever be a constant "lab" experience with tremendous and continuous hands-on events, going far beyond mere exposure to border on or achieve expertise.

When no working with the hands you should reading with the eyes.

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
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