In this space, visitors are invited to post any comments, questions, or skeptical observations about Philo T. Farnsworth's contributions to the field of Nuclear Fusion research.Subject: Fusor V!!!!!?
Date: Feb 03, 9:47 am
Poster: Richard HullOn Feb 03, 9:47 am, Richard Hull wrote:
Guys,
(I say that only becuase I am unaware of any ladies on the list, although they may be lurking.)
Well I just received my 12" conflat SS rings for fusor V. That's right fusor V!
I am sort of the like the auto makers. I work a couple of model years ahead of the game, even though the main effort is directed at the current model and the here and now.
You folks may have heard me talk of a parts bin for fusor IV and V in passing in previous posts.
I stockpile advanced and improved parts as they fall into my hands due to lucky finds and low priced deals. As many of you know, I am now at work in the actual design and assembly stages of fusor IV. I feel that Fusor III has gone just about as far as it can go.
Fusor IV will be another 6" unit, but this time it will have official high dollar conflat rings welded to the hemispheres for an absolute dead seal on the vacuum. Fusor III worked out fine with the old junk high pressure SS steam flanges which I milled and machined into a usable assembly. It is sealed with pure indium wire .030" in diameter. Fusor IV will have the superior, knife edge sealed, OFC copper of the UHV class stuff. It just doesn't get any better.
I purchased (4) matched 6 inch SS hemispheres back in late 1997 when I was just assembling fusor II (bell jar). It was late 1998 before I started fusor III and used the first of those hemispheres. Fusor IV is to utilize the last of the 6" hemispheres. As I built Fusor III I ordered (2) 10 inch SS hemispheres and they are scheduled to used in fusor V.
Better insulators, sapphire viewports on conflat flanges, a turbo-molecular pump, 5 more mechanical pumps and 3 more diff pumps have come my way over the last year and a half and have been distributed to the various project boxes in my lab. It is always wise to plan ahead and secure items as they present themselves.
Case in point..........
The Conflat flanges which I have just received were in Duniway's catalog last year for $270.00 each. I waffled over the extreme expense (I needed two) and held off while I searched feverishly for hamfest or surplus deals, internet and E-bay ads, etc. I finally steeled myself to the realization that these large flanges are just not encountered in casual vacuum systems. The price went up to $310.00 and I was out nearly $80.00 due to my waffling. I should have realized the likelihood of locating spare or surplus 12" conflat fittings was near zero and ordered them earlier.
The maxim is that if the part is absolutely required and is outsized, oddball, or not a "stocked item", you had better bite the bullet after a quick but thorough resource search and just purchase it. Prices for labor intensive, material specific, one-off items never fall!
I am most likely much more serious about my fusor efforts than most on this list and few here will ever build a single item related to fusion. However, those interested in the hardware would be wise to accumulate immediately. Even if it never happens, you will have a stock of vacuum ralated materials for other projects. (This assumes most of us are some form of hard bitten, amateur scientist/investigator types with a will and ability to DO!)
Richard Hull