Making glass-to-metal seals for homemade vacuum tubes
Summary
This article delves into sealing metal to borosilicate glass to fabricate homemade vacuum tubes. It covers various material choices (copper, tungsten, steel), different seal geometries (pinch, houskeeper, foil), and the challenges of thermal expansion mismatches, along with practical experiments, plating attempts, and leak-testing methods. The piece combines hands-on lab results with historical references and notes on safety considerations.