thoughts on tubes

[selloutrr]

awesome equipment!

What part did you you play in all this?


Any Idea where someone can buy tube manufacturing equipment?
And how much does a set up cost?

how much of the process is automated?

[FYL]

awesome equipment!

Pretty basic by tube standards. GT had only a few rigs from the old GE Owensboro plant.

What part did you you play in all this?

None. I just followed what GT did from the outside - having some made in USA tubes was an exciting project (and still is).

Any Idea where someone can buy tube manufacturing equipment?
And how much does a set up cost?

Some stuff is standard - vacuum pumps, etc. All of the rest has to be custom manufactured.

how much of the process is automated?

Very little.

Check this video by a French ham if you want to build your own triode :
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3wrzo ... riode_tech

[Structo]

Thanks for setting the record straight, I was unaware that GT ever actually made tubes here.
I thought that was Aspen's goal but due to regulations and materials he decided to have them made in China.

Isn't there a small outfit back east that makes 300B tubes in limited runs?
I wonder how they get away with it.
These are for the Hi Fi crowd and are very expensive.

Supposedly there is a couple other tubes that are made here but also in limited runs.

Too bad the Blackburn tube never got off the ground, that was exciting while it lasted.

[martin manning]

how much of the process is automated?

This film on Mullard's Blackburn works will give you a good idea. Here's part one of four:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnvKCC6_VDQ

[FYL]

I thought that was Aspen's goal but due to regulations and materials he decided to have them made in China.

That's what finally happened.

Isn't there a small outfit back east that makes 300B tubes in limited runs?

The new Westrex. Currently in limbo during a factory relocation.

Supposedly there is a couple other tubes that are made here but also in limited runs.

Mainly metal or ceramics for broadcasting or military applications. AFAICT only Mu and Triton have recently manufactured glass tubes, but I'm unsure of their current status.

Too bad the Blackburn tube never got off the ground, that was exciting while it lasted.

They tried to use planar technology. Didn't work properly: their E813CC was one of the most microphonic tubes ever manufactured.

[selloutrr]

where did the other rigs from the the old GE Owensboro plant end up?

[FYL]

where did the other rigs from the the old GE Owensboro plant end up?

What was left was scraped.

[Richie]

Owensboro, Not too far from me here in Ky.. The things that get thrown away. me and my brother were going to try to buy out an old electronics store that was in auction. Over half of the stock was things that were just junk that would never be used. TV picture tubes,and parts for the older TVs. Lots of really good stuff, but just not worth it to have to trash half of it. Place had been in the biz since the late 30s.

[Cliff Schecht]

awesome equipment!

Pretty basic by tube standards. GT had only a few rigs from the old GE Owensboro plant.

What part did you you play in all this?

None. I just followed what GT did from the outside - having some made in USA tubes was an exciting project (and still is).

Any Idea where someone can buy tube manufacturing equipment?
And how much does a set up cost?

Some stuff is standard - vacuum pumps, etc. All of the rest has to be custom manufactured.

how much of the process is automated?

Very little.

Check this video by a French ham if you want to build your own triode :
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3wrzo ... riode_tech

I got to take a tour of the vacuum tube making facilities at Ludlum Measurements sometime last year. It was amazing to watch them start from glass stock and metal bits, walking through the assembly process (all hand-made of course) and the automated custom machinery they used to pull the vacuum, flash the getters and seal off the end. I don't have a huge interest in Geiger counters per say but seeing a real live vacuum tube manufacturing operation in Sweetwater, Texas and bs'ing with the owner about tubes and such all day was very cool.

That French video is also a classic, I love showing it off to people who don't understand the draw of tubes. Just watching that French guy work his art usually does the trick .

[PlinytheWelder]

That series of Blackburn videos on YouTube is stellar, too.

[Alexo]

Aren't CRT's, fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs also technically "vacuum tubes?"

Plenty of current production US tubes!

[rp]

[quote="Alexo"]Aren't CRT's, fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs also technically "vacuum tubes?"

Monodes?