[sdiy] OT: Tube repair revisited: NOT MY HeNe Laser TUBE!!!

[anthony]

OK, so I thought I'd dig out my old laser that had a blown transformer and 
rebuild it with a battery powered supply.

But OH NO! The getter mirror is all white-ish now. It sat for a long time 
and it oooks like it was sealed with some sort of glue that over time ran 
out of the seam. I can see a glob on the side

This was a Spectra-Physics 060-4 3388: a very good scientific laser. Maybe 
these tubes are a dime a dozen now, but I don't want to buy one.

The only bright spot seams to be that the tube isn't actually BROKEN. I can 
get metallic Barium and I know someone who can flash it.

But then the doom and gloom sets in again: This isn't a VACUUM tube it'sgot 
to have a precise mixture of Helium and Neon.

I remember making this tube fire with one of those plug-in handheld 
zappers - I think it's like a mini Van de Graaf generator - that they use to 
check to see if a hard vacuum system has any leaks.

I guess I'll have to find another tube on eBay. Bu tthis is so much more 
traumatic than losing a 6922.

Well the case the laser came in is pretty cool looking. HeNe lasers are 
passe. Maybe I'll start the work on my big CO2 laser that I'll mount on a 
pivot and a robot-body with caterpillar treads. BWAHAHAHAHA!


Oy geVALT!