Video: Making a Vacuum Tube By Hand

Here's a fascinating video of a man who hand-makes all the parts of these triode vacuum tubes set to a becalming piano soundtrack. Wonderful stuff!

FABRICATION D'UNE LAMPE TRIODE [Dailymotion.Alice.it]

[#1 posted by dculberson , January 7, 2008 3:33 PM]

I watched the whole thing in awestruck fascination. Possibly the coolest video I've ever seen online, ever.

[#2 posted by btb , January 7, 2008 3:46 PM]

Yeah, but can he make a transistor?

[#3 posted by flufnut12 , January 7, 2008 4:33 PM]

That is pure art. I love watching stuff like that

[#4 posted by mdhatter , January 7, 2008 4:41 PM]

pure porn, for makers

[#5 posted by Aaron T. , January 7, 2008 5:56 PM]

You guys might also like the glass blowing projects documented at Teralab.

[#6 posted by Dirac , January 8, 2008 2:10 AM]

The guy is definitely quite old (*), he learnt to do this at a time when you HAD to wind your own filaments - and you were happy about it! :)
I guess nobody learns this complete skill set today

(*) Old = Look at the hands, but also the guy's homepage, in French, http://paillard.claude.free.fr/, he became ham-operator "F2FO" in 1959, radio geek amongst others re-creating radios from the 1920s

http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpaillard.claude.free.fr%2F&langpair=fr%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8

[#7 posted by Luc , January 8, 2008 5:13 AM]

Does anyone know what the old-fashioned welding tool he uses is called?

[#8 posted by shichae , January 8, 2008 7:21 AM]

Beautiful, abso-smurfly cool!!! Was I mistaken, or did he inject mercury at the tail end of the video? Nice X-tal set as well. Thanks for the link!

[#9 posted by Anonymous , January 8, 2008 7:50 AM]

The tool I believe you are referring to is a spot welder.

[#10 posted by Luc , January 8, 2008 12:52 PM]

Thanks Anonymous. I found an article in French on his website about the design of the spot welder: http://paillard.claude.free.fr/triodes/soudage/soudage.html . He made it himself using the structural components from what I think is a small 1920's riveting press ('nous avons reconverti une petite presse à sertir des années vingt'). It looks rather neat!

[#11 posted by Anonymous , January 9, 2008 7:36 AM]

Coincidentally, that video is Ted Stevens' notion of an ISP.

[#12 posted by Anonymous , April 29, 2008 10:11 PM]

The most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The genesis of all I hold dear being born before my very eyes.

[#13 posted by Anonymous , May 12, 2008 8:38 AM]

I'd like to think he's an electrical engineer.