Yesterday I was at the lab (which is absolutely freezing, the boiler is broken). I installed the electron gun:
I fumbled the flange when I was removing it, and broke the ceramic tube. Ugg. I’ll have to make another one.
Notice the ceramic’s discoloration from the plasma of the Fusor. Why? Plasma is corrosive, but still rather surprising to see such a dramatic change.
Unfortunately, I installed this incorrectly: a centimeter of the lead wire is unprotected by ceramic. The plasma was forming around this lead.
So I’ll have to open the chamber back up and try again. I think it’s time to invest in a powered torque wrench. Doing the large conflats by hand is a real time consuming pain in the ass (and knuckles when the wrench slips).
Another useful upgrade are these plate nuts:
Prometheus Fusion Perfection 
A low cost version of the powered torque wrench is a hefty drill, cordless or otherwise, with a socket wrench adapter in the chuck. My Dewalt drill even has a torque ring on it. You can use that to get it close, then snug the bolts up with a manual torque wrench.
I’ve seen the wheels fall off 2 vehicles because shop guys used a powered torque wrench improperly; I figure it’s a good idea to check with a manual wrench anyway.
[…] Gun: fabricated. Awaiting second […]
Where did you get the plates from, they will be highly usefull for one of my own projects.
http://www.lesker.com/newweb/flanges/flanges_technicalnotes_conflat_1.cfm?pgid=0