Articles and Publications
This page contains the following: the Bell Jar Online: Full Content of the Bell Jar Volume 10 Number 3/4 Onward tBJ Compilations: The First Five Years (Volumes 1-5) and The Second Five Years (Volumes 6-10) Selected Regular Articles from Volumes 1 - 10 Material About and By Frank Lee the Bell Jar On Line tBJ existed through its first 10 volumes as a printed journal that was mailed to subscribers. Now that the lingering last issue of Volume 10 has been completed I am going to make the journal openly available through this site as an electronic publication, at least for the coming year. My hope is that donations and the sale of miscellaneous components will cover the costs of maintaining and expanding the Bell Jar. Even though it is available, please respect the fact that the material is protected by copyright. A printed version will continue to exist but as a single annual issue that will be produced at the close of each year. Volume 10 Number 3/4: Buckyball Synthesis (G. Konesky), Microwave Oven Plasma Reactor (H. Page), High Voltage with Hardware Store DC/AC Inverters, Taking the Bubbles out of Gel Candles, Pressure Control from Cartesian Divers to PID. Click on image to download PDF. Volume 11 (2008): Articles will be available for download throughout the year. Topics will include pumping oxygen, Kurt J. Lesker's amazing MicroMaze (high vacuum with a mechanical pump), projects with the "Universal Discharge Tube," simple ion sources and more. I will also have a detailed pictorial essay on common flanges and fittings and how to use them. Return to the Top the Bell Jar Compilations The articles contained in the first 10 years of the Bell Jar have been compiled into two publications. These are available as password protected downloads or, for an additional fee, in hardcopy format. If purchasing as a download, instructions on how to retrieve and open the document will be emailed to you The First Five Years: This is a compilation of the content of Volumes 1-5 (1992-1996). It contains over 200 pages of vacuum theory & practice, projects and useful tidbits. The table of contents is linked to chapters for ease of navigation. File size is approximately 11.5 MB. Price is $40 as a PDF download. Click here to view sample pages. The Second Five Years: This contains the content of Volumes 6-10 (1996 - 2000). This compilation will be available by March 2008. The price will be $40 as a PDF download. Printed Copies Each compilation may be ordered for $65 (US addresses), $68 (Canada and Mexico) and $75 (Elsewhere). Orders for any version may be placed using the Publication Order Form. Payment may through PayPal or with check. Single Copies of back issues are no longer available. Return to the Top Selected Regular Articles from Volumes 1-10 The following articles are a sampling from the pages of the Bell Jar. In most cases they are in their original form. Numerous updates, corrections and expansions have been made to these articles when merged into the two compilations. Note: Articles published later than 1996 are in Adobe AcrobatTM (PDF) format and require the free Acrobat reader. Earlier articles are in HTML. Vacuum Basics: Vacuum Fundamentals, Terminology, Applications, Reading List Refrigeration Service Vacuum Pumps - Medium Vacuum at Low Cost HVAC Vacuum Pump Manifold & Chambers - Wonderful things to do with a Robinair pump Vacuum on the Cheap - Converting Refrigeration Compressors into Vacuum Pumps Building a Thermocouple Vacuum Gauge A Simple Medium Vacuum System Bob Templeman on Generating X-Rays with Receiving Tubes Some Resources and Ideas for Plasma Experiments Vacuum and Scientific American’s Amateur Scientist Infrasound Monitoring with a Microbarograph A High Altitude Chamber for Biological Studies Neutrons and Neutron Generators The Farnsworth/Hirsch Fusor - Richard Hull Leaks: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Return to the Top Material About and By Frank Lee Frank Lee, through his writings in Scientific American, was my primary source of inspiration with regard to getting involved with vacuum technology. During the mid 1990s I corresponded regularly with him and had the pleasure of meeting him once. At that time he presented me with small collection of his drawings and writings, some of which have found their way into the Bell Jar. As of this writing (late 2007) I am in the process of scanning many of these documents and they will be available here in their original form. Some Recollections - Frank Lee Conversion of Refrigerator Compressors into Vacuum Pumps - F.B. Lee (1959) Hickman Oil Diffusion Pump - This is one of the pumps sold by Morris & Lee in the 1960s. I purchased one of these for about $35.00 if memory serves me right. It required a low backing pressure and, at that time, was beyond the capabilities of any of my early forepumps. Recent studies by Hablanian, et al. have shown that the Hickman pump is more of a trap than a pump. Kurth-Ruggles Mercury Diffusion Pump - This was the other pump sold by Morris & Lee. It will operate with forepressures to 2 mmHg but was much more expensive than the Hickman. Production of Very Low Temperatures - This was in Frank Lee's pamphlet Experiments in High Vacuum. Estimating the Relative Mass of the Electron - This was another project in Experiments in High Vacuum. Return to the Top
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