Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: How to make a Torture Tube

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    North of Jackson Michigan USA
    Posts
    361

    Default How to make a Torture Tube

    Greetings, all;

    (Warning: contains blatant sales information - maybe should be on the Buy/Sell forum and/or the SELEM thread, but I decided Lumia enthusiasts would find this the most useful. Feel free to moon me if I am out of line.)

    I needed to make some TTubes for a project, so I decided to make a bunch of them and bring them to SELEM 2019 for sale. They come equipped with steel washers on them to enable attaching them to a magnetically-equipped motor (which I am also bringing to sell).

    Bill Witcher and Draco stopped by to plan our trip to SELEM, so I put them to work:

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	BillDracoTTube.jpg 
Views:	7 
Size:	455.6 KB 
ID:	55755


    Video here: https://youtu.be/B-3XgaSk1Pc

    This is the rotating stage I threw together to do this:

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Rotator.jpg 
Views:	3 
Size:	535.9 KB 
ID:	55756


    The object I use to torment the glass is an awl I inherited from my grandfather, probably around 100 years old.

    Here is a close up of the completed tube:

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	TTube.jpg 
Views:	5 
Size:	444.6 KB 
ID:	55757

    I will be bringing a lot of small parts for lumia to SELEM for sale: discs, Tubes, motors, speed controllers, etc. I will have parts and complete DIY kits available. I believe I will be setting this up backstage, with a test projector you can use to evaluate the various disks.

    I will also have larger Wobbulator disks, as well as complete units.

    Please stop by and check me out.

    I am bringing six of my large-scale Lumiators, which Bill Witcher recommends splitting up 3 and 3 -3 for the auditorium and 3 for the cafeteria. I will have controllers available for people to play with, and will move the cafeteria units to the auditorium for the Shpongle Jam on Friday.

    See you there!

    ...Mike
    Last edited by clickamouse; 07-27-2019 at 04:46.
    Runs with Lasers

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Cleveland Ohio
    Posts
    2,598

    Default

    Show the result. That’s like torture tube interuptus

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    North of Jackson Michigan USA
    Posts
    361

    Default lumiensis Illuminatus Interruptus

    Due to popular demand, here is more video of the lumia produced by a MondoDyne Photonics Mark I TTube.
    The jumpiness here and there was a result of me moving the pointer to hit different areas of the tube.

    https://youtu.be/n3lMIwn_w1A

    Here is the sophistipated test rig:

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	TTubeTest.jpg 
Views:	12 
Size:	385.4 KB 
ID:	55759

    See y'all at SELEM!

    ...Mike

    p.s. Got Lumia?
    Runs with Lasers

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Posts
    2,147,489,446

    Default

    Countfunkula made some torture tubes at a SELEM demo a few years ago, and I seem to recall MixedGas also making some before that. But yeah, all you need is a torch, the glass, a pair of pliers, and a screwdriver or pick to deform the glass once it's soft. Glass tubing (or a pipette) works well, but sections of a test tube can also be really fun to work with. Once you have everything set up though you may as well make a whole bunch of them, as you can't really predict which ones will be great vs which ones will be just "OK". (Well, unless you're *really* into Lumia and are using a mold, that is.)

    Adam

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Cleveland Ohio
    Posts
    2,598

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by buffo View Post
    Countfunkula made some torture tubes at a SELEM demo a few years ago, and I seem to recall MixedGas also making some before that. But yeah, all you need is a torch, the glass, a pair of pliers, and a screwdriver or pick to deform the glass once it's soft. Glass tubing (or a pipette) works well, but sections of a test tube can also be really fun to work with. Once you have everything set up though you may as well make a whole bunch of them, as you can't really predict which ones will be great vs which ones will be just "OK". (Well, unless you're *really* into Lumia and are using a mold, that is.)

    Adam

    Is a torch a good idea in that space......best outback I think. Like three phase and water are not enough. Don't forget the plastic damn for the backdoor when it rains.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Charleston, SC
    Posts
    2,147,489,446

    Default

    The torture tubes were made on the loading dock out back. I agree that operating a torch indoors is asking for trouble.

    Adam

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Portland
    Posts
    1,565

    Default

    We made a few with small bottles at TexLEM... If I ever get my glass torch and kiln out I will make a pile to give away.
    Support your local Janitor- not solicited .

    Laser (the acronym derived from Light Amplification by Stimulated Emissions of Radiation) is a spectacular manifestation of this process. It is a source which emits a kind of light of unrivaled purity and intensity not found in any of the previously known sources of radiation. - Lasers & Non-Linear Optics, B.B. Laud.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Churchill(hour S from Houston)
    Posts
    1,354

    Default DIY T-Tubes

    I use a pair of map gas (yellow can) torches to heat both sides fast- fire extinguisher is there- an old toaster oven allows me to cool hot tubes slower- cheap needle nose pliers can be bent to make a great tool. gloves and face shield are a smart way to be safer. I drilled two holes in a pc of wood which hold my two torches (they cannot fall over)

    we have great members here to answer your questions--
    good luck and be safe!!--hak
    Last edited by hakzaw1; 07-28-2023 at 14:53.
    BEYOND-FB3/APC40Mamba Black(clone & currently on loan) 2X 5paghetti & 2 I-Show 2X KGB 1000mW 532 DT40K (pair)XFX 1300 RGB full color RGB 30K DIY 3.5WRGB work in progress et al..assorted ttl chi-jectors--LOTS of LUMIA DIY pjs-
    Powered by Pangolin
    Former (2.5 yrs) ILDA Member- :-(
    uncertified ILDA LSO -- dont ask

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    793

    Default Protect Your Eyes!

    Friends,

    When using borosilicate glass to fabricate torture tubes and other things being melted, etc. I always wear a pair of Didymium glasses to not only protect my eyes from anything that could suddenly go wrong, but also from sodium flare, IR and UV light.

    Be safe,
    Greg
    "Information not shared, is information lost forever"

    Join ILDA
    Support Photonlexicon

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •