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Information on
"the Bell Jar"

Vacuum Technique and Related Topics
for the Amateur Investigator
ISSN 1071-4219

The Complete Newsletter and Journal
for the Vacuum Experimenter

$20 (US addresses), $23 (Canada, Mexico), $29 (elsewhere)
          ***************************************
          *                                     *
          *  CONTACT:                           *
          *                                     *
          *  the BELLJAR                        *
          *  Steve Hansen (editor & publisher)  *
          *  35 Windsor Drive                   *
          *  Amherst, NH 03031                  *
          *                                     *
          *  Phone: (603) 429-0948              *
          *  email: shansen@tiac.net         *
          *                                     *
          ***************************************

Access to moderately good vacuum apparatus can open up a whole new
dimension to the amateur. However, practical information has not
been easy to come by. 

In the 1950's and 1960's there was some level of discourse on
simple vacuum apparatus. For those who remember, two good examples
were C.L. Stong's Amateur Scientist column in the Scientific
American and the amateur oriented pumps, kits and plans once
offered by the firm of Morris & Lee of Buffalo, NY. Between the
two, an impressive array of apparatus emerged from the efforts of
ambitious basement experimenters. There were a variety of gas
lasers, x-ray tubes, potential drop accelerators, mass
spectrometers, simple & compound electron microscopes and high
altitude chambers, to name a few. All of these were cobbled
together with converted refrigeration compressors, single stage
diffusion pumps, copper & glass tubing, wax and a lot of ingenuity.
The staying power of these endeavour is evidenced by the continued
recycling of plans (often in the form of poor imitations) for a
number of the vacuum related projects in Stong's columns. In the
intervening years there has been an almost complete lapse in the
availability of up-to-date information on vacuum technique and
apparatus specifically targeted toward the amateur, educator, or
professional who likes to tinker. 

"the Bell Jar" was created at the start of 1992 to bring together
those experimenters who have an established interest in vacuum as
well as to promote vacuum technique as an interesting and
challenging hobby. 

Nearly three years later, the readership numbers in the hundreds
and contributors range from true amateurs to professionals with
established credentials in the field. This diversity has made for
a lively publication and has resulted in favourable comments from
the professional community (e.g. "There's Life in this Bell Jar"
in the Newsletter of the American Vacuum Society, May/June 1994).

The following outlines the article content by annual volume: 
INDEX

Regular features include free classifieds, readers' commentary,
items of interest from the professional literature, notes on
suppliers of vacuum components and scientific apparatus.

Subscriptions to "the Bell Jar" are on a calendar year basis with
issues mailed in January, April, July and October. Subscription
orders received after November 1 begin with the first issue of the 
following year unless otherwise specified. Each issue contains an
average of 16 pages of well packed and neatly composed content with
no commercial advertising. Back volumes are always available.
Prices, including first class or air mail postage, are:

******************************************************************
1995    $20 (US addresses), $23 (Canada, Mexico), $29 (elsewhere)
1994    $20 (US addresses), $23 (Canada, Mexico), $29 (elsewhere)
1993    $20 (US addresses), $23 (Canada, Mexico), $29 (elsewhere) 
1992    $15 (US addresses), $18 (Canada, Mexico), $24 (elsewhere) 
******************************************************************

Electronic Version

As an adjunct to the hardcopy publication, a truncated ascii format
version is being produced on an IRREGULAR basis. Comprised of
material extracted from "the Bell Jar", this version appears as a
posting on several Usenet newsgroups. Individuals may also request
to be placed on the distribution list by sending email to the
editor. 

          ***************************************
          *                                     *
          *  CONTACT:                           *
          *                                     *
          *  Steve Hansen (editor & publisher)  *
          *  35 Windsor Drive                   *
          *  Amherst, NH 03031                  *
          *                                     *
          *  Phone: (603) 429-0948              *
          *  email: hansen35@delphi.com         *
          *                                     *
          ***************************************

 





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