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The Art of Making a Nixie Tube

Dalibor Farný · documentary · Watch on YouTube

Manufacturing & industrial processesElectronics & circuit designWoodworking, metalworking & workshop skills

What it is

Dalibor Farny documents the hand manufacture of a nixie tube, from glassblowing to evacuation, with text notes rather than narration. He revived the lost craft of nixie tube making.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN commenters call it mesmerizing and a great look at how things are actually made by a dedicated craftsman.

  • 6 people recommended it
  • 6 different months
  • 3 strong recommendations
  • first 2017, last 2026

What HN commenters said

  1. “The video in the article is just amazing. You don't normally get to see the exact details of how things get made.”

    Detailed look at how nixie tubes are made by hand

    dustinmoorenet, 2018-06 · Strong recommendation · in “The Nixie Tube Story: The Neon Display Tech That Engineers Can’t Quit”

  2. “I watched a mesmerizing and beautiful youtube video about making nixie tubes. I love craftsman videos.”

    Mesmerizing craftsman video on making nixie tubes

    brokenmachine, 2021-07 · Strong recommendation · in “List of Special Elevator Modes”

  3. “Recommended viewing for anyone who loves home-ish-scale, high-quality manufacturing”

    Channel on small-scale high-quality manufacturing by a nixie tube expert

    dymk, 2023-03 · Strong recommendation · in “One Man’s Quest to Revive the Great American Vacuum Tube”

  4. “if you liked watching this, then maybe you'd also like these videos”

    Related handmade electronics-tube making videos

    zxcvgm, 2018-04 · Recommendation · in “Hand Made Vacuum Tubes by Claude Paillard (2012) [video]”

  5. “Also a good introduction to how they are made”

    Good introduction to how nixie tubes are made

    janekm, 2020-04 · Recommendation · in “Casio CQ-1 calculator and clock”

  6. “this is a beautiful (with no music or narration; text notes only) high quality video of modern artisanal”

    Beautiful high quality video of artisanal nixie tube manufacturing, text notes only

    jkingsman, 2021-11 · Recommendation · in “IoT Nixie Tubes”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: nixie tube, glassblowing, vacuum tubes, craftsmanship, dalibor farny

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