The “Kesselring” Free
Anti-Cathode Tube
This tube, of the second
decade of the 20th Century, is 25”(63cms) long with a 6” (15cms)
bulb, was made by the Kesselring X-Ray Tube Company, Chicago, Il., and was
intended for use in conjunction with a high frequency high voltage generator
(up to 100kV), such as a Tesla coil. Compared to other gas
discharge x-ray tubes, it presents two peculiar characteristics, namely the
absence of any external electrical connection to the anti-cathode, and the
presence of a conical copper funnel-shaped attachment on the rear side of the
anti-cathode. The tungsten target is simply placed in the path of the
electron stream flowing from the cathode towards the anode, and the conical
attachment on the rear of the anti-cathode is there to presumably help
shaping and increasing the efficiency of the electron beam hitting the target.
Note the concave shape
of the anode, similar to, but smaller in size than the cathode, and placed in
the small bulbar widening of the corresponding glass arm. Regeneration is by the
small cylindrical secondary chamber on the upper side of the bulb, containing
a whitish fiber-like material, probably asbestos. |
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