Build the vacuum
pump that became
the symbol of
the Scientific
Revolution
The age historians call the Scientific Revolution
was an important, pivotal time. It was the period,
chiefly during the 16th and 17th centuries,
in which people began to understand nature
in modern terms — the astronomy, biology,
chemistry, optics, and physics we recognize today
— through the work of Galileo, Kepler, Newton,
and others.
One of the leading lights of the Scientific
Revolution was Robert Boyle (1627–1691), a
wealthy Irish aristocrat who is remembered
as the first modern chemist. Perhaps his most
important contribution was not any single
discovery but rather his general influence
on science itself. Boyle did a great deal of
experimentation and discovery, and his ideas
about the scientific method paved the way for
generations of scientists who followed.
With his substantial financial resources,
Boyle was behind the biggest of all “big science”
projects during the Scientific Revolution — the
vacuum pump. When you first consider it, it may
not seem clear why this was such a terrifically
expensive item but at the time, Boyle’s air pumps
cost a fortune. Every component was designed
from scratch and each item made by hand.
So important was the air pump that it became
emblematic of the Royal Society, the best-known
scientific organization of the time. Eventually,
the air pump came to represent the entire
Scientific Revolution.
Before the vacuum pump, people weren’t sure
that a vacuum could really exist. Aristotle, the
influential Greek philosopher, postulated that
“nature abhors a vacuum,” meaning that a space
without anything in it could not exist. And without
a device like Boyle’s air pump to actually pull a
TIME REQUIRED:
DIFFICULTY:
COST:
MATERIALS
» Wooden base See Step 1 below.
» Wood 2×4, 10" long for the Guide piece
» Firm plastic tubing, ⁄" outer diameter (OD):
24" length and 12" length
» Three-way valve (diverting valve) with push-
to-connect fittings, ⁄" OD connections
» Push-to-connect tube fittings (2) for air and
water, 3/8" tube OD × ½" NPT
» Acrylic bell jar with top opening such as Eisco
Labs, 12" high × 7" diameter
» Rubber stopper to fit top opening in bell jar
» Vacuum gauge
» Threaded steel rod, ⁄"-16, 24" long for the
Crank
» Knob for 3/8"-16 threaded rod
» Cylinder, 2" diameter, 2" long made of Delrin
plastic (better) or hardwood (cheaper). I bought
my Delrin from McMaster-Carr.
» Hard plastic sheet, 10"×8"×¼" thick for the
Bell Jar Plate
» Wood screws, round head, #8×¾" long (4)
» PVC pipe, 2" diameter, 16" long
» PVC end cap, 2"
» PVC square mounting flange for a 2" Schedule
40 PVC pipe. This is a specialty piece, so you’ll
likely need to search for it online.
» PVC cement
» O-rings, 2" OD, 1⁄" ID (2)
» Tub of grease
TOOLS
» Saws for plastic
» Drill and assorted twist bits
» Screwdriver
» Lathe or router, or Dremel with cylindrical
grinding bit
» Thread taps, ⁄"-16NC and ½" NPT pipe
thread
» Adjustable wrench
A Weekend
Easy
$100–$200
79
make.co
A
WILLIAM GURSTELLE’s book
series Remaking History, based
on his Make: column of the
same name, is available in the
Maker Shed, makershed.com.
Wikimedia commons
M78_078-83_RemHist_F1.indd 79M78_078-83_RemHist_F1.indd 79 7/12/21 1:23 PM7/12/21 1:23 PM
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