Have you ever wanted an FEG-SEM but were worried about coming up with thousands of dollars to replace the electron emitter every year? Here is my method for making atomically sharp tungsten electron emitters at your hackerspace using simple tools.
Without an electron source, scanning electron microscopes are just a pile of expensive junk. Cold cathode FEG SEMs require a tungsten emitter tip about half a nanometer wide, which can cost several thousand dollars to replace. Believe it or not, it is possible to manufacture them yourself using a few homemade tools and common supplies.
I will present my method for making emitter tips, and a gallery of images made with homemade emitters.