Welding glass to steel and high definition photography in the 50's

Greetings ATS. I post this thread in Skunk Works, because I have no proof other than my word of what I am about to share with you. I've been at this site long enough now to know how these threads usually transpire, and some of the ridiculous things that are claimed, and criptic answers that are usually created for attention. However, I would hope that my years here would speak for some authenticity to my story.

For the last 4 years I have worked for a mechanical contracting company. We have quite a few shops and warehouses and one of them is situated beside a little model railroad shop. Most mornings I back up to the overhead door to load my truck with materials for the day, and right about the same time an older gentleman pulls up to the front of his business. We always greet each other with good mornings and occasionally talk about the weather. We are always friendly, but never really have the time to engage in conversation other than common courtesy.
Recently though (maybe 3 or 4 months) conversation has grown as our relationship grew, and he would question about where I was going, what job I was doing..... you know actual conversation. However, I never really asked him any questions until the other day, and I was blown away by some of the things I learned from this man, who for the last couple years appeared as just an ordinary grey haired old man with a dry sense of humor and not much for conversation.

I will try not to leave any details out , and relay the story as accurate as possible. GHM= Gray Haired man

Good Morning

GHM: Good Morning. Where you off to today?

I'm heading over to the ethanol plant to wire some motors up. Should be a pretty decent day...I'm hoping anyway.

GHM: Ya? I got quite a day a head of me .

You know I can see that your into model trains, but what exactly do you guys get into here? ( I mainly asked that question cause I never see any customers coming and going.)

GMH: Well we do alot of business over the internet. I developed a formula for a toxic free lead years ago, and since I owned the patent I decided to use it for my model engines and cars.

Really! What did you do for a living before this?

GHM: I was a defense contractor for the Government.

( Totally surprised to get that answer) No kidding. What did you do? ( Knowing very well he most likely wouldn't tell me)

GHM: ( Gets a half cocked smile) I can't tell you that.

Actually I understand all to well. I was in the millitary and was involved with the special forces for quite a while.

GHM: That doesn't surprise.....I kinda thought you might have been, I saw the tattoos on your forearm.

Well, I know you can't tell me what you did, but out of curiousity I ask... like...were you an electrician or a chemist , or physicist? lol

GHM: Well.....let me tell you a "story" (as he punctuates with his hands) Do you remember when the Soviets put Sputnick up in space?

I wasn't alive then, but yes I know what you are talking about.

GHM: Of course. well You got to remember this is 1954. And I was in California and had to stop by the office of a contractor friend of mine in the morning. And when I walked into his office, on his desk was a picture that was taken that morning, from his office in Pasadena, through the clouds, of Sputnick up in orbit around the Earth. And I don't mean a object that resembles a sattelite. I mean you could see every bolt, rivet, word letter as if you were standing right in front of it.

No kidding!

GHM: Oh. Some of the other contractors have been working on some really interesting stuff (He chuckles a bit). Oh we've been able to see whats up there for quite some time now. There's alot of interesting stuff up there. ( As he raises his head and stairs at the sky).

( Now this guy has got me hooked, but I really don't want to be "that guy" and over step my bounds. After all this is the most this guy has ever said to me in 4 years or so.)
I'm pretty sure I know what your talking about. Did you ever hear any rumors of the "stuff" they were looking at?

GHM: Well I can't tell you that, but know that they know everything that comes and goes from this planet....... You know. One time in California I had to visit a contractors shop that from the outside looked almost like this one. Front door...overhead doors and such, but when I walked in there was a guy welding glass and steel together right there on a weld bench.

Are you serious? wow. I've never heard of such a thing and i have a little experience with running a welder.

GHM: Oh that was quite a sight. Think of all the millitary applications something like that could have.

hmm Lazers maybe.....I could see it being beneficial for seamless aircraft or maybe space craft.

GHM: Well you think on that a while.

I will. Well I suppose I should be heading to the job.

GHM: Ya I got a load to tackle today.

Alright ------- I'll see you tomorrow.

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And that was the end of the conversation.
Of course after hearing a story like that I had to do some research and see if what he was telling me was common knowledge, or common field knowledge that I just hadn't been familiar with. But after some basic key word searches on multiple search engines, I haven't been able to find anything regarding the ability or study in welding glass and steel together, nor any information regarding the technology, to take high definition photographs of objects above our planet during the 50's.
So I bring ths to ATS for some discussion. Does anyone else have any information on either of these, And furthermore, what could be the benefit of welding glass and steel together in your opinion?

I found this much: Micro Flash Welding of Super Duplex Stainless Steel with Zr Metallic Glass Insert but I am not sure how pertinant it is.

reply to post by rogerstigers


Thanks for the contribution. However upon researching metallic glass it would seem it is something entirely different. One could probably start a thread on Metallic glass and it's uses alone.
Apperantly metallic glass is created when they can control or stop the metal to crystalize when cooled from a molten state to form a clear glass like material, only it is metal. Has something to do with the way the atoms form upon cooling that allow this.

Here is a link.

Here is someone welding glass to stainless steel on youtube, he sucks at welding though

Welding steel to glass is a bit crude but it was probably for corrosion resistance or to provide some sort of high voltage electrical insulation.

Now days you would use something like a PVD or CVD to put a glass like layer down on metal. For example the chrome on a Rolex watch is PVD coated to prevent corrosion and gives it a nice sheen and a silky smooth touch to it. Provided the machine was big enough, you could do the same to a metal car body. Prohibitively expensive, but there would be nothing like it anywhere. High end PVD coaters are used in the chip industry to put glass layers over the metal conducting layers. A similar type of tool also makes those man-made diamonds from Gemisys.

Now what I'm curious about is translucent concrete. Not sure what you would use that for, but it would be cool on your house.

That's quite a story.
You MUST get some more "stories" from this fella!

HD photos of Sputnik in orbit? in 1950's? that's quite a claim!

Originally posted by highfreq

GHM: Of course. well You got to remember this is 1954. And I was in California and had to stop by the office of a contractor friend of mine in the morning. And when I walked into his office, on his desk was a picture that was taken that morning, from his office in Pasadena, through the clouds, of Sputnick up in orbit around the Earth. And I don't mean a object that resembles a sattelite. I mean you could see every bolt, rivet, word letter as if you were standing right in front of it.

No kidding!

This is the most amazing bit of the story as Sputnik wasn't launched until 19:28:34, October 4, 1957
I guess they had time travel tech as well

Thanks for the video. After watching it, though he claims to be welding the two materials together, I have a hard time believing thats what he did in the video. At the end of the video his "weld" breaks. It reminded me of what happens with a solder joint or weld that doesnt hold because the molecular structures physically couldn't bond because of impurities or atomic make ups. Alot of times the molecules will hold on to each other just enough for the materials to stick together but the actual bonding of the atoms never happens creating that effect. I could be wrong though...it is just a youtube video and I don't know a whole lot about the subject.


Yes your are correct. According to every source I have looked up that is the official time and date. To be honost with you I never questioned that anomoly. That is the year he stated. Perhapse a slip of the tongue, an old man's memory gone bad? I actually didn't know the actual year till research. Shame on me! Good point though.

If you look around some of the "Free energy" type web sites and also ancient tech type site they seem to think that there is something that has been suppressed called "Browns gas" that can weld metal to glass, I can't find any mention of it on any more mainstream site though

Brown made the extraordinary discovery that if the hydrogen and oxygen in water are separated, and then re-combined in a kind of oxy-acetylene flame, it will punch an instantaneous hole in a piece of hard wood, burn tungsten (requiring 6,000 degrees), vaporise metals, melt a firebrick, and weld glass to copper.

link