A simple sputtering apparatus that consistently deposits opaque films of nickel and the noble metals in 3 to 10 min has been made. The chamber is constructed from a standard Pyrex pipe reducer. By use of a large‐diameter aluminum rod as the cathode support and a hemispherical aluminum shell as a shield for the pump orifice and base plate, the glow discharge has been confined primarily to the volume between the cathode and the work stand. The efficiency of the coating unit has thereby been increased. Films of nickel, iridium, ruthenium, and osmium formed on glass or quartz substrates were very adherent and were not readily scratched with a steel scribe.