A new apparatus is described which is used for bonding of metals in ultrahigh vacuum by the twist compression technique. It is shown that adhesion between hard metal specimens can be readily measured in ultrahigh vacuum after some initial mechanical abrasion of the surfaces, while adhesion tests in air at atmospheric pressure do not yield measurable adhesion coefficients. Experimental results are reported on the coefficients of adhesion and friction obtained for an atomically ordered platinum‐cobalt alloy.