Sciencemadness Discussion Board

[Lab] Setup [opinions?]

Tkuze - 22-5-2019 at 15:55

Pls add any opinion or advice

20190522_192331.jpg - 2.3MB





[edit]
Edited thread title.

[Edited on 23-5-2019 by j_sum1]

j_sum1 - 22-5-2019 at 16:05

Looks like you need some more space.
(I know. Easier said than done.)
And keeping it tidy is always a bonus.

But neither of those are deal-breakers in any sense. I recall that ave369 used to distil H2SO4 in a retort on her windowsil. And a photo of her desk showed it about half the size with probably twice as much on it. (Love to know how she is doing.)

Other than that, it is a bit hard to see what is going on.


I will change the thread title to make it clearer. You might consider making a more complete post in the tour my lab thread. You might find some interesting reading there too.

Tkuze - 22-5-2019 at 16:09

Thanks for your help!

mayko - 22-5-2019 at 18:14

My advice is: rotate your lab about 90 degrees; working sideways is both difficult and unsafe!!

SWIM - 22-5-2019 at 20:30

Where are the 'fume hoods, the general lab room, the biotage, the HPLC etc' you mentioned in your first thread?



Tkuze - 22-5-2019 at 21:00

I have that equipment in a different room with the shared workspace.

draculic acid69 - 23-5-2019 at 02:26

I agree with mayko.also an extractor fan with some type of hood.

Keras - 23-5-2019 at 04:25

The bicycles are there to generate electricity for your electrolyses? :p

Tkuze - 23-5-2019 at 14:45

Exactly! Haha. I have a hood in my shared professional lab. Thos is just my little hobby lab. Like when im wqtching netflix or playing battlfielf V at night, i can walk ouyside and check on a small project and go back to chilling, vs durimg the day, working in the larger lab and setting up reactions and working them up and classifying and purifying compounds

Ubya - 23-5-2019 at 15:23

Quote: Originally posted by Tkuze  
Exactly! Haha. I have a hood in my shared professional lab. Thos is just my little hobby lab. Like when im wqtching netflix or playing battlfielf V at night, i can walk ouyside and check on a small project and go back to chilling, vs durimg the day, working in the larger lab and setting up reactions and working them up and classifying and purifying compounds


so you have an amateur lab (the picture) and during the day you work in a professional lab? or the "other lab" is some sort of fablab/maker space (not an official work space)

Heptylene - 24-5-2019 at 12:11

Be careful no to make the bikes rust if you handle HCl and such.

Also is that a KNF vacuum pump I see on the table?

DavidJR - 24-5-2019 at 12:26

Quote: Originally posted by Heptylene  
Be careful no to make the bikes rust if you handle HCl and such.

I learned this the hard way :(

Quote: Originally posted by Heptylene  

Also is that a KNF vacuum pump I see on the table?

I had one just like that, but it died recently - motor windings shorted out. Nonstandard motor too so you can't replace it.

[Edited on 24-5-2019 by DavidJR]

Heptylene - 25-5-2019 at 05:21

Quote: Originally posted by DavidJR  

I had one just like that, but it died recently - motor windings shorted out. Nonstandard motor too so you can't replace it.
[Edited on 24-5-2019 by DavidJR]


If the windings are accessible, you could find out which diameter copper wire was used, count the number of turns and make new windings from new wire.

Tkuze - 27-5-2019 at 10:32

Exactly. I have a professional shared lab space with an engineering LLC. Unfortunately the Biotage needs more expensive columns and thw HPLC is a refurbish and needs a new column and the spftware is windowns 98 or something. Most of the equipment was purchased off of LabX. Also this is about 10% of my lab equipment, lot was gifted to me via VWR and the closing of Feyser im Holland, MI. I worked with chemical company representatives in undergrad and grad school and they always have free samples. One of the best gifts was a 5L RBF, which is still in the box. The HPLC was giftee due because in undergrad we obtained a new one in the analytical lab and my girlfriend at the time( studying physical chemistry) programmed the software, and I did the mechanical fixes and set up the standards, fixed the plunger, etc. And this was used for analysis of reaction completion for one of my peer reviewed research articles. The biotage costed about $10,000.
DavidJR- i got the pump for $125 because a local public tech/mechanic workshop got shut down by the feds because the owner was dealing in bitcoin to avoid taxes.
Ubya- im a professional chemist, so of course I have a professional lab. You can acquire expensive equipment if you have the right connections and obtain it from chemical plants that are closing. How is that so hard to believe? This is my full time job.

Ubya - 27-5-2019 at 11:38

Quote: Originally posted by Tkuze  

Ubya- im a professional chemist, so of course I have a professional lab. You can acquire expensive equipment if you have the right connections and obtain it from chemical plants that are closing. How is that so hard to believe? This is my full time job.


not hard to belive, everyone here has his own sources, i was just curious to hear yours :D

DavidJR - 27-5-2019 at 11:41

Quote: Originally posted by Heptylene  
Quote: Originally posted by DavidJR  

I had one just like that, but it died recently - motor windings shorted out. Nonstandard motor too so you can't replace it.
[Edited on 24-5-2019 by DavidJR]


If the windings are accessible, you could find out which diameter copper wire was used, count the number of turns and make new windings from new wire.

I have considered rewinding it, but I haven't done it yet.

Tkuze - 27-5-2019 at 15:00

Ubya- I got to admit ive been damn lucky! Thanks bud

Tkuze - 27-5-2019 at 15:12

I've got to say, the best aource of semi new glassware was from working in the chemistry stockroom im undergrad. Those premed students wpuld chip and damage a ton of new glassware. I wpuld knap it with a bunsen burner mesh and sand it and ask my manager if it was salvageable. I found if there was any sharp points that couldnt be fixed were not able to be reused in lab classes, so my manager would let me have them
If you guys dont know, most universities have surplus stores. You can buy old computera and glassware for pennies on the dollar. Most universities have a website with the current stock