Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Homemade and Repurposed Lab Gear

I have re-purposed bulb growing glasses and coffee beakers because they looked looked clear with no green tint. I placed one of the bulb growing glasses containing a coolish solution on a temperature controlled hot plate (~80C) and it cracked across the base. That suggests its not boro.

A few days ago I purchased some glass coffee mugs from a charity shop. The first one I examined appeared clear but the second identical one had a very distinct green tint.

Expensive bottles of clear spirits tend to not to have significant green tints and decorative glass items tend to be clear almost no green tint.
You can probably be confident (>90%) that if there is a green tint its not boro. But if its clear its very weak evidence that it is boro.

Morgan - 28-9-2019 at 15:37

My repurposed synthetic ruby rod/hummingbird perch passed the test today. The rod is supported by 2 clear fused quartz tubes with blue silicone tubing and the male ruby-throated hummingbird is sipping from a borosilicate drinking straw. Only when he ruffles his feathers or the sun hits him just right can you see his iridescent ruby throat.
The perch was fashioned after seeing a simple design such as this. I happened to have an odd single red wooden ball in the garage which was fortuitous and the ruby rod bought on eBay years ago.
https://www.bestnest.com/bestnest/RTProduct.asp?SKU=SOE-SEHH...
https://www.sibleyguides.com/2011/09/the-basics-of-iridescen...

[Edited on 28-9-2019 by Morgan]

earpain - 1-10-2019 at 10:43

Hmm, you may be indeed be correct, and I'll have to revise my system.
An example that neither contradicts nor supports your claim(or mine):
Candy thermometers. $3-$5 at the food store. There's no kitchen thermometer sold that has such a wide range of temps. I have bought them before, removed the metallic element fused to the glass on the bottom, along with the capillary tube that shows the temperature, and then worked the remaining wide, but very very thin walled tube.

If it is borosilicate, once I'm both flame working and turning it into various devices, or auxillary glassblowing devices(temporary handle, extension tube, etc.) - it is the WORST I've ever worked with. I have flameworked soft/flint glass more reliably than these thermometers.

I suppose there is an application in mind when a glassware is designed. All glass that is not quartz has something added to it mostly just to lower its working temperature, not everyone has Oxy-Acetylene or mega-kilns handy.

Perhaps the non-green tinted glass that cracked on you, cracked for reasons unrelated to what metals or salts were added to the glass 'stew'? Like with candy thermometers. Surely they must technically be borosilicate. Not sure why they are so finicky.
3 general types of clear glass(in terms of material):
soda-lime
borosilicate
quartz(aka SiO2, no additives)

And then there's a plethora of structural factors, and considerations for the items application. In general I would discourage chemists to repurpose or DIY glassware unless they also have some proper training in glasswork. Scientific glass is definitely the most versatile and robust.

wg48temp9 - 1-10-2019 at 14:50

Here is a pic of the two coffee glasses side by side. The green tint of the right hand one is distinct. Of cause although they looked identical and come with identical metal housings (removed for the pic) I am not certain they are. I also swapped the position of the glasses incase the green tint was from a nearby object.

This is weak evidence as I am assuming they are identical as they were purchased together. Apparently the the green color comes from iron impurities in the material used to make the glass. So these must have been made from different batches of material.

This particular green tint seems more emerald green than the dull green tint I usually see in bottle glass.

Here is a pic of two tall vases and a boro 2l measuring cylinder from Fisher Scientific (right lower). All three are about 0.8m tall. The left hand vase is dark with a hint of green, the top vase has a slight dull green tint and the boro cylinder is lighter with almost no color. I assume the vases are soda glass. All three appear clear when viewed from the side.

Sorry the pic is poor quality it was taken under fluorescent lighting in the bathroom having just rinsed off the dust.

PS I got lucky when I won the measuring cylinder on ebay no one else bid on it so it was very cheap. Its very impressive given it is almost a meter long. I am still trying to buy a stopper for it that does not cost more than I paid for it.

[Edited on 10/1/2019 by wg48temp9]

Yttrium2 - 10-10-2019 at 14:00

Anyone know of where to find borosilicate bulbs/tubes?

Besides HID lighting -- for a diy flask

earpain - 19-10-2019 at 11:09

Quote: Originally posted by Yttrium2

Anyone know of where to find borosilicate bulbs/tubes?

Besides HID lighting -- for a diy flask

Do NOT buy from Chemistry Equipment vendors.
Do not buy from coffee shops with their new boro glass straw trend($5 for 8in tube)
Just buy from these guys:
https://www.mountainglass.com/boro-glass-33-coe/clear
or any supplier specializing in customers who are -glass blowers-
Seriously the link above, I challenge anyone to find a cheaper deal. Disregard everything besides the Boro tubing and the ground glass joints(no 24/40 though -/)

Eisenpanzer432 - 19-12-2019 at 11:03

DavidJR hey I forgot I posted this haha. I painted it and then reduced the size to fit in my hood I’m building. It will be able to fit into slots and clamp or pin in place, so I can remove it if I need to clean or make more room in the hood. It’ll be a while, hopefully not another year lol; I’m still deciding what to make the sash from before I build. I may use plexiglass with bending hinges at two points to give three sections that I can fold up or down to change the height of the sash; I’m limited on vertical space. I’ll have straps on the sides of the plexi to pull tight against caulk or foam to seal the sides of the plexi agains the sides of the hood when it’s folded down. I hope that makes sense; perhaps a picture will be needed when it’s complete.

SWIM - 19-12-2019 at 18:38

PS I got lucky when I won the measuring cylinder on ebay no one else bid on it so it was very cheap. Its very impressive given it is almost a meter long. I am still trying to buy a stopper for it that does not cost more than I paid for it.

[Edited on 10/1/2019 by wg48temp9]

Sometimes big adaptors are cheaper than big stoppers.
I've got a few items where I use like a 24/40 to 55/50 adaptor with a 24/40 stopper in the top instead of a 55/50 stopper.

Less then Ideal, but better than nothing.

What size are you after?

EDIT: On another front, I believe that testing the index of refraction might be a good easy way to find boro glass.
A solution with the same index of refraction as boro would make it easy.
Just put glass in solution and see if it disappears.

[Edited on 20-12-2019 by SWIM]

Morgan - 19-12-2019 at 18:47

Maybe of interest to test green tinted and clear samples using this method to see what comes about.
Index of Refraction - disappearing glassware demonstration // Homemade Science with Bruce Yeany
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tj2KMZhfoc

"You can make Pyrex glass disappear by immersing it in glycerin or mineral oil. However, mineral oil comes in different weights, and each variety has a different index of refraction. To match the index of refraction of Pyrex glass, you’ll need a mixture of mineral oils of different weights. To create the proper mixture, place a Pyrex glass object into a large glass beaker and pour in enough heavy mineral oil to submerge it partially. Slowly add light mineral oil and stir. Watch the glass object as you pour. Most Pyrex glass will disappear when the mixture is two parts heavy mineral oil to one part light mineral oil. Notice the swirling refraction patterns as you mix the oils."
https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/disappearing-glass-rods

wg48temp9 - 19-12-2019 at 19:54

Quote: Originally posted by SWIM

https://cen.acs.org/people/Scientistsfavorite-DIY-lab-equipm...

Its a 45/50. There are adapters on ebay that are 45/50 but they cost about £50. I have now won some blocks of PTFE so when I get round to fixing my old lathe I will turn a stopper and adaptor for for it. Not that I have a particular use for it at this time.

Yes a matched index may work for a small object but how do you test a 2l measuring cylinder and will it have the discrimination? Pyrex is 1.47 window glass is 1.52.

Perhaps a type of refractometer can be used on flat-ish area of one side
of the glass object but the cheap reflectometers are for use with liquids.

Morgan - 20-12-2019 at 08:00

That does seem difficult to submerge that large object. Maybe just an edge of the flange at the base would be enough to reveal a disappearance. And still as you say the numbers are close to window glass. I was reading quartz is close to borosilicate too,
coming in at 1.458 to boro's 1.474 refractive index.
https://glassshop.yale.edu/helpful-glass-facts

I bought an oil candle lamp and was wondering what it was made of, the copy referred to it as a crystal oil lamp. Not caring enough yet to test it with oil and having to wash it out I unconventionally heat stressed it enough to burn a spot on a violet colored silicone pad underneath it, right in the bottom center where the direct flame pushes the alcohol off to the sides. In that test it ran well over a minute. While not conclusive it was a positive outcome and you could feel the heat radiating from it after it had nearly run dry.
Having bought small new borosilicate bottles and vials, and the oil lamp for example there is a certain look to the glass, as if it has a kind of glossiness or ultra smoothness to it, maybe like a glazed appearance. Of course this might just be my subjective imagination or that other glasses could emulate the effect.

The candle oil lamp, just shaking water out of it takes some time to empty it, the hole a little over 8 mm. This was just a first test.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLgjG5b79yQ

As a safety aside, on the Princess oil lamp on an eBay offering, there was some literature or warnings that came with it.

"Use only lamp oil. Do not use gasoline, alcohol, or solvents as fuel in this or any other oil lamp. Failure to follow these instructions may cause fire or explosion which could result in property damage or serious personal injury from cuts or burns."
The lamp is a thin glass, very much like the cylindrical borosilicate food storage jars with bamboo lids sold on eBay. But maybe it's lead crystal.

[Edited on 20-12-2019 by Morgan]

Morgan - 20-12-2019 at 22:17

Tidbits on thermal expansion properties of glass - scroll down for each type of glass.

Also maybe of interest
"Thermal conductivity of glasses typically varies between 0.5 – 1.5 W/(m K), the highest being for fused silica and lowest for lead glass. The thermal conductivity measurement is complicated because heat is also transferred internally by radiation. The thermal conductivity is non-linear, increasing with temperature. And, as for any processed material, the exact compound and the processing parameters affect the thermal properties significantly, causing the literature values to vary widely."

Glass: A Group Of Familiar Materials With Varying Properties
https://www.electronics-cooling.com/2003/02/glass-a-group-of...

mayko - 11-3-2020 at 07:25

Quote:

Many scientists will go out of their way to save a few bucks, especially when it comes to improvising with makeshift lab equipment. So when Jacquelyn Gill, an associate professor of paleoecology and plant ecology at the University of Maine, asked on Twitter what everyday household items scientists use for research, she got hundreds of responses.
“When I was a student we used to use a salad strainer to centrifuge crystallization capillaries,” tweeted Tamir Gonen, a professor of biological chemistry and physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Tom Rivas, a graduate student in biochemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder, could identify with that, tweeting that he uses a salad spinner to pulse down his quantitative polymerase chain reaction plates before running them.
“Nail salon lamps for photochemical reactions and cat litter buckets for base baths,” offered Lisa McElwee-White, a chemistry professor at the University of Florida. “And an aquarium pump in a styrofoam beer cooler full of ice water makes a great circulating chiller.” She points out that a chiller can cost a few thousand dollars, whereas a Styrofoam beer cooler can be purchased for as low as $1 from a convenience store.

j_sum1 - 11-3-2020 at 14:30

Simple burette stand...

Sorry no photo. It as not possible for me to et an angle that showed the whle thing clearly.

My lab has a rather low ceiling and my bench is high. I cut a length of wooden dowel, drilled a hole through it and attached by a nail to one of the joists above the bench. It hinges so that it can hang down or be hooked up out of the way when not in use. A simple bulldog clip is screwed onto the dowel to hold a burette. (Actually two bulldog clips for two different diameters.)

Voila, a burette stand. Except there is absolutely no chance of knocking it over. It has zero footprint n the bench top: if there is a spill or dribble then I can wipe it up without moving anything. (Ever try to fill a burette or sep funnel without closing the stopper?) Works beautifully.

mayko - 25-4-2020 at 12:26

Quote:

OK gather round kids I’m going to tell you a true chemistry lab story about how a sex toy became a key part of a nuclear disarmament program. ... you work in glove boxes behind walls of lead bricks and everything has to be cleaned out easily, like stripped out, as you don’t want to die. And part of the process they are doing is to shake the vial. Now, behind lead bricks with thick rubber gloves on shaken ain’t easy. So how do they get around this obstacle?

And one genius goes: “I KNOW! AN ANAL VIBRATOR!” It’s small, it’s wipe clean, it is cheap to replace and it vibrates. Just the ticket. ... AND THUS a young grad student ventured into town. Into the red light district. Into the sex shop. And slid that backdoor wiggler over the counter, smiled, and said: “I’m very sorry, but my anal vibrator had broken after 45 minutes of continuous use, please may I get a replacement?”

https://twitter.com/ChemistryKit/status/1253812286801747969

arkoma - 25-4-2020 at 13:22

Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1

Voila, a burette stand. Except there is absolutely no chance of knocking it over. It has zero footprint n the bench top: if there is a spill or dribble then I can wipe it up without moving anything. (Ever try to fill a burette or sep funnel without closing the stopper?) Works beautifully.

Beautiful. The swing up idea. And yes, not had the stopcock closed and/or not tightened up more than I care to admit.

Refinery - 14-5-2020 at 12:15

Storage matters.

The chemical bottles can be more expensive than what's in them, 2-liter bottle can cost 20$ apiece, so many amateurs use all kinds of containers from mason jars upto.

The problem is, their enclosure devices are usually not suitable for anything more hazardous than jello. When I was younger and more keen and less careful, I actually managed to get one jar cap simply corrode away and find that the fumes corroded everything around them in the closet.

Rubber, silicon, PVC and other soft seal materials can withstand surprisingly few chemicals and they are useable mostly for the solid, stable stuff that do not decompose, but for everything else, more robust solution is needed.

This issue was easily solved by cutting pieces from plastic membrane. Luckily, Polyethene is one of the most resistant plastics and at the same time one of the most common ones, and it can withstand pretty much all common chemicals. As it happens, most plastic bags and other films are made out of it, so just simply closing the container and cutting off excess can be enough to proof the jello can for your toxins.

For the most harsh stuff, ordering PTFE film can solve the issue. Being not as flexible, one can cut proper size seal cap to fit inside the cap, and leave it there. It seals against glass, so there will be no other surfaces for the chemical to eat.

Refinery - 21-5-2020 at 10:13

To be honest, I've been using 10 liter plastic PE buckets as beakers for a few projects. They stand up many chemicals at NTP and they do not interfere with magstirring and they can be easily tapped or drained.

Other project, making some acetates, I was discouraged by the odor, so I placed plastic wrap foil on top of a kettle, and cut and fixed two plastic bottles to the kitchen fume hood over the stove so it created suction that carried all the steam and odors out. It worked out perfectly and zero odors.

Mateo_swe - 4-6-2020 at 12:36

Im interested in building a DIY ultrasonic generator for chemical experiments.
Anybody tried to build something like that here?

I found this technical paper PDF that seem to be a good design except i probably use PWM for the power level adjustment and not a controllable DC power supply as they use in the paper.
The design continuously adjust the frequency to apply ultrasound at optimal resonant frequency.
It would be interesting if anybody has done something similar.
I include the technical paper on the ultrasonic generator if anybody is interested.

Attachment: Design of a intellectualized ultrasonic generator.pdf (1.4MB)
This file has been downloaded 504 times

Devil's in the Details - Simplicity is Essence

earpain - 8-6-2020 at 13:34

So I broke all of my 24/40 flasks , all but exactly two. I did feel a foreshadowing of some greater wisdom as I saved as many female ground glass joints as I could.

After buying a whole mountain of Pyrex brand Erlenmeyer's for $10 from some woman in my city, what I have been trying to achieve with glass blowing, silicone casting, copper-to-glass, etc. etc. I finally achieved.

This is an airtight distillation (azeotropic, caustic, ethanol), with an old Pyrex brand 500ml Erlenmeyer, with just a standard erlenmeyer neck.

So here's what I did:
Upon breaking a vessel, I use to try to salvage as much ADDITIONAL glass beyond the female ground glass joint. In this case, I used my faithfull diamond wheel to cut right along the seem where the female joint's cone is at its shortest, right before the actual flask begins.

Even before the teflon tape, I dropped it into the neck of several of my erlenmeyers, and it almost made a perfect seal as is. It's moments like these that remind me that I don't just love teflon tape, I am IN LOVE with teflon tape.

One more pic, showing a failure, the same success, and a future work in progress

Syn the Sizer - 8-6-2020 at 14:46

Great idea, I recently broke my 105^o adapter with vacuum takeoff, I have been holding onto it in case I figured something out with it. I now plan on cutting the female adapter off. I have also considered keeping the male adapters to see if I can use the somewhere.

earpain - 9-6-2020 at 19:52

Quote: Originally posted by Syn the Sizer

Great idea, I recently broke my 105^o adapter with vacuum takeoff, I have been holding onto it in case I figured something out with it. I now plan on cutting the female adapter off. I have also considered keeping the male adapters to see if I can use the somewhere.

Hey thanks! =D
In all fairness, anyone has or could have had such an idea. But many don't realize how easy it is to free hand cut/grind through glass. I did it wrong for a few years in truth.

Yes , of course save the male ends, they are half the team.

Or, very long tubing with pre formed and ground tapered joints cost $1 - $3 each from a glass blower's supply company.

Mateo_swe - 11-7-2020 at 03:54

So i have this old heating crucible thing that i found somewhere long ago.
I now replaced the cord as it was falling to pieces.
I wonder what this thing was used for and how hot it can get.
Maybe i can use it, it looks usable maybe for melting some metals with low melting points.
Or turn it into a melting point measurement apparatus.
It seems to be designed to fit on a rod like a lab stand.
Anyone has any ideas what this is used for?
Here are some pics

violet sin - 11-7-2020 at 08:08

Quite likely a sulfur burner for indoor garden pest treatment, looks like to me.

Kinda like this, but just a guess.
http://www.rsghydro.ca/product/sulfur-burner/

Mateo_swe - 12-7-2020 at 11:43

Hmm, i dont think that a sulfur burner for indoor garden pest treatment would look like this.
It looks like it belongs in a lab, with the lab stand fastener.
But it´s not impossible you are right.
I would guess its purpose is to melt something, but it doesnt look like it would fit in a greenhouse environment.
Maybe used for some analytical testing for melting the sample, very long ago off cause.

violet sin - 12-7-2020 at 15:01

No on/off button, no dial adjust, no name or words other than the AC on the bottom? Do you know how much current it draws or patent number, makers marks, anything? I've searched for quite a few terms and Google gives very few returns. Switched to Alta Vista and got more pics, but still too few.

I'd be surprised if it was anything else. Mainly because it doesn't look particularly high temp suited. medium heat in that size seems a little narrow use. Small volume. I looked for assay furnace, but them are big and thick. I've a sola basic laboratory furnace and it's like a home stereo receiver size box with cables to the furnace portion about the size of a bread maker at least.

https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/files.php?pid=383328&...

Not trying to be argumentative. Just bored so flipped through the net for a few min.

*********************************************
@OldNubbins:
No reason to add another post below yours. But this portion is in response to vvv.

That looks appropriate, thanks for the link. I searched sulfur burner, ring stand, lab stand, tripod / furnace, crucible heater, heater and gave up. Google was giving nothing, that seemed like it didn't represent something they were paid to advertise. As if 40 hits represents the entirety of images of sulfur burners, from the last 30 years ... Any how thanks

[Edited on 13-7-2020 by violet sin]

OldNubbins - 12-7-2020 at 15:36

Probably an electric bunsen burner

https://www.coleparmer.com/p/electrothermal-electric-bunsen-...

arkoma - 12-7-2020 at 17:08

Never even knew they existed.

CharlieA - 13-7-2020 at 17:08

Better living through electricity...

Mateo_swe - 14-7-2020 at 00:31

- Probably an electric bunsen burner

Well, the "Rim", or what it could be called (the metal circle) on top of the crucible might suggest something should be placed there.
But i find no gas parts on the item, i would have though it should have a pipe going into the crucible if gas was to be burned.
I guess the real purpose of this thing will be unknown.
It could very well be one of the suggested uses.
I will examine how hot this thing can be and find some use for it.
Its fun with these old unknown devices whatever they are meant to be used for.

RedDwarf - 14-7-2020 at 01:39

Calling it an electric bunsen burner is a bit of a misnomer, it an electical alternative to a bunsen burner for non contact heating. The heating mantle produces a cone of radiative heat above the mantle so you can hold your testtube etc in the "flame" above the device without touching the mantle. No gas is used.

And thankyou to Oldnubbins - I'd never come across one of these before and got all this infor from his link.

Mateo_swe - 14-7-2020 at 11:04

So a bunsen burner alternative, yes maybe it could be.
And the ring on top is a support for a flask or similar that holds that being heated.
Maybe even the crucible could be filled with sand like a small sand bath heater.

Fyndium - 15-7-2020 at 14:11

Lamp stands can act as a decent lab stands for 5$. More stability with dumbbell plates.

CharlieA - 15-7-2020 at 17:30

Nifty!!!

Mateo_swe - 16-7-2020 at 14:05

And you have good light when doing the experiment.
Well, maybe not so fun if a flask with ethanol and stand falls over and bulb shatters igniting the ethanol everywhere.
But it seems like an ok lab stand if the base is heavy enough.

earpain - 24-7-2020 at 07:36

So i have this old heating crucible thing that i found somewhere long ago.
I now replaced the cord as it was falling to pieces.
I wonder what this thing was used for and how hot it can get.
Maybe i can use it, it looks usable maybe for melting some metals with low melting points.
Or turn it into a melting point measurement apparatus.
It seems to be designed to fit on a rod like a lab stand.
Anyone has any ideas what this is used for?
Here are some pics

Do you by chance have a multimeter or an ohm meter? If so, could you measure the resistance across hot + neutral(across the two prongs, I know every country has a different word for them)?

If it's around 30 - 40 Ohms, that would be good evidence to support the 'bunsen burner alternative' theory.

Also, if it has absolutely no markings, it kind of HAS to be the handmade work of an artisan, hm?

If Antique shops still exist, every city usually has one with a shop owner who is obsessed with stuff like this

Oh right you replaced the chord. Do you still have the old one? I have lots of old lab gear and the power chords usually are wrapped in this fiberglass mush. Like a prehistoric version of todays glass sheaths you see insulating wiring for lamps, soldering irons, and of course lab gear. Also the gauge of the wire would likely be thick, the length of the chord might be short, and at some point the original chord will not be made out of copper, and will probably react to a magnet, but only a little(Nickel alloys)

[Edited on 24-7-2020 by earpain]

earpain - 24-7-2020 at 08:08

Let's talk lab stands, yeah!
I suppose there are about 5 degrees of repurposing happening here. Just about none of the items are being used for their specific purpose. Y'all wanna guess or should I name them?

The second picture of the flask, was one of those, apple falling on the head 'AHA! - I've been torturing myself endlessly, now the problem is solved perfectly. I was too stupid to think of something so simple.

So I have a bunch of stir bars but all of them are the bar shape, made for flat surfaces. Not ONE, has ever, stirred, at least for more then 2 seconds, in ANY of my round flasks. I have owned one tiny pear shaped one for 25ml - 50ml flasks, that's why I even knew it was possible.
I kept telling myself: "Order some special stir bars, don't forget!"
and I kept forgetting.

So I held the example pear shaped tiny one in one hand, and tightly wrapped PTFE tape, over and over, around a big stir bar, until the shape matched. Dropped it in. Observed my first whirlpool in an RBF. Beautiful. Vacuum distillation - like night and say.

arkoma - 24-7-2020 at 09:14

Music stand..........

earpain - 24-7-2020 at 15:26

Quote: Originally posted by arkoma

Music stand..........

Lol, I guess i'll save 'guessing games' for when the bars open up again.

It is a guitar stand, just the lower support arm has been removed. A microphone holder is screwed on to the top. I think maybe it was for a microphone at some point. Now I use it as a very simple but at times helpful 'roller' as in the glass blowing tool. When working a large heavy piece, the glassblower rotates one end, while the other end would be resting on two rolling pins that smoothly turn.

The fancy lab clamp of yesteryear holds the propane torch which is a Turbotorch brand. Bernzomatic copies all of their designs and makes wanna-be imitations. As is, I use it to blow or work glass.

Or, i tightly wrap aluminum foil around the breather holes aka venturri holes aka carburetor vent holes, and it becomes a bunsen burner(like when I tried to distill H2SO4)

Rarely, some torches will have a spring loaded push valve for this purpose. Closed it's like a bic lighter flame. Open and it's the most Oxy to Combustible gas that an ambient oxygen torch can possibly pull, thanks to the high pressure of the venturi effect, in this case on gases.

And that's just a column for chromatography being used like a sep funnel, woopty do =|

Fyndium - 25-7-2020 at 12:45

I tried out dimroth condenser in place of liebig and it has immensely more condensing capacity. It works probably half air cooled and half water cooled and has multiple times the surface area of liebig. The condensate flows steadily and drips in a controlled manner at the tip of the coil. Someone mentioned about condensate pooling on the end, but it is probably a mL or less and can be recovered by tilting at the end. It works flawlessly with vacuum as well.

I'm gonna use dimroth for distilling now on, no questions asked.

My fume hood racks

OldNubbins - 26-7-2020 at 00:52

Two nuts brazed at right angles with threaded rods mounted to back of hood with right angle standoffs.

CharlieA - 26-7-2020 at 16:14

OldNubbins: very clever idea; a nice-looking setup. (When I saw this, I wondered why I didn't think of it; lots of things are obvious after you see them!)

Fyndium - 31-7-2020 at 01:06

Using fuel primer hand pump to vacuum filtering.

Mateo_swe - 19-8-2020 at 21:50

I have decided to make a more complete heating mantle from the heating mantle sleeves i have bought.
They can be used as they are but i would like to build an enclosure so they look a bit more like a real heating mantle.
My plan is to use a stainless steel kitchen bowl, put a thick ceramic insulator blanket (25mm thick) in the bowl and then put my heating mantle sleeve inside this.
Vermiculite can be used as extra insulation if needed, i have a lot of it.
I have found a round sheet metal lamp enclosure that looks very much like a heating mantle outer cover and i will try use this one as the outer cover for the heating mantle.
Something like the picture i have drawn.

Then i could place the DIY heating mantle on top of my hotplate stirrer for the stirring function.
At least until i have figured out how to build the stirring function and the electrical driver.
A modified computer fan could be the start of a stirring function together with som high-temp magnet.
The driver could be a diy triac circuit or a cheap dimmer module from ebay.
It would be nice with a temperature regulating function, maybe a PID regulator with a SSR.
I think i will make a external driver/temp regulator unit so i can use it with different sizes of diy heating mantles.
First i must put together the heating mantle assembly then i can start figure out stirring, driver and temp functions.
Have any of you made something similar?

earpain - 22-8-2020 at 23:57

I have decided to make a more complete heating mantle from the heating mantle sleeves i have bought.
They can be used as they are but i would like to build an enclosure so they look a bit more like a real heating mantle.
My plan is to use a stainless steel kitchen bowl, put a thick ceramic insulator blanket (25mm thick) in the bowl and then put my heating mantle sleeve inside this.
Vermiculite can be used as extra insulation if needed, i have a lot of it.
I have found a round sheet metal lamp enclosure that looks very much like a heating mantle outer cover and i will try use this one as the outer cover for the heating mantle.
Something like the picture i have drawn.

Then i could place the DIY heating mantle on top of my hotplate stirrer for the stirring function.
At least until i have figured out how to build the stirring function and the electrical driver.
A modified computer fan could be the start of a stirring function together with som high-temp magnet.
The driver could be a diy triac circuit or a cheap dimmer module from ebay.
It would be nice with a temperature regulating function, maybe a PID regulator with a SSR.
I think i will make a external driver/temp regulator unit so i can use it with different sizes of diy heating mantles.
First i must put together the heating mantle assembly then i can start figure out stirring, driver and temp functions.
Have any of you made something similar?

Nice blueprints!
Remember, the only way to UTFSE for sciencemadness is to use google with special parameter at the end 'site:sciencemadness.org'
without the '

DIY mantles, hotplates and stirrers might be the MOST discussed topic in scimad library that stretches beyond eternity.
Also, lol I have!
I think you're on a good start. The issue of adding stirring whenever you'd like, I actually have a circa 1950's, lab stand clampable, swivel attached,(Edit: The picture in my very next post uses the swivel lab clamp device to hold the digital temperature readout and manage safe wiring suspension in respect to the temp and/or 3-way distillation piece) magnetic stirrer. It (was) driven by an A/C motor with well hidden speed control circuitry, which in turn could be controlled via an in line potentiometer, which was made of incredibly heat-reinforced material. Thomas brand. Anyway, ALL of it's components are currently vital pieces of other monstrosities I have built. I just wanted to re-encourage you that going back as far as the 1950's, even industrially made chem equipment was considerate of having a seperate stirring device to clamp in vicinity to a heating device
I can attest to this as my current set up allows for certain flasks/stirbars to stir very well clamped 6 ot more inches above the surface of the hotplate.stirrer.

So the PID thing: There are some certain users on here that I expect(hope) will chime in here. I agree with the final meta-conclusion made by the explorer Sulaiman:
At the end of the day, precise temperature control inside the vessel is rarely needed. Since:
During any distillation/reflux/evaporation etc. it's the BP of the solvent that determines the temperature, not your PID controller.

Sometimes, like for -serious- fractional distillation, packed column, etc. maintaining a specific temp is really nice.
Then of course there are certain reactions that proceed bellow the boiling point of the solvent. (Most of them, I wouldnt take my eyes off of regardless)
I did read up on the ingenious , outside-the-box theory and history of the PID approach. I love that I stands for Integral and D stands for Derivative, and my favorite part is the analogy of the helmsman.

All that being said, seems like most people here end up just preferring to control the voltage/current/pulse of the heating element instead. Which takes no heed of recorded past data , calculates their integrals, nor does it calculate instantaneous rate of change lol. But some people like the devices that do this via a thermocouple in the hotplate.

Love me or hate me, but I have a few hotplates that i just have an an/off switch for, if that. And I just go by feel. Like a helms man.

i even bought the proper arduino board, gutted an air conditiioners for a daughter board with several solid state relays, pieced together an old Raspberry PI model and started copying python code, but that's on the back burner.
And now for my next post:

[Edited on 23-8-2020 by earpain]

A Monstrosity of Distillation

earpain - 23-8-2020 at 00:20

OK so the situation is as follows:
Often enough, I have some reaction or extraction where there's but a small amount of an organic, non-polar, water immiscible substrate or target compound.
Often there's also an aq layer during a reaction, or an extraction, or a purification etc.
Now that DCM is gone, I've been plagued by the tediousness AND the mechanical yield loss off having aq. layers 10 or more times the volume of my compound. And all the organic non-polar solvents still sold to the public either boil at WAY TOO HOT degrees celsius, or just suck in general because they hide water or they dont really dissolve stuff(naphtha).
OR I have to make them from scratch! diethyl ether, chloroform, this isn't over!

And then, the Monstrosity
So here's how it works:
take your standard stillation set up. Replace the first 3-way adapter with an ultra micro-scale Short Path distillation head, that happens to have a Vacuum Insulated Vigreux column. (there are two sets of condensation needle (theoretical) plates.

There was once a 10/X taper nice thermometer that fit right where it should in the SPD device, but that broke.
Eventually I built my own thermocouple device, and courtesy of my glass blower friend who stops by occasionally to be wowed by my chemistry, and then (hiding from his wife. etc.) does some projects for several hours with a torch in the corner. So, he brought me the perfect boro tubing to make thermocouple sheaths that end up having identical dimensions to a standard lab thermometer..
The digital display and tyke K processor was $8 courtesy of Ebay.
IT IS SO ACCURATE
Now the black 'bungs' are not rubber stoppers! no no. Go to an autoparts store, they sell 'vacuum plugs'. THey are like caps that you have to stretch on to the end of a tube, and designed for systems in vacuum in a car. Cars get waaay hot. So whatever the material is, I SWEAR H2SO4 had no effect on it. You might find a special set tjat fits many sizes. That's how I interface the thermometer into the SPD head.
You'll notice two nipples are left bare. They are intended for water coolant. I deemed this not needed in this set up. The next nipple is the SPD head's vacuum. Since the setup has two such nipples, I decided to seal that one off. THEN, there is, i'm sorry, a rubber stopper. I WILL SOON PURCHASE A 14/X to 20/40 adapter for that section.
So what's happening in the picture is I am boiling off solvent at ATMOSPHERIC pressure. Taking note of the temp. Once that is finished, i simply slide a 500ml RBF on that bottom receiver elbow piece, connect my vacuum source to the special straight vacuum adapter which is slowly rendering vacuum angled take-off's obsolete.
Then i proceed with a Vacuum Fractional Distillation
In such a way where it is most ideal to use <100ML flasks as the stillpot, but crucial to use serious BIG BOY glassware to condense and collect.

Panache - 7-10-2020 at 11:27

Quote: Originally posted by Ubya

has anyone ever used this kind of quartz tubing (from oven heating elements) as a normal transparent quartz tubing?
like to hold catalysts or as a combustion tube

Yes

Mateo_swe - 19-10-2020 at 10:32

And all the organic non-polar solvents still sold to the public either boil at WAY TOO HOT degrees celsius, or just suck in general because they hide water or they dont really dissolve stuff(naphtha)

If you search on DCM on ebay often you will probably find someone who sells you some DCM after a while.
I do search on ebay for some usually unavailiable solvents and chemicals and i have found and bought both 10L DCM, 10L acetonitrile and acetic anhydride.
Now im inside EU and that make that any purchased stuff from within EU does not pass customs witch is good for some rarer things.
So even if something isnt allowed on ebay it pops up sometimes so it can be worth to try a search if you are looking for something.

Now the black 'bungs' are not rubber stoppers! no no. Go to an autoparts store, they sell 'vacuum plugs'. They are like caps that you have to stretch on to the end of a tube, and designed for systems in vacuum in a car. Cars get waaay hot. So whatever the material is, I SWEAR H2SO4 had no effect on it. You might find a special set tjat fits many sizes. That's how I interface the thermometer into the SPD head.

That was a good tip i will investigate, thanks.
I have bought some silicone endplugs i will use on a quarts tube for ozone generation but i would like some endplugs that are resistant to other chemicals too.

Quote: Originally posted by Panache

Quote: Originally posted by Ubya

has anyone ever used this kind of quartz tubing (from oven heating elements) as a normal transparent quartz tubing?
like to hold catalysts or as a combustion tube

Yes

That is also a nice tip.
As long the quarts tubes arent very thin they can be used but it all depends on the temp and application.
I will keep an eye open for those quartz tubes.

I bought some alumina tubes from china, about 20-25mm in diameter, 700mm long that i might turn into a DIY tube furnace on some rainy winter evening.
They were not as expensive as i had thought, about 50 Euros for 2 of them including shipping if i remember correctly.
They can withstand very high temps.

Found a nice container for a ball mill - 16 or 22 oz

RogueRose - 29-10-2020 at 15:54

I came across these stainless steel Ozark Trail double walled insulated food containers and they have a very good seal (plastic lid) and then a larger stainless lid outside the plastic one. The shape is ideal for a ball mill. I think these would be ideal for doing smaller batches - though I'd really like to find some 32, 64 and 128oz models for this purpose.

I've used a number of other containers and chose paint cans but after about 24 hours of milling, the walls were almost paper thin with only using steel ball bearings (1/2") and aluminum foil & at $14 each (same price or more than buying container with paint in it!!). These containers below are built very nicely and seal very well. They have a port that you can allow O2 to slowly seep in, so no inrush of O2 after milling.

Anyway, just an idea if anyone is looking for a container to do this. If you have any other suggestiong, please let me knot. I'd like some larger ones 1-5gal and IDK if plastic (HDPE) will be sufficient or not.

BTY - each of these jars below are 4.25" diameter and 6.1" vs 6.9" in length (22oz being the latter).
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-22-Ounce-Double-Wall-...

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-16-Ounce-Double-Wall-...

[Edited on 10-30-2020 by RogueRose]

Fyndium - 12-11-2020 at 01:52

I could not find a shorter stem length thermowell, so I shortened one myself. It was just a shy too long to fit in the short path, but now it fits perfectly.

This short path is perfect for many distillations, especially vacuum with higher bp. I could not effectively monitor the temp prior to this.

Piroz - 19-1-2021 at 12:44

Need is the mother of invention so I have some ideas, especially I haven't much money and no job right now. This is one of these. Mini furnance from tin cans, metal pipe, a piece of garden hose and garbage bag. It works like bellow- by compression of air in garbage bag (using force)- air is moved trough garden hose and metal pipe into mini furnance and increase temperature of charcoal. By this way I melted aluminium and table salt (801 degrees C). Now I'm working with bigger version of this- for melting calcium chloride needed for electrolysis of molten salt.

Here is the video- how it works (translation to english isn't completed, some missing translation on the end):
https://youtu.be/gkhVcoaFBPs

draculic acid69 - 26-1-2021 at 05:22

Quote: Originally posted by OldNubbins

Two nuts brazed at right angles with threaded rods mounted to back of hood with right angle standoffs.

I've thought of doing the same thing but stripping out the thread and drilling
a 3mm hole thru each nut and use a tap and die to thread the 3mm holes
just like a makeshift boss clamp.

draculic acid69 - 26-1-2021 at 05:40

These things are just like a$4 Variac.
They've proven reliable, trustworthy,temp stable,accurate for my 1L mantles and I suspect would be fine for up to
5L mantles.Theyve proven more reliable than the original circuits in both of my mantles.they cost a few bucks and are worth every dollar 1000 times over.
Google this and look for this picture, eBay has thousands of people selling them.pick one

2000W 220V AC SCR Electric Voltage Regulator Motor Speed Control Controller eBay.

Dr.Bob - 26-1-2021 at 12:06

You can get a similar thing at Lowes or Home Depot in the US for as a light dimmer for controlling incandescent lights and sometimes ceiling fans, which are rated for 500 watts and can be mounted in a simple metal light switch box for a closed and safe power controller for about $8-10. These will work well for most heating mantles, except smaller ones designed for lower voltages, which still require some way to drop the voltage, unlike these, which simple turn the power on and off quickly to create a lower current. Glascol sells an inexpensive heating controller which is just the same type of thing as well.

macckone - 26-1-2021 at 15:50

I recently made a DIY overhead stirrer.
I got everything from amazon except the wall wart to power it.
I have a collection of those as probably everyone else does too.

barrel connectors for power: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C7VSRBG/
motor: https://www.amazon.com/970-RPM-6-18V-Econ-Gearmotor/dp/B019H...
motor speed controller: https://www.amazon.com/LGDehome-Controller-Adjustable-Revers...
stirrer: https://www.amazon.com/Fityle-Stainless-Electric-Overhead-St...
stirrer bearing: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077LLSB1V/
coupler (4mm to 7mm) : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08H25PT82/

Complete overhead stirrer set up for about $65 + tax and shipping (some items had shipping).

PS: as a bonus it is small enough to use a claisen adapter with rather than requiring a two or three neck flask and the motor fits perfectly in a clamp.

[Edited on 26-1-2021 by macckone]

Syringe Pumps

flaminglasrswrd - 26-1-2021 at 15:57

I recently assembled a pair of syringe pumps. They are based on the Open Source Syringe Pump Project. They cost about $85 each to build, but that was higher because I paid to have the 3D parts printed. Now I have a 3D printer of my own so any more pumps will cost about $50 to build.

Overall I think they are quite useful. I chose some slightly underpowered stepper motors (300mA max) so they sometimes slip when everything isn't perfectly aligned. That's probably a good thing.

The menu system takes some getting used to. I would like to make them computer-controlled at some point. The buttons are a little clunky.

Here they are, hard at work pumping fluids at 0.02 ml/min and 0.4 ml/min.

And a better view during construction.

syringe-pump-poseidon-replication-build.JPG - 265kB

mayko - 29-1-2021 at 10:00

speaking of syringe pumps, the lab that designed the Poseidon system has come out with a "sequel", an automated liquid sample collector. Column chromatography is the first use I thought of.

"Low-cost, scalable, and automated fluid sampling for fluidics applications"
A. Sina Booeshaghi, Yeokyoung Kil, Kyung Hoi Min, Jase Gehring, Lior Pachter

Quote:

We present colosseum, a low-cost, modular, and automated fluid sampling device for scalable fluidic applications. The colosseum fraction collector uses a single motor, can be built for less than $100 using off-the-shelf and 3d printed components, and can be assembled in less than an hour. Build Instructions and source files are available at https://github.com/pachterlab/colosseum.

open access preprint: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.27.428538v1

repository: https://github.com/pachterlab/colosseum

Johnny Cappone - 29-1-2021 at 14:07

I finished building my portable micro fume hood, I will test it tomorrow and publish the results on video soon.
In such a test, I intend to use a fumigene mixture that allows me to observe how the gas flow behaves. The idea to generating the smoke is to heat a pinch of KNO3 with excess sugar in a jar.
It turns out that I realized that I still don't have any support for small bottles and things like that, so I built this one on the attached photos. The base is a heavy wooden billet (4 kg), which was wrapped in aluminum foil for purely aesthetic reasons. The main arm is an iron rod and the sliding arm is an aluminum tube reused from an old antenna. It is possible to adjust the height at which the bottle is desired and its inclination. I still need to think in a tweezer better than a clothespin, but for now this will work.

Holder V1.2

Johnny Cappone - 1-2-2021 at 12:53

It took some work, but I got a very satisfactory result. The support/holder/stand/clamp can be seen on video here: https://youtu.be/Mi7hptaYzBA

BTW: If any english speakers watch the video, I would be very happy with an honest assessment of my english skills. Am I as bad trying to speak english as I think?

Metallophile - 1-2-2021 at 13:36

Quote: Originally posted by Johnny Cappone

BTW: If any english speakers watch the video, I would be very happy with an honest assessment of my english skills. Am I as bad trying to speak english as I think?

I thought your English was fine! I understood everything you said.

Here is my homemade rig. It's a distillation column, which I built to distill some bromine for my element collection. After several failed attempts, I yielded about 5g, which is good enough for me. Any comments on the column part? I was pretty much winging it based on pictures I've seen. I'm not sure how effective it actually would be at fractionating. I could see the bromine condensing near the top and running down the column wall. Then it would evaporate away near the bottom, when it contacted the H2O steam. This seems like the right sort of thing it should be doing, but I don't really know.

Mateo_swe - 13-2-2021 at 07:20

Im putting together a DIY lab ozone generator from an ebay ozone generator with ceramic plates.
The plan is to use an aquarium airpump and silicone tubing to feed air first through a drying tube with MgSO4 and then into a glass jar where the ceramic ozone generator plates from the ozone generator is placed.
Then the ozone rich air is fed from the jar through a PTFE hose to the bottom of a tall measuring cylinder filled with whatever fluid to be ozonated.
The lid of the jar is a acrylic plate with a silicone gasket.
The feedthrough holes in the acrylic lid for electrical silicone insulated leads and glass tubes are insulated with silicone to prevent leaks.
The hi-voltage driver for the ceramic plates are placed on the outside of the jar and opened up and a small fan blows to cool the electronics.
The only thing i would like to add is some way of cooling the air that is pumped into the ozone-jar and the ability to use oxygen instead of air.
There are oxygen concentrators one can buy but they are little bit expensive so i think i try with a small tube of pure oxygen if the device will seem to work with air.
The oxygen gas would be cold from the depressurization would it not?

Fyndium - 14-2-2021 at 01:43

You could just run the gas through an immersed tube, or through a flask immersed in cold bath. I might consider also immersing the ozone reactor into a cooling bath, as it likely generates heat and can overheat quickly.

I planned on doing ozonator also at some point, I've got a similar generator from ebay. My original plan was to just put it in a plastic box or bucket and lead a tubing from air pump into it and from there to the reaction vessel, same like you.

For better absorption, I'd get a glass frit bubbler. I already got a sintered stainless steel brewing aerator which I used once for oxidation reaction and it worked flawlessly. A larger gas frit bubbler could be utilized from a sintered funnel of chosen size.

Mateo_swe - 15-2-2021 at 12:56

Well, i have some aquarium bubbler stones but i guess the plastic inside isnt ozone compatible, worth a try though.
I see there are some cheap bubbler stones on ebay that says they are ozone resistant, and there is also the "Sintered Microporous stainless steel Bubble Diffuser, ozone bubble diffuser" that looks like an all stainless real quality item.
Thats probably the same type you have.
These bubblers are more expensive, about 50 Euros for item, tax and fees to get it here but probably last a lifetime.
If my bubbler stones that i already have dont work good i will get one of the stainless steel type diffusers.
It will be fun to see how good this ozon generator will work.
I will try measure how good it works with a iodine solution.
The hardest part is probably to keep the temp low while at same time have the ozone generating plasma running that generates heat.

[Edited on 2021-2-15 by Mateo_swe]

Fyndium - 15-2-2021 at 13:03

My aerator looks like following. I turned a new adapter and crimped a stainless steel tubing to the place of that hose attachment. They aren't cheap, I paid mine the same 50€ if I remember.

products-20160420150303-05701805.jpg - 20kB

products-20160420150303-05701805.jpg - 20kB

If possible, might wanna also consider that sintered glass funnel thing. Likely you ain't doing any larger ozonation, but for any bigger batch sized up more than a liter or two the smallest models of sintered funnels could be an option. They cost from 7€ apiece and will produce a really good bubble curtain. I clean my funnels by carefully pushing air through the backside and it works very well. Most gases (NH3, HCl, formaldehyde, etc) absorb so well that a mere tubing is enough, though.

I accidentally broke one 500mL funnel, and now I regret binning it, because it snapped clean off the sintered surface, and it could have been the perfect aerator, large, though.

[Edited on 15-2-2021 by Fyndium]

Piroz - 2-3-2021 at 15:09

Today I tried my new improved furnance that use charcoal as fuel, powered with garbage bag.

It melted around 250 g of table salt in less than 10 minutes. However tin cans as inner part of furnance were completely destroyed due to high temperature after a half hour of heating. So I'll try some new tricks and make new furnance.

And here is the video:
https://youtu.be/WNNhLniRuKw

[Edited on 3-3-2021 by Piroz]

zed - 22-3-2021 at 04:29

I've taken note of your mantle controllers. I'd like to have a heating mantle that has a stir function, and I was on the verge of buying one, until I read the customer reviews.

Apparently, most of the mantles out there are unsatisfactory. The heating can't be incrementally controlled, they don't fit flasks very well, and the stirring doesn't work very well. So, I can buy a 2L Mantle pretty cheaply, say $120 Bucks or so... But, I will have to completely revamp it, before it performs satisfactorily.

I don't mind upgrading things that I brought for peanuts, but $120 Bucks ain't peanuts. And, sticking extra time and money into something that might always border on junky, doesn't appeal to me. Grrr.

Guess I'll stock up on Glas-cols for the time being. And, wait for an opportunity, to either acquire a higher quality "Stir-Mantle" or improvise one. All of this fancy new tech... it makes it hard to go back to the old ways. There's a song about that!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjCe2bYkoXY

[Edited on 22-3-2021 by zed]

[Edited on 22-3-2021 by zed]

Mateo_swe - 25-3-2021 at 01:34

If you want a cheap option you can get a heating mantle replacement sleeve and just drive it with a variac or one of the small cheap triac drivers found on auction sites.
The mantle sleeves can simply be placed ontop of a stirring hotplate and just use the stirring function and you have a DIY heating mantle with stirring.
A low budget option and it works but be careful and insulate the connectors, getting electrocuted isnt healthy.
Electrical safety features such as a residual-current circuitbreaker or a isolation transformer is recomended and well spent money.

outer_limits - 25-3-2021 at 02:20

@zed,

I bought stirring mantle once and it's not very good regarding its stirring ability. Good for liquids and small amount of solids but not at all. Then I bought a variac-controlled mantle on a rod that can be clamped to lab stand. I place it above my striplate, as Mateo_swe described and it works like charm.

Sulaiman - 25-3-2021 at 04:16

Quote: Originally posted by Piroz

... powered with garbage bag.

If you get tired of pumping that bag for melting aluminium in steel cans using charcoal I can recommend one of these (if you have 12Vdc available)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-Electric-Air-Pump-Inflator-Be...

earpain - 7-4-2021 at 01:42