497
National Hazard
Posts: 778
Registered: 6-10-2007
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Mood: HSbF6
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Glassware sales monitered?
Is this true? I've never heard of it until I saw it here.
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Glass Erlenmeyer flasks have been removed from the website for purchasing. Phone and fax orders are only accepted for these products for businesses or
schools that provide the required information including our purchasing ID form. We understand the inconvenience but glass Erlenmeyer flasks are a
monitored product much like the List II chemicals. |
What the hell.. I can't believe this is true. It doesn't make sense, there are tons of sites on the internet selling flasks.
But now I'm a little worried, will they be knocking my door down if I order up that 3 neck 6 liter flask I've been wanting?  Just kidding about that, but still, I wonder if I am going to be put on a list if I
buy some glassware. Shit, Erlenmeyer flasks aren't even too useful (for drug manufacture) since they probably don't have ground joints.
Just wondering if anyone knew anything about this?
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joeflsts
Hazard to Others
Posts: 226
Registered: 14-1-2006
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Mood: No Mood
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| Quote: | Originally posted by 497
Is this true? I've never heard of it until I saw it here.
| Quote: |
Glass Erlenmeyer flasks have been removed from the website for purchasing. Phone and fax orders are only accepted for these products for businesses or
schools that provide the required information including our purchasing ID form. We understand the inconvenience but glass Erlenmeyer flasks are a
monitored product much like the List II chemicals. |
What the hell.. I can't believe this is true. It doesn't make sense, there are tons of sites on the internet selling flasks.
But now I'm a little worried, will they be knocking my door down if I order up that 3 neck 6 liter flask I've been wanting? Just kidding about that, but still, I wonder if I am going to be put on a list if I
buy some glassware. Shit, Erlenmeyer flasks aren't even too useful (for drug manufacture) since they probably don't have ground joints.
Just wondering if anyone knew anything about this? |
A few companies do this with all glassware including beakers. I simply don't do business with them. There is no "national" or "international" law
against buying flasks. In Texas there is a stupid law that I suspect is harldy enforced unless useds as additonal evidence to put a meth cook away or
some confused as a meth cook. I wouldn't purchase from the vendor that has that policy and I wouldn't worry longer than it took you to write the
post.
Joe
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Saerynide
National Hazard
Posts: 954
Registered: 17-11-2003
Location: The Void
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Mood: Ionic
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Just buy off ebay. I always get great deals from slightly used stuff 
"Microsoft reserves the right at all times to monitor communications on the Service and disclose any information Microsoft deems necessary to...
satisfy any applicable law, regulation or legal process"
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497
National Hazard
Posts: 778
Registered: 6-10-2007
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Mood: HSbF6
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| Quote: |
Just buy off ebay. |
Yes, I think that will be my source of all my glassware.
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I wouldn't purchase from the vendor that has that policy and I wouldn't worry longer than it took you to write the post. |
Yeah I never planned on buying from them, it just got me a little worried that all sales in the country were monitored...
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chemrox
International Hazard
Posts: 2961
Registered: 18-1-2007
Location: UTM
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Mood: LaGrangian
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You should buy on ebay or one of the dicount lab supplies anyway. Once you have a relationship with a local firm for chemicals you may buy new glass
from time to time in emergencies for example. Nobody I deal with tracks any of my purchases a far as I know. Stick with the majors for new stuff.
Amateur science suppliers can be overzealous on any number of levels. Then again, what if they did monitor your purchases? What a waste of time that
would be.
"When you let the dumbasses vote you end up with populism followed by autocracy and getting back is a bitch." Plato (sort of)
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Sauron
International Hazard
Posts: 5351
Registered: 22-12-2006
Location: Barad-Dur, Mordor
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Mood: metastable
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In Thailand we have "Science supermarkets" which are associated with one of the large technical schools, so that students can go purchase what they
need for lab courses. Glassware and chemicals are sold without restriction. Anyone can go and buy anything that is on the shelves. Put in in your
basket and cart and head for checkout. I bought my Ohaus triple beam balance from one of these.
Sic gorgeamus a los subjectatus nunc.
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497
National Hazard
Posts: 778
Registered: 6-10-2007
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Mood: HSbF6
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Maybe I'll move to Thailand then..
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Magpie
lab constructor
Posts: 5939
Registered: 1-11-2003
Location: USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Chemistry: the subtle science.
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| Quote: |
In Thailand we have "Science supermarkets" which are associated with one of the large technical schools, so that students can go purchase what they
need for lab courses. Glassware and chemicals are sold without restriction.
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I have dreams about stores like that. When I see a new strip mall being built I fantasize that one of the yet unoccupied slots will be soon a home
chemists' supply store.
Perhaps Thailand should be nominated for "best country in which to do home chemistry." I used to think this was Germany or the Netherlands, but in
view of recent events....
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woelen
Super Administrator
Posts: 7976
Registered: 20-8-2005
Location: Netherlands
Member Is Offline
Mood: interested
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Things still are fairly good over here. I still can get stuff like H2SO4, albeit not in hardware stores, but there still are chemical suppliers over
here who sell a lot of chemicals (also exotic stuff like all kinds of metal salts, organic solvents like benzene, acetonitrile, toluene, et.c). Even
red P still can be obtained. Iodine is not a problem. What has changed though is the availability of strong acids at high concentration through
general outlets like hardware stores, drugstores and supermarkets. Now you really need to get them from specialized companies who sell online, and
that is a bad thing.
What is bad over here is that pyrotechnics are forbidden (100%, totally). Not even a simple fountain may be made, so I stick to non-pyrotechnics, I do
not want legal trouble.
From one of my friends I heard that glassware and apparatus sales are monitored over here in the Netherlands, but only for large things. E.g. ordering
a 10 liter flask and/or suitable heating mantle may lead to a visit of an official agency, but when you stick to small size stuff (up to 1 liter),
there is no problem at all.
[Edited on 12-11-08 by woelen]
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benzylchloride1
Hazard to Others
Posts: 299
Registered: 16-3-2007
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Mood: Pushing the envelope of synthetic chemistry in one's basement
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There used to be a scientific store that catered to amateur scientists in California, Tri-Ess Sciences. I used to buy most of my glassware and all of
my chemicals from them. You had to be accompied by someone over 21 to purchase chemicals, but the staff where great at helping people with their
experiments. They sold hundreds of different chemicals including organics and they also sold organic lab kits. You could buy nitric acid and many
different chemicals at dirt cheap prices. Their glass ware was slightly pricey, they did not sell the Chinese stuff, but sold Pyrex and Kimax. Sadly
they closed their retail store several years ago due to draconian government regulations after 50 years of business.
Amateur NMR spectroscopist
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pantone159
National Hazard
Posts: 586
Registered: 27-6-2006
Location: Austin, TX, USA
Member Is Online
Mood: desperate for shade
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| Quote: | Originally posted by benzylchloride1
Sadly they closed their retail store several years ago due to draconian government regulations after 50 years of business. |
Actually, I think the reason was that the owner passed away. It is a shame that they are gone, but I don't think the government was the reason.
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Vogelzang
Banned
Posts: 662
Registered: 26-4-2008
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Mood: No Mood
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I've been buying glassware from a store that gets surplus from a nearby university. They don't take cash. You have to use a credit card. I wonder
if my name and what I buy goes into a database somewhere. They scan a ticket on the item and I think the number from the scan appears on the recept.
[Edited on 21-6-2009 by Vogelzang]
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UnintentionalChaos
International Hazard
Posts: 1454
Registered: 9-12-2006
Location: Mars
Member Is Offline
Mood: Nucleophilic
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I get almost all my glass from ebay. I've had very few problems with the sellers as they usually use sufficient packing materials or are willing to
refund when things break. Papamed is a great seller (has tons of stuff and packs very well), but everyone knows about him, so auctions tend to get
pricey. If you want to spend less, find more obscure sellers who don't regularly sell lab glass. In this case, keywords may not be ideal and bidders
will be few.
In fact, I made a rather large purchase yesterday:
-125mL Kontes powder addition funnel
-500mL ace glass 3-neck RB flask
-Chemglass fritted buchner funnel with ground glass joint and barb for vacuum source (looks to be about 200mL capacity)
-250mL pyrex stoppered graduated cylinder.
-Pyrex/Kimax narrow-stem glass funnels
[Edited on 6-21-09 by UnintentionalChaos]
Department of Redundancy Department - Now with paperwork!
'In organic synthesis, we call decomposition products "crap", however this is not a IUPAC approved nomenclature.' -Nicodem
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quicksilver
International Hazard
Posts: 1820
Registered: 7-9-2005
Location: Inches from the keyboard....
Member Is Offline
Mood: ~-=SWINGS=-~
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I can add to this as a fact that this subject depends on where you live. In the USA, places like CALIFORNIA & Texas attempt to monitor sales where
as places like Montana or Wyoming could not even be bothered.
Often if the subject makes the news then some "Nanny State" mentality may attempt to legislate an object; but it usually like gun control. Places that
legislate objects in place of dealing w/ the basis of the problem are just vote magnets from the fearful. And no, I don't sleep w/ a gun & have
stickers on my truck.
Remember the UK & it's invasion of privacy campaign? They would say "if you have nothing to hide, who cares if you're on video". That was the
death of privacy rights. The "nothing to hide" concept in anathema to personal freedom. Folks from the UK can speak to this issue on a 1st hand basis
very powerfully.
Do a Google on "nothing to hide" as legal arguments overturning areas of the 4th Amendment. You'll find some fascinating material on the sheep that
let our rights as individuals erode through fear & misplaced trust. There are plenty of Graduate papers on the "nothing to hide" issue &
privacy rights.
[Edited on 21-6-2009 by quicksilver]
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