Where to find cheap glassware...

[fafalone]

I'm assembling a home laboratory to perform experiments, and after a thorough search of the internet I'm unable to find a supplier that offers condensers for a reasonable price... the cheapest condenser I can find out there is $85... which is equal to my total budget to get all the glassware I need. I'm sure someone out there knows where to get a cheaper condenser, and also other kinds of glassware, so by all means share the knowledge

[fafalone]

Also, where the cheapest place to get reasonable quality chemicals like NaOH solutions, ethanol, and other common lab chems.

[Dudde]

I'd say ask YT, cause he knows everything about buying things and where to buy them

 

I can't remember where my high school used to get their things, but I doubt it would be cheap enough for that anyhow

[YT2095]

Actualy, ouside of the UK, I`ve no idea where to source cheap glassware, I buy mine from a propper suplier.

http://www.scichem.co.uk

I got my 1`st catalogue by chatting to a lab technician (they`re often ignored and considered as menial bottle washers) so when someone actualy treats them like a human being, they`ll talk to you for hours, I asked if they`de get me 1 or 2 items when they place their next order, they went one better and gave me their last years catalogue

I called the company up, and placed an order... that simple

a propper condensor will cost quite a bit of money!, the cheapest I can source is by QuickFit and cost around the £40 mark, so 85 USD isn`t that bad!

you could actualy make a simple one however!

I bought a box of 100 half metre lengths of glass tubing 4mm.

with a simple blow torch and some practice it`s very easy to shape your own

I then wrap plastic tubing around the glass pipe tape it up and run water through it. I`ve never had a problem with it at all, and it`s very simple to make, for non corrosive materials, you can goto a DIY hardware store and buy refigeration copper pipe (I use it for my Tesla coils as the primary winding) it`ll work great for making moonshine and stuff

as for NaOH, look for Red Devil drain cleaner prills, it`s pure NaOH and many home hobbyists use it for making soap too (that`s lots of fun as well).

you`ll find that gardening supplyers, Pottery shops that supply the glassing powders, and hardware shops will provide you with most all the basics, you MAY have to make your acids, but that`s easy enough, just goto a place that deals with battery maintainance for forklift trucks and ask for a gallon, tell then you want to clear your garage floor or patio or something?

anyway, I`ve typed enough for now, time for a break

[T_FLeX]

Sometimes you can find a good cheap lot of glassware on ebay. I bought a lot of around 15 glassware pieces for a hundred bucks, which was a pretty good deal, considering it has everything for a distillation set up and more.

 

As for the chemicals, just hit up the local hardware store you can find a lot of the basics, only thing I can't seem to find in my city is sulfuric acid

 

Here is a good list put together buy a guy in the UK but you can find a lot of the stuff in the US.

 

http://www.hyperdeath.co.uk/chemicals/

[YT2095]

T-Flex, just get an old car battery and empty it, that`ll give a litre of 30%(min) Sulphuric acid

just filter it well. or goto a garage that sells batteries off the shelf, they`re never stored with acid in as a rule, and they fill them up out back

[Dudde]

was I right or what?

[YT2095]

as always

[T_FLeX]

Hey I just found this site when I was searching for a 24/40 glass stopper, some of the stuff looks like a pretty good deal. You might want to check it out.

 

http://www.mbcoct.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=outsville

[fafalone]

Condensers that cost under $50!! thanks very much