Australia's Science Forum

Agreed Marama T, I reuse them if possible. But if they are clean should be recyclable.

I have sodium silicate solution, it is thick and doesn't work as well as the old solution I inherited. The original was made from a powder which you added water to and dissolved under pressure. firstly I never managed to dissolve it even with a pressure cooker. Secondly the newer one i bought is too...

I always wondered what these were used for. Now I know. We have used beakers with different solutions.....despite having a few of the semi circle things. Another thing I know now. Thank you.

I usually go and scavenge under pine trees, I haven't done this prac but it sounds cool so I will scavenge tonight and hopefully try it out.

Marama T wrote: ↑14 Aug 2023, 12:20 Totally. It was insane. Upside - no one got badly hurt and the kids love a good explosion. Downside - we were all shocked and went home thanking the gods of science for their mercy.

Yep we all love an explosion. But we will give this one a miss.

It's a bit like Dragons breath. Crazy physics teacher tried it but sprayed it thru a fire stick (broom handle with a lit taper attached) caught broom handle on fire, droplets onto the floor, also on fire. I decided it would not be a good demo. This idea is better.

I have to update all my SDS's when I get time. But I wonder if anyone at my school ever looks at them apart from me. And I rarely do. I guarantee if there is an issue/incident the teachers will just google it. They wont look up an SDS. RiskAssess does all the work for us. Curious what other labbies ...

Mine were removed, after I made the "asbestos police" check a sample for serpentine that contains asbestos, it turns out it was the dodgy sort. The whole box x 8 were taken. All the other samples in the beautiful wooden boxes were deemed to have possible contamination. Mind you they were b...

Smaller tubing from Westlab. Love their bunsen tubing but I need smaller for my side arm test tubes, and flasks. Thanks for the feedback! I'll add it to our product development board. Did you have a certain inner diameter you were after? Smaller. As it is flexible it should be designable to fit mos...

Smaller tubing from Westlab. Love their bunsen tubing but I need smaller for my side arm test tubes, and flasks.

Risk assess here too. You can then go to a library and find the prac either one of yours or a generic one and modify it for your use too. Liability exists regardless of the system, just suggest a moderate risk be generated if in doubt. The labelling has been wonderful. Chemwatch labelling was awful ...

Like what? Test Tubes? I get 22mm already and they are fine, mostly we use smaller ones as school labs use chemicals sparingly. I had some huge ones donated, never used them.

I have an old B & W printer that I stole from a teacher, with help, I think it is obselete, but IT will get me a new one when I need it. I have "borrowed" the library laser printer for labelling. IT supplies paper and ink.

I have a stack of copper reduction tubes, never used in my life time, they are a glass tube, roughly 11mm in diameter, with a bubble (sort of) in the middle, about 30mm wide, 180mm long all up.

Office choice has a cheaper house brand, same as Avery. Riskassess has made my life so much easier. I have 'borrowed' the library laser printer and when I do the labels I do extra so I can label the containers as well as the droppers.

I am probably going to have to take leave over second term and maybe longer. My little school needs a sympathetic and kind labbie to take my spot. Neerim District Sec Coll. West Gippsland Vic. I am only 2 days a week. The actual job is easy as, but catching up, labelling, cleaning, helping out in th...

I wish I had seen this before they came home to my shed. We would use them for sure. The kids love using different and interesting equipment. Hopefully I can retrieve them.

just soak peppercorns in water, called peppercorn broth you get bacillus culture gram positive. I keep mine going in a flask with a cotton wool plug.

I have never standardised either, unless it was because I had time to join in a senior prac.

To stop the beaker going black, and to distribute the heat nicely. The "new" ones fall apart more quickly in my experience. They are also nice and stable.