#1 Science Forum For Lab Technicians

RosalieL wrote: ↑02 Apr 2025, 09:46 It turns out my work has blocked a heap of emails without me knowing. I have now solved the problem! Not just sending to spam/junk, but not actually reaching my email account at all.

Bastards
That’ll teach them .
You could have saved them heaps

We had those TM104 stopwatches at my last school . They are OK but we had at least one a year that would die . Big advice is bin the battery that they come with . They are utter rubbish and will corrode out the Battery terminals in less than six months . Having said that , I'd still recommend them ....

However, how am I supposed to distinguish between human remains and that of an animal if it isn't a skull?? I go with a phone call to the coppers first. Definitely. A bit off topic , but my Step Father in Law ( who just died of cancer ) a few weeks ago informed me that he had a gun in his safe that...

Do you do your own credit card reconciliation? I usually can see what's remaining by looking at that. I will see if I can come up with something that will help you in your spreadsheet though. I get given a bank statement each month and have to match up each invoice or cash register docket to the st...

Hi Excel gurus I am using my spreadsheet that Rosalie sent me . I have a payments column where I enter say PPC ( Bunnings Power pass card) or OWC (Office works card ) Or CBCcard ( Commonwealth Bank Card) Now , I have tried and tried and tried and tried and wasted hours on the phone and in person at ...

RosalieL wrote: ↑17 Mar 2025, 08:30 . I think I've made one cabbage last 4 years so far!

Come to think about it , your Cabbage lasted longer than most school freezers do

Yes we are a small school so don't need a huge amount of cabbage. I just cut a cabbage into the approximate sizes I'll need and wrap in glad wrap and freeze. Then I just get out what I need. If we have an unusually big class one year I will just get 2 out. I think I've made one cabbage last 4 years...

They had unknown solutions of Starch , glucose and Sucrose and had to do an Iodine and Benedicts test to determine which was which . There were bonus points to those that inverted the Sucrose with Citric acid and retested with Benedicts .

If you haven't bought the liver yet, do the capsicum one! Much less stinky. I haven't yet .Unfortunately the Students have already done it with Liver and are now doing a modified version where they change the variables . Teachers want to keep it as Liver this year but will look at the Capsicam vers...

Just been asked about this one for the Liver Enzyme prac .
glad I found this .
Have there been any better ideas in the last 10 years ?

I remember at my old school , the Chem teacher always complained when We supplied 1% starch solution ( What most pracs call for ).That was IIRC Ajax potato starch. He said the Kids just laughed and said they new it was the starch because it was so cloudy . He would get me to dilute it 1:100 . effect...

Woow , yeah that is expensive . Would be interesting to see if you still need to bring it to the boil .

This is the stuff I’ve been using lately . From Asian section in Woolies . Cost about $2 . Works well in all pracs .

What is this soluble starch you speak of Rosalie

Iff’n you were , it is best done with heating mantles . Sticking a glass boiling flask over a bunsen with a metho/water mix is an accident waiting to happen . If you have 10% metho and 90% water in the flask , that is pretty save and won’t catch fire should the flask brake .But the distillate that i...

Nice work .
That is pretty close to the 15m Rosalie quoted .
I've never thought about how many Pop tests we can get per roll ....very cool

At old school , we had a day book that teachers would come into prep-room and fill out . I liked it , but we moved to "SENTRAL" resource booking . That was a game changer for the teachers , but I found I was constantly having to refresh pages . At that school we also started using Riskasse...

Thanks Labbie A week ago we were in the firing line but it now looks like its going to wreak havoc south of here . Relieving for me but I now feel the anguish for those folk . I spent all weekend cleaning up the yard , making sure the Pump works and the shovels had good handles .Maybe all for naught...

Can't give you an answer , but it may depend on the supplier .Some stuff I've used over the years is slightly different width and also thickness . Also , not always a continuous roll . We had a lot at my last school that consisted of lots of short lengths that over lappped .Mind you that stuff was q...

And yes you could simply fill your IEC resistors up with water right to the brim . It will then work safely at 12v , but you must immediately empty them and thoroughly dry them after use . But having said that , we had a drawer full of them at my old school that were so rusted and corroded that they...

This is 6 volts IMG_1994.jpeg This is 8 volts IMG_1995.jpeg This is 10 volts IMG_1996.jpeg This is 12 volts IMG_1997.jpeg This is it in a beaker about to be covered in water so it doesn’t burn any fingers . IMG_1998.jpeg Easy to upgrade that to a screw top jar with some banana sockets . Just solder ...