Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Glassware sales monitered?

497 - 9-11-2008 at 00:33

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? :P 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?

joeflsts - 9-11-2008 at 05:53

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? :P 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

Saerynide - 9-11-2008 at 12:32

Just buy off ebay. I always get great deals from slightly used stuff :D

497 - 9-11-2008 at 12:46

Quote:

Just buy off ebay.


Yes, I think that will be my source of all my glassware.
Quote:

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...

chemrox - 9-11-2008 at 18:21

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.

Sauron - 9-11-2008 at 18:36

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.

497 - 11-11-2008 at 18:58

Maybe I'll move to Thailand then..

Magpie - 11-11-2008 at 19:24

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.


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....

woelen - 12-11-2008 at 11:20

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]

benzylchloride1 - 25-2-2009 at 22:06

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.:(

pantone159 - 25-2-2009 at 22:36

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.

Vogelzang - 21-6-2009 at 05:07

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]

UnintentionalChaos - 21-6-2009 at 08:34

Quote: Originally posted by 497  
Quote:

Just buy off ebay.


Yes, I think that will be my source of all my glassware.


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

:cool:

[Edited on 6-21-09 by UnintentionalChaos]

quicksilver - 21-6-2009 at 09:11

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]