smaerd
International Hazard
Posts: 1262
Registered: 23-1-2010
Member Is Offline
Mood: hmm...
|
|
Upkeeping a legitimate home workspace
I figured I would share what I know and ask for more advice about up-keeping a home chemistry work-space.
I know what my intentions with home chemistry are but I also feel it is very important to make sure anyone who were to come by could clearly see them
as well. Not that I show people my work-space primarily because of people's ignorance.
Note-book:
An important thing I have learned is to keep a hard-copy lab note-book. This is important for a few reasons, it helps me to see what I have done and
improve on old experiments. It also is important because it keeps documentation of how and when chemicals were made which are on the shelf. Its also
demonstrative for the passion for the hobby.
Labels on chemicals:
I tend to include a chemical formula or drawing of the structure, a short-hand name, and molar mass as well as date of creation for home-made
chemicals. For purchased chemicals I provide a name, CAS, and the NFPA diamond.
Chemical storage:
I keep my oxidizers away from my acids and solvents. Solvents away from acids, and ethers away from everything. One thing I don't do is keep M.S.D.S.
hard-copies around would this be a good idea?
Keeping things clean:
I try my best to make sure I don't have chemical splatters sitting around and that I don't leave glass all over the place after experiments.
-----------
Wondering what other advice other people have?
(If there's already a thread like this my post can be deleted.)
|
|
|
Mailinmypocket
International Hazard
Posts: 1351
Registered: 12-5-2011
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Quote: Originally posted by smaerd  | I figured I would share what I know and ask for more advice about up-keeping a home chemistry work-space.
I know what my intentions with home chemistry are but I also feel it is very important to make sure anyone who were to come by could clearly see them
as well. Not that I show people my work-space primarily because of people's ignorance.
Note-book:
An important thing I have learned is to keep a hard-copy lab note-book. This is important for a few reasons, it helps me to see what I have done and
improve on old experiments. It also is important because it keeps documentation of how and when chemicals were made which are on the shelf. Its also
demonstrative for the passion for the hobby.
Labels on chemicals:
I tend to include a chemical formula or drawing of the structure, a short-hand name, and molar mass as well as date of creation for home-made
chemicals. For purchased chemicals I provide a name, CAS, and the NFPA diamond.
Chemical storage:
I keep my oxidizers away from my acids and solvents. Solvents away from acids, and ethers away from everything. One thing I don't do is keep M.S.D.S.
hard-copies around would this be a good idea?
Keeping things clean:
I try my best to make sure I don't have chemical splatters sitting around and that I don't leave glass all over the place after experiments.
-----------
Wondering what other advice other people have?
(If there's already a thread like this my post can be deleted.) |
As far as chemical storage what I have done is dedicated a closet to it in which I installed some wooden shelves with guard rails to prevent things
from falling. Liquid are stored in flat plastic trays. Finally, I replaced the door handle to one with a lock and key(which has always been common
practice in workplaces of mine where very toxic materials were stored). Even though it is only myself and spouse living in the place it is an
additional security measure, keeps everything out of sight to visitors, and would keep any visiting family's children out of harms way.
As far as MSDS's go, I understand that they should be kept in hard copy in an organized binder etc etc. This is too much trouble for me to print
hundred and hundreds of pages and organize and index them. The only printed ones I have are the ones I receive from chemical suppliers with orders.
My alternative is using an app (theres an app for that!) on my iPhone called Chem Safety. It is a free electronic database of MSDS information that is
very complete and very fast to use.
Another thing you have left out (I think) is safety equipment! Have a bucket of sand, fire extinguisher, fire blanket and an eye-wash bottle aside
from the usual gloves and goggles etc. I recently bought a Bel-Art eye wash bottle for I think 18$, I keep it filled and in an easy to reach location.
It can prove to be invaluable in case of unexpected splashes.. Whenever doing an experiment I bring it to my work area so that it is always by my
side.
[Edited on 11-12-2012 by Mailinmypocket]
|
|
|
smaerd
International Hazard
Posts: 1262
Registered: 23-1-2010
Member Is Offline
Mood: hmm...
|
|
Great additions. Really like the sounds of your storage methods, I'll have to invest in something like that, probably more small-scale though as I
don't have more than say 40 chemicals the majority of which are relativistically benign.
Never heard of those portable eye-washes but that's a REALLY good idea. Thanks for the additions.
Heck I may as well get the MSDS of most of my chemicals into a binder just to be more professional. No smart-phone hehe. I think the hard-copy MSDS
though is mostly an OSHA "Right To Know Act" thing that was more prudent before the internet was in the hands of everyone and an industry requirement.
Guess it's best to run the home-lab like a professional one though.
|
|
|
chemrox
International Hazard
Posts: 2961
Registered: 18-1-2007
Location: UTM
Member Is Offline
Mood: LaGrangian
|
|
MSDS hard copies are only relevant if you have non familiar co-occupants or employees. The MSDS requirements come under employee safety laws.
"When you let the dumbasses vote you end up with populism followed by autocracy and getting back is a bitch." Plato (sort of)
|
|
|
SM2
Hazard to Others
Posts: 359
Registered: 8-5-2012
Location: the Irish Springs
Member Is Offline
Mood: Affect
|
|
OSHA NOSHA sounds like salty eye drops or nose spray. It's all well and good to being anally hygienic (especially for peeps into the true anal
stuff), but when it just comes to bean counting FDA inspections, all the fun would be lost for me. It's not as fun to work for a lab now a day as it
used to be in the 30-s-50's. Now it's all about covering your asses ass cover so the cover doesn't get poppy in case you ever need it for it's
original purpose (WARNING: May be a VIOLATION of Federal Law(s) to use the contents of this CAN in a manner INCONSISTENT with its labeling)/(May
(and, or)) does contain a chemical known by the State of California to cause cancer. WOW, nobody anywhere knows that, the west coast state of Cali
knows it? Hmmm...it must somehow have a brain.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>&g
t;>>anyway UsScience Madnessers have to hobby in a really dis advantaged, and hostile environment, and need to be very creative with how
things are done, and safety is implemented. I would not be at all surprised if state of art industry could take a few lessons from our collective.
Namely, ingenuity!
Oh yeah, lab 101, records, basic precautions. It's all good. I'd love a lab!
|
|
|
smaerd
International Hazard
Posts: 1262
Registered: 23-1-2010
Member Is Offline
Mood: hmm...
|
|
MailInMyPocket have you considered any fire-proofing measures to your storage cabinet? Legally they don't necessarily apply unless theres some X
amount of ridiculous flammable chemicals inside of a building but I am thinking about it. Figure at most I'll have up to a gallon and a half of misc.
solvents in storage. Far less then the average gasoline canister.
I'm thinking an inch(2.54cm) or at least a half inch(1.27cm) of cement board, around some cheap thin ply with ply shelving. Maybe give it a wrap in
aluminum foil in extra paranoid fashion. Intumescent Paint is just a completely out of my budget. I'm just not sure how I could build an adequate
affordable door to keep air out, and or flames. Maybe some "AC Safe "Weather Seal""?Any ideas would be appreciated.
[Edited on 17-12-2012 by smaerd]
|
|
|
Hexavalent
International Hazard
Posts: 1564
Registered: 29-12-2011
Location: Wales, UK
Member Is Offline
Mood: Pericyclic
|
|
I store my flammables in a heavy-duty filing cabinet.
The contents I have in it are as follows;
1L iPrOH
600ml EtOH
600ml acetone
600ml EtOAc
5ml pyridine
150ml xylenes
500ml toluene
10ml trichloromethane
100ml benzyl alcohol
Small amount of THF, needs to be distilled
500ml MeOH
500ml white spirits
30ml n-pentane
30ml 2-ethylhexanol
250ml dichloromethane
small canisters of butane gas (for burners)
10g sodium metal
2g lithium metal
"Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Winston Churchill
|
|
|
Eddygp
National Hazard
Posts: 858
Registered: 31-3-2012
Location: University of York, UK
Member Is Offline
Mood: Organometallic
|
|
Hexavalent, you are very lucky.
there may be bugs in gfind
[ˌɛdidʒiˈpiː] IPA pronunciation for my Username |
|
|
Hexavalent
International Hazard
Posts: 1564
Registered: 29-12-2011
Location: Wales, UK
Member Is Offline
Mood: Pericyclic
|
|
Hehe
If you want to know my sources, U2U me
"Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Winston Churchill
|
|
|
smaerd
International Hazard
Posts: 1262
Registered: 23-1-2010
Member Is Offline
Mood: hmm...
|
|
I thought about a filing cabinet but realized it would likely turn into an oven in a matter of a minute.
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xpblue/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
