Hawkguy
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Light bulb flasks
Tried using a lightbulb as a RBF after seeing a video by Rudolf Maker, where he uses them to boil water and make coffee. I cleaned out the inside,
smoothened the hole's rim, and added a bung with a bent glass tube in the top. I heated it over a flame, and did a minor distillation of some homemade
alcohol. Surprisingly, it held up well in the heat, and the only problem I noticed was the bung material degrading from the alcohol. I found this
experiment interesting, and I can definitely recommend this use of lightbulbs for novelty hobbyists and home chemists in the ghetto phase, provided,
of course, that even heating is utilized and all bulbs are inspected for cracks.
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j_sum1
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I have seen a nice siphon coffee maker made with light bulbs. Heated of course with a light-bulb spirit burner. There are numerous hacks that can be
done with light bulbs. (When did they start to be called globes anyway?) The chief problem seems to me to be the difficulty in holding them securely.
You really do need a decent stand and clamps that can hold them if you want to do anything with them.
I no longer throw out any light bulbs. I keep them for whatever they contain -- which is a surprising amount. Cracking a bulb under water into a zip
seal plastic bag will give a small amount of inert gas. You can use a peristaltic aquarium dosing pump to feed that into ampoules or wherever it is
needed.
Depending on the bulb they may contain the following useful items
W
Mo
Ar
N2/Ar
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Hawkguy
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I've recovered the tungsten easily, but what component is the Molybdenum found in?
To hold the bulbs in place, I made a 'spring' out of thick wire that screwed into the threads. The wire then led to a stand. This setup was strong
enough to hold the bulb while full of water, and could easily be screwedor unscrewed.
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battoussai114
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Quote: Originally posted by Hawkguy  | I've recovered the tungsten easily, but what component is the Molybdenum found in?
To hold the bulbs in place, I made a 'spring' out of thick wire that screwed into the threads. The wire then led to a stand. This setup was strong
enough to hold the bulb while full of water, and could easily be screwedor unscrewed. |
I'd guess it may be used in place of tungsten depending on the bulb.
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Texium
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| Quote: Originally posted by battoussai114 | | Quote: Originally posted by Hawkguy | I've recovered the tungsten easily, but what component is the Molybdenum found in?
To hold the bulbs in place, I made a 'spring' out of thick wire that screwed into the threads. The wire then led to a stand. This setup was strong
enough to hold the bulb while full of water, and could easily be screwedor unscrewed. |
I'd guess it may be used in place of tungsten depending on the bulb. |
It's supposedly used for the support
wires that hold up the tungsten filament, although I don't think it's been confirmed yet that molybdenum is used for this purpose in all incandescent
bulbs.
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kecskesajt
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Found this out earlier.Wanted to make wood alcohol but only got a bunch of tar 
Also,good for waping glycerine and make good clouds.Like a hookah.But be careful,at some temperatures,it makes your throat scratch.
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skip
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like to add that while light bulb type chemistry is fun, it can be dangerous . Lye will do a light bulb in under heat and the bulb can fracture. I
would only try to boil water in one at best. Just buy some proper gear mate.
l
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kecskesajt
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Never melt anything in a RBF.
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NedsHead
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I've thought about using old metal halide bulbs as RBF's and high pressure sodium bulbs for boiling stuff, they're made to handle a fair amount of
thermal abuse and shouldn't be hard to get a supply of used bulbs from a hydro shop for free.
Can probably pull a strong vacuum on them too
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byko3y
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In my country round bottom flasks are dirt cheap, like 1$ for 250 ml one. Where should I live to have problems obtaining the simple flask? Australia?
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NedsHead
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A Chinese 250ml RBF costs about $20 in Australia + shipping, glassware is becoming increasingly difficult to buy throughout Australia and outright
banned in some states.
It's never a bad idea to have a backup plan as these kinds of laws generally become worse not better, but for me it's about repurposing
and up-cycling things readily available in my immediate area
[Edited on 11-8-2015 by NedsHead]
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byko3y
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So the laws are the reason, and not recycling, because glass is something that is easier to make from scratch than recycle.
I'm wondering how chemical industry in australia works. Is there any chemical industry in australia? Analytical labs? Because the main shield for
amateur chemisters is industry - regular people need chemicals and devices, otherwise a lot ofpeople will become criminals and the whole regulation
will become pointless, just like banning alcohol.
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j_sum1
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I think NedsHead has slightly overstated the legal situation here in Australia. There is a recent thread on the matter which... well, doesn't make
things clearer since the laws are pretty loose and open to interpretation (deliberately). But it does state the lie of the land a bit better than he
depicts.
http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=63146
Basically, nothing is illegal to own unless it is demonstrably drug related. Some things are de-facto restricted to buy and sell but that is a
voluntary code of conduct based on documentation put out by the Federal Police. The movement of glassware is watched both through customs and local
sales. Anything suspicious and the police pay a visit to check out.
The fact remains that glassware can be expensive for the amateur. But it can be purchased. Importing from China seems to be the most cost-effective
means. Just don't be surprised if a chap in a blue uniform turns up wanting a chat.
As for professional labs, I really don't know. I am sure they import just the same as the rest of us.
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NedsHead
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Yeah You're right j_sum1 I'm a little jaded from the 3 years I spent in QLD, I've seen this country at its worst and would hate to see other states
follow suit.
Glassware isn't outright banned its just controlled by varying degrees of difficulty to obtain (EUD's) and varying degrees of punishment/harassment
for owning.
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j_sum1
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Well, I'm in QLD and just made a big glassware order...
Let's see what happens. (Actually, I think I am covered pretty well. But if the police do knock, they can darned well make an entry into my
lab journal for posterity's sake.)
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Hawkguy
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I'm getting a pack of two 100ml Pyrex RBFs (24 40) for $98 (CAD) off Cole Parmer. Feels like a rip off but I feel like the quality won't be bad.
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aga
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They'll be a lot better and thicker than some old light bulbs for your intended purpose(s).
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Hawkguy
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I guess. But 50 bucks each seems fucked, plus $20 shipping. I thought 30 would be more reasonable.
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