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evil_lurker
National Hazard
Posts: 767
Registered: 12-3-2005
Location: United States of Elbonia
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Mood: On the wagon again.
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New lab should be in next week...
I recently took the plunge and bought a 40 foot shipping container that I intend to convert into a laboratory.
Going to divide it into two sections and seal one off from the rest, wire it up for power, and paint it with supertherm insualting paint.
Should be a nice private secure lab when I get done.
I can't wait to get moved in. 
Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in
beer.
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kclo4
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Very cool, surely you'll post pictures right?
What do you mean by a shipping container?
I'm not to sure what that is.
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497
National Hazard
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Registered: 6-10-2007
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Like a big 40 foot long metal box that they use to ship things on trucks and cargo ships. I think one of those would make a very nice lab, I may
eventually set something up similar. How much did it cost?
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ordenblitz
Hazard to Others
Posts: 259
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Location: Northwest
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The first thing I would do is saw out a few more openings for doors. Bad thing to be inside there in one end behind something bad happening.
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Magpie
lab constructor
Posts: 5939
Registered: 1-11-2003
Location: USA
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Mood: Chemistry: the subtle science.
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Will you have any windows? Not getting any sunlight would drive me nuts. Or maybe you will just leave one of those big double doors open. Or skylights?
I would run water and sewer to that puppy also if at all possible.
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evil_lurker
National Hazard
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The container itself was $2600 and some change delivered.
Another steel door will probably set me back around $300-400 to get installed.
I figure another $500 and some change will get it partitioned and wired up the way I want it.
Couple hundred bucks to get it painted... sheesh they are expensive to get decked out.
Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in
beer.
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Magpie
lab constructor
Posts: 5939
Registered: 1-11-2003
Location: USA
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Mood: Chemistry: the subtle science.
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| Quote: |
The container itself was $2600 and some change delivered.
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That's not bad for 320 ft2 of secure, weatherproof space, delivered.
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ordenblitz
Hazard to Others
Posts: 259
Registered: 18-7-2004
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That sounds pricey.. who needs steel doors? I say toss in what ever you have lying around. We have re-engineered a few containers for various uses
including my favorite, an underground storage area.
There really are no rules just fire up the torch and create! The only difficult thing is that the containers are made of a special steel called
Corten. It's a serious bitch to weld.
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evil_lurker
National Hazard
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Actually the price was pretty cheap, but shipping ate me alive on it.
Considering I'm 120+ miles from the nearest depot and @$3 per mile it adds up pretty quick.
And I had considered getting a cheaper door, security is #1 priority since where I intend to locate the box is not near any homes and considering the
nature of what is to be stored there.
Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in
beer.
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solo
International Hazard
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Make sure you have plenty of ventilation and if you plan to bury it have more than one exit in case of a fast exit.....so it gets far away from the
box......I plan something similar with sklights and a garden above to keep the green chemistry alive........solo
It's better to die on your feet, than live on your knees....Emiliano Zapata.
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Picric-A
National Hazard
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I dont understand why two doors is a neccesity...
Surly if you store all you flammables and generally anything which will burn at the other end of the shippiing container there will be nothing to burn
near the door, Eg. have you work are near the door and you chems other side.
Also keep a fire extinguisher near you chems... If all else fails climb out a window 
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Phosphor-ing
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shipping containers don't have windows!
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'" -Ronald Reagan
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Picric-A
National Hazard
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But they are easily cut with an angle grinder!, you could even furnish it with nice fire resistant curtains once done
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JohnWW
International Hazard
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Shipping containers are also very hard for the Pigs to break into, if they wanted to frame you for allegedly making drugs, especially if buried below
ground on a large property which would also make it very hard to find. However, to bury it below ground, you would firstly need a bulldozer to
excavate a pit (with drainage pipes from it to stop water from accumulating) into which it is to be unloaded by the delivery truck, and then the spoil
back-filled around it (after rust-proofing its exterior, and laying ventilation and water-supply pipes and an entrance-way).
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not_important
International Hazard
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Registered: 21-7-2006
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As already mentioned, shipping containers are typically made of COR-TEN steel. This differs enough from ordinary steels that it is worth reading up
on
http://www.steelbridges.org/pdfs/Weathering.pdf
http://search.aisc.org/queryMSC.html?qt=WEATHERING+STEEL&...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cor-ten
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evil_lurker
National Hazard
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Registered: 12-3-2005
Location: United States of Elbonia
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Mood: On the wagon again.
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The main reason for the partition is that the container will be used for both work and storage... I do not want acid fumes getting anywhere near my
tools!
Burial is out too... it could be done, but mainly for the same reason as above I don't want to be runnig up and down steps every time i need to get a
different sized wrench.
Also buried storage containers are very suspicious to LE.. they figure if you got something like that buried you gotta be hiding something in there.
Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in
beer.
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JohnWW
International Hazard
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Registered: 27-7-2004
Location: New Zealand
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| Quote: | Originally posted by evil_lurker
Also buried storage containers are very suspicious to LE.. they figure if you got something like that buried you gotta be hiding something in there.
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But how can they tell whether you even have a buried shipping container containing a laboratory, especially if it is buried on a large rural property
at a place out of sight from the road?
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bfesser
Resident Wikipedian
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Registered: 29-1-2008
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Satellites and big piles of dirt.
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chloric1
International Hazard
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Jeez I wish I could be fortunate enough to get a little plot of land. Evil-lurker, how did you manage the location if I may ask? The $2600 for the
container sounds almost within reach for many dedicated home chemists.
Speaking of steel doors, the cost of all metals has gone out of control! Mainly because of the dwindling dollar. I recently went to a discount
hardware store and choked at the cost of a copper sheet. It wa 26 gauge 24 by 24 inches for $53!! In 2001 it was $30! It almost doubled in 7 years!
Fellow molecular manipulator
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Saerynide
National Hazard
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Won't it look suspect to have a shipping container with windows which some one goes into for hours on end?
"Microsoft reserves the right at all times to monitor communications on the Service and disclose any information Microsoft deems necessary to...
satisfy any applicable law, regulation or legal process"
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ordenblitz
Hazard to Others
Posts: 259
Registered: 18-7-2004
Location: Northwest
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Mood: Bohr'd
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The buried container I spoke of was not completely underground. We dug a big trench into a hillside and backed the container in and filled over
leaving the door end exposed. Worked very well except the roof needed to be reinforced with 6"x8" I beams every 8 ft to Keep the roof from imploding
under the weight of the dirt.
Our purpose was chemical storage since it's always cool in there but never freezing regardless of the weather.
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evil_lurker
National Hazard
Posts: 767
Registered: 12-3-2005
Location: United States of Elbonia
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Mood: On the wagon again.
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Just a quick update with random stuff.... the new lab is here.
Got it almost painted inside and out... needs a bit around the bottom and some touch up here and there. Used an HVLP gun to do most of the painting.
Color came out a bit lighter than what I had expected. Also took some thinning of the paint by about 10% before the gun would spray it worth a damn.
Almost level (off by like 3-4cm). Set it up on concrete 16"x16"x4" "trailer pads". Had a bitch of a time getting it lifted up... my 65KW tractor could
not lift one end of it up.
Moving my primary work bench and attached frame will be the hardest part. I'll have to use the tractor and forklift attachment to move it since its
solid steel and weighs in well over 100kgs.
Hopefully I'll have the whole thing wired up and ready to go by the end of the week... then again, a new fume hood would be nice too...
Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in
beer.
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497
National Hazard
Posts: 778
Registered: 6-10-2007
Member Is Offline
Mood: HSbF6
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Man I'm jealous. Looks very nice.
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vulture
Forum Gatekeeper
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Why did you paint it like that? Some dull camouflage green and it would have vanished into the background.
[Edited on 2-10-2008 by vulture]
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Picric-A
National Hazard
Posts: 796
Registered: 1-5-2008
Location: England
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Nice new lab! i dont know why you painted it white, makes it stand out alot dont you think?
i agree with Vulture, a camouflage green would be nice but still, its whats inside that counts...
How are you thinking of getting electricity in there? from the pictures it looks quite secluded.
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