Does any know where the cheapest place to purchase joint clips is?
I'm looking for B19 size, I believe thats blue ?
I'm in the Uk btw.DJF90 - 31-10-2009 at 12:26
Devongrrl - I am also in the UK, and you are correct, B19 clips are blue. However, I have found that keck clips can be insanely expensive for what
they are, having seen sources where they are almost £5 each (or more!!). I was lucky enough to get ten or so from a friend when he had a couple he
wanted to get rid of for cheap Picric-A - 31-10-2009 at 13:08
I buy them in packs of 6 from phillip harris for just under £4.
SGL glassware also sell them fairly cheaply.Formula409 - 31-10-2009 at 18:00
eBay also is quite good for these sort of things.
Formula409.aonomus - 31-10-2009 at 19:51
Not to derail, but what have peoples experiences been with metal keck clips for anything with high temperatures? Are they worth the cost?devongrrl - 1-11-2009 at 01:56
I couldn't see them on the Philip Harris website but I guess I could always request a catalogue from them.
SGL look good.
Thanks for the the heads-up all. Magpie - 1-11-2009 at 08:35
Not to derail, but what have peoples experiences been with metal keck clips for anything with high temperatures? Are they worth the cost?
I used metal clips in organic chemistry class and liked them very much. I've melted 2 or 3 of the plastic clips when getting them too hot. Since I
couldn't find any metal clips I bought some Teflon clips which are better and good up to 250C.
The ones we used in class had a little spring. I haven't been able to find them in any catalogs. User - 1-11-2009 at 08:51
I have both plastic and metal ones.
Also i have melted a couple of plastic ones, shame.
Just wondering about something:
Are metal clips at high temp not going mess with the expansion of the glass and thus breaking stuff?
Never had this myself , just want to know if there is a risk involved at all.
Btw, ive also seen clamps that look like the things one uses to hang the laundry( cant figure the word) some sort of clamps.
The seemed pretty nice to me.
[Edited on 1-11-2009 by User]1281371269 - 1-11-2009 at 09:35
Any ideas on an easy way to improvise them? I tried elastic bands which didn't work but I think the adjustable strips used to hold trees to growing
posts do it.
They're quite expensive for what they are - then again cheaper than the glassware they prevent falling and breaking.User - 1-11-2009 at 11:35
Yeah ive seen an improvised way.
Take some steel wire and wrap it around the joint , than give it a couple of twists.
Do this on both joints and give 'm one turn together, youll figure out how it looks like.
Haven't used this myself but seen it on some pictures somewhere.aonomus - 1-11-2009 at 11:42
Some glassware have these little protrusions where you can attach springs to them, but these aren't terribly common, all ground glass joints have the
neccessary lips to fit a keck clip on...
Perhaps some common A clamps (might be too much force) or clothes pins can be modified with metal plates that can grab onto the ground glass joints.
The other thing that comes to mind are 2 metal plates with a U cutout, one for the top and one for the bottom, sized just like a keck clip; machine
screws + wingnuts hold the clamp in place... Anyone with a mill want to try making this? Would the metal's expansion put the glassware at risk in any
way?
I've broken a few before, one on a rotovap and one that was holding a flask in a dry ice/acetone bath (brittle at cold temperatures?). Fortunately,
the university doesn't make us pay for these things
For North America, I know you can get both plastic and metal keck clips from United Glass tech., but they are overpriced....Picric-A - 1-11-2009 at 14:58
I have two metal clips for the new rotovap, and i find them good, i just worry about scratching my glassware used for vaccums.
As for the plastic ones, i have snapped a few, burnt a few and melted a few but hey.. they are cheap!
I do want to invest in some PTFE ones, they seem a good option! they are selling a set on ebay for £4.Picric-A - 1-11-2009 at 15:02
I have both plastic and metal ones.
Just wondering about something:
Are metal clips at high temp not going mess with the expansion of the glass and thus breaking stuff?
Never had this myself , just want to know if there is a risk involved at all.
[Edited on 1-11-2009 by User]
The clip would stretch with the glassware, i doubt there is any risk at all.devongrrl - 4-11-2009 at 03:33
I buy them in packs of 6 from phillip harris for just under £4.
SGL glassware also sell them fairly cheaply.
Both SGL & Philip Harris told me when I enquired they are now selling them singly and not in packs ?
SGL seems the cheapest @ £ 1.30 each for the B19 clips plus P&P
That seems the best option for me.
Thanks everyone for the pointers. DJF90 - 4-11-2009 at 05:09
I;ve never seen these items listed in packs, with the exception of a 5-pack once sold on ebay that I saw. Hence why I stated a price of about £5 each
(obviously varies with quality of clip and supplier).1281371269 - 26-3-2010 at 06:25
Sorry to bring up this old thread, but I've had no luck getting hold of these.
I want about 3 each in B19 and B14, don't care about the material particularly.
Based on past experiences, I consider Philip Harris to be pretty much the worst (legal) company I've ever had the misfortune of dealing with. However,
I had a look anyway: They're not brilliantly priced considering the high P&P but anyway they don't specify which size you're buying on their
website and didn't reply to my email.
I've emailed SGL but got no reply. So can anyone suggest another company, or have some they could sell me? I could also do a trade for equipment or
chemicals.
Thanks!
[Edited on 26-3-2010 by Mossydie]plastics - 26-3-2010 at 13:08
Not cheap but have some myself - they work very wellPicric-A - 26-3-2010 at 13:16
Thats very expencive seeing as they are £4 each. Phillip harris sells them in packs which makes them a lot cheaper overall.1281371269 - 26-3-2010 at 13:28
To be fair though those are PTFE. I didn't know the PH ones were in packs?starman - 26-3-2010 at 16:56
Hi Mossydie.I use United Glass Technology.Full range of clips,packs of 5 or 10.Fast international postage.(they're US based)1281371269 - 27-3-2010 at 09:52
UGT have great prices on the clips, but want $22.50 for postage. Which is weird, because for one set it was only $12.50 P&PPicric-A - 27-3-2010 at 14:41
Mossydie- yes the PH ones are in pack of (i think) 6 and are £3 each. i dont consider that a bad price however they are plastic and i get though them
relativly fast due to them snapping or melting.starman - 27-3-2010 at 15:36
Well that's what the website said...maybe I'll email them and ask.
How sensitive are the standard plastic ones - is it worth spending more for PTFE?
[Edited on 28-3-2010 by Mossydie]
Depends on temp range.From memory they're only rated to 140C.But even at higher temps you probably only need PTFE or metal clips on the
flask/stillhead area.chemrox - 28-3-2010 at 19:23
I'd like to find a cheaper place to buy ball joint clamps- damned things are ridiculously expensive retail. Keck clamps are too but seem to be
frequently available on ebay at reasonable rates. For higher temps I use metal wire and cork lined clamps.1281371269 - 31-3-2010 at 08:49
Actually on eBay.co.uk the only ones there are the ball joint ones. Out of interest, what is the advantage of ball joint fittings?
I doubt I'd need anything to do really high temperatures, but thanks for the tip about putting an insulator between the clip and glass.
In conclusion, the two which are by far the cheapest are (in size B14) UGT at £1.65ea and SGL at £1.25ea, though UGT were definitely better at
replying to emails, saying that the $22.50 postage was a mistake and should have come up as $6.
Having managed to get a response from SGL (called them) I'll get from there as they're marginally cheaper and postage is only £1.50 or so.
Thanks for the help with this - having proper clips be 100 times better than my old method of keeping joints in place (involving insulator tape and
crossed fingers)
