greenyppols - 31-1-2006 at 12:40
I was looking for a sandblasting unit of some sort for upcoming projects, and when I saw this I immediately thought of a "dual-use" for this, which
would give be better reason to maybe build one. Or be lazy and persuade the wife to allow me to buy it. 
http://www.barrelblaster.com
The pics of it are a pain to locate on the site.
Hook it up to a fan blower and it'll suck out the fumes to wherever you vent it as far as I can tell. Its metal, but I dont know if its stainless,
probably not. You can peer at your experiments through the window and monkey around inside with the rubber gloves, which are probably awkward as hell
to work in. It would seem to eliminate the possible need for a respirator for some of the other more dangerous experiments, I guess, but thats why I
ask, to see what the more illuminated think.
Thanks
joeflsts - 31-1-2006 at 18:59
The one downside is illumination. I've used these for other types of work and you must keep a light source inside the chamber in order to properly
see what you're doing.
Magpie - 31-1-2006 at 20:20
This might work OK for some experiments where your equipment layout was small and you didn't need to bring stuff in and out regularly.
Would you let air in one port and draw it out of another? Otherwise the noxious gases will be stagnant. Yes you won't get them in your face but you
will eventually have to dispose of them.
Also consider the suitability of the drum inner surfaces to the gas corrosivity of your planned experiments. What about bringing in utilities
(cooling water, electricity, etc)?
This looks like it would have very limited application for conducting chemical experiments, especially without a lot of modifications.
It is, in principle, however, very much like a radioactive glovebox. Nuclear chemists use these all the time for conducting chemical
experiments/operations.
unionised - 1-2-2006 at 13:55
"You can peer at your experiments through the window and monkey around inside with the rubber gloves, which are probably awkward as hell to work in"
I have worked with a glove box before. You wouldn't believe how awkward it makes everything. Normally, they only get used for really nasty chemicals.
On the other hand (if you forgive the pun) you could do without the gloves and just fit an extract fan to it- even a small fan would give adequate
extraction because the openings (the 2 glove holes" are quite small.
Still lots of corrosion problems though.
greenyppols - 1-2-2006 at 15:23
I'd thought of these..for illumination I was going to use a couple of 2ft flouros that have big round magnets on 'em. Although I think this had a
light in it and I could plumb electric from there. I had thought it would need mods, and didnt think it'd be useful "out of the box."
For utilities an outdoor plug, because it has those weatherproof closures (to keep out sand grit) for electric, a couple of bulkhead fittings for
vacuum and water.
For ventilation there is a 4" outlet for attachment to a "shop vac" (although I'd use a blower) to suck out the dust from sandblasting so you can see.
But you cant see it from the pics and I had thought to just leave the gloves off the unit and let air enter there and just reach in with rubber lab
gloves to do whatever. Some mods, yes, but I dont think they're excessive. And it'd kinda be a good explosion shield of sorts, wouldnt it?
The corrosion though..thats one I hit a wall on..I had thought to coat the inside with chemical resistant paint, and then I thought.."oh, right. paint
the inside of a sandblasting unit. smoooooth. " I could go and paint it anyway, but then never use it for its sandblasting. Or just live with the
corrosion.
[Edited on 1-2-2006 by greenyppols]
seeman - 4-2-2006 at 11:49
It looks awsome for biochemistry, since you could use it for mycological studies (glove box).
hell.fire - 8-2-2006 at 15:58
The best idea for a fume hood/glove box would be to use some big sheets of perspex (sp) to build a see through box and an extractor fan to extract
the fumes with a one way air valve on top of the glove box to allow fresh air in.