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Clamps & Stands

Tungsten.Chromium - 9-9-2015 at 08:33

Howdy everyone!

The current stands and clamps I have were given to me from a friend that works at a university and while I was grateful for the free gear, they're all about rusted to the point of being unusable (ie. the screws on the clamp are stuck and WD40 isn't working). I've tried soaking them in a CLR/alcohol bath overnight followed by a wire brush scrubbing, but it didn't do much.
I do have one clamp that another friend gave me that looks just like this that I love,

Only problem is that they're 17 dollars a piece.

My stands do their job, but I would like to get one solid piece instead of rearranging two. I saw one that looked similar to this at a university once, but with a wooden base that held the two "masts" in place securely

Can anyone recommend a vendor that sells these and other pieces of lab hardware at fair price or am I just dreaming of a fantasy world?

Praxichys - 9-9-2015 at 08:41

I bought this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THREE-PRONG-CONDENSER-CLAMP-WITH-BOS...

The guy was super nice gave me an extra clamp and bosshead. The clamps are really nice, chrome plated and such, definitely worth $14 each with the bosshead. I've been using them for over a year and they are not nearly as crusty as my cheap ones.

When you get new clamps, try putting some joint grease in the threads and working them back and forth. It will prevent a lot of corrosive things from attacking the threads and locking them up over time.

I built my stands right into the table. I have pieces of 1/2" galvanized electrical conduit secured to the table with pipe flanges. Each vertical rod assembly was like $3. You can do the same with 1/4" iron gas pipe, 1/2" copper, or a similar sized threaded rod. My old lab had 1/2" threaded rod coming through holes in the table, secured to the table with washers and nuts. Very easy and very low cost.

[Edited on 9-9-2015 by Praxichys]

Tungsten.Chromium - 9-9-2015 at 09:15

Thanks for the recommendation on the clamps, and the fact they come in a pack of 5 is great! Hope he gives me an extra one too lol. I'd never considered greasing them before-hand, but will give it a try when I get them. Btw is plain old vaseline okay to use as joint grease or do I need to buy some fancy chemistry specific stuff?

That table is impressive to say the least, but as a chemistry student living at home with mom and dad, I doubt they'll let me build something like that into the garage, its packed full of junk already. Maybe a similar design except on a small cart like table with wheels, but then you run the risk of it slipping/sliding in the middle of something and chemicals shaking/flying.

I'm starting to think that piece I saw in school lab was a custom piece that I'll need to make myself.

Praxichys - 9-9-2015 at 10:22

Vaseline will be better than nothing, but keep in mind that if the clamp gets warm, the vaseline will melt and drip. Also try to keep the vaseline away from the rubberized jaws of the clamps or it may soften the rubber into goop over time. If you have white lithium grease or brake caliper bolt lube (cheap at the auto store in little green packets) those will both perform better at higher temperatures for the threaded parts. Even vaseline is better than no protection though.

Don't worry about screwing them to the table like I did. Just find a block of wood or something else to use as a base. Make sure to add weight to the base so it doesn't tip over. A sandwich bag full of sand would make a good cheap weight. If you are near a Home Depot, ask the guy running the panel saw for some plywood scraps, and have him cut them into 6x8-inch pieces for you. In my experience they have only charged me for the cuts, which was a few dollars. You can use cheap bolts or short wood screws to secure the rods to the base. If you say it's for a school project, I bet they would do it for free.

Dr.Bob - 9-9-2015 at 11:32

I have some 1/2" rod and lattice work connectors left. If you know about what size lattice you want to build, I can provide enough to build it. The rod I sell for about $1 per foot, and the connectors for $3-5 ea depending on how nice you want, and which style. There are many types of connectors, but I have a few types. The shipping is not bad (within the US) as long as they are under 3-4 feet long per rod.

I also have some large 3 prong clamps left for $12 (used, but good), out of medium, which is the most popular size, might have a few small ones ($10) also, but not many. They sell for an insane price on Fisher, but some cheaper ones are available, as posted, but some are really crap, so I would buy a sample before getting a bunch, as I have bough junk ones before, and they are useless.

[Edited on 9-9-2015 by Dr.Bob]

aga - 9-9-2015 at 12:32

Anyone wanting support rods on a small scale can use something like a trolley and readily available threaded bar in various sizes (all hardware stores have these).

They also have nuts and washers that fit them.

Simply drill some holes in the trolley surface and nut-n-bolt the bar in place vertically.

Personally i use a welded up bit of iron girder for larger rig-ups and a smaller two-rod assembly with a heavy weight on top for rigs that have to fit in my tiny fume hood.

The stuck rusty clamps can probably be freed up using a blowtorch and some pliers (so you don't get singed), and made useful for longer with grease instead of WD40.

WD40 isn't really supposed to be a lubricant, more of a water dispersant.

[Edited on 9-9-2015 by aga]

CharlieA - 9-9-2015 at 16:53

Would chilling the stuck clamps work better than heating them? My thought is that "shrinking" the components a little by cooling them, will make it easier to separate them with the pliers (or a BFH).

ave369 - 10-9-2015 at 00:56

Try de-rusting your clamps with weak hydrochloric acid, then, when they regain mobility, immediately phosphoric acid to cover them with a phosphate passivating layer.

Bert - 10-9-2015 at 02:24

This gets stuck threads free- It really does what people THINK WD40 does. And doesn't leave behind the hard waxy crap that WD40 does.

https://websecure.cnchost.com/kanolabs.com/orders/order_kroi...

*offer of 1 free can- They will send you a letter about a month later, asking if you liked it, want more? I wanted more...

This stuff protects metal and doesn't dammage plastic, drip when hot & etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Boeshield-T-9-Waterproof-Lubrication-a...

Or- Just get a can of Johnson's paste wax, wax all your metal bits. A bit slower than spraying on Boeshield, but a can of wax lasts FOREVER, can also be used for cast bullet lubrication, mould release, many other things. I will wax all the parts of a gun below the wood of the stock, won't be rusty next time I get caught in the rain while hunting.

Little_Ghost_again - 10-9-2015 at 06:04

Try electrolysis

use sodium carbonate as the electrolyte and a sacrificial bit of iron for the Anode (or do I mean cathode??? brain fade moment), Ive cleaned up load of really rusty pliers and that I got from a car boot sale cheap. They cam up great and at 1.5A it didnt take long and moved freely pretty quickly. I used washing soda but I thinks sodium carbonate

Little_Ghost_again - 10-9-2015 at 06:07

In the uk these people are cheap http://www.betterequipped.co.uk/retort-clamps-pack-of-10-prd...
They only sell chemicals to schools but everything else you can buy as a person, they also do Boss heads fairly cheap

j_sum1 - 10-9-2015 at 07:04

That's a great price! Even including international shipping that would come in at lower than other clamps I have bought. Almost a shame that I don't need any at the moment.

beaker man - 10-9-2015 at 07:25

Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1

That's a great price! Even including international shipping that would come in at lower than other clamps I have bought. Almost a shame that I don't need any at the moment.

my price is better than this, welcome to compare !
www.uplabware.com

Little_Ghost_again - 10-9-2015 at 08:35

Geat so how much exactly are you going to charge me for 10? I am getting free shipping by the way. I live in the Uk and couldnt be bothered to work out CAN$. As a buyer I am lazy

Tungsten.Chromium - 10-9-2015 at 10:35

Quote: Originally posted by Little_Ghost_again

In the uk these people are cheap http://www.betterequipped.co.uk/retort-clamps-pack-of-10-prd...
They only sell chemicals to schools but everything else you can buy as a person, they also do Boss heads fairly cheap

22 euros for a pack of TEN? Thats amazing to say the least! Even with international shipping to the US I'd bet its still under 6-8 dollars a piece. Either I'm missing something or this is where we need to start getting out clamps from

Little_Ghost_again - 10-9-2015 at 10:52

I have some ordered so will let you know what they are like, They normally supplie schools but have opened some things up to others, anything with a CAS number is delivered to a school address only.
Ok it might be a catch! I think there is 20% tax on top

but even so still a good price

[Edited on 10-9-2015 by Little_Ghost_again]

Camroc37 - 10-9-2015 at 16:23

If you can weld, that is the cheapest way to go now that I think about it.

Tungsten.Chromium - 10-9-2015 at 18:02

I tried welding a few times at a friends house and ended up with two pieces of square steel tubing awkwardly joined together with a giant blob around the spot where they met, so I'm gonna stray away from that lol. Not to mention welding with aluminum is a bit tricky from what I hear.

I'm planning on going with a 3' tall x 2' wide lattice with 4 vertical masts and 2 horizontal crossbeams attached to a wooden base. Its still in the draft phase, but I'll post pictures once completed

As for the clamps, the link that little_ghost_again posted is still by far the best price I've seen.

greenlight - 11-9-2015 at 23:14

Just took two of my clamps and stands that are so rusted that the jaws can't even be opened at all anymore to a friends house for him to try and get them fixed.
We used water dispersant to loosen them so the jaws could be opened and then a drill with a copper wire brush attachment as pictured was used.
From the before and after photos you can see it works quite well and I recommend buying one of these brush attachments as it strips the rust right off easily.
Now I just have to find something to coat them in to stop it happening so easily again.

[Edited on 12-9-2015 by greenlight]

Little_Ghost_again - 12-9-2015 at 02:12

Electrolysis with washing soda also works well for badly rusted things

greenlight - 13-9-2015 at 01:50

What electrode material do you use for electrolysis to remove rust?

Another before and after shot of the screws that were also corroded after using the wire brush drill attachment on them:

[Edited on 13-9-2015 by greenlight]

[Edited on 13-9-2015 by greenlight]

[Edited on 13-9-2015 by greenlight]

Little_Ghost_again - 13-9-2015 at 07:02

I use cheapo rebar like is used for reinforced concrete, but I have also used a old spanner and a chunk of rusty unidentified metal that was magnetic.
Works a treat and seems to leave a dull dark grey coating thats pretty good at keeping rust off for a bit, dont go mad with voltage and Amps. I use a old car battery charge and set the electrodes so they pull around 1.5 - 2A. Washing soda is dead cheap as well.
To be fair those wernt really bad or stuck hard, but they came up really nice, I use the electrolysis for things that are rusted tight and I cant get moving

[Edited on 13-9-2015 by Little_Ghost_again]

Upsilon - 13-9-2015 at 07:53

I build my own stands; it's so much cheaper than buying them. Get a block of plywood, drill a large hole, and stick a length of thick PVC pipe in there and you're good to go. I do buy my clamps though because those are considerably more difficult to make.

Tungsten.Chromium - 13-9-2015 at 13:38

Danm greenlight, those second before and after pics look look amazing, I'll have to get one of those little drill attachments. I noticed mine started to look a little like that after rubbing with the wire brush for half an hour, but it would have taken hours of rubbing to get them nice and shiny like those, hence, the drill does hours of work in seconds I suppose.

The Volatile Chemist - 13-9-2015 at 16:31

Praxichys, very fine set-up. The sink hook-up is cool, too.

Tungsten.Chromium - 6-10-2015 at 13:00

Ended up buying this setup from Bob. Came in the mail today and after some fun assembly trying to get all the bars nice and square, I love it!!!

The Volatile Chemist - 11-10-2015 at 11:51

very Nice. I'd like to set one of these up when I eventually have a fume hood. There is one on craigslist, but my parents said no (Unless I bought a storage unit to keep it in till I moved out...).

Little_Ghost_again - 11-10-2015 at 11:52

you can make one from a dog guard made for cars