NZniceguy - 20-12-2017 at 20:00
Hi there, just wondering if there were many other kiwis here and if so, does anyone have any spare glassware willing to sell?
I'm especially looking for some more rbf's in 250ml, 500ml double or triple neck preferably.
I also have some stuff to trade and am always looking to add to the collection or maybe go in together to buy stuff that is too much for one person
(split cost and amount etc).
j_sum1 - 20-12-2017 at 20:38
Kiwi here but resident of the other side of the ditch.
Atm, twospoons is the most active kiwi member. Ramium hasn't posted for a while. There are three or four others. Mostly new members with sub50 posts.
I tried to keep track but if someone disappears for a month or two it is easy to forget.
Assured Fish - 20-12-2017 at 21:55
Yay.
Im not the only one.
Im a kiwi born and breed, though i am unfortunetely inactive practical wise as i had to move house reccently and so im in the process of finding a new
location to set up shop.
My current flat is less than ideal although im sure i could get away with a few smaller less volatile experiments.
I have however got a pretty good idea for where to aquire your basic reagents and whatnot such as H2SO4, H2O2, acetone, DCM, toluene, HCl, Na/KOH,
nitric acid, KNO3, sulfur and quite a few others.
Id be very keen to colaborate in a large purchase of some of the more difficult to aquire reagents such as sodium nitrite.
As for glassware, im not gonna sell any unfortunetely as pretty much anything i aquire id rather keep for myself.
The best local place in NZ to get glassware would be Labwarehouse.
http://www.labwarehouse.co.nz/Glassware_c_1.html
It wont get you in any hassle with the cops if you buy any beakers or erlenmyres or other basic equipment from them.
However the purchase of RB flasks 500ml or above will deffinetely get you a visit.
On each item they sell that is restricted, it will say that its rescricted on the page.
Personally i would advise against keeping your lab a secret from the cops.
In nz they are generally pretty nice and won't hastle you unless you buy some restricted items or import something sketchy.
Provided you are of coarse not making anything sketchy yourself 
Feel free to U2U me about anything.
j_sum1 - 20-12-2017 at 22:41
Sorry AF. I knew I had overlooked someone.
All I can say is that having good networking has been a real advantage on this side of the Tasman. I recommend doing the same.
Assured Fish - 20-12-2017 at 22:46
Quite forgivable j_sum1 as i think ive only mentioned it a few times.
I should probably put it on my profile.
NZniceguy - 21-12-2017 at 04:39
Oh nice, there are some other kiwis here! Thanks guys!!!
Yeah I totally get you on keeping any glassware as it is a hassle getting it in......I bought a $200 distillation kit from Aliexpress and the guy
labelled it "Synth Ware" and customs gave it to the Police and that was the end of that.......I tried all I could to offer for them to come see my
house and see what we wanted it for etc but he never showed and was then on "holiday" etc and its now been 6 months......I ended up just buying
another but in smaller amounts........its just nice to have a few extra rbf's if doing a few things in succession and having to waste time finding
something that works to clean the flask and then actually cleaning and drying it.
Would love to know where you have found H2SO4, I think its fairly expensive and id only want a half litre or a whole maybe if you wanted to share a
purchase?,.......I tried making some by electrolysis of copper sulfate solution with graphite rod and copper wire but it didnt make much and I dont
think the strength was very high 
Was still fun to see and do.
DCM ive been doing the paint stripper distillation but its horrible shit to clean out..........have been trying to get it to distill straight out of
the can in the water bath but havnt spent much time to perfect it yet.........I got some weak Nitric Acid from the dope growers shop as ph down but
wouldnt mind a better source and for a couple others you have listed, if you dont mind sharing byU2U?
j_sum1 - 21-12-2017 at 05:16
Therre are these two:
https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/member.php?action=vie...
https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/member.php?action=vie...
But neither that active.
And there are at least two more that I have noticed but I forget names.
JohnWW was a long-time member here and a big contributor but turned inactive a while before I arrived. He was also from NZ.
On the making of H2SO4 by electrolysis of copper sulfate, use a lead anode. A piece of old-stuyle roofing flashing is perfect. It quickly builds up
a lead dioxide layer that protects it and it works well. Just don't let the current density get too high. That is, use a large anode and keep the
current down a bit. It is not a spectacularly speedy process. I used to do mine in a peanut butter jar dissolving 50g of copper sulfate at a time.
I would use a regulated power supply and set the current so that a batch would be done in 24 hours -- allowing for about 20% current inefficiency.
That would get rid of the last trace of blue from the solution. It is important to not let it sit once the power supply is switched off -- you do get
some copper react. Then is a boiling down process which gives you a few mL of good quality acid. I tended to quit boiling down once the fuming
started to get too much and my acid was around 70%.
You could scale up easily. But I found that doing a small batch each day and boiling down a few batches at once worked quite well for me.
NZniceguy - 21-12-2017 at 14:39
Thanks for that J_Sum1.......some good tips there. I'll try that next time.
Twospoons - 21-12-2017 at 22:36
Yeah, the cops are pretty reasonable - I had one living next door for years, and my glassware was visible in the garage. I don't think he even so much
as waved over the fence.
Living in a slightly more dodgy area now - so the labware is out of sight - not from the cops but from the dubious ppl in the reserve out the back.