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[*] posted on 16-5-2015 at 12:48


You're way ahead of me,
I have the room set but nothing else. 6-7 projects all at various stages of completion. Hell I don't even have the bench top in yet.




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[*] posted on 16-5-2015 at 12:59


Nice, aga! It's great to see Shedworld Then and Now. ;) I remember reading this thread when you first posted it, when I had been around on here for just a couple months. I was thinking about how I should try building a fume hood like yours... still hasn't happened. At least I'm in the garage and out of the back yard for the most part now.
Just realizing how it's been about a year and a half since I started. Time flies. Seems like a pretty long time, but I still feel sort of like a noob.

Edit: I found some Then and Now pictures of my own to share.

phpgIyF7F.jpg - 868kB
First off, my cabinet in the garage where I keep all of my stuff, December 2013 after I got my first order of supplies.

phptiG01V.jpg - 722kB
...and here it is today (yes, it grew an extra shelf!) Also, all of the glassware had to be moved into another room because of space issues. Now it's primarily chemicals with some other miscellany.

Messy Lab Bench.png.jpg - 1.4MB
And this is my lab bench that I've had since about 6 months ago. Prior to that, I did everything in the back yard. (pardon the mess, still haven't finished cleaning up from last weekend's endeavors)

[Edited on 5-16-2015 by zts16]




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[*] posted on 16-5-2015 at 13:09


> Don't store flammable materials on top of your fume hood though!

Ain't no place else for them to go.
Anyway, it's not ALL flammable up there, just mostly flammable ...

Super clean lab zts.

Needs more fizzing, popping, boiling-over and explosions.

I can lend you bucket loads of Stupidity if you need help decorating !




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[*] posted on 16-5-2015 at 13:30


Quote: Originally posted by aga  
>
Super clean lab zts.

Needs more fizzing, popping, boiling-over and explosions.

I can lend you bucket loads of Stupidity if you need help decorating !
Ha, did you post that before I edited my post adding the picture of my horridly messy lab bench?
I put that picture there specifically since you've criticized the immaculate looking pictures of my lab that I've posted in the past. :P




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[*] posted on 16-5-2015 at 13:46


What mess ?

You're a clean worker - it's something to be proud of.




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[*] posted on 16-5-2015 at 13:53


Quote: Originally posted by aga  
What mess ?

You're a clean worker - it's something to be proud of.
Ah, well thank you.
By my standards, the way my lab bench looks in the third picture I posted is quite messy and chaotic, but it does mean that I've been using it! I'm going to go spend an hour or so cleaning it... then I'll mess it up again.




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[*] posted on 16-5-2015 at 13:55


Quote: Originally posted by zts16  
Ha, did you post that before I edited my post adding the picture of my horridly messy lab bench?


You don't know the meaning of the term 'horridly messy'! And you know what Berzelius has to say about labs and tidiness anyway...




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[*] posted on 16-5-2015 at 15:34


Quote: Originally posted by zts16  
I'm going to go spend an hour or so cleaning it... then I'll mess it up again.

A clear case of Forward/Reverse OCD.

He's off to polish the plastic cups, carefully put them away in regimented neat order, pressure-wash the work surface (removing exactly 0.01mm of formica) then steam-clean it and dry it with lint-free cloth before polishing to a near-mirror finish.

Then, after carefully double-bagging the waste, the gloves, the cleaning materials *and* the clothes he wore (including the shoes), he goes for 3 showers of 90 seconds each at precisely 45 C, 50 C and 55 C, and puts on a fresh set of clothes.

On returning to the lab, there's nothing to clean ...

... so he'll get the plastic pots out again and toss them at random on the worktop whilst secretly hating/admiring the chaos.

After a full 6 minutes 12 seconds, as a final crazy act, he'll take precisely 2.48 g of yard dirt from the sealed plastic bag (kept specially for this purpose) and, with eyes tightly shut, toss it up in the air in the general direction of the workbench, writhing inside at the sheer horror of what it will do, yet struggling to suppress the the weird sexual pleasure the mess creation arouses

When he finally slows his breathing from a panic attack rate to a deep panting, he opens his eyes, and beholds the catastrophe before him, and gasps at the sheer Bachanalian randomness and filthiness of the scene.

Turning away in disgust, a tear of half self-hatred and half joy rolls down his cheek as he dons a fresh set of rubber gloves and reaches for the cleaning materials once again ...

[Edited on 16-5-2015 by aga]




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[*] posted on 16-5-2015 at 17:04


I too suffer from FYSUS (F yourself up syndrome). Mine is in my machine shop.

My work bench is my nemesis. I'll spend 1/2 an hour sorting parts, cleaning parts, putting everything where it belongs so I can easily find it again.
Then I'll spend 1/2 hr collecting tools from all over the shop.

The bitch is I will make the same mess on the next project, and be so disgusted that I have to rinse/ repeat that I'll walk away, and leave it until the next time I need the bench.

I'm praying I don't allow this pattern to begin in my lab. Spending 20 minutes looking for a particular chemical doesn't sound like it's good for the nerves.




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[*] posted on 16-5-2015 at 19:44


During high school summers I worked for my uncle on his wheat/pea farm. Of course he had a repair shop for farm implements, etc. He never (no never) put any of his tools away or cleaned the shop. But he knew where everything was at all times.

It's been great for me to have my own lab that I can organize and keep clean to my own satisfaction.




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[*] posted on 16-5-2015 at 21:13


Here's my lab:













How do you like it? I think it needs a bit of expansion :(

[Edited on 17.5.2015 by Brain&Force]




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[*] posted on 17-5-2015 at 00:28


Break away from focusing on clear liquids in clear bottles in a transparent glass lab.

Get some Colours in there.




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[*] posted on 17-5-2015 at 03:00


I dunno. I think the matching of refractive indices is masterful.
I am impressed.
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[*] posted on 23-4-2016 at 11:20
Shedworld is Dead. Long live Shedworld !


Just a little over two years and that original fume hood got dismantled today.

Basically it was too small.

Also, the shed got flooded with mud about 6 times over winter so needed a total re-vamp anway.

The new build will be more in line with how Air flows, and will allow much more headroom for those really tall glass setups.

Stuff to be added are Vac, Gas & Coolant spiggots, better lighting : stuff like that.

As there is solar power on hand, a mains fan and a 12v fan will be incorporated, just in case a power source fails.

Gotta get a LOT done tomorrow, as the entire contents of that tiny shed are strewn across the countryside at the mo.

Unfortunately the mice have been disturbed, but they didn't pay any rent anyway.

Edit:

WOW !

Reading back, it's amazing how much i have learnt in the past 2 years, mostly from SM members.

HUGE thanks to all contributors who helped that happen.

Photos of Shed VII to follow when the fume hood is built.

[Edited on 23-4-2016 by aga]




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[*] posted on 25-4-2016 at 11:44


2 Days in, 3 IKEA 'Albert' shelving units later ...

hood.JPG - 144kB mech.JPG - 158kB

Oh, and the 'debris field' that remains from what was in the shed before, and waiting to be sorted into 'crap' and 'stuff that needs to go back in'.

Plenty of stuff got re-used, mostly the wood and shelves.

debirs.JPG - 159kB

Had an idea for storing the Long glassware, but need to go to the plumbing shop to get materials ...




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[*] posted on 25-4-2016 at 11:47


I seem to remember one of your initial posts was boiling some random Spanish vegetation in a flask...



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[*] posted on 25-4-2016 at 11:59


Boiling random vegetables is crazy. Yes, i think i did.

Still amazed this thread was not dumped straight into Beginnings ;)




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[*] posted on 30-4-2016 at 11:30
ShedLab Build Update


Shed v2 is coming along.

build-30-4-2016.JPG - 139kB

Still needs a side panel and roof panel to the 'hood, some lights, the extractor assembly (maybe a baffle) then on to sealing and painting, before figuring out a dual-sash counterweighted door arrangement.

nozzles.JPG - 106kB

This was a Brainwave whilst looking for things to use for hose barbs. The nozzle thing that comes with silicone sealant is Perfect for water and vacuum !

They come with a flange at the back and splines too, so hammer into slightly undersized holes in wood perfectly.

For the butane feed i really want proper Gas stuff.

The Control Panel allows easy control of all the 'services' in the 'hood to be messed with : adjustable vacuum, water, butane.

The extractor fan and lights will be on one common switch.




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[*] posted on 30-4-2016 at 14:41


Looking beyoootiful!

I really like the glassware storage on the right. That's handy.

Quote:
The extractor fan and lights will be on one common switch.

I wouldn't. There are times when you want one without the other. The hood at my work cannot do lights without fan and it is a PITA at times. The airflow from the fan is really strong and it makes it difficult to light a bunsen. If you turn the fan off then you are doing it in the dark.
Ok, that's a quirk of that particular setup. But consider the following:

  • You are doing something light sensitive and want to control the available light: blackout or UV or filtered light.
  • You want to take some photos and you stage everything in the fume hood because it is the only clear bench space and it has good light. But you don't need the fan.
  • You have a synth that is running for many hours. You want to expel gases produced but you don't need to leave the lights on all night.
  • Your are monitoring mass loss in a reaction by having it run on some digital scales with a camera pointed at it. You need good light but the air flow messes with the scale.

Maybe not everyday occurrences but for the sake of an extra switch you have some versatility.


And I use caulking nozzles for all kinds of things. They pass for funnel in some circumstances too.




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[*] posted on 30-4-2016 at 14:58


You came a long way aga, looking good! And you were asking about the fluorescence of the concentrate product of boiling some vegetation in a flask if I remember correctly. Came a long way; now you've got a full-fledged lab instead of a beaker of grass :)



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[*] posted on 30-4-2016 at 23:35


Thanks for the tips : i'll see if i can find another switch that matches the others.

Previously all the glass was hanging on the walls. That worked, although long things like burettes were a bit precarious. Those tubes are just angled lengths of 80mm PVC drainpipe. Each one has bubble wrap stuffed down at the bottom to prevent the glass 'banging' or falling out.

14 long glass pieces (e.g. 300mm liebig etc) in 80mm is pretty efficient too !

Beaker of boiled grass ? I should try that again with an acetone soxhlet extraction under reduced pressure with iced water in the Allihn :)




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