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Surplus Lab Equipment?
theunforgiv3n asks: "We have recently been doing some cool science experiments, in school. Being the geeky type, I am looking to recreate some of these at home. To do this, I am looking for a good place to order some surplus laboratory equipment like flasks, non-gas Bunsen burners, and tubing (glass and plastic). Price isn't a big issue but I don't really want to spend a lot of money on this. So tell me Slashdot, where do you order your science equipment?"
All the science equipment I ever got was from CompUSA.
This signiture copied from somewhere.
Are you trying to synthesize methamphetamine, or C5 explosives?
This isn't an ask /., it's an "Ask your local chrystal meth cook" those guys always seem to have the stuff and you know they don't spend too much on it.
ymmv
In my neck of the woods the drug task force is on the look out for folks ordering lab equipment. They tend to think that they're running a meth lab.
"Oh drat these computers, they're so naughty and so complex, I could pinch them." --Marvin the Martian
You could always go scavenging, remember the MIT guy that built the fusion reactor, he found his plasma accelerator(or insert some other fancy tech stuff that is impossible to find while scavenging) while scavenging.
:/
I found a DVD player by accident, yay! I haven't checked if it works yet though, it's quite dirty, smells strange and doesn't include any cables
Try a nearby university with a chemistry department. When I was an undergrad, the chemistry store on campus had everything you could want. You could browse the shelves and buy stuff cash-and-carry. Access to the store may have been restricted since Sep 11, 2001, though, as it has at my current grad school.
'Q' is for Dr. Tran
at your local college or university. Back in the 80s, when I was at Iowa State, the chem dept. sold glassware and other goodies at decent prices.
Also, many colleges and universities have periodic sales/auctions of used/surplus equipment -- I used to pick up lots of computer goodies at ISU's monthly sales.
is american science and surplus
-- botsex is {grep;touch;strip;unzip;head;mount}
I know that universities and labs are often looking to get rid of old equipment in order to make room for new equipment, so they often sell older stuff for very low prices, sometimes even free. For example, a couple of months ago, one of the national laboratories associated with my university was looking to get rid of some older equipment, which included a cray supercomputer (LN2 cooled, so you needed a ready supply) and several NMR setups. While these items were rather large (ie room-sized), I'm sure they were giving away smaller stuff too. Just check out your local university, especially any departments which have buildings being renovated or are otherwise moving.
There's no sig like SIGSEG
here at college, i LOVE getting mail, so i signed myself up for some catalogs
besides your basic Crutchfield and random crap, i enjoy looking through
Edmund Scientific who has a great supply of random stuff
Fischer Scientific they sent me several boxes of catalogs all for free, and then have EVERYTHING, you do need a "company" to buy, i have never bought anything but I dont think it should be a problem to make one up
Conscience is the inner voice that warns us somebody is looking - H.L. Mencken
This company used to be called Jerrico - and I've ordered from them for years. Additionally, their catalogs are FANTASTIC reading - very accurate descriptions on all items and most of the writeups are quite humorous as well.
Also, if you happen to visit the Chicago area, they are located just outside of north chicago - the store is chalk full of amazing things - a true surplus shoppers dream.
Aloha
AssetRelay carries good second-hand microscopes. So you can get good stuff for cheaper. See their microscopes page: AssetRelay's Microscopes
In my experience, the best way to get equiptment is to make friends with a college professor. Call it a mentorship, faculty advisor, whatever, but get to be their friend. At least at my school (Iowa State) there're many basement rooms stuffed floor to ceiling with old, used, perfectly serviceable stuff. If you're lucky, your professor friend will be happy to be looking the other direction when you find something you want. If you feel like being slightly more legal, you might ask the department if they'd be willing to sell some of the stuff to you.
I have a girlfriend whose name doesn't end in
Cash and carry is the deal
don't know if this makes a difference but it is a state univerisity and this sale is open to all.
Check your area
I eat my grapes at room temperature, cuz the cold ones hurt my teeth
Lindsay books has lots of neat books, some of which (depending on what is in print now) tell you how to make glass. If you really want to do experiments you will find their collection valuable for that purpose too.
P.S. the good stuff is in the dead tree catalog, but not online, so get a copy of the catalog.
Head to OSU's Surplus Property site. Specifically, the Online Auctions page.
Give me my freedom, and I'll take care of my own security, thank you.
It always works for me. YMMV.
Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
Build yourself whatever you like from eBay purchases. What you'll find is usually either generic (new, cheap, microscopes from China) or not under warranty or damaged (get two and piece them together) but it's usually dirt cheap and functional. I built a rather nice darkroom for 33% of the price of new gear with eBay sourced items.
Be public about it and don't worry too much about Big Brother. Meth labs have a conspicuous smell and you're only likely to attract police attention if there is other evidence to tie you to a local drug trade.
If you are planning to make illegal substances, then the eBay purchases will be one more public record that will be used against you in court. But my advice assumes that you are what you say you are, so eBay should be a great resource for you.
Regards,
Ross
http://www.labmart.com/
Everything you never wanted for prices you can't resist. And no, I'm not marketing for them, I've just bought a lot of fun stuff from there, and the prices, like I said, are very reasonable.
Enjoy!
Check at you local university. I go to Rutgers and they usually have a table near the equipment room full of equipment that they are getting rid of. I got a florence flask and a few beakers for my halloween costume (mad scientist). Enjoy your new equipment...
Welcome to the land of the free...pay toll ahead...no photography...please open your bag...
E. I. duPont Nemours Inc. has been dismantling itself for over a decade in a futile attempt to survive truly excrable management. The place is more Dilbert than Dilbert, basically, and so they are reduced to chopping off body parts and selling them on the street. They are not alone, either!
I got an 8-foot steel worktable wired for 120 VAC with 8 explosion-proof outlets and a 4-inch thick oil-impregnated maple butcherblock top for $20. (I got a propane-powered flamethrower and a softball-sized rheostat thrown in for free.) That was when they busted up the (awewsome) Wilmington Shops, which was where EDL used to have their custom robotics built.
Some guy got a vertical end mill that was less than five years old for $400 with all the bells and whistles. It cost him more to ship it and install it than he paid for it.
Google for "surplus asset sales" to find this sort of thing. For instance look at http://www.advancedlink.com/index.html
which is a similar outfit in Woburn, MA (just outside Boston, basically. Good scallops.) or http://www.michaelfox.com/us/ which is a big-time reseller.
Or just wander around until you find the warehouse area with the lowest rent in your immediate neighborhood, that's where you will find the real deals!