Lab Basics

[Boatdrynx]

HI folks! Newbie here. As such I have a couple of questions. One, are
there many Midwesterners aboard? And two, what is the best source for
your basic lab setup? (glassware, pH meters n' such) I'm enrolled in a
Biotech program and would like to set up the homelab for both practice
purposes and for local environmental investigation, diagnostic
microbiology and the like. As my course work is pretty heavy on the
chemistry side some info on micro-chemical sets would be greatly
appreciated as well.

[Jeswin John]

Welcome.
I would say try eBay. lots of cheap stuff pop up on it.

--
*-----------------------------------------------------------*
Join the Revolution

http://diybio.org/
http://homebrewbioscience.blogspot.com/
*------------------------------------------------------------*

[Frankco]

Hi All,

Excuse me if my question is totally ignorant. I'm a newbie too who has a
long way to go. I'm working on it and appreciate the information I'm finding
here. I'm also in Midwest U.S. like boatdrynx.

I watched a video on how to insert GFP into bacteria. If one had an
Agrobacterium strain that was not genetically modified could one disarm it
and follow the procedure?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HDkbL0INGk&feature=channel_page

Since unmodified Agrobacterium can be sent across state lines without a
permit, I think, it would make a good candidate for me to experiment with. I
know there's a lot of details to work out.

Frank

[Daniel Wexler]

I think I may be the only Wisconsonite. I have purchased supplies at
American Science and Surplus, Lab-X, and E-Bay.

[digitalbio]

Agrobacterium is a plant pathogen and mailing it, etc. is regulated by
the FDA. I used to work with it in grad school and I'm pretty certain
that you cannot mail it to people without breaking some kind of law.

On Feb 28, 1:50 pm, "Frankco" <f...@frankandjackie.com> wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> Excuse me if my question is totally ignorant. I'm a newbie too who has a
> long way to go. I'm working on it and appreciate the information I'm finding
> here. I'm also in Midwest U.S. like boatdrynx.
>
> I watched a video on how to insert GFP into bacteria. If one had an
> Agrobacterium strain that was not genetically modified could one disarm it

> and follow the procedure?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HDkbL0INGk&feature=channel_page

[Frankco]

Thanks digitalbio. Yes, I believe you are right.

I guess my question should have been, how to disarm agrobacterium. I know
that raising the temp to above 82 deg F. disarms it but that of course is
temporary. Dr. Mary-Dell Chilton along with her reasearch team, (also a
Midwesterner), was the first person who found a way to disarm agrobacterium
but I have not been able to find any info on her methods.

[Thomas Knight]

The permit you need (in the USA) is actually from the Department of
Agriculture, who control potential plant pathogenic organism
distribution.

[Frankco]

Thanks Thomas,

I hear it's all but impossible to get if you are not associated with a
research lab or university. I'll check though to see if things have changed.

Thanks,

[Jeswin John]

Here is my wish list: Need money first

Item

• Microscope
• pH Meter
• Digital or Analog Thermometer
• Power Supply
• Pipette
• Microcentrifuge
  
• Glassware: Beakers, flasks, test tubes, vials
• Analytical Balance
• Incubator
• Autoclave

I'm probably gonna go over $500 if I'm not careful but with ebay, most of the things can be had in double digit prices. Some may be 20, 30 years old but if it works, I won't mind.

If I want less precision, I can get pH meters, thermometers from the pet store. Home made incubators, power supplies. Things like glassware and microscopes can only be bought.

I could build a balance that weighs less than 1mg
http://www.sci-spot.com/Mechanical/balance.htm

Autoclaves and centrifuges are not really necessary right now but will be handy.

On Sun, Mar 1, 2009 at 11:25 AM, Daniel Singh <daniel.singh.in@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi all,

this thread is a good start to list out teh equipments
one can acquire/needed for a home based laboratory
for microbiology/molecular/bio-chemical work.

any suggestions...

i googled and found few different lists, just compiling them at the
moment, will post the list soon, in the meantime if you can fill in
please do...

regards

Dan

[Meredith L. Patterson]

You'll want an autoclave early on, in order to be able to sterilize
your equipment. Fortunately, a pressure cooker that can handle 15
pounds of pressure will do just fine. Build some standoffs (I used
Coke cans cut in thirds) to put under the rack, because you don't want
to immerse your equipment in the water. Cover the rack with paper
towels (they will get wet) and lay out your glassware / other
autoclavable equipment on top of the paper towels, then put the
pressure cooker on your hot plate, get it up to temperature, and let
it steam at 121 C for 25 minutes.

I've also sterilized nutrient agar for plates this way. You may get a
little spillage, and the smell is impressive if your nutrient medium
has tryptone in it, but it works very well.

--mlp

On Sun, Mar 1, 2009 at 9:59 PM, Jeswin John <phill...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Here is my wish list: Need money first
>

[Jeswin John]

Autoclave is expensive but not a pressure cooker. Just can't use the one in the kitchen.

[William Heath]

I am really enjoying this thread.  I want to know all the things I need for my diy bio lab too for cheap!

-Tim

[Meredith L. Patterson]

Yeah. I bought a pressure cooker that I only use for sterilizing
equipment, and it goes on a hotplate, not my kitchen stove.

--mlp

[Jeswin John]

does it get hot enough? i think pressure cookers are very thick. How is the heat distribution?

[Tom]

Pressure cookers are much cheaper than autoclaves, even those
available on ebay. I bought a 41 qt one from the All American company
(http://www.allamericanpressurecookers.com/). Remember to read the
instructions carefully if you are not used to running one of these, 15
psi can do significant damage if it is released quickly. Also, if you
are doing liquids, media, reagants, be sure to slow exhaust or the
liquids will boil over and your bottles may explode. Do not tighten
caps, they need to be loosely on. If not, more exploding glass inside.
Do not rush the pressure release. I am sterilizing stuff right now.

[Meredith L. Patterson]

+1 on not rushing the pressure release. Mine has a little metal button
that pops up and prevents the lid from being opened while there's a
significant difference between the pressure inside the cooker and
normal atmospheric pressure, so I just wait for the apparatus to cool
down. When the button drops back down, it's safe to open it up (though
still quite hot inside).

Jeswin -- the heat distribution seems to be quite good as far as I can
tell. Everything seems to get to a uniform temperature, nothing's
melted on me, &c.

--mlp

[Aaron Hicks]

The home-and-garden thermometers with the remote sensor run about $20 at the hardware store; they give indoor and outdoor temperatures. Attach the outdoor probe to a coin or a thinner piece of metal so it stays where you hang it without having to re-use the adhesive.

The Russian microscope that American Science and Surplus sells is okay for low-grade work. Probably just as well to find one off eBay.

I use pressure cookers, too; instead of aluminum can stand-offs from the bottom, I use baby food jars. The All American ones are the best, but their price reflects that.

The old Mettler mechanical balances are cheap on eBay, but the agate knife edges chip and the gears wear. I had to throw out an excellent sub-milligram balance because the one gear- some superbly mis-engineered piece of plastic with an offset crown gear- was stripped. A piece that probably ran $.25 to make rendered the whole thing obsolete. If well-maintained, they are still usable. Otherwise, go for stock solutions and serial dilutions for anything requiring greater precision than whatever balance you have available.

Centrifuges (10 and 15 mL capacities) are inexpensive on eBay right now. Everything's on fire sale. It's so cool. Kid-in-a-candy-shop cool.

-AJ

[Paul Anderson]

On Sat, Feb 28, 2009 at 2:01 PM, Boatdrynx <boat...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>

> HI folks! Newbie here. As such I have a couple of questions. One, are
> there many Midwesterners aboard? And two, what is the best source for
> your basic lab setup?
>

Check out:
http://www.homechemlab.com

And look at Elemental Scientific. They sell a set of basic glassware.
I sell some lab supplies through my website as well. I would suggest
getting a copy of the Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments.

--
Paul Anderson
VE3HOP
wacky...@gmail.com
http://www.andersonloco.com
QRP ARCI #13228, GQRP #12447

[Jeswin John]

41 quarts?? $400? Not what I would need. Its a pressure cooker not some expensive lab equipment. As long as it works, I don't personally find it necessary to get the top of the line one.

 How high does the temperature get inside those?

4 quart $20 at Target

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/180-7880403-7986234?ASIN=B000HJW318&AFID=Froogle&LNM=B000HJW318|Manttra_Aluminum_Pressure_Cooker_4_qt._24101&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B000HJW318&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001

[Tom]

Jeswin,

Correct, you are right, top of the line, likely not necessary for all,
but 4 qt is too tiny. It is a question of priorities. One of mine is a
quality sterilization system, I was prepared to go thousands for an
autoclave on ebay that would be a risk, so I thought this was
relatively cheap, for a quality product. Another priority is quality
H20, especially for molecular biology. I can tell that story another
time, with pictures and references. Having spent my life doing
molecular biology, I am prepared get the fundamentals right, even if
it costs, and I am still under my budget for this. I think I have
solved both of these problems, so along with good chemicals, I should
be able to do good research. It all may be overkill, but if I get the
results I want, it will all be worth it. I am sure guys rebuilding
cars and doing wood working, or other hobbies go to similar extremes
for equipment at times.

On Mar 1, 9:10 pm, Jeswin John <phillyj...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 41 quarts?? $400? Not what I would need. Its a pressure cooker not some
> expensive lab equipment. As long as it works, I don't personally find it
> necessary to get the top of the line one.
>
>  How high does the temperature get inside those?
>
> 4 quart $20 at Target
>

> http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/180-7880403-7986234?ASIN=B000HJW...Manttra_Aluminum_Pressure_Cooker_4_qt._24101&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B000HJW318&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001
>
>
>
> On Sun, Mar 1, 2009 at 6:15 PM, Paul Anderson <wackyvor...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Sat, Feb 28, 2009 at 2:01 PM, Boatdrynx <boatdr...@sbcglobal.net>

> > wrote:
>
> > > HI folks! Newbie here. As such I have a couple of questions. One, are
> > > there many Midwesterners aboard? And two, what is the best source for
> > > your basic lab setup?
>
> > Check out:
> >http://www.homechemlab.com
>
> > And look at Elemental Scientific.  They sell a set of basic glassware.
> >  I sell some lab supplies through my website as well.  I would suggest
> > getting a copy of the Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments.
>
> > --
> > Paul Anderson
> > VE3HOP

> > wackyvor...@gmail.com

[Daniel Singh]

Hey guys,

 

i use pressure cooker in kitchen daily, pressure cookers come with a rubber gasket

and a metal whistle which releases the pressure.

 

But talking abt hacking a pressure cooker to cool down instantly in seconds:

the best way to do this in 10-20 seconds is to get the pressure cooker off the

gas/hotplate take it to the sink still unopened, and start the tap with running water/cold water

and within seconds the pressure inside the cooker will become equal to the outside

pressure...

 

hope this helps, i was also thinking some cookers come with an extra screw cap on top

which can be unscrewed and a pressure guage can be attachd on it.

this is on the lid.

 

hope this helps, will try to get a picture of it asap and post.

 

regards

 

Daniel Singh

[Nathan McCorkle]

About 5 years ago I picked up a, umm, huge stock pot pressure cooker with a gauge up to 20psi on it, at a thrift store for probably $30. Since then I have replaced the gasket and it performs fantastically! I don't remember the last time (if ever) I used it for food, but I have gone back and forth using a small wal-mart PC with no gauge for food and sterilization... I think it is fine as long as I am not cooking reagents, I would eat most media and tools should be inert.

I was looking at analytical balances that went to tenths of a miligram... seems like there is a big price range, from $300 - $1600... 

--
Nathan McCorkle
Rochester Institute of Technology
College of Science, Biotechnology/Bioinformatics

[Daniel Singh]

Hi,

 

i found this website very excitign and has lots of good pointers for a home lab

http://www.disknet.com/indiana_biolab/

 

hope you all find this a good read.

 

all comments welcome

 

regards

 

Dan

[Jeswin John]

The american pressure cookers seem to have more height. My mom brought one from India and its diameter is larger and its less tall. Such a cooker would let you place a few glassware on the bottom.

I think we should all tell what our budgets are. Tom probably has a large budget considering you want to spend 1k on an autoclave.

[Stacy]

Careful with buying scales. Sub-milligram scales shipped to a
residence are probable cause for a search warrant. And yes, the
police will show up. It's not illegal to own them, and maybe it isn't
a problem for you if the authorities have a look around, but just FYI.

Luckily, most MolBio applications don't need such precise weighing. A
triple beam balance works fine for making buffers, etc.

On Mar 2, 3:24 am, Nathan McCorkle <nmz...@gmail.com> wrote:
> About 5 years ago I picked up a, umm, huge stock pot pressure cooker with a
> gauge up to 20psi on it, at a thrift store for probably $30. Since then I
> have replaced the gasket and it performs fantastically! I don't remember the
> last time (if ever) I used it for food, but I have gone back and forth using
> a small wal-mart PC with no gauge for food and sterilization... I think it
> is fine as long as I am not cooking reagents, I would eat most media and
> tools should be inert.
>
> I was looking at analytical balances that went to tenths of a miligram...
> seems like there is a big price range, from $300 - $1600...
>

> On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 1:02 AM, Daniel Singh <daniel.singh...@gmail.com>wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Hey guys,
>
> > i use pressure cooker in kitchen daily, pressure cookers come with a rubber
> > gasket
> > and a metal whistle which releases the pressure.
>
> > But talking abt hacking a pressure cooker to cool down instantly in
> > seconds:
> > the best way to do this in 10-20 seconds is to get the pressure cooker off
> > the
> > gas/hotplate take it to the sink still unopened, and start the tap with
> > running water/cold water
> > and within seconds the pressure inside the cooker will become equal to the
> > outside
> > pressure...
>
> > hope this helps, i was also thinking some cookers come with an extra screw
> > cap on top
> > which can be unscrewed and a pressure guage can be attachd on it.
> > this is on the lid.
>
> > hope this helps, will try to get a picture of it asap and post.
>
> > regards
>
> > Daniel Singh
>

> > On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 3:34 AM, Meredith L. Patterson <clonea...@gmail.com

> > > wrote:
>
> >> +1 on not rushing the pressure release. Mine has a little metal button
> >> that pops up and prevents the lid from being opened while there's a
> >> significant difference between the pressure inside the cooker and
> >> normal atmospheric pressure, so I just wait for the apparatus to cool
> >> down. When the button drops back down, it's safe to open it up (though
> >> still quite hot inside).
>
> >> Jeswin -- the heat distribution seems to be quite good as far as I can
> >> tell. Everything seems to get to a uniform temperature, nothing's
> >> melted on me, &c.
>
> >> --mlp
>

> >> On Sun, Mar 1, 2009 at 10:59 PM, Tom <tarand...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >> > Pressure cookers are much cheaper than autoclaves, even those
> >> > available on ebay. I bought a 41 qt one from the All American company
> >> > (http://www.allamericanpressurecookers.com/). Remember to read the
> >> > instructions carefully if you are not used to running one of these, 15
> >> > psi can do significant damage if it is released quickly. Also, if you
> >> > are doing liquids, media, reagants, be sure to slow exhaust or the
> >> > liquids will boil over and your bottles may explode. Do not tighten
> >> > caps, they need to be loosely on. If not, more exploding glass inside.
> >> > Do not rush the pressure release. I am sterilizing stuff right now.
>
> --
> Nathan McCorkle
> Rochester Institute of Technology

> College of Science, Biotechnology/Bioinformatics- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Dan]

Here's my Ebay experience so far:
Autoclave - look for steam sterilizers. Tattoo shops create a large
demand for these and the price is fairly reasonable. I got a large
autoclave (I'll try to remember to dredge up the link later) for $240
or so that can hold 4 1L bottles with extra room at the top. It needs
a 20A wall outlet if you're running 120V, though so that might be
problematic if you're in a house with 15A outlets.

Scales - if you can tolerate milligram sensitivity (and honestly, how
often do you need sub milligram sensitivity?) you can get jewellers
scales that go do 1 mg for under $30.

[Tom]

I was willing to spend for an autoclave, did not really want to. Now I
can spend that which I have saved on some restriction enzymes and
other fun stuff.

On Mar 2, 10:44 am, Jeswin John <phillyj...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The american pressure cookers seem to have more height. My mom brought one
> from India and its diameter is larger and its less tall. Such a cooker would
> let you place a few glassware on the bottom.
>
> I think we should all tell what our budgets are. Tom probably has a large
> budget considering you want to spend 1k on an autoclave.
>

> On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 4:57 AM, Daniel Singh <daniel.singh...@gmail.com>wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Hi,
>
> > i found this website very excitign and has lots of good pointers for a home
> > lab
> >http://www.disknet.com/indiana_biolab/
>
> > hope you all find this a good read.
>
> > all comments welcome
>
> > regards
>
> > Dan
> > On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 1:54 PM, Nathan McCorkle <nmz...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >> About 5 years ago I picked up a, umm, huge stock pot pressure cooker with
> >> a gauge up to 20psi on it, at a thrift store for probably $30. Since then I
> >> have replaced the gasket and it performs fantastically! I don't remember the
> >> last time (if ever) I used it for food, but I have gone back and forth using
> >> a small wal-mart PC with no gauge for food and sterilization... I think it
> >> is fine as long as I am not cooking reagents, I would eat most media and
> >> tools should be inert.
>
> >> I was looking at analytical balances that went to tenths of a miligram...
> >> seems like there is a big price range, from $300 - $1600...
>

> >> On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 1:02 AM, Daniel Singh <daniel.singh...@gmail.com>wrote:
>
> >>> Hey guys,
>
> >>> i use pressure cooker in kitchen daily, pressure cookers come with a
> >>> rubber gasket
> >>> and a metal whistle which releases the pressure.
>
> >>> But talking abt hacking a pressure cooker to cool down instantly in
> >>> seconds:
> >>> the best way to do this in 10-20 seconds is to get the pressure cooker
> >>> off the
> >>> gas/hotplate take it to the sink still unopened, and start the tap with
> >>> running water/cold water
> >>> and within seconds the pressure inside the cooker will become equal to
> >>> the outside
> >>> pressure...
>
> >>> hope this helps, i was also thinking some cookers come with an extra
> >>> screw cap on top
> >>> which can be unscrewed and a pressure guage can be attachd on it.
> >>> this is on the lid.
>
> >>> hope this helps, will try to get a picture of it asap and post.
>
> >>> regards
>
> >>> Daniel Singh
>
> >>>   On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 3:34 AM, Meredith L. Patterson <

> >>> clonea...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >>>> +1 on not rushing the pressure release. Mine has a little metal button
> >>>> that pops up and prevents the lid from being opened while there's a
> >>>> significant difference between the pressure inside the cooker and
> >>>> normal atmospheric pressure, so I just wait for the apparatus to cool
> >>>> down. When the button drops back down, it's safe to open it up (though
> >>>> still quite hot inside).
>
> >>>> Jeswin -- the heat distribution seems to be quite good as far as I can
> >>>> tell. Everything seems to get to a uniform temperature, nothing's
> >>>> melted on me, &c.
>
> >>>> --mlp
>

[Boatdrynx]

Thanx for all the great info folks, I'll be stickin around. I might
not be able to post that often because my education is getting in the
way of my education but it seems like a great "place" to check in on.

On Feb 28, 1:01 pm, Boatdrynx <boatdr...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> HI folks! Newbie here. As such I have a couple of questions. One, are
> there many Midwesterners aboard? And two, what is the best source for