cleaning labware

[Mr. Whale dick]

i fond some old pyrex labware in my grandpa's shed

i would like to clean it up and use it in my kitchen

but i'm scared of what may have been in it b4

what do you think is the best way to clean it so it's safe to use ...

or you think it's too risky and i should use it at all?


seems if i bleach it...put it in the kiln ....then bleach again?

or should i be looking into other chemicals?

[Big Jay]

lol you could give it an acid bath.

[smutboy420]

Lye works great. So don't CRl and a rinse with distilled water.

[Brian Newman]

Incinerate them clean. Running them through the kiln should do it.

[Dom]

Boiling water then kiln sounds good.

[Mecha]

Depends on what it was used for. If it was from a bio lab, then kilning will be fine. If it was from a chem lab, I would not risk it. I know rinsing it should be fine, but why take the chance? Pyrex kitchen ware is cheap enough as it is.

[Greymatter Glass]

dude I have a burette I used to separate some ferofluid, so if you find out let me know....

[smutboy420]

Ferofluid sounds like a perfect job for CLR (calicum, lime, rust remover.)

CRL rinses clean too with no residue.

[Greymatter Glass]

that's what I thought too, but it'as a mixture of kerosene, iron oxide, and oleic acid... what breaks down fatty acids?

[somberbear]

lye

[Greymatter Glass]

I was thinking of that as I typed that... good ol' sodium hydroxide.

geekdom: I have sodium, and water... but no lye. I can make my own.

[smutboy420]

Don't waist your sodium Go down to the hardware store and get a bottle of red devil drain cleaner. Or true values brand "100% lye drain cleaner"
Same thing just with a yellow cap. and just as pure as good old red devil.

Careful around any glass with ceramic decals on it tho. They some times have a tendency to slide right off if you have a real strong solution.

For something polar like fat or wax or gums. Petroleum either works well. (wall mart camping section Ozark camp fuel) and not Coleman brand that needs to be distilled first or else it will leave an oily residue. and is 2-3x the times the price. As the pure un adulterated wall marts stuff.

Works for doing your own at home dry cleaning to. :-) lol just don't were your at home dry cleaned clothes while wet and decide to go catch a smoke.
Tho I'm sure you could make that connection and no thats NOT! a good idea.

Great for removing certain kinds of black smelly sticky residue from a certain un named type of glass apparatus that many of us are familiar with. From brand new Swade couchs before Meghan got home and seen what I did. OPPS!!
as long as she never sees this post :-P It was like it never happened.

[Islandglass Man]

I have been cleaning labware for a long time. Organic cheicals will clean up in your kiln 1100 F for 15 minutes. I did use HF acid but that is to harsh ( to glassblowers ) now I use ammonium bifluoride.

If it will not clean up in our kiln then don't use it in your kitchen it's cheaper to buy new put the old stuff on the shelf.
Bear

[sunray]

One of the things we use for removal even of paint is Grease Lightening
Its amazing stuff.. Removes everything and is not expensive but the only place I have ever found it is Lowes and KMart.. Its wonderful on anything glass. spray it on and wash it off you'll be amazed...

[Greymatter Glass]

Greased Lightning = dilute sodium hydroxide, dyes, and fragrance.

and I agree, it's great for all that hard to get rid of stuff.

[Mecha]

The only thing this thread needs is an endorsement from Billy Mays.

I like the Hercules hook, that thing holds tons of stuff up....

[Greymatter Glass]

Hercules Hooks are awesome.

So are EZ Anchors.

And that amazing epoxy putty stuff... it rules too.

[Mecha]

Amazing epoxy? I am intrigued..... got a link? Is it Billy Mays approved?

[UmaJulz]

I want a coffee cup full of super hot coffee to test out the handle made with Amazing Epoxy. yeah.

[Greymatter Glass]

actually, the stuff works as advertised - it's just your run of the mill 2 part putty epoxy, but theirs is a new color!

You can get it from Home Depot or probably any large grocery store even. It wouldn't be cheap, but you could build a house with it.

I <3 Epoxy Putty

-Doug

[Brian Newman]

Just wanted to say that they sell special kilns for cleaning glassware. They don´t get as hot as annealing temperature, and they are vented.

One exception, something organic that will ruin your glass if you try to burn it clean is hide glue. The glue sticks to the glass, and before it gets hot enough to burn clean, is shrinks enough to take chips out of the glass.