Crystal Kits and More

Seen here are a couple of crystal growing kits I picked up from a discount store for $5.00 each. When I was younger I always enjoyed growing crystals. I had a crystal growing kit from the Mr. Wizard (Don Herbert) science sets.

I found the Discovery DNA Kit (seen in the picture). It was not working but I took it apart and found a connection was missing, a bit of solder and wire and it works fine. You can see this in the picture of my lab from an earlier post. It is like the CSI DNA kit.

Other things I have found. From the flee market I picked up a double height wooden test-tube rack, 50 test-tubes of 3 different sizes and a round bottom flask 3000 ml. All this for under $10.00.

From the trash I found a glass aquarium. It is large enough to be used as a sterile transfer chamber for my micro work. Laying it on it's side and putting a cover over the mouth and using Lysol or alcohol to spray I should be able to sterilize the inside of it. Using the glass side to look through I should be able to transfer my cultures in a sterile environment. I got this idea from an old Amateur scientist column where they build one out of wood and a glass top.

Also from the trash I found an old hair dryer and an old model train transformer. The transformer was not working, but after taking it apart I found all the connections had fallen apart from age. I soldered a new cord (from the old hair dryer, keep the heating wire from the dryer it my come in handy later on) on to it and it is working fine. It goes from 0 to 21 volts. I will try to use this as a power supply for my electrophoresis. It is not as high as I would like but I have been using 3 - 9 volt batteries and they use up fast. The dryer also has a switch that may be used later.

The Lego MindStorms Kit

I received this as Christmas gift. It was greatly reduced. It is an older kit and was found at a clearance store. I have been visiting a few sites that talk about using this kit for building laboratory equipment.

Here is one site:

http://groups.google.com/group/diybio/browse_thread/thread/3c31273ee058364b#

Here is another:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pbAH9TiGqs

And another(this is just using Lego):

http://www.instructables.com/id/Lego-Microtome/

I like DNA science (DNA extraction, there is many sites and recipes for this) and DIYBIO (do it yourself biology) and I have looked into PCR (polymerase chain reaction) which is the copying of DNA. Basically with the right chemicals and the heating and cooling of the DNA you can take a small amount of DNA and make more for testing. So to do this manually you would take your sample and transfer it from a hot water bath to a cold water bath many times or you could buy a thermocycler (which usually is expensive).

So what I am looking into doing is building an arm from the Lego Mindstorm kit to take my sample from one bath to the other at the right timing sequence.

I will be doing more searches on uses for this kit and posting my progress on the development of this project.

Low-tech Gadgets and Solutions

Here is a web page with some low-tech gadgets and solutions. The use of ordinary items to use in a lab setting.

http://bitesizebio.com/2009/04/13/low-tech-lab-gadgets-and-solutions-my-all-time-favs/

From the web site:

For the record, as well as loving Red Dwarf, I’m a huge fan of MacGyver, the TV secret agent who could build any device from everyday items found in the room.

You name it…he could build it in 60 seconds or less using only the chewing gum and dental floss found in his pocket, escape impending demise, and have enough time left over to catch the bad guy as well.

As a result, one of my favorite things in the world is to be like MacGyver and figure out a cheaper or faster way to make or do something useful using everyday items.

So here is my top ten list of favorite lab MacGyverisms; ways to use everyday items to make gadgets and low-tech solutions for the lab that I’ve accumulated over my many years of working as a lab rat and writing tech articles.

10. Scoops or Measuring Cups = no more weighing. Do you weigh out yeast extract, NaCl, and agar for each bottle when preparing media? Save time by weighing the amount of powder that fits in a measuring cup or scoop and then adjust the volume of media in each of your flasks.

Designate one scoop for each powder added and just put one scoop of each per bottle. Weigh once…scoop forever after.

9. Straws = free pasteur pipettes. Plastic straws lifted from fast-food chains can be used for dilutions and innoculations. This may take some experimentation, but I have done this for making hundreds of innoculations for a screening assay without ever having to buy expensive plastic pipettes.

Of all the varieties I tested, McD straws are the best and will actually survive autoclaving (wrapped in bunches of 20 inside aluminum foil!).

The trick is to use a consistent size test tube for dilutions and adjust the volume so that, when the straw is placed into the tube, almost exactly 0.5-1.0 ml ends up in the straw.

You then place your finger over the open end and transfer the liquid. To release the payload, take your finger off the top.

In a similar vein, don’t forget about toothpicks or wooden stir sticks for replica plating.

8. Spaghetti Colander = no more dropped gels. Instead of using a spatula to move your gels from stain to rinse solutions and risk dropping your gel on the floor (butter-side down, of course), use a small plastic colander fitted inside of a bowl, and several bowls of the same size for the washes. That way you can just pick up the colander and move it to the next wash station.

7. Body wash or shampoo = cheap blot washes. Cheap liquid soap can be used for washings. Shampoo contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and can substitute for expensive wash solutions in many types of blots.

Don’t forget that you can use zip-loc baggies instead of a seal-a-meal for hybs too. To get all the air bubbles out, place a hollow stir straw in the corner and make sure all the bubbles go out the straw as you zip it up. Then slide the straw out while you cinch up the last little corner.

6. Instant Milk = long life blocking agent. Powdered milk or cream liquor can be used as a casein-enriched blocking agent for your blots. It may not be any cheaper to use Bailey’s Blotting Juice, but there is an obvious added advantage, plus you never have any stale leftovers.

5. Petroleum Jelly = super-cheap hot start. ‘A little dab’ll do ya’ to “hot start” your Polymerase Chain Reactions. [see Horton et al, 1994]

4. Coffee Grinder = personal minifuge. You can use an old coffee grinder as a mini-centrifuge by modifying it to have rings for holding two eppendorf tubes for quick spins. An old-fashioned hand crank mixer or egg beater also works for this application.

If you use duct tape (not on the list since it is so obvious!) to hold it on a C-clamp, you can screw it onto the lab bench in any convenient location.

3. Toothpaste = DIY miniprep matrix. Some brands of toothpaste contain diatomacieous earth (Celite) as an abrasive. I’ve not tried this myself, but rumor has it that you can separate out the particles and use them as a matrix for binding DNA in mini-preps.

2. Furniture polish = fresh-smelling and silanized plates. Instead of using Rain-X for silanizing glass plates for polyacrylamide gels, use furniture polish. Spray on, wipe off. You also gain points for doing all the lab benches along the way, and extra credit for using the lemon scented variety to freshen up the place.

And the number one low-tech gizmo of all-time is…

1. Record player = shaking incubator. Bob Horton’s homemade shaking incubator was fashioned out of an old-time record player. The plans were originally posted to the bionet methods and reagents bulletin board and highlighted in my monthly column in TiBS under the subtitle “Spin Doctor” [see Hengen, 1996].A classic MacGyverism.

So what ingenious low-tech solutions do you use in your lab?

References:

1. Horton RM, Hoppe BL, Conti-Tronconi BM. 1994. AmpliGrease: “hot start” PCR using petroleum jelly. Biotechniques 16:42-43.

2. Hengen PN. 1996. Methods and reagents. Eliminating banding artifacts from SDS-PAGE. Trends in Biochemical Sciences 21:191-193.

Books

It has been awhile since I added any information. I have spent some time in building my incubator. Testing it out exactly. I will be placing the fish tank heater into a glass dish of water to heat the incubator. I tested this out and it seems to work quite well. I will add either some copper sulphate or aquarium anti-microbial solution to the water to keep microbial life from growing in the glass dish. I need to come up with some shelves to hold plates, tubes and flasks at different heights in the incubator. I will post a final picture of the incubator when it is finished.

For father's day I received a wonderful book titled: Build-it-Yourself Science Laboratory by Raymond E. Barrett. It was published in 1963. It shows you how to build all kinds of lab equipment, for chemistry, physics, and biology. It even has questions to answer by scientific experimentation after each section. We need a book like this today for building our own labs.

Other books I have picked up for my growing library:

Magic with Chemistry by Edward L. Palder 1964.

150 Science Experiments Step-By-Step by Judith Viorst 1963.

Physics, Fun and Beyond by Eduardo de Campos Valadares 2006.

The Thomas Edison book of Easy and Incredible Experiments by the Thomas Alva Edison Foundation 1988.

Basic Chemistry Experiments: A Golden Hobby Book by Robert Brent 1965 edition.

So now I have many more books to add to my collection and more experiments to try out.

It has been awhile since I added any information. I have spent some time in building my incubator. Testing it out exactly. I will be placing the fish tank heater into a glass dish of water to heat the incubator. I tested this out and it seems to work quite well. I will add either some copper sulphate or aquarium anti-microbial solution to the water to keep microbial life from growing in the glass dish. I need to come up with some shelves to hold plates, tubes and flasks at different heights in the incubator. I will post a final picture of the incubator when it is finished.

For father's day I received a wonderful book titled: Build-it-Yourself Science Laboratory by Raymond E. Barrett. It was published in 1963. It shows you how to build all kinds of lab equipment, for chemistry, physics, and biology. It even has questions to answer by scientific experimentation after each section. We need a book like this today for building our own labs.

Other books I have picked up for my growing library:

Magic with Chemistry by Edward L. Palder 1964.

150 Science Experiments Step-By-Step by Judith Viorst 1963.

Physics, Fun and Beyond by Eduardo de Campos Valadares 2006.

The Thomas Edison book of Easy and Incredible Experiments by the Thomas Alva Edison Foundation 1988.

Basic Chemistry Experiments: A Golden Hobby Book by Robert Brent 1965 edition.

So now I have many more books to add to my collection and more experiments to try out.

Support Stand, Test Tubes and More

In picture #11 I quickly build this support stand from a curtain rod, some wood, coat hanger, clothespins and some screws. This support stand was built from a 10" x 6", 1" thick base of wood and a small 2" x 4" support. The rod is a curtain rod that slides into itself. I cut it down to the length I wanted it to open to. Picture #11b-c - Using a coat hanger I shaped a clamp or holder to fit the mouth end of my light bulb flask. Picture #11d - Using clothespins I make another clamp that can hold smaller objects such as glass tubes, funnel tubes or thermometer.

You can see in the pictures the flask and a thermometer being supported by this stand. It was very simple to make, it is adjustable, you can make it go higher or lower and best of all it is inexpensive. It worked very well. I intend to make some more, some smaller, some bigger and some with 2 or more rods attached to the base.

As stated before when you decide to build your own lab let family and friends know so they can collect items for you. In picture #12 you see a pile of tubes. The small ones are what some florists use for single flowers to keep them wet. The medium tubes are cigar tubes and the large ones held soap powder. All came from friends keeping these when they were done with them. Now all of these tubes are made of plastic but they are still good for mixing, centrifuging, and storing.

Also in this picture you see a couple of pieces of glass that I cut from larger glass plates. The larger one I use for chopping material up in my DNA extraction experiments. The smaller one covers my glass furniture coaster petri dish. These and others come from glass found in old thrown away picture frames that I found on garbage day.

For The DIYBIO Lab

As seen in picture #10 I found an old cooler out in my neighbour hood during garbage day. I hope to use the cooler and the aquarium heater to build an incubator for my cultures (bacterial or yeast and hopefully one day tissue). I picked up the heater and the pressure cooker from a second hand store for less than $10.00. The pressure cooker will be used to sterilize my culture media, water, etc. I will use an oven too sterilize my glassware and bleach for my plasticware. I found agar agar for my cultures and electrophoresis from an Indian grocery store. The microscope glass slide box is made from a cardboard box that is slightly wider than the slides. The slides are then separated on the sides by the perforated cardboard (some cookie bags have ribbed paper that can be sized and used to separate the slides) ripped apart and glued to the sides. This box cost me nothing to build.

You can also see on the side I found a new kit to play with. The DNA Wizard, I think adding this with the CSI DNA Laboratory I an do some DIYBIO (Do It Yourself Biology). Something I am very interested in (I should talk more about the CSI kit on a later date). The DNA Wizard has a few good things in it IE. build your own model of DNA, chromosome typing, DNA extraction and bacterial growth. It supplies you with many things to use including the bacteria. I bought it for $10.00 so it was not to bad, but at it's regular cost of $40.00 that is a bit too much. Most of what is in the kit can be picked up at home and at toy stores, except the bacteria. And that can be found in nature. A good book for doing DIYBIO is "Biotechnology Projects For Young Scientists" by Kenneth Rainis and George Nassis 1998. I have this on my library list.

I think it might be time to discuss some of the different books and links that I have found and use. Hopefully I can write about some of these in the next couple of posts.

More Inexpensive Lab Equipment

Here I build some very inexpensive lab equipment. Basically it was all free. You can't do any better than that.

In picture #7 I build flasks out of old light bulbs. Bend back the soft metal tip on the end of the bulb with a pair of pliers. Twist the metal piece so it breaks off. There is a small hole in the top of the bulb. Use a screwdriver to break the black substance away. Be careful to not break the bulb itself. If you have trouble breaking the black substance break it off with a pair of needle-nose pliers. Once the black substance is all broken away use a screwdriver to break the glass holding the filament. Shake out the bulb. Take some water and an old toothbrush and clean out the white film in the bulb. The metal screw top is sturdy enough to hold a cork or rubber stopper. And now we have a very inexpensive flask.

In picture #8 I build some wooden racks(again this is wood I found will walking around on garbage day). One is for test-tubes and the other lower profile one is used to hold many other items for easy access. The plastic dish soap bottles are thoroughly washed out and can hold regular water, distilled water or any other liquids you wish to dispense very easily. They have push down lids so if they are knocked over they will not spill.

Old Magazines

This past weekend I was cleaning the basement and found a couple of boxes full of old magazines. One box had old Astronomy magazines. The other one had old Scientific American magazines, I kept these for the Amateur Scientists column. Also in this box was Science Probe - The Amateur Scientist's Journal. I have 8 issues of Science Probe, I am not sure how many were released. I believe that a new journal for Amateur scientist's should be released again. There is Make magazine and it is a wonderful magazine, but it does not have enough science related articles. I have tried to search for Science Probe on the net but have found very little about it.

Also in this box is the CD of the Scientific American - The Amateur Scientist 2.0 - the complete collection. I can't remember what company this was purchased from. It has all the experiments from the Scientific American - The Amateur Scientist column. It is quite a treasure to find. Along with this I have the book "The Amateur Scientist" by C.L.Stong and "The Amateur Biologist" by Shawn Carlson. The CD contains old experiments with old information but a lot of the biology and chemistry experiments can still be done. The other experiments that include electronics and hardware that you may not find anymore may be hard to do or will require some tinkering to make happen. One thing I would like to do is create the electron microscope and attach it to a computer. I have always wanted to play with an electron microscope. I think you can still get the CD from the Society for Amateur Scientists. They can be found at sas.org.

I will be spending the next little while looking through this little piece of treasure that I found and dream of my next experiments.

My Lab

This is a picture of my lab right now. It is some what cluttered. I have small and large bins, parts drawers. They hold all kinds of things, such as rubber stoppers, corks, magnets, marbles, Y tubes, connecting tubes, lenses, etc. There is a couple of shelves that hold chemicals. The top shelve (not pictured) holds lab equipment.

In picture 9) on the right side you see I cut out the tops of juice and milk containers and used them as bins. They are placed in a metal shelving unit with the shelves about 1 foot apart. They hold all sorts of lab items. Test tubes, petri dishes, glass casters, cheese cloth, cotton balls and pads, electronics, plastic and glass jars, etc. The good thing about these is I can keep collecting filling them as I go along and they are free.