apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

if that's a recent photo, someone may have a touch of hepatitis.

As a research scientist, this feels to me like decorating with a stapler and post-its swiped from the office (wait, haven't I seen decorating with post-its on AT...?) but your milage may vary.

Necrothread.

Dear GOD let it go. Or start your own blog.

I like this look, I like decorating with interesting glass, but when buying secondhand or from ebay......BE CAREFUL. Some things you may not really want to drink from. I stick to using such things for artsy arrangements, bud vases, etc.

IreneKaoru, I'm surprised at your caution. In my experience, glass is easy to clean thoroughly and well. But you may know more about germs that I do - do tell more...

Thanks!

It's not germs, more like toxic chemicals used in research. I've used all kinds of carcinogenic nastiness in the lab...

I agree with Irene and jeccat, you don't know what these have been used for, it's not just like buying dishes and washing them before you use them, these are from labs where people use nasty chemicals. I recommend buying this kind of thing new as they are fairly inexpensive anyways and then you can do whatever you want with them.

I can assure you that while reasonably tough, lab glassware is not unbreakable. I have the ouchies to prove it. :-)

Funny, I have a bottle with glass stopper labelled hydrochloric acid that came from a high school chem lab. I have rubbing alcohol in it and keep it on a shelf in the bathroom. It definitely inspires comments from visitors.

I have just started to use a wine carafe. It's nice glass with a round of cork stopper. Very nice to look at too.

I've a lot of old glassware from spring cleaning from a co-op job in a chem lab. Some of it is great looking stuff. Some stuff of they were tossing that was new, just not needed, so I use it as food grade. (Even keep a cole-palmer catalog available for parts, stopper and such) But the used stuff... I make candles, or oil lamps or vases. I'm not really concerned about many of the chemical that would have been used in THAT lab but it could weird out others.

I do have some and very cool ice chest (with spigot) used by a testing lab. I don't know what their prior use would have been -there were boxes of gatorade still left). On the off chance there were samples stored in them, the most I'll do is put cans on ice in there. They'd be useful for tea at grandma's during here reunions, but not happening. The lining is plastic and chemicals can really sink into some plastics, depending.

You can buy them here and they are only about $9. Brand new.
MP

I'm thinking about getting a couple and stoppers and using them for homemade vinaigrettes. :D

These are pretty cute too. :D

I am much to obsessed with borosilicate glass. For me it started with some super thin and light coffee cups by Bodum in the early 90's and my collection has been growing ever since.
I've had a trio of Florence flasks that I've been using for vases and decanters for at least ten years, and I recently purchased a couple of cases of different sized beakers for storing all kinds of things in my studio. There's something I find really enchanting about that kind of glass for some reason.

I've found good prices on all shapes of chemistry glass at www.indigo.com
I think they're seconds rather than used, so no worries about contamination with scary stuff.

CB2 also had some fantastic borosilicate stuff that I couldn't resist a while back, and I see in the latest catalog they're still offering the neato hanging candle holders and tealight holders.

And then there's the completely covet-worthy Bodum borosilicate barware...those giant double walled margarita glasses are TOO cool.

American Science and Surplus is a great source for things like this. Really great prices, too.