|
Think of it as high-tech recycling.
We can and do repair all sorts of laboratory glassware; any
items much more complex than beakers and testtubes are fair
game. We won't charge more than half the value of the new item
without consulting you. Often broken lab glass is pretty
easy to fix: reattach or replace a new joint or stopcock, seal
a star crack, etc. The important parts of laboratory glassware
are usually the components: the stopcocks, joints, etc. If
the glassware is broken in a "working" area,
that is, the shell of a stopcock, the ground part of a joint,
a flange, etc., those parts can be replaced as good as new.
We do mean as good as new - repairs are carried out in the
same manner as manufacture of new lab glassware. There is rarely
a functional difference.
Click the image to
the right for a slide show of a repair sequence.
See more repair images in our Repairs gallery. |
|
We can accommodate your
needs for rapid
service. When your operation is down due to the lack
of one piece of lab glassware, you need it now. We understand the
need for quick deliveries; we will make every effort to meet that
need. We maintain a stock of most sizes of tubing and components,
so we usually have the necessary materials in hand.
Repairs always include a
risk that the glass will not survive the process. We make every effort
to save the item, and we're good at it, but stuff happens.
In the event that the item is really valuable, we will give you fair
warning; the risk is yours. In the event of failure we may offer to
provide a new item, salvaging what we can.
We do ask that lab glassware
to be repaired be reasonably clean, or at least that you let us know
what contamination might be there, so that we can clean it before
working on it. In the course of repair, the glassblower frequently
needs to connect a blowtube to the glass to blow and/or suck to work
a seal (we're glassblowers, right?); the vapor of contaminating material
could create a major health hazard to the glassblower's lungs. Any
time spent cleaning will be charged at our normal shop rate.
We can also clean fritted
ware by firing in our annealing ovens; sometimes this is the only way
to get the really bad gunk out of a frit. A thousand degrees Fahrenheit
pretty much takes care of all organics, at least. Please tell us what
the contamination might be; some can be hazardous when vaporized.
If you ship us glassware
for repair, please pack it carefully. There is no greater drag than
opening a box of repairs which has been reduced to shards. This generally
means plenty of packing between items (we like bubblepack); plenty
of room between the items and the walls of the box. We use starch
based foam pellets (Eco-Foam) and/or styrofoam peanuts (Flo-Pak).
Best is to overfill the box with pellets, then crunch them down when
you tape the box closed; this locks the glassware in place within
the box. Remember, the shippers are usually allowed to drop any box
four feet.
|
|
|
