13 replies to this topic

[psychoknot]

As many people know, it is very hard to get a lighter to light with gloves covered in bleach water, and a candle is a hazard for the gloves themselves, all those pesky burns... but flame sterilizing is so essential! What to do?

Luckily PsychoKnot has an answer!

*Materials (see image: Materials)
*Syringe, complete with plunger
*Large gauge needle for syringe (18 gauge works great)
*Fiber (sewing thread, fiber from a coconut husk is perfect) slightly longer than needle
*Rubbing alcohol (90% works best)
*Duct tape
*Lighter and glovebox

Process
*1. Remove the plunger from the syringe
*2. Remove the rubber seal/gasket (the black part, the part you don't press)
*3. Thread the fiber through the needle until part is visible on both ends (easier if needle isn't attached to syringe, feed it in through the side that isn't pointy, that attaches to the syringe)
*4. Screw the needle, fiber and all into the syringe, taking care not to catch the fiber in the thread of the junction (see image: Needle and Thread)
*5. Take the rubber gasket and place it in the wide end of the syringe, not a tight seal but squashed in so that there is a small air space between both sides. (see image: Rubber Gasket)
*6. Remove the seal, that was practice.
*7. Fill syringe with rubbing alcohol, then replace seal as you did in Step 5.
*8. Pull about one foot of duct tape off of the roll
*9. Wrap the syringe slightly back from it's center of gravity in the middle of the duct tape, leaving the ends of the duct tape free and the needle end hanging down (see image: Complete)
*10. Attach the ends of duct tape to the top of the glove box (this requires some mental geometrey) so that, when the needle hangs from the top it is pointing towards the center of the glove box (see image: Complete)
*11. Rubbing alcohol should be slowly dripping from the syringe
*12. Light the alcohol on fire
*13. Place the lid on the glove box
*14. Watch the flickering flame, ready to sterilize

Hazards:
*BE CAREFUL! Do not sterilize the container with alcohol, use bleach water. Alcohol will cause a fire at least, and an explosion at worst.
*You have a full resevoir of rubbing alcohol there! Using less than a full syringe is one safety measure, but the nature of the gasket seal makes a large spill unlikely
*The flame is somewhat temperamental, so care should be taken with it, especially when sterilizing, as a puff of steam coming from the open end of the needle will quickly extinguish a flame. For this reason the needles should be sterilized with the open side upwards
*If the flame goes out and you choose to relight it, be careful that a pool of rubbing alcohol hasn't formed on the floor of the glovebox, if it has, wipe it up to avoid a little fire

Benefits:
*No fiddling with lighters
*No floor room of the glovebox taken
*Flame is ready when you need it
*If you are interested in this tek, you already have the materials!

Just my contribution to the community

PsychoKnot

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[sinthetic]

any photos 'in-action'?

[psychoknot]

Digital camera stolen in L.A., but it is amazing to watch, it flickers like a candle.

[Hippie3]

you need to change your nick
to mc_guiver
creative
although i personally
think fire in the glovebox
is a bad idea,
and when i do use it
a real alcohol lamp is nice, and proly a bit safer.

[psychoknot]

The safety factor is debatable, because the alcohol lamp becomes very dangerous when knocked over, and this avoids that eventuality entirely.
To each their own.

[Hippie3]

the alcohol lamp becomes very dangerous when knocked over

no doubt,
although they are usually very wide at the base,
low profile and center-of-gravity
so turning them over has never been problematic,
at least for me.
i'd love to see your rig in action,
as well as being assembled,
i find i understand much better
if i can see it.

[psychoknot]

i'd love to see your rig in action,
as well as being assembled,
i find i understand much better
if i can see it.

I know, I know. I am pissed about my digicam being stolen in L.A. I'll see if I can borrow somebody's, because it is fucking sweet to see in action. The final diagram should give a good approximation, in fact, it is basically what it looks like.

If I had my digicam, I could maybe actually help some people.

[psychoknot]

The other problem with flame in the glovebox is the extreme heat that develops.

I haven't found that to be a problem with my method, of course I never do more than probably twelve jars at a time. Also, rubbing alcohol burns at a very low temperature.

This lets me pull my hands out of the box to use a alcohol lamp on the outside.

For what, lighting a cigarette like you're on a bomb squad? In all seriousness though, are you sterilizing a needle in the open air and then putting your now non-sterile hands with non-sterile air back into the glove box? Maybe I'm missing something...

[Hippie3]

which is why a flowhood is sweet,
such a nice breeze as you're working...

[Hippie3]

btw,
don't let rodg or i harsh your gig, man-
that is an ingenious rig you've thought up there.

[psychoknot]

Oh, don't worry about it. I realize that without the pictures it loses it's effect, but I thought this was a cool setup that I would share with the community that has shared so much with me.

When I can, I will get some pictures of it in action.

Also, the hazards I name are actually precautions. I have never had an episode with this method, but I foresaw these hazards and have taken the precautions, so who knows. Also, it has only been used two times.

[taoistshredder]

Very good idea. MacGuyver, indeed.