What is this piece of equipment?

[Fezziwig]

As a gift I received 25 of these things (the previous owner not knowing what they were). They're aprox 34cm in legnth. The orange bit is closed and doesn't detach, so I can't find any uses for it. The writing on it above the calibration reads...

T.D. 20°C

10ml x 0.1

Regardless of their use I will most likely be selling them and I'd imagine they sell for more if I had a real description. If you want one or more I'll be sure to give you a discount.

Thanks,
Fezziwig.

 

[jim mcnamara]

Those are called pipettes. They are used to measure small volumes of solutions, for example. The 20 degrees C marking means they are accurate for work with solutions near room temperature.

 

[aroc91]

The orange bit should be able to detach. That end is meant to be attached to a bulb or "scroll wheel" handle (not sure what their actual name is, but they have a wheel you rotate with your thumb to draw liquid into the pipette).

 

[Fezziwig]

Right, Thanks guys. So they would probably need that scroll wheel thing to be of any use. Thinking about it now, I have seen these things before.

 

[epenguin]

In the old days, mnyah mnyah, you just sucked up the liquid into the pipette, you were expected to use common sense and the school or college didn't fill forms and have health and safety inspectors to supervise, you put a finger over the top, and with finger control let liquid slowly descend to the desired mark flowing back into the original container, then you moved to wher you wanted to put your x ml and let it flow out to the other desired mark, or you could let it all flow out and there was a story about drainage time and the last drop etc.

Pipettes with marks on like yours were for the less precise work, for more precise you had higher quality pipettes that delivered only one volume.

For the less precise work they tended to be phased out for plastic 'eppendorf' thumb push things, but these are not so convenient for the larger volumes and I guess things like your pic are still used?

Maybe you are not a scientist, otherwise throws me that anyone doesn't recognise them.

 

[aroc91]

Just to clarify, this is what I was referring to-

http://www.socorex.com/manual-pipette-fillers-profiller-en-1-1-13-140.html