I don't normally post links but this story caught my attention and deserves more coverage.
It's not that long ago that I bought some test tubes from a place on Harris Street, Ultimo, Sydney. They had a scientific glass blower working at the time.
I used to work in the Chemistry department at Monash University, and we had one external glassblower who would come and pick up all our broken sep funnels, measuring cylinders, flash chromatography columns, etc. every few months. I'm not sure if he's still going, but it was a cottage industry if there ever was one, as you might suggest a dying art. Up until the early-mid 90s (I believe) the Department had its own glassblowing workshop on the ground floor (next to the electronics and woodworking workshops!) which would craft custom apparatus in-house to order. Some of the very specific glassware, such as pyrolysis assemblies for microwave spectroscopy of gas molecules, was quite stunning to look at and some examples are still preserved in cupboards in the labs as one would never throw the stuff out...
Peter: My son (who has been on the SolderSmoke podcast from the start -- "OOO That's Awesome!") will be heading out to UC Berkeley in August to start work on his PhD. I will show him this video. 73 Bill N2CQR
I used to work in the Chemistry department at Monash University, and we had one external glassblower who would come and pick up all our broken sep funnels, measuring cylinders, flash chromatography columns, etc. every few months. I'm not sure if he's still going, but it was a cottage industry if there ever was one, as you might suggest a dying art. Up until the early-mid 90s (I believe) the Department had its own glassblowing workshop on the ground floor (next to the electronics and woodworking workshops!) which would craft custom apparatus in-house to order. Some of the very specific glassware, such as pyrolysis assemblies for microwave spectroscopy of gas molecules, was quite stunning to look at and some examples are still preserved in cupboards in the labs as one would never throw the stuff out...
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ReplyDeleteI’m a big fan of your son’s voice over work. I hope he never changes.
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Peter: My son (who has been on the SolderSmoke podcast from the start -- "OOO That's Awesome!") will be heading out to UC Berkeley in August to start work on his PhD. I will show him this video. 73 Bill N2CQR
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