#1 Science Forum For Lab Technicians

As I understand it, the gist of the problem was when Haribo first decided to bring out their sugar-free range they didn't properly research their substitutes. They accidentally chose a sweetener that has a strong laxative effect in a lot of people. The reviews read like the screaming gummy bear ...

Wow!! Welcome back Robb, its been years! Hope you are hanging around and its not a one off.

Robb wrote: 20 Jul 2026, 23:47 Finally, Back in the drivers seat. Hi to all.

I joined a couple of days later on the 17th and was the 37th person to join!

Same as Anna, love it. So much better than what we had in the past when we wrote/stuck the prac onto the whiteboard.

Like Anna, I only set up or hand out equipment that is in RA, if it's not in there they don't get it. Also the risk assessment is time stamped so there is no argument of whether it ...

Thanks for the replies.

I had delayed ordering a $1.40 item that costs $10 to post (hadn't felt like defending why we need to spend more on postage than the actual item to the finance officer).
This morning I was trying to identify and find the use of some small, round metallic discs of varying ...

It's Friday afternoon and can't think straight. The rubber ring thing that makes the attached Newton's Wheel work has broken. A quick search around the lab and then google search (and inevitably using the wrong words) I can't seem to find anything suitable for the job.
Any suggestions of what to ...

PVA glue and Elmers Magical Liquid.

RosalieL wrote: 04 Aug 2025, 10:38 Ewww!!! Who would eat eyeballs???

A lot of cultures eat the 'whole' animal.
Quite recently there was a trend to garnish a type of margarita (Black Margarita) with an eyeball. It was quite popular at MONA in Hobart.

Just did a quick search about how your eyes attracted GST and the ones I've sourced from various places over the years haven't. The butchers I'ved sourced them from deem the eyes fit for human consumption, therefore no GST. While your butcher has deemed the ones you got were not fit for human ...

I use a rort stand and clamp to hold them upside down. I've found that their a lot more stable that way than leaning them against a wall.

$12 each???? 8O and here I was complaining about $4.40 each ex GST and the 1hr40min round trip to get them...


Picked up 30 eyes this morning from our local butcher (they deliver for free, but needed them for period 1 and didn't want to risk them not being here on time). They charged $4 per eye ...

Sorry can't answer you question, but the search function isn't working for me either! Don't know what's heppening there?

What do people use to produce crushed ice?
For a very long time I used a manual crank ice crusher, until it broke last year. I replaced it with something similar. It broke today less than 12 months after I bought it.
Anyone have anything electric?

bigmack wrote: 11 Mar 2025, 10:07 Woow , yeah that is expensive . Would be interesting to see if you still need to bring it to the boil .

This is the stuff I’ve been using lately . From Asian section in Woolies . Cost about $2 . Works well in all pracs .

IMG_2081.jpegIMG_2082.jpeg

With inflation, now $5.50 from Woolworths!

Last year grade 8's didn't do any pracs in the chemistry unit as I wasn't there. Obviously they found chemistry very boring. The other grades the teachers had to get it themselves, none of the other grades were doing chemistry.

This year the teachers had to have their pracs in by the end of term 1 ...

In 2023 I took 3 weeks LSL and was replaced. The replacement didn't do a great job.
I had all of 4th term off last year (2024) with an unexpected ilness and no one came in and did my job.
This is my first week back this term after another 3 weeks LSL and wasn't replaced.

I am the onlt Lab Tech at ...

Another Risk Assess question .

Is it possible for me to change the sign off ?
Seems quite regularly that the teacher mistakenly signs the Lab tech signature instead of the Teacher . I can pretend and sign off as the teacher ....just to get the two signatures there .

But is there another way ...

RiskAssess has 0.1M lead nitrate as a teacher only chemical, up to 0.03M for 11-12 and only 0.003M for 7-12.

Labbie wrote: 16 Oct 2024, 11:26 Sterilize with Milton (Great for baby's bottles etc) and reuse, for solutions, label them of course.

Wondering why they need to be sterilised? I've never sterilised a bottle for solutions. Am I missing something?

And you can also buy slime made from sodium tetraborate from retail stores.