I have a small plant nursery and Im getting into the science of tissue culturing and was wondering if there's a place in houston that sells refurbished or gently used lab equipment...

specifically im looking for an oscillating/orbital string table and a small autoclave...

weird, I know... but id rather buy local and see it before I buy it than look on ebay, and im in college station and there's nothing like that here except TAMU surplus and I check with them weekly..

Why don't you just use an instapot for the autoclave?

You can look up auction sites for school districts to see what they're letting go of.

https://www.onlinepros.com/auctions/search/eyJyZXN1bHRfcGFnZSI6ImF1Y3Rpb25zXC9zZWFyY2giLCJtYWluX2NhdGVnb3J5IjoiU2NpZW5jZSBMYWJvcmF0b3J5IEZ1cm5pdHVyZSBhbmQgRXF1aXBtZW50In0

studioone said:

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I have a small plant nursery and Im getting into the science of tissue culturing and was wondering if there's a place in houston that sells refurbished or gently used lab equipment...

specifically im looking for an oscillating/orbital string table and a small autoclave...

weird, I know... but id rather buy local and see it before I buy it than look on ebay, and im in college station and there's nothing like that here except TAMU surplus and I check with them weekly..

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I'll ask someone who would know about sourcing exactly what you're looking for. How small an autoclave?

A lot of the AgriLife labs are sharing autoclaves right now before inspections, but it's the end of the budget cycle so there may be more surplus stuff out there soon.

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Why don't you just use an instapot for the autoclave?

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im trying one but im still getting contaminations... but im on my 3rd batch and as of last night 1/3rd showed signs of contamination... the rest were clear, but I still have months to go and they were only 2 weeks old. I might just need to use the instapot a lot longer.. we'll see...

its just hard to learn from just watching videos... I need hands on teaching.. Just signed up for a carnivorous plant tissue culturing class in Austin.. gonna go see how that goes... (yes, im into carnivorous plants)...

d

Morbo the Annihilator said:

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studioone said:

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I have a small plant nursery and Im getting into the science of tissue culturing and was wondering if there's a place in houston that sells refurbished or gently used lab equipment...

specifically im looking for an oscillating/orbital string table and a small autoclave...

weird, I know... but id rather buy local and see it before I buy it than look on ebay, and im in college station and there's nothing like that here except TAMU surplus and I check with them weekly..

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I'll ask someone who would know about sourcing exactly what you're looking for. How small an autoclave?

A lot of the AgriLife labs are sharing autoclaves right now before inspections, but it's the end of the budget cycle so there may be more surplus stuff out there soon.

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I dont know... every time I mention how I do things, people freak out and tell me im doing it wrong.... then I try their way and someone else tells me thats wrong,... then I watch videos of professionals and someone else tells me thats wrong...

like I take my vessels, mix the agar, stick it in a microwave and let it boil for about 2 minutes after it starts to boil.... thats standard tissue culturing decontamination...but I mentioned it to someone last night and they said it was not the way to do it and I needed to put the jars in an autoclave... which means I need one that you put babyhood size jars in... and big autoclaves are $$$$$$$$$$$..

as of now I use 3-4 pairs of tweezers and a scalpel... wrap them in tin foil and stick them in an instapot.. and then I keep them in 90% alcohol when in use..

Im still learning... so...

rednecked said:

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why is it everyone thinks what I do is something like the photo? Im raising freakin plants! The legal kind...

Dionaea muscipula.. just the weird kind..

and I dont believe, although someone who actually knows might pitch in, that sterilization has nothing to do with blowing up houses.

If you cant contribute, dont post..

BBRex said:

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You can look up auction sites for school districts to see what they're letting go of.

https://www.onlinepros.com/auctions/search/eyJyZXN1bHRfcGFnZSI6ImF1Y3Rpb25zXC9zZWFyY2giLCJtYWluX2NhdGVnb3J5IjoiU2NpZW5jZSBMYWJvcmF0b3J5IEZ1cm5pdHVyZSBhbmQgRXF1aXBtZW50In0

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stuff im looking for is a bit beyond high school level...

Tell them to say your name.

ebay

P.H. Dexippus said:

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Don't forget to park some Teslas out front so LEO think that's why your power bill is so high.

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LEO's are friends of mine and I've already given them a tour and told them where I keep a hidden key...

olib said:

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ebay

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please read my original post ...

studioone said:

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P.H. Dexippus said:

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Don't forget to park some Teslas out front so LEO think that's why your power bill is so high.

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LEO's are friends of mine and I've already given them a tour and told them where I keep a hidden key...

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go to dart-nivorous on fb or ig to see my plants..

You only need 40% alcohol to keep things pure. This is from someone who helped out in a human tissue lab in grad school.

One thing that might help is a laminar flow hood. Those are somewhat cheap and can help out with working space.

With the alcohol, use a spray bottle to assist everything you're using. Let it evaporate to kill all the things. If using a metal item, like tweezers or a spatula, a basic bunsen burner can be used to sterilize the tip.

~egon

Dr. Doctor said:

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You only need 40% alcohol to keep things pure. This is from someone who helped out in a human tissue lab in grad school.

One thing that might help is a laminar flow hood. Those are somewhat cheap and can help out with working space.

With the alcohol, use a spray bottle to assist everything you're using. Let it evaporate to kill all the things. If using a metal item, like tweezers or a spatula, a basic bunsen burner can be used to sterilize the tip.

~egon

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Good advice here. There is a good chance contamination is coming after you do the sterilization process. There are tiny particles of mold, fungus, etc, everywhere, and they will all love the food you're providing for your plant tissue. All it takes is one little speck of something to ruin the culture.

Even better than a hood would be a glove box. You can sterilize the inside of it and have a better chance of keeping contamination out because it's sealed. Working in the gloves takes some getting used to, and IDK how likely you are to find a used one.

Legitimately check govt auctions because I literally just saw a bunch of science equipment being auctioned off on one, including an autoclave, but can't recall the specifics. It may have been govdeals

No response to your comment, just props for the user name.

The stuff has to sit idle for like 3 years before it can be sold at surplus. (Booo!)

TXTransplant said:

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Dr. Doctor said:

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You only need 40% alcohol to keep things pure. This is from someone who helped out in a human tissue lab in grad school.

One thing that might help is a laminar flow hood. Those are somewhat cheap and can help out with working space.

With the alcohol, use a spray bottle to assist everything you're using. Let it evaporate to kill all the things. If using a metal item, like tweezers or a spatula, a basic bunsen burner can be used to sterilize the tip.

~egon

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Good advice here. There is a good chance contamination is coming after you do the sterilization process. There are tiny particles of mold, fungus, etc, everywhere, and they will all love the food you're providing for your plant tissue. All it takes is one little speck of something to ruin the culture.

Even better than a hood would be a glove box. You can sterilize the inside of it and have a better chance of keeping contamination out because it's sealed. Working in the gloves takes some getting used to, and IDK how likely you are to find a used one.

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Been out of town at a plant show....

This is a photo of my wife standing next to our laminar hood we got in the spring... Think it's big enough? Ive heard there's a guy who wanders around texas checking them and repairing them to spec... so im gonna see how that goes...

That is impressive! I'm surprised you found one because that's quite a score. Also, props for marrying a woman who thinks it's equally cool!

I'm curious to hear how it works for you...please report back!

If you still have contamination issues there are small boxes you could put inside the hood, but fingers crossed that won't be necessary.

For the hoods, you can buy a flow anemometer and then measure the hood at closed, working height and 'full' height to see what the air flows are. You should be able to look up what flows are needed to ensure it is working properly.

Also, you'll need to check the lights. The ones that I knew had a UV light they could turn on in the evening or when it was 'shut' (but still slightly opened) so that it will kill everything inside the box.

You are taxing my knowledge of tissue engineering lab (that I wasn't apart of, but spend about 1/3 of my grad life in) from 15+ years ago....

~egon

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Here's a picture of my wife next to my scientific glass box. Do you think she will fit inside while I perform my experiments on her?

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Uncalled for, dude... try being an adult for a change..

im TRYING to be serious, people....

studioone said:

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Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Here's a picture of my wife next to my scientific glass box. Do you think she will fit inside while I perform my experiments on her?

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Uncalled for, dude... try being an adult for a change..

im TRYING to be serious, people....

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Wut

TXAG 05 said:

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studioone said:

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Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Here's a picture of my wife next to my scientific glass box. Do you think she will fit inside while I perform my experiments on her?

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Uncalled for, dude... try being an adult for a change..

im TRYING to be serious, people....

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Lighten up Francis. Geez

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