Need A More Durable Pipette

[soapbarstrat]

I go through super-glue pipettes like I can't believe. Probably 3-4 on just one fret job. That's at least a bucks worth of pipettes right there. If I don't rinse them with acetone or put a guitar string in them, they'll clog ( I can only blow out so much of the glue inside). But the acetone rinse or guitar string also make the little tube at the end of the pipette split apart real quick, then they don't work right.

I'm using the pipettes from stew-mac $3.45 / pack of 10

Seem to be the same ones the hobby shop sells for around 80 cents for just one.

Is there another maker of pipettes that are better ? I think if the walls of that little short tube at the end was just a little thicker, they wouldn't split apart so easily.

What about the ones LMI sells ? Are they any different than stewmacs ?

[Phil Mailloux]

For that price you can't go wrong

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/50-Small-Transfer-P...ksid=p1638.m122

I'm a moron, I just noticed the end bit is huge

There you go, that looks better, 1ml ones. That looks like the Stewmac ones.

http://cgi.ebay.com/500-Plastic-Transfer-P...1QQcmdZViewItem

Edited April 13, 2008 by Phil Mailloux

[DC Ross]

I never liked the pipettes myself. I've always used these. Well, not exactly these, but something very similar. You can find them at almost any hobby shop.

[jmrentis]

I actually was going to link another stewmac page, suggesting those whip tips they sell. Depending on what your glue comes in, those whip tips look handy. They are cheaper than pipettes and stewmac sells them. I think 10 for $1.91 or something. They look nice and small too to get in those slots perfectly. I had already searched all types of medical suppliers and such, but most didn't have a sharp enough tip, some did, but not many. Rockler also sells a couple different varieties of injectors with metal needles as the tip, I thought the syringes from stewmac would be great, but it says not for super glue use, but some of the Rockler injectors make no such warning and may work out. Best of luck. J

[soapbarstrat]

Thanks. I think those ebay ones might be the way to go. At least it would bring the cost down.

I have one or two "whip tips", but I avoid applying glue using the atual bottle of CA, because it greatly increases the chance of a small application suddenly turning into an all-out "super-glue baptism".

In the past I did manage to fit a whip-tip onto the end of a disposable syringe (in place of the metal needle end). But that's also risky, because the glue can start to dry right away causing the syringe plunger to sieze up, then, like using a whole bottle you might get a rude awakening when you apply extra force to get the plunger to move.

Someone said they were able to clamp the end of a pipette into a vise and pull on it, and create a new tapered end. I tried that once and it didn't work for me.

[SwedishLuthier]

Someone said they were able to clamp the end of a pipette into a vise and pull on it, and create a new tapered end. I tried that once and it didn't work for me.

I do that all the time. I got some 1000 medical pipettes from my vifes former job with a way too large tip. So i just do the Frank Ford thing and bite the tip and pull. That create a fairly thin end. Not really thin enough for the water thin CA thou.

[erikbojerik]

I'm not sure about the StewMac ones, but I use the tips that come with Zap-a-Gap CA which appear to be just teflon tubing drawn out into a capillary. You might be able to get the tubing cheap and just draw out your own by heating it with a heat gun.

[R. True]

How bout these ones very inexpensive.

I've never used pipette's though so I don't know if these are up to snuff.

Just do a search on ebay, there are tons of multiple (100-500) packs available for good prices.

Edited April 13, 2008 by R. True