TECHNICAL INFORMATION
405
Care and Handling of Glassware
Care and Use — Recommendations
3. Do not use any abrasive cleansers, including soft cleansers (i.e. Ajax, Comet, Old Dutch, Soft Scrub, etc.), as these will scratch the glass and cause eventual breakage and injury. 4. Do not place hands inside glassware while wearing any jewelry, particularly diamond rings, as these will score the inside of the glassware and eventually cause breakage and injury. 5. Do not heat glassware to temperatures (>800°F) needed to burn out carbon residues. This will result in the introduction of permanent stresses in the glass that will eventually cause the glassware to break resulting in possible injury. C. AVOID IMPACT - Glass will break as a result of impact. Use care when handling to avoid impacting hard objects, such a spigots, other glassware, counter tops, etc.
A. TO AVOID SERIOUS AND PERSONAL INJURY, AVOID ABRASIONS - An abrasion reduces the strength of glass, making it more susceptible to breakage under impact and/or thermal shock. Thermal shock may result from sudden changes in temperature or use on either a burner or hot plate. Serious injuries could result if breakage occurs while glass holds heated and/or corrosive liquid.
B. RECOMMENDED GLASSWARE CLEANING AND HANDLING PROCEDURES
PROPER CLEANING PROCEDURE 1. Washing machines may be used. Support racks on the washer must be well maintained. The support pins should be coated with a nonabrasive material to prevent metal to glass contact and scratching. 2. For manual washing, use only plastic core brushes that have soft non-abrasive bristles. Soft, clean sponges or other wiping materials may be used. DO NOT USE THESE BRUSHES OR WIPING MATERIALS WITH ABRASIVE CLEANERS . Keep them clean. Scotch Brite and similar scouring pads will scratch glass and should not be used.
D. HEATING GLASSWARE
1. Use wire gauze when heating over open flame.
2. Use either low or medium heat settings when using a hot plate High hot plate settings will cause excessive localized heating of the glassware and will eventually cause breakage and possible injury. 3. Do not heat glassware designated as heavy duty unless recommended by manufacturer. Even though these items have added mechanical strength, they are more susceptible to breakage from thermal stock when heated. 4. Do not allow the contents of the container to boil dry as this may induce permanent stresses that will eventually cause breakage. Discard containers that have been boiled dry.
3. Inspect the glassware before each use and discard if scratched on inner surfaces, chipped, cracked, or damaged in any way.
4. Many commercial glass cleaners are available. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for the use of these products since some are corrosive and can damage the glass.
5. Organic solvents are acceptable cleaning agents when conditions warrant their use.
DO NOT evacuate or pressurize unless recommended in the current Kimble® Laboratory catalog.
IMPROPER CLEANING PROCEDURE : 1. Do not place metal or other hard objects, such as spatulas, glass stirring rods, or brushes with metal parts, inside the glassware. This will scratch the glass and cause eventual breakage and injury. 2. Do not use strong alkaline products and hydrofluoric acid as cleaning agents; they are glass dissolvers and can damage the glassware and eventually cause breakage which can result in injury.
E. CENTRIFUGE TUBES – RCF values can be significantly reduced if the glass tubes have been scratched or otherwise physically abused resulting in surface damage and lowered glass strength. Refer to the current Kimble® Laboratory catalog.
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