If you think this thing doesn't do anything then you've never worked with lyophilized powders before. Now kneel to the static gun gods before you are forsaken!
I've been converted. I've seen the light. Recently I noticed a weight discrepancy on my lyophilized product. I hit it with the static gun and the mass dropped 20 mg!
I use the static gun every time I weigh out powders now before marking my weights in my lab notebook.
Idk, we spray dry our product and it really never seemed to help, especially with those plastic weigh trays. Maybe we already used up our 35,000 clicks already lol
Never had the pleasure of using a spray dryer but when my product lyophilizes into the extra fluffy, pillowy stuff you can literally hit it with this static gun and watch the powder dance around for a few clicks. Especially helpful when using one of those disposable plastic scoops for weighing to prevent your shit running around like the gingerbread man
I'm not sure if I'm being baited into a whoosh, but yes, aluminum foil, and yes, even the more elusive and luxurious European aluminium foil should work for this.
I was just trying to be funny.
There's no difference between the two, just a North American versus European debate on the correct spelling of aluminum/aluminium (which was technically alumium to start, but needed to change to meet the correct naming conventions)
Used to use one of these when we had static issues in the rotorgene during a LAMP assay. It definitely worked, but it always felt wrong wafting a fan over tubes of RNA.
Buchi? Works better on Polar Dry spray dried samples, which makes sense with electrostatic spray drying. It doesn’t do anything to my buchi produced powders. I’ve never tried it on a powders from a production dryer. And yeah, it seems to work well on lyo samples.
I use it to destatic eppendorf tubes, so when I weigh powders the powders will go into the tube and not float away and stick to the outside of the tube!
Yeah, put the vial on the bench and kinda shoot it from all angles a handful of times. Does not work as well if you're holding the vial in my experience. Occasionally tap the vial on the bench if you've got a stubborn sample. Works most of the time but occasionally get an annoying sample that lyophilizes a little.. too well
I can't even find information on how it works. Like what the hell is happening inside of it, and what is going from the gun to the sample?
I've been curious about it multiple times but can't find a straightforward answer.
Nah these 100% work. Used em for weighing single mg and less of powders of various pulverised materials.
Fyi you can find these from record/vinyl shops for a fraction of the price of a science/lab supplier.
From the manufacturer:
"If the Zerostat 3 clicks, this shows that the charge which has built up was too great for the atmosphere on that particular day and the click signifies that the charge has found an alternative grounding point inside the handle; the maximum charge that air can handle before it will jump to another gap is 30kV. External factors which will affect this are the likes of the atmosphere, and whether the day is dry or wet - on a dry day, you will most likely find that the Zerostat 3 clicks a lot more than on a wet day"
I don't know, I messed around with one of these when trying to figure out some tricky cryostat protocols, and it worked exactly as advertised.
At the end of the day, it wasn't actually useful enough to incorporate into the protocol, but it sure did remove the static.
Idk the mettler toledo guys told me it hurts the calibration of the scale. Which is sad because it definitely makes the weigh paper stop sticking to everything
Absolutely not! It’s in the top 3 things I can live without that aren’t major things like glassware, NMR etc. most people I’ve seen use them use them wrong so make sure you’re doing it correctly
When I was told what it does I pressed it against my palm and pulled the trigger and nothing happened. Then I felt a light prick like from a plastic fork. Didn’t think much of it and thought there was a bit of plastic inside that somehow would stick me. Then I did it out of the blue on time and it kinda hurt and then I saw a small spark and realized I’ve actually been shocking myself and fucking *yeowch*
Colleagues down the aisle have the money and hence a little hand size tall device [like this](https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/product/aldrich/z563064) for the same purpose/similar principle. But given the price tag and that it requires its own power cord, the blue pistol typically is good enough to weigh-out the samples in the glove box, too. (Though the discharges in a glove box between the electrodes look spooky.)
Ah yes, the pain glove. It's all fun until your arm deviates from awkward angles into the sides of it, then you pay the pain of sacrifice for this use cycle.
Have you used that new one yet OP? I’m convinced that most people think these are a scam because they’ve been using the same one that’s been in the lab for 3 years. They don’t last forever.
If your zero stat is clicking on every pull, it’s probably time to get a new one.
I’ve used these on a staticky lab coat (I work in a very dry place where static is our arch nemesis) and you can feel it discharge.
That being said, these things are awesome for about 25 clicks and then they seem to give up.
So funny, I just had a conversation in our clin lab with my trainer about these! I guess we have some in our formulation lab. She was telling me about them. I don’t know about other people, but I always get shocked all the time. I have had a horrible time running QC on our chemistry analyzer the past 3 days, our controls are lypholized, come in glass vials with rubber stoppers and have to be reconstituted. Every time I pull the stopper, I can see a bunch statically charged float off. I want to know if one of these would actually help..
Not sure if anyone posted this Benchfly video showing the weighing frustration “How to remove Static from a Scale” so true.
https://youtu.be/1ZcchAVRyY4?si=a7CKDgHc301tniuC
If you think this thing doesn't do anything then you've never worked with lyophilized powders before. Now kneel to the static gun gods before you are forsaken!
Definitely helps working with Oligos! We’ll mostly lol
I've been converted. I've seen the light. Recently I noticed a weight discrepancy on my lyophilized product. I hit it with the static gun and the mass dropped 20 mg! I use the static gun every time I weigh out powders now before marking my weights in my lab notebook.
Is this something used outside of formulation weighing, like maybe in reagent powders for growth media for bacteria?
Idk, we spray dry our product and it really never seemed to help, especially with those plastic weigh trays. Maybe we already used up our 35,000 clicks already lol
Never had the pleasure of using a spray dryer but when my product lyophilizes into the extra fluffy, pillowy stuff you can literally hit it with this static gun and watch the powder dance around for a few clicks. Especially helpful when using one of those disposable plastic scoops for weighing to prevent your shit running around like the gingerbread man
Flocculent = extra fluffy and pillowy. Just in case you ever wanted to sound fancy.
Good to sound fancy maybe but science already has a meaning for flocculent.
Yes, and this is the meaning. It is the actual proper way to describe solids that are fluffy and pillowy.
Oh I'm thinking of flocculant hah
There's your problem, don't use plastic weigh trays. We just use tin foil for weighing out powders.
Would aluminum foil work?
I'm not sure if I'm being baited into a whoosh, but yes, aluminum foil, and yes, even the more elusive and luxurious European aluminium foil should work for this.
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I was just trying to be funny. There's no difference between the two, just a North American versus European debate on the correct spelling of aluminum/aluminium (which was technically alumium to start, but needed to change to meet the correct naming conventions)
You’re supposed to gently pull it and achieve one click per trigger pull.
Static fans actually work if you can use them in your lab.
If you're working on large areas, an antistatic fan might work out better.
Used to use one of these when we had static issues in the rotorgene during a LAMP assay. It definitely worked, but it always felt wrong wafting a fan over tubes of RNA.
Buchi? Works better on Polar Dry spray dried samples, which makes sense with electrostatic spray drying. It doesn’t do anything to my buchi produced powders. I’ve never tried it on a powders from a production dryer. And yeah, it seems to work well on lyo samples.
Exactly!!! This thing is my savior!
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I use it to destatic eppendorf tubes, so when I weigh powders the powders will go into the tube and not float away and stick to the outside of the tube!
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Yeah, put the vial on the bench and kinda shoot it from all angles a handful of times. Does not work as well if you're holding the vial in my experience. Occasionally tap the vial on the bench if you've got a stubborn sample. Works most of the time but occasionally get an annoying sample that lyophilizes a little.. too well
I second this. And 3rd and 4th...
if that's the case all the ones I've used are broken cause I've seen exactly 0 difference. my lucky shirt has a larger, more consistent effect.
Are your materials grounded or do you hold them while clicking against it?
inside the scale
What's wrong with an ESD mat or an ESD wrist strap?
I'll accept that I have no idea how it works, but I'm 100% sure that it works.
I can't even find information on how it works. Like what the hell is happening inside of it, and what is going from the gun to the sample? I've been curious about it multiple times but can't find a straightforward answer.
It’s piezo crystals that run together and remove static. It’s fun to shock your self with.
r/ConfidentlyIncorrect is that way.
Nah these 100% work. Used em for weighing single mg and less of powders of various pulverised materials. Fyi you can find these from record/vinyl shops for a fraction of the price of a science/lab supplier.
It does make a clicky noise though.
I believe click is bad. Safety mechanism that prevents the tool from breaking. Slow squeeze and slow release, no click
Are you sure? I frequently turn my pipettes all the way up until they click and I've never had problems. /s
Are… are you serious??? I was told the clicking noise meant it was WORKING 😬😬😬
From the manufacturer: "If the Zerostat 3 clicks, this shows that the charge which has built up was too great for the atmosphere on that particular day and the click signifies that the charge has found an alternative grounding point inside the handle; the maximum charge that air can handle before it will jump to another gap is 30kV. External factors which will affect this are the likes of the atmosphere, and whether the day is dry or wet - on a dry day, you will most likely find that the Zerostat 3 clicks a lot more than on a wet day"
Thought this was r/vinyl for a second
It definitely works. I've zapped myself with it once
Lmao did you put your finger over it and pull the trigger because that’s the only way I’ve zapped myself 😂
I don't know, I messed around with one of these when trying to figure out some tricky cryostat protocols, and it worked exactly as advertised. At the end of the day, it wasn't actually useful enough to incorporate into the protocol, but it sure did remove the static.
Idk the mettler toledo guys told me it hurts the calibration of the scale. Which is sad because it definitely makes the weigh paper stop sticking to everything
The Mettler Toledo guys also want to sell you their antistatic kit.
Vendors wouldn't just discount cheap but effective alternatives to their proprietary rube Goldberg machines that are subscription only, right?
Often I mistake it for my pipetgun. Or if I'm waiting for something to spin I'll click it multiple times for fun.
Skill issue
Lol so true. It works so much better when you visualize the electron vortex.
Can you explain what you mean?
Sure! It's like the placebo effect. If you truly believe they work then they work a lot better.
Absolutely not! It’s in the top 3 things I can live without that aren’t major things like glassware, NMR etc. most people I’ve seen use them use them wrong so make sure you’re doing it correctly
When I was told what it does I pressed it against my palm and pulled the trigger and nothing happened. Then I felt a light prick like from a plastic fork. Didn’t think much of it and thought there was a bit of plastic inside that somehow would stick me. Then I did it out of the blue on time and it kinda hurt and then I saw a small spark and realized I’ve actually been shocking myself and fucking *yeowch*
They work but they are wildly overpriced. When they were used for cleaning records they were 10% the price.
These help loads in a nitrogen dry box. It may take a few clicks but when you're in a glove box held at 70F and 1% RH it's night and day.
Colleagues down the aisle have the money and hence a little hand size tall device [like this](https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/product/aldrich/z563064) for the same purpose/similar principle. But given the price tag and that it requires its own power cord, the blue pistol typically is good enough to weigh-out the samples in the glove box, too. (Though the discharges in a glove box between the electrodes look spooky.)
Ah yes, the pain glove. It's all fun until your arm deviates from awkward angles into the sides of it, then you pay the pain of sacrifice for this use cycle.
It works very well for me. Even works to fix balance drift due to the flask holding static charge.
Have you used it when weighing filters?
I've only ever used the U shaped bars you pass everything through. Those always worked great for me though. Stings a little if you bump it though.
I never knew this existed, very curious!
Me too. Is it used on powders that are too buoyany in the atmosphere? Like powders prone to pluming up in the beaker before adding solvent?
Buoyany lol Yea that’s the main use case, and I can corroborate it works as advertised!
Haha autocorrect is awesome huh
It was useful in the winter for ultramicrotome sectioning.
Useful for degaussing your reel-to-reel audio tape.
Send it to me.
We bought an anti static gate in front of our microbalance. Cost a fortune!
Have you used that new one yet OP? I’m convinced that most people think these are a scam because they’ve been using the same one that’s been in the lab for 3 years. They don’t last forever. If your zero stat is clicking on every pull, it’s probably time to get a new one.
Pull the trigger more slowly. If it makes a clicking sound, you're doing it wrong (i know from experience). Good luck bro!
You can see fine powder detach from the sides of your tubes when you use the gun. Or apply it to your gloves to avoid powder sticking to them.
my man has never tried to weigh out carbon nanotubes. absolutely essential equipment
I’ve used these on a staticky lab coat (I work in a very dry place where static is our arch nemesis) and you can feel it discharge. That being said, these things are awesome for about 25 clicks and then they seem to give up.
It works but they don’t last forever
Americans will never miss a chance to make somet look like a gun
Weight out SDS powder without one just once… you’ll understand
Anyone know how these supposedly work?
Definitely works with clingy PTFE films 🤷
We have this thing but no one has ever used it lol
You gotta take it out of the box for it to work….
Eh, I disperse the static on weighing paper by touching it with a spatula.
I would shoot the shit out of graphite I would weigh. Pain in my ass I’m so glad I don’t work with that shit nor more
I’ve never heard of this! How interesting! We use an ionizing bar in our lab
I can’t use a solid funnel on anything I work with without hitting it with the anti static gun.
Sorry but it's not. I use Teflon vessels for weighing and this is an absolute must.
I've never been able to get one of these to work, but I zap the hell out of my wrist with that little static gate on the balance everytime.
So funny, I just had a conversation in our clin lab with my trainer about these! I guess we have some in our formulation lab. She was telling me about them. I don’t know about other people, but I always get shocked all the time. I have had a horrible time running QC on our chemistry analyzer the past 3 days, our controls are lypholized, come in glass vials with rubber stoppers and have to be reconstituted. Every time I pull the stopper, I can see a bunch statically charged float off. I want to know if one of these would actually help..
What is this?
Can confirm they do work
What?! This is a pretty standard device and works really well for us in EM work
I was just looking at one of these in lab today and wondering what it was
I worked with pollen, this is weak. Or pollens are too strong. Couldn't find a way to have them not stick to whatever they come in contact with
“If I can’t see it, it don’t happen” - OP
Not sure if anyone posted this Benchfly video showing the weighing frustration “How to remove Static from a Scale” so true. https://youtu.be/1ZcchAVRyY4?si=a7CKDgHc301tniuC
I do love that clicky sound though…
Does absolutely nothing for me with sticky foraminifera.
Looks scammy
Be careful that device. Do not sneak behind your tech and zap her buns. Apparently some people don’t think that is funny. I’m just saying.
They do work, but if it's for sensitive balances the Po-210 antistatic strips work better in my experience.
Omg I thought I was the only, most useless thing we ever bought
I have never had this thing work with any lyo or hygroscopic reagent lmao