Speed Stir and your Hands

[Holydoc]

I just bought the Speed Stir and love it. However how do you guys drain the cylinder and catch the spinner after testing is complete without getting the chemicals all over your hand? I have had to pour the liquid out very slow leaving the spinner in the cylinder. I then fill the cylinder with water to dilute any chemicals in it before pouring out the water and catching the spinner.

How does everyone else do it?

 

[ka8yiu]

I just dilute it first, then pour out the diluted remains, catching the spinner.

 

[duraleigh]

There is nothing of sufficient strength in any of the reagents to cause any harm.

 

[AUSpool]

I'm yet to play with a speed stir but just incase your still cautious, how about a cheep drain cover, sink strainer, or hair catcher, the ones with lots of little holes in them. I guess a magnet is probably overthinking it.

 

[xyz]

Or put a magnet on the bottom (outside) and pour.

 

[Rollercoastr]

Within the first week of my speed-stir, I dumped the testing solution AND the stirrer magnet into the kitchen sink. The stirrer landed in plain-sight in the garbage disposal. That could've been a windfall, if my hands were slightly smaller and I hadn't just taken possession of the house from the former owners. Perhaps you've heard of them: Lilly & Herman Munster. Maybe she was only related to Lilly. I don't know. They both decorated with cobwebs. The thought of the surprises awaiting me inside that plumbing... ugh

My shop-vac and anything resembling a useful too was still packed in the garage, so instead I put a sock over the tube of the regular vacuum and picked the magnet up with that. Smart, huh? Apropos of nothing, you'd be a amazed at how much water your vacuum can suck out of a kitchen sink drain.

Method Two: (this whole thread speaks to the affection we all have for those crazy little Speedstirs!) I changed venues to the bathroom sink and used my fingers as strainers. Effective, but it makes my hands smell for about an hour, and no amount of hand-washing helps.

Method Three: I had unpacked one of those fancy decanting carafes with a stainless mesh screen that sits on top to catch particulates in red wine. I'm more of a beer/vodka/white wine guy, so that mini strainer was quite a score.

 

[JVTrain]

I fill the vial to the top with tap water and put two fingers over the top and invert it. Keeps the stir bar in, but the water drains out. I rinse several times this way. Nothing in any of the tests is going to be an issue when doing it this way.

If you'd like and elegant option, check amazon: Amazon.com: stir bar retriever: Industrial Scientific

Otherwise a large magnet outside the vial should allow you to either hold it in place or remove it before dumping/rinsing.

 

[domct203]

I just dump it into my hand after a quick dilution.

Seeing that the stir bar is a magnet, you could stick a nickel plated screw in the vial and bring the stir bar up and out with that.

 

[bobby1017]

I fill the vial to the top with tap water and put two fingers over the top and invert it. Keeps the stir bar in, but the water drains out. I rinse several times this way. Nothing in any of the tests is going to be an issue when doing it this way.

Me too.

 

[Patrick_B]

I dont worry about getting it on my hands, and just rinse afterwards as I go along.. No ill effects but don't do this with Silver Nitrate (Salt/Chloride) tests if anyone ever uses that one.

 

[duraleigh]

If this thread keeps up, we may have to make it an article in Pool School!!

Don't buy that retriever from Fisher Scientific. For 99c, you can buy one of those picker-upper devices that has a small magnet on the end. The polarity may cause the stir bar to spin around as it jumps on to the retriever, adding even more fun.

 

[JVTrain]

But don't we all need a $15, teflon coated stir bar retrieval unitasker? It would look pretty good in the test kit!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Wait, you guys don't use one of the twisted bendy straws to suck-siphon the test solution out?? You just need to be careful to not get too much of the solution in your mouth....

 

[Rollercoastr]

Now I feel better about my vacuum cleaner idea!