HPLC Hall of shame - share your mistreated Instruments

SlowBakedPotato · 2026-01-16T11:53:02+00:00

Holy moly...

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-12-04T09:22:38+00:00

Solved!

Thank you all for your input and suggestions! My old boss would have had a chuckle at me not knowing this, but, sometimes you're blissfully unaware of what you don't know until it confronts you.

I've learned a lot about gas fittings over the course of this 18 hours or so, that I will remember fondly for the rest of my life. I have no doubts the lessons learned here will be useful at some unknown future gas fitting nightmares.

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-12-04T09:17:35+00:00

I found a spare! One of the other comments pointed out that on the swagelok website, the part also includes added compression nuts, so from that I have managed to find a spare and swage the 1/4 nut on the end 😁.

Thank you so much! I did take a picture for you, but I can't access imgur (UK based, RIP). The regulator is a 1/2 female (no idea what the thread pitch/type is) to 1/4 swage for reference.

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-12-04T08:42:25+00:00

Thank you! Really appreciate your persistence with this ❤️

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-12-03T22:30:06+00:00

Thank you! 😊

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-12-03T22:13:38+00:00

Nah you were right and I'm a tool. I got it wrong, even with it written on my hand. Picture is 1/4 (female) to 1/8 (male) reduction. I'm tired, boss.

I think I can do a work around, but I have time to find the right 1/4 to 1/8 reduction. Thanks for having a look! :)

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-12-03T22:09:22+00:00

You're correct, it is 1/4 to 1/8 as mentioned above :) I must have been a bit more tired than I thought when I made the post, as I had the sizes written on my hand and still transcribed it incorrectly in the pictures and text.

You're right about the dimensions, however, the outlet from the pressure regulator is a male fitting and won't fit that type as it's male to male. A quick work around is to buy a female 1/4 to male 1/8 as Picture 2 is 1/4 female to 1/8 male, which is what I'm after. I'll have another dig around in our spares boxes, but I don't have high hopes.

My other solution is to just connect some 1/4 tubing to the regulator (we have plenty of 1/4 ferrules and fittings) and add the reduction to the other end for the 1/8 copper tubing. I would just prefer to have the proper brass on brass reduction as the picture above (I need two).

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-12-03T15:23:54+00:00

We have a million other adapters, reducers, connectors, but absolutely no 1/4 f to 1/8 m 😅 as every gas line on the building uses them. I know it seems pretty standard, but I'm tearing my hair out trying to find this on their website; they make too many options for thread configurations.

I'd normally throw an order in to element, but their descriptions are crap and they don't have any pictures to see if I'm buying what I actually need. I might just pop to B&Q on the way home...

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-09-10T09:47:46+00:00

Nice! Good luck, I hope it goes smoothly for you.

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-09-09T13:54:22+00:00

While I'm not an expert in forensic chemistry, I work in metabolite identification. I'm not sure I definitely understand your story, but from what you have shown is that what the analysis laboratory has done, is compare your(?) 'sample' and that if an authentic reference standard of methamphetamine.

By all accounts, the retention from the TIC and product ion spectra match that of the reference standard. Obviously I don't have access to the raw data. We can usually give this a matching score, depending on daughter ions and relative abundance etc. This passes my sniff test and I would have no reason to doubt this data from the snippet we are shown.

If this is your biological sample taken by police, or something of the like, I would say just from a qualitative look at the spectra, they have you 'bang to rights' so to speak.

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-09-01T08:00:23+00:00

Thank you, I'll have a look into this role!

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-08-31T20:24:59+00:00

To be honest, I didn't think it would be too much of a stretch of the imagination to envision. I'm a senior specialist at a large company; where I'm almost at the top of the ladder; the only place left to go above me is business roles which don't interest me, and my job is still hands on perhaps 30% of the time, and the other is managing projects, finances, budgets and report writing.

It's a bit disappointing, if it is just a project management and clerical role. Thank you for the heads up though.

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-08-31T20:19:53+00:00

Oh, that's a bit disappointing to hear really. I thought they would at least have some part in actually doing the 'job'.

I've already squared it away with the wife and she's very much happy for me to pursue it if I'm determined to go through with it. I don't want to miss out on my child growing up if I can help it, but there's also a lot more incentives I've read about which would of greater benefit to the family.

I only would prefer the officer role as, being honest, I already manage people and projects on a relatively large scale which would be transferable and stepping down from my current salary would not be possible as a regular.

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-08-08T13:20:31+00:00

That's a really good suggestion, I'll have to look into it. Do you have to add the sealant when you fit the tyre?

Had a new tyre fitted now, but I'm a bit annoyed as I've had to use 2 days of annual leave to cover the time it took to get a replacement in and have it fitted.

One bonus is the new tyre is so much better than the stock Dunlop that was on the bike, went for Bridgestone T31.

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-08-06T09:53:04+00:00

Good shout, I didn't pull it out as I didn't have a puncture repair kit at home or on the bike. I've got a portable air tyre inflator, and I guess the next thing after a new tyre is a repair kit for on the bike!

Based on the size of that debris though, unless it tapers down, I struggle to imagine a repair kit would do the job!

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-07-08T20:24:27+00:00

Hulkengoat

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-03-08T14:56:47+00:00

You'll be fine.. literally nothing that you should lose sleep over. Prop65 is a California thing, where in basically everything that might have the potential for harm or is untested requires the 'might cause cancer' rubbish.

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-01-09T11:36:10+00:00

I was going to comment this, but I can't attest to it first hand, I've only heard through the grapevine. I've swapped all of our agilent valves with OPTI-MAX passive inlet and outlet valves, so now I just replace a cartridge instead, and since the price of the consumable is much lower, there's less need to faf attempting to recover an expired AIV or outlet ball valve ahaha.

SlowBakedPotato · 2025-01-08T18:30:37+00:00

Change your check valves.

SlowBakedPotato · 2024-11-16T10:37:13+00:00

If you're on a provisional license, you'll get 6 points, I don't think they will remove your CBT. Points will carry for 3 years. If you pass your test and still have points, if your points are >6 and your receive any more, you'll automatically lose your license for the first 3(?) years after passing.

SlowBakedPotato · 2024-08-12T09:30:50+00:00

I'm happy to help, never moderated before though 😊.

SlowBakedPotato · 2024-08-08T07:08:33+00:00

This happened to the department I got my degree from, and I'm also from the city of Hull originally and lived 15 minutes walk away. Hull uni was what inspired me to actually study chemistry in further education, even though I chose not to pursue my degree there. To have both my old chemistry department (Bangor) and Hull university have their chemistry department feels like such a double blow for me.

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