What is Reddit's opinion of
American Science Surplus?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
➔ American Science Surplus website
By popularity on Reddit, this Service is:
88 reviews of this app found across Reddit:
American Science Surplus 5316 N Milwaukee Ave Chicago, IL www.sciplus.com
It's like the gift store at the Adler, Field and MSI ... rolled into one with reasonable prices.
I think American Science and Surplus would blow MacGyver's mind.
You want brass tubing? Got it.
You want beakers? Got it.
You want wires and motors? Got it.
Seriously, check this stuff out. http://www.sciplus.com/
This place has had them in stock in their physical stores before.
I've purchased a giant marine hole patch (Basically a suction cup the size of a manhole cover) from them before and labeled it "Internet plunger" to hang in my office. I wanted to get a riot shield but last time I visited they were out of stock and didn't know when that specific store would get more.
My favorite declutter rule is "keep it where you use it". No one keeps toilet paper on a dispenser in their pantry.
Two things I keep meaning to do: grab a couple of pens & glue a bit of velcro on them. Put the twin velcro in places I never have a pen; tape a long pretty ribbon onto some pens, and then tie them to places I need pens.
I did this with my chapstick (why do they make them perfectly round- they roll off of everything!) and tied it to my nightstand. All I have to do each night is feel around for the ribbon and reel it up. It's like that old kids' game at the fair. Since I've started this, I've used up two tubes before I lost them - a first for me!
You can use one of those magnetic pen holders for the fridge, but the magnets are never strong enough. You're better off just attaching quality magnets to a container you really like. Link to awesome magnets:
Also there's American Science and Surplus where you can pick up items ranging from Tesla coils to astronomical binoculars to underpants in a can.
Yes, underpants in a can.
"Emergency underpants in a can. Says it all, doesn't it? Quite stretchable in a Tyvekish white fabric, 'one pair fits most adults.' They're hip-hugger, semi-bikini, translucent type drawers, so despite the smiling man wearing them and a red bow-tie on the can, some (insecure) guys might find these just a touch jeune fille-ish. 'Safe, Sanitary, Secure.' Says so right on the 3" x 1-1/2" x 2/3" flip-top metal can. Better buy (3) in case of a long weekend."
I printed the original template for cardboard at 108% the original size for my LG G3. It fits perfectly. I used my own custom lenses (59.5mm x 22mm thick and 62mm focal length) that I found through American Science Surplus, but those lenses have since gone out of stock (http://www.sciplus.com/p/LENS-595mm-PCx-ASPHERIC-62mm-FL_55137). I'm sure you could find similar lenses by doing what I did and searching extensively using those dimensions. After it became clear to me that this thing was way better than my DK1 I removed the faceplate/headstrap of my DK1 and attached it to this. You can see pictures of the headset before the last step here: http://imgur.com/a/s2P8M The last step was just that I used black cloth on certain parts of the exterior to cut down light pollution altogether (including a neat triangular piece that keeps me from seeing my feet). I use Moonlight and Trinus VR to use it for Minecraft (minecrift mod) and GTA V through my PC, otherwise I just run VR apps natively through the device. One important thing to keep in mind if you use the same dimension lenses; I did have to adjust the distance between the lens holder and screen to accommodate the slightly different focal length. I adjusted the lens holder a couple centimeters closer to my face and it was perfect, I suggest finding the right distance manually with your phone in the viewer and marking it off that way.
Not for synthesis, but for analysis- yes. I have GC/FID, GC/NPD, GC/TCD, and now GC/MS. Also polarimetry, osmometry, microscopy (all sorts except SEM, although I know one guy who had his own basement SEM), some other stuff I'm not thinking of right now.
American Science and Surplus has some stuff, but not much. Otherwise, I just buy what I need on eBay, although sometimes I need to shop for a while until the price is right.
American Science and Surplus (linky) has a lot of surplus/lightly used/brand new & cheap lab equipment. Glassware, bottles, stoppers, balances, etc. They don't have a lot of the fancier stuff but for general supplies they're great.
I like to use giant safety pins, they're durable and you just clip them to your project so you always have it. I have two of these and they're awesome!
For those wondering, Fermilab is in Batavia, a western suburb. It is about an hour drive or 3 hours by train/bus/foot.
Some other places in the area, to add more to your trip, are the Chicago Premium Outlets (shopping), Two Brothers Tap House (brewery/restaurant - free tours on weekends), and American Science & Surplus
Check out American Science & Surplus. They will ship you a catalog for free IIRC, and the descriptions are pretty cool. They fill the void in my life that Edmunds made during my childhood.
Digikey is also good, though their catalog is way too big to be free.
American Science & Surplus, 6901 W Oklahoma. Store full of cool, eccentric science and novelty stuff that kids find fascinating. I think my first time there I was about that age.
I've been to american science and surplus in Milwaukee. It's worth a visit if you are ever in Milwaukee. TIL they have a couple of chicago stores. If not from around here, the free catalog is pretty good too.
Sounds a bit like American Science and Surplus? Check the "Militaria" section for items like you mentioned. If you are anywhere near Chicago, the retail store is a treasure trove of unusual items.
I would just like to point out, for what it's worth, that I've been using my own alternative lenses for quite a while now ( http://www.sciplus.com/p/LENS-595mm-PCx-ASPHERIC-62mm-FL_55137 ) and the FOV is greatly increased with little to no distortion and it has worked great for me. Not only that, but I recently used the google provided QR code generator to customize the IPD, FOV, and distortion profile to match them and now any of the apps using the Cardboard SDK look even more amazing! I considered Wearality lenses briefly but with the QR code generator available now I'm so comfortable with what I have that there's really no point. For anyone interested, here are some pictures of the lenses I took for an old post about my cardboard: http://imgur.com/a/s2P8M http://imgur.com/a/qfOwm
You may want to consider these Sharp Speakers. They only cost $2.50 for a two pack. Wire 100 of them in parallel you should get pretty close to 0 ohms at 600 watts.
I saw your original post in /r/electronics and followed you here to comment.
I think it would be great to have a serious electronic supply store within city limits, even if it's just for those "in-a-pinch" times or when you don't want to pay more for shipping than the item itself (my recent problem). Also, as someone in your original post points out, reach out to makerspace/hackerspace groups. I see you already reached out to PS:One. You should also reach out to the fledgling South Side Hackerspace (ssh:chicago), mostly because I am part of it :). Maybe our friends at Workshop 88 would have some interest too.
Some specific comments:
Chicago does have American Science and Surplus, but I think it's somewhat more hobby and novelty oriented and doesn't carry too much variety. The only other electronics shop I know was in Des Plaines, but it carried few things and seemed to attract few customers. I am not sure how feasible it would be, but having a wide variety of items would be great.
Classes and workshops are always cool. Consider partnering up with us maker/hackerspace folk and other community organizations, "strength in numbers" sort of thing, and would hopefully ensure we are not all teaching the same silly Arduino class to the locals.
Business stuff. I imagine it will take some thinking to make this a viable business.
Best of luck!
This is really great! I remember becoming amused with gears and stuff so much after that my dad's Walkman didn't last long. After that mess, I subscribed to American Science and Surplus after talking with my professor who suggested it after I stole his copy... all this and the school happened to be in the inner city :) I now design systems to use in developing communities to help with energy/solar & water access.
edit: link with american science and surplus catalog.
American Science and Surplus. Good site for dropper bottles and all kinds of other obscure stuff. Fun site to just wander around.
No affiliation, just a long time customer.
I always give click pens. I'm a pen-cap loser. Maybe that's the point of the black apron.
Here's a place that sells misprinted pens by the pound. I wish I'd known of this back in the day.
This separatory funnel has a PTFE stopcock, so I can set the drip to whatever I want. Sure, the drip is a little slower toward the end when there's not as much pressure but for the most part it's pretty constant.
EDIT: Forgot the link. Updated.
Ham fests, clients that I serve who have surplus, surplus stores (depends on where you live), surplus outfits like American Science and Surplus (http://www.sciplus.com), Merlin P Jones, ebay, and believe it or not... when I am doing any design, I often just buy something CLOSE to what I am doing and take it apart. I charge by the hour, and sourcing something is often expensive compared to scrapping something new. I also call suppliers and look for samples. Usually, if a project has volume potential, they can help out. I have a fairly full kit of valves, relays, solenoids, PLCs, project boxes, wiring, connectors, nuts and bolts, raw material, and shop assets to do disassembly and mods to stuff. The issue is getting to 'done' ASAP. Toward that end, an ME kit might have a lot of things in the scale of your work... if you are doing huge things, you are at a disadvantage. For small things... lots of aluminum forms, threaded rods, fasteners, cutting and shaping tools, expendables, lubes, etc. Hard to generalize, but I've learned categories of what makes problems go away and I concentrate on have 'enough' of those categories.. not everything I'll ever need, but most of what I need to to many things.
What kinds of things do you do or want to do?
I don't work in a brewery, but I have priced glassware before (I'm a scientist, and for one of the teacher reddit elf match up, I got matched with a science teacher). You might find some stuff cheaper on Amazon than Fisher or VWR. You might also find some useful things on American Science and Surplus
If you don't have the button pick out yet may I suggest one of these I used a red one in a LED organ as a school project. The buttons are for arcade cabinets and are slightly smaller than the size of your palm. I imagine it would look great with a big "Eject!" transferred onto it.
I'd check out American Science and Surplus. THat's my go-to page for nerdy/awesome gifts, plus I'm in Chicago so I actually have retail stores around me.
Does he like building stuff? Interested in electronics at all?
I got lucky - a while back I bought something like 5 or so 5'x5' sheets from a certain surplus store on clearance at a buck a piece because I thought they'd be handy to have around. Guess I was right :D
Check out this guy. He looks like he is doing something similar. Also, for a drive, you might consider a ball screw from American Science and Surplus. Inexpensive, and very efficient. Let me know what you think!
Once I post this Gonewild viewership is gonna drop by half !
Science surplus oddities, military surplus, odd materials, geeky stuff I have never found anywhere else. If you are in the vicinity of one of these it is geek heaven to visit.
American Science & Surplus
I had considered this before and there is actually a heating element that I was looking at to make into an electronic hooka coal.
http://www.sciplus.com/singleItem.cfm/terms/4582
Obviously you would need a thermostatically controlled switch of some kind to ensure this element remains around 190°C and does not overheat. I don't know about battery operated, you may be able to do something like that with nichrome wire, but I doubt you would be able to make a non-contact device like an electronic hooka coal.
But, if you had something that could heat the air going into a bong or hooka bowl you could make it operate much like a vaporizer.
There's an American Science & Surplus store there, which is usually fun to browse through. Lots of oddball stuff, some of it even useful: http://www.sciplus.com/storeDetail.cfm?store=2
FermiLab is just a bit south of there, and is worth a visit as well: http://fnal.gov/pub/visiting/index.html
Check out American Science and Surplus (not affiliated, just a happy customer).
​
They have all kinds of neat stuff, including lots of bottles of all sorts, including those with droppers of the correct size. All sorts of other containers, dishes and other stuff...... their catalog is a lot of fun to read through even after you have found specifically what you are looking for.
​
​
Have fun!
Radioshack might have enough stuff for you to rig something up. Another place to check out is American Science & Surplus (not the best place to go if you don't have large amounts of time to waste).
American Science & Surplus
ThinkGeek (of course)
I got the titanium spork as a gift for a friend from ThinkGeek oh... I want to say about nine years ago. He still has it.
Personally I bought a cheap generic one at a jewelry supply store a long time ago and it's been a part of my everyday carry for years. It's on the small side and if you don't intend to carry yours around in your pocket you might want to find one with larger diameter lenses.
Bausch & Lomb magnifiers are great but a bit expensive, as you noticed. If you are looking for more information in order to make an informed decision there are a lot of guides online, though it will depend on what your personal needs are:
https://www.google.com/search?q=choosing+a+jewelers+loupe
Maybe someone else here will have the perfect recommendation for you, sorry that I don't. I will say though that I really like this site:
http://www.sciplus.com/s/c_17/sf_156
But you may want to shop around a little and see if anyone can beat their price on a particular magnifier.
Good luck!
http://www.sciplus.com/p/1000X-ADVANCED-STUDENT-MICROSCOPE_46349
http://www.sciplus.com/p/LCD-DIGITAL-MICROSCOPE_53895
Here are some upper limit ones that you should be able to see mold at
http://www.sciplus.com/p/36-SPECIMEN-SLIDE-ASSORTMENT_46018
You may want to get a different lens to be able to see the defining structures but x400 you will see something
You can restore the button pads with remote button pad cleaning compound. I've seen similar stuff at Wal-Mart. You may be able to breathe life into the remote for another 20 years, at which point, I'd be happy it still works at all.
Will any of these suit your needs?
http://www.sciplus.com/s?sStr=glass+bottles
http://www.sciplus.com/s?sStr=glass+jars
This place has been doing business online for quite awhile and hey have some pretty good prices.
I haven't tried it, but I bet a burette would be very handy--especially for large commercial operations where consistency is critical.
If you want to play around with one, it looks like AS&S has a good deal on the parts you'll need.
I've bought surplus glassware from American Science and Surplus and I've been very satisfied, especially with their customer service. I would recommend emailing them and making sure they're safe to use for consumables. Also I haven't bothered checking to make sure they have exactly what you want, but they should be able to help you out.
For anyone else who might be looking, there's also these from the zany SciPlus website: http://www.sciplus.com/p/12-clear-plastic-canisters-in-a-box_44940
They have a few other nifty looking containers that would work for various cosmetic purposes, as well!
This. http://www.sciplus.com/p/VARIABLE-SPEED-FLEX-SHANK-GRINDER_43486 More powerful than any dremel,(1/4 hp) variable speed foot pedal, comes with a good assortment of bits, has a chuck, so no fiddling with collets, the handpiece is compatible with foredom, it is an excellent value. I still like my dremel, and use it away from my shop, but this lives right at my bench and is really nice. [edit] The only thing that bugs me is that the foot pedal is hard to set and hold at the right speed. For now I've fastened the pedal down and have a bolt threaded in under the foot plate to act as an adjustable stop. It would be better to have a dial. The best thing about flex shaft tools is that it's easy to clamp the handpiece when you want it stationary, and when you're holding it there's much less gyro effect than when you're holding the motor.
Lab kits are great; the one /u/arah91 linked seems to be pretty badass. If you want to supplement those with additional, individual pieces of labware, Amazon is definitely a great resource. Another really good one is American Science and Surplus. They seem to have a few kits, but they don't really go into detail over it (they're also pretty slow to respond over email). That being said, for buying individual pieces of glassware (or small things in bulk) they always have pretty quality stuff at pretty quality prices.
Aftosa has them: http://www.aftosa.com/rubber-stoppers/
And the always fun, American Science Surplus always has a fun variety of things- including stoppers: http://www.sciplus.com/p/LG-ORANGE-STOPPER_50288
"Rather knowledgeable" may be pushing it :), but thanks. I don't have the exact mixes that I've tried so far with me right now, but I stuck with the "cooking" oils for mine. I recommend you keep a log of what you mix & the proportions and only mix a small amount at a time to find what you like (and if you value your sanity, mix in metric). I would recommend going to a drugstore and getting 3 ml syringes without needles to measure/dispense the oils. It's probably the best way to get accurate measurements at small quantities cost effectively (something along these lines). You're also going to need something to put this stuff in. I prefer glass myself, but it is a bit more expensive. These might do the trick. Nice because they're opaque (exposure to light will cause your oils to break down more quickly) and not too pricey.
My main oils were safflower, olive, and grapeseed. I also mixed in walnut, avocado, and coconut. Make sure you warm up the coconut oil so the solids go back into solution first and be sparing - I found that to be the only one of the oils that had a strong scent of its own.
The up-front investment here may be a bit high, but if you use oil on a regular basis (and I do recommend it), you will save money in the long run (doesn't that sound familiar?). Most of the shave oils I've seen go for upwards of $15/oz. You can definitely do better than that.
The problem is that StarSan, which is basically phosphoric acid, reacts with calcium in hard water, which neutralizes the acid. I have some hard water, so when I brew, I keep some PH papers around just to make sure my StarSan is still good - occasionally I have to add a little concentrate to drop the PH to the proper range.
Get a little cheap variety set of tools and give them a go. I can't link the set directly but they are on this page. I have no idea if this is the best place to buy them but sciplus is usually pretty good.
American Science and Surplus doesn't always have the exact right thing in stock, but all their stuff is obscenely cheap. Their "barbershop bottles" (or something like that) have been good for hot sauce and such for me.
This reminds me a bit of American Science and Surplus - one of the things that's kept me coming back to them (aside from all the awesome stuff they have) are the excellent descriptions. I still read their paper catalog even if I'm not looking for something to buy, mostly because it's very entertaining reading material. This has, on more than one occasion, led me to buy things I would not have even seen otherwise. That and the fact that ALL product images in their catalog are hand-drawn. Yup. Here's what a hand-drawn surplus Chinese cannon sight looks like.
American Science & Surplus has some fun stuff, though not everything is Chicago-specific. Stationary stores that are not chains tend to have kitschy Chicago items that aren't so touristy, including old maps/photos of the city.
American Science and Surplus is where I got a lot of my stuff. They have a great inventory and are really helpful. The staff at the one I went to were very knowledgeable and were able to help me set up my complex circuit.
Poke around AS&S. You never know when a box of Swiss army horseshoe nails will come in handy
Check out the lab supplies and equpment section of American Science and Surplus. They've got lots of stuff (including Erlenmeyers and graduated cylinders) for cheap!
EDIT:Edmund Scientfic is cheap too!
Where you are matters lots.
Fry's Electronics is on the west coast.
Chicago has American Science and Surplus.
Science Hobbyist has a good suppliers list.
Check your local listing for surplus and salvage shops.
Some people just want the scents and don't need the humidity, but there's really cheap options if they just need something to fall asleep too.
I originally found the pieces from thegamecrafter.com, but then in larger quantities for much cheaper from this retailer.
If you have a hard time finding them, I happen to currently live near this one place in IL right now. I am moving up the first of August, but I have seen those at this one store whom happens to have a website. Though a quick hunt on their site shows they don't currently have any in stock.
American Science and Surplus They have super nice people working there and those same people tend to be the ones shipping the orders. Try dropping them a line if your search is still not going well.
Slinkies - all sorts of wonderful things to be done with them.
Oobleck - Non newtoniian fluid. Basically a fluid that acts like a solid when impacted. Corn starch and water.
Magnets and ball bearings.
http://www.sciplus.com/ - these guys are local, but they might ship. Cheap and easy science fun stuff.
American Science and Surplus has cheap laboratory glassware. This is the main page for it: http://www.sciplus.com/p/BEAKER-250ML-HEAT-RESISTANT-GLASS-78MM-X-124MM_274
They have other beakers and glassware; search around the "Lab Supplies and Equipment" section.
Good luck with that coiled glass tubing, though.
If you have a source for blunt needles, American Science and Surplus has 3mL luer lock syringes in truly ridiculous quantities for cheap:
Thanks! I'm not sure why my post was removed.
I want to make my own vacuum siphon coffee maker, like this, and I found a place to purchase all the parts I need (American Science and Surplus is great for tinkery DIY projects, if you're interested in a cheap place for electronic components, lab glassware, and just weird stuff), but the parts aren't quite perfectly sized for one another. My thought was that I could buy a glass cutter and trim the mis-sized part down, but, two things occurred to me: glass that isn't sheet glass might have internal tension that gives it that curvature (there was a mythbusters video about gorilla glass where they demonstrated this), and if that were the case, cutting the glass might release the tension and the whole thing would shatter. I didn't think this was likely, as I know people cut wine bottles all the time, but it seemed like a safety concern worth looking into. My second concern was, cutting the glass might leave rough edges which could flake off, and it seems unsafe to have tiny, microscopic glass flakes ending up in the coffee me and guests are going to drink.
So my questions are A: is it likely that cutting a cylindrical tube like the top or bottom part of a volumetric flask (this is exactly what I'm thinking of) would cause it to shatter? I'd need to at least cut the bottom of the flask so that gas could exchange with the atmosphere, but it might be nice to get the length of the flask neck exactly right as well, and B: is there any way to sand down cut glass to have a nice, smooth, round edge, like the lip of a drinking glass, so I don't end up with tiny glass shards in the coffee? That would end a dinner party pretty quickly, no matter how cool the parlor trick.
Thanks!
Finding the right larger lenses can be a bit arduous... Just do some serious hunting through google using the dimensions you want. I used these larger lenses for mine: http://www.sciplus.com/p/LENS-595mm-PCx-ASPHERIC-62mm-FL_55137
american science and surplus has a lot of good options
120 ml specimen jars are 2.50 for $5
50ml centrifuge tubes are 10 for $4
It tasted like 180 proof ass. It was fun though! The little burner I started with needed re-fueling too often, so I finished with a torch and some MAPP gas. The outfit is available from American Science and Surplus; http://www.sciplus.com/p/LAB-STILL_40056 It comes with everything you need except coolant tubing for the condenser and a heat source. I connected to my sink by removing the faucet spigot and modifying a barbed hose fitting to fit. Next spring, I'll maybe make some lavender/rosemary oil!
It kind of depends on what's in stock, but American Science & Surplus has a lot of bags and other containers like that for stupid cheap (for the kind of baggies you're talking about, look at Containers > Bags & Pouches).
It depends on your use scenario. For basic low-power microscopy, the $20 USB hand-held models on eBay are a killer deal.
If you want a student-grade scope, American Science & Surplus has some nice ones. SciPlus is also great for lab glass, Petri dishes, and other tools.
Oh dude, I can't wait to break out the arduino and a breadboard. I had something similar to this when I was a kid. I see one in my house in the near future. The oldest is all about how things work and why. Guess he gets it honest though; I was world renowned for my ability to disassemble things. When my dad bought a Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer he also bought two books full of programs you could write and save to the cassette deck. I went all through both books lol.
I appreciate the witty descriptions too. I like that site very much. Got a remote control led color changing lightbulb from there. Gave it to my pop. He approves.
Here is American Science & Surplus. They also have some witty product descriptions. They also have lots of shit you can afford too.
Of the two, I like AS&S a bit better. The titles for products sometimes crack me up and they have a huge variety.
Only available in labs? We have this thing called the Internet now.
I am an avid reader of surplus catalogs such as American Science and Surplus, so I recognized it. Anyhow your post prompted me to google reed switch specs, and it seems that reed switches are astoundigly reliable.
As long as we're talking about focus tools as well, does anybody have experience with this type of c wrench? I feel like it could really go either way as being a great alternative to finicky worm screws or a gimick that doesn't really work.
American Science and Surplus is a brilliant shop, but it's also kind of a crap-shoot what they'll have on any particular day. Otherwise, your brick-and-mortar options are pretty limited.
On the other hand, you can get just about any components you need for good prices from either Digi-Key or Parts Express.
Those would have been perfect! Not exactly what I had but an acceptable analog. We wound up going to our local science store and getting these: the "rare find" ones near the bottom. They did the trick of showing him the power that magnets can have. They attract through his wrist and really got the "Wow" factor out of him. He is seven so he is not playing with these unsupervised but he is not really at risk of swallowing them either. I keep an eye on him while he is doing experiments with the iron filings to see the field and pushing them through the sandbox to see what he can find. I'd hate to see what one of these things would do to my T.V. or computer. I may have to get the ones you suggested. As much for my son as myself.
I've been working this design through in my head and I was trying to work out a way to prevent the copper from corroding or affecting the taste. I had considered lining it with flexible poly tubing, using spray enamel on the inside, or just making it out of PVC. I have also been plotting a version using surplus chem lab parts.
I bought 5 10 mm ones here. Not sure how powerful you need them though. If I remember they are 380 nm. The site is pretty awesome, not too much selection but they sometimes get some really nice stuff for cheap
That's awesome! And I bet you will. :)
BTW, this may not be relevant to you right now, but if you're unfamiliar with them, American Science & Surplus is a great place to get all kinds of stuff relevant to your needs. I use them all the time for project materials & other assorted stuff.
My family buys these http://www.sciplus.com/category.cfm/subsection/10/category/105
(Second one- the "Cut right to it") They are these great, cheap, high quality scissors that can like cut through anything and are ambidextrous.
American Science and Surplus http://www.sciplus.com/ has many science items that would really help a teacher. Contact them to see if there's a discount for schools. Also, allow me to tip my hat and bow to you and your fellow teachers.
As a student at one of the top science schools in the nation, I can tell you that it DOES NOT matter what equipment you have. Resources like smartboards and lab equipment for every type of experiment imaginable hardly make a difference. You can make a difference, though...
Here are some simple things that will effectively elevate the inquiry, passion, and love of learning in your worthy students:
For ecology, get a terrarium (with organism(s)) of some kind. Your students will be able to see life science in action. Electricity and Newton's Laws- cool physics items. See the American Science & Surplus store. Fun items will ignite interest and learning. They are also great for demonstrations. Earth and Space Science: computer modules are fairly effective. This depends more on the teaching than the equipment, though.
If you must create a legitimate lab, then I would suggest, most importantly, making it aesthetically pleasing. If the students want to be there, then they will have fun and learn much more!
TL;DR Terrariums, physics gizmos, anything to spark interest and thus learning. Lab-wise, go for aesthetics.
If you aren't familiar with them yet, go over to American Science & Surplus and check out their take on copywriting and illustration. Crib liberally, for they are awesome.
I got a Compass/lighter/led flashlight combo thing off there once. Was cool till it ran out of fuel (not refillabe) and the batteries died (cost more then the item itself!)
Edit: Also check out: http://www.sciplus.com/
Geeks best friend.
this place has leather leftovers for adding leather padding to props (inlaid grips, leather clad urchin beaters, etc.,)
Actually, I imagine they have a shitload of stuff ready for (copper electrodes) or one coat of paint away from a steampunk accessory.
I've given up on Woot. Out of all the people that work there, no one looked upon this and thought it was a bad idea. Goes to show the quality of people that work there.
EDIT: Honestly, the "deals" on Woot haven't been that great anyway. Most of the them priced the same as most retailers. If you are looking for something similar to the old Woot with interesting trinkets and surplus, try American Science and Surplus: http://www.sciplus.com/
Pretty amazing selection of the some of the coolest things.
Got a strap-bag for really cheap.
Then went out and bought two high-powered magnets taken from defunct computer hard drives from a science surplus store for $4.50/pc, and cut into the bag itself, put them in, and stitched it altogether to save myself about 60 bucks all-in-all to similar sized bags [i can fit my helmet in it...].The magnets you can break into two since they're ceramic, and can put them in that way. Has been road tested on highway speeds with a STRONG crosswind, and held great!
Looks like I just found a use for those gas masks I bought on a whim from American Science and Surplus last year! (unfortunately, looks like they don't sell the kind with the canister in front any more)
I don't know your situation but it was a lot less stressful for my friend and I to do the work at home. Just get the lab-grade reagents and w.e other equipment that's easy to get and take it home.
I use the site below to get all my lab gear (it's a surplus lab supply store) and they also have a bunch of other random stuff that's fun to play with and useful. Great site with cheap prices and the people that run it are cool too. The other link below is a site I have been using for 5+ years that has a bunch of different legal botanicals.
Surplus Lab: http://www.sciplus.com/
Legal Botanicals: http://www.bouncingbearbotanicals.com
Prob a good idea just to discreetely take some reagents from your work place and do the chemistry at home IMO. You can still get pretty much pure DMT even at home. Just got to buy some beakers, seperatory funnel and a buchner funnel with a hand pump or w.e. I have found this site to be a life saver for many things. It's a surplus lab store but they have stuff that's useful for all kinds of different stuff. http://www.sciplus.com/
Is he well equipped with tools? It sounds like he can find his own materials, but he might benefit from some suitable tools, and maybe some batteries to power his creations. You could also take him to a few thrift shops to pick up stuff to tear apart and rebuild. That's where I found most of my fodder for tinkering and inventing when I was younger. Your neighbors might have broken toys, small appliances, etc., he could cannibalize, too. He might be ready to learn to solder, as well.
Check out this site for some fun tinkering supplies.