LAB/SCHOOL

A great pack of (10) non-medical quality disposable masks. 3 Ply non-woven material for general use. Comfortable fitting and easy breathing. Elastic ear-loops with no pressure to the ears. All in a handy dandy,  reclosable zip seal bag. One for the purse, one for the glove compartment and one for work. Executive standard GB/T 32610-2016. 7’’ X 3.75’’

Time was, the Scouts taught tots how to tie a few knots, but that was before John Sherry (knot-instructor par excellence and a member of the International Guild of Knot Tyers) came along with Knot It! a (126)-page hardcover book with illustrated instructions for tying (100) different knots. Our faves are the Schwabisch Hitch and the Slippery Night Loop. Includes a couple of 15” hanks of practice paracord and waterproof cards with (20) knot instructions. This could be your new hobby.

Can't beat a classic. These uncoated ceramic donut magnets have a 1-lb pull, which makes them dandy for classroom or refrigerator use. They measure 1-1/4" dia x 3/8" ID x 3/16" thick and are polarized on the faces. You get a wrapped roll of 29 donuts.

Our thinner picker-upper, but with a powerful 5-lb-pull, 9/16" dia magnet on the business end (for spilled nails, the screw that rolled under the stove, or the heavy wrench you dropped into the sump). The 5/16" dia x 5-1/4" long 4-draw barrel extends to a full two feet. Has a convenient pocket clip.

Our each is a package of (2) steel tech rulers. One is 6” x 1/32” for the first 2-1/2” then 1/64” for the next 1/2” then 1/16” for the last 3”. The other is 150mm x 0.5mm. Both have sliding markers/pocket clips, and both have mm:inch tables on the reverse side. You’ll need excellent eyesight.

Pick up this 1-3/4" x 7/8" x 3/8" ceramic pick-up magnet while we still have it. It's in a heavy metal housing and has a stationary metal hoop, about 1/2" i.d., on top. The manufacturer tells us the magnet will grab up to 5 lbs of metal, however Pat and Magnet Testing Team #3 have repeatedly lifted 10+ lbs, so it's very strong. Especially if you're going to dangle it on the end of a cord to gather spilled nails or to fish your keys out of the lake/pond/sewer/drain!

Donut magnet you can take to town!! 74mm dia x 14mm thick with a 30mm hole. Very strong and well pedigreed - in fact, its kin are activating pacemakers. They are of a high permeability ferrite material with a lovely light blue or white epoxy coating. Okay, we have them because there is the odd bubble, slight scratches or the word MAGNET painted in the coating which ruled them out of the medical ball, but they're fine company nonetheless. Good display bases, paper clip traps, and super for classroom demos.

Eye dropper, tongue dropper, test tube dropper, petri dish dropper, anywhere dropper. Use this 3" glass dropper, with a rubber squeeze bulb to drop small amounts of liquid wherever you think they should go. You will have to measure by counting drops, though, because there are no markings on it. Also, it is called "3" because that is about how long the glass tube is. Overall, it is 4" long.

It’s a cornucopia of stencils. All shapes, no alphabets. You’ll get a profusion of (8) clear acrylic stencil sheets, including: a raft of ovals; a preponderance of squares; a farrago of circles, hexagons, pentagons and triangles; a collection of a bunch of shapes, including trapezoids; a roomful of interior design shapes; a melange of electronic symbols; and an assortment we can’t altogether identify, but might be for printed circuit design. All have mm rules along at least one edge.

Good things come in (2) different small packages. Our pocket microscopes are compact and perfect for a clear, close look at stamps, coins, flora, insects or assorted minutiae. The 30X version measures 5-3/4" x 1-5/8" x 3/4" in black plastic with a focus knob, on/off switch, small LED for illumination, and a vinyl carrying case. Requires (2) "AA"s. The 60X version is a microscopic 3-1/4" x 1-3/16" x 3/4" and has a built-in white LED illuminator powered by (3) coin-cell batteries that are included. Magnifies from 60-100X, with coarse- and fine-focus knobs, and has a vinyl carrying case.

It looks as though it should be used for administering laudanum! A 30mL, 1-1/4" sq x 3" tall clear glass bottle, it has thick molded sides and a heavy lip: very antique in appearance. It is stoppered with a red(!) rubber stopper which is the squeeze bulb for the glass dropper tube inside. A real eye catcher, but give it a good wash please. It clearly is not sterile.

Okay, it isn't the cheapest magnet in the warehouse - but we pulled about 35-40 pounds with this 4-7/8" x 1" x 3/4" ceramic magnet,  and we think it's a bargain. It has a 6" bracket with mounting holes on 5-1/2" centers, plus a 1/2" ID eyehook bolted into the center of it. It's all set to troll the bottom of the lake next time your filing cabinet falls overboard.

Hang it all with this set of (10) magnetic hooks. The 1-3/16" long x 9/64" hooks screw into 1-3/8" dia magnetic bases with an approx 8-lb pull, which is lighter than most jackets and keys. Good for horizontal or vertical mounts, and dandy for adding hooks to gym or school lockers.

Our favorite oxymoronic item. It’s a series of flat political maps of the world mounted on a 3” cube instead of a globe. The spindle goes into Antarctica and the whole thing stands just under 6” tall, spinning on an approx 4” dia base. Could be the perfect birthday present for your flat-earther uncle Morty.

This excellent, paper, full-color U.S. political wall map is 40" x 28" and includes Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, southern Canada and part of northern Mexico. Also includes major bodies of water, state names, capitals, major cities and towns, latitude and longitude, time zones, national parks and monuments. Large and legible lettering. Great for schools, but why not have one at home or in the office, too?

Stethos is Greek for chest. Indeed you can scope your stethos with this stethoscope, or your friend's or your dog's. But it works equally well for picking up any sound being transmitted through a solid medium. Listen to the air flowing through the heating ducts, the water in the pipes, the sounds of machinery, the termites munching on the floor joists!! The color does vary so we will select from what's currently available. We've had blue, teal, red, black, burgundy, green and purple, but there may be other colors yet to be seen! A great discovery device whether for biology or other pursuits. Not of professional quality, but not just a toy.

What is a killer rare earth magnet? Well, once upon a time, a copywriter put this little magnet next to his computer monitor and got really pretty, wavy, aurora-like effects. And then got a new monitor! Don't try this at home. Our shiny, silver-colored 1" x 1" x 1/2" neodymium magnet looks innocent, but is industrial strength, pulling something like 25 lbs with enough strength left over to erase all your credit cards. And wreak havoc with your monitor.

One pen, ten colors. Develop complicated note-taking systems, or just send colorful hate mail with this 6-1/4" long ballpoint with cartridges in black, orange, dark green, purple, light green, red, brown, magenta, blue and aqua. Slide the button of the matching color to write, push the top down to release it. Assorted colored barrels.