Re: spectroscopist/magnet height incompatibility
Jim Breeyear (jbreeyea@moose.uvm.edu)
Thu, 14 Mar 1996 14:38:33 -0500
Bruce D. Ray wrote:
>
> >I would be interested to hear what facilities have done to provide equal
> >access to the top of the magnet for sample insertion by individuals
> >representing all realms of the dimensional diversity spectrum.
> >
> >Ladders, stilts, stepping platforms, etc?
> >Commercial, homemade, OHSA-rated, etc?
>
> Back in the dark ages when our 300 was our only instrument
> and it was a top-loading Nicolet wide-bore, I could get away
> with using a Rubbermaid single step step-stool. Unfortunately,
> magnets today are much higher off the gound.
>
> I was not happy with the various options available since
> regular aluminum, fiberglass, and wooden ladders
> contain magnetic components, nonmagnetic ladders
> of sufficient height are too expensive to have one for each
> instrument {MR Resources remanufactures aluminum
> platform ladders to produce fully nonmagnetic ladders.
> They're nice for He fills.}, and the locally made wooden
> stairs I've seen are just plain heavy. Therefore, we bought
> the 1 1/2 in. PVC furniture pipe, 3-way elbows, 4-way tees
> {side arm tees}, etc., and constructed stairs that allow
> those of our faculty and graduate students who barely reach
> 5 ft. (if that) to be able to handle samples. Of course, regular
> tees and elbows were bought from a local plumbers supply.
> One only needs to get the special furniture components from
> the furniture pipe firm. The stairs seem to be as sturdy as
> the locally made wooden stairs I've seen but are a whole
> lot lighter.
>
> The supplier of these components was:
>
> Available Plastics, Inc.; P.O. Box 924; 5020 Beechmont Dr.;
> Huntsville, AL 35084
>
> Phone: (205) 859-4957
>
> --
> Bruce D. Ray, Ph.D.
> bray@indyvax.iupui.edu
> Operations Director
> NMR Center
> IUPUI
> Physics Dept.
> 402 N. Blackford St.
> Indianapolis, IN 46202-3273
>
> voice: 317-274-6914
> fax: 317-274-2393Hi. I think that a "deck" is better than a ladder. There is the
possibility of tipping and stumbling with the ladder. I like the feeling
of something firm under my feet.