Very Simple DIY Glove Box 

As a mycologist, I've made several of these for working with spores and agar. My design is similar, but without gas holes as the intention for use in mycology is to create a "still air" environment, thus the abbreviation SAB (Still Air Box). I also use the exact same Sterileite tub with gasket. Good video. Cheers!

I really like the idea of inert atmosphere box with the gas. That is good.

Very nice video. I am trying to make a box which has a lid which needs to be opened/closed every time during the experiment. But I am facing leaking issues. The experiment has to be conducted in low humidity, less than 10%. For that, I am purging the box with dry nitrogen, but I am unable to maintain the desired humidity. It seems air from the ambient is leaking inside through the lid.

Teflon tape man! Get that GOOD SEAL. Also many good comments below!

I emptied out a can of food almost the exact size needed for arm holes, heated it on the stove, melted the holes and wiggled it around for a perfect melted cut!

next should be a fume hood! Awesome video!

Hey! As a guy who's been using gloveboxes for a while (though never made one myself. Congrats on that one!), here's my advice: You'll definitely need oxygen and moisture absorbents. Without the ability to do vacuum/argon cycles, purging alone won't get you anywhere without expending cubic meters of argon. (And your argon likely contains some oxygen and moisture to begin with). Zeolite is the best moisture absorbent for that. Luckily, it can be easily bought online. Don't forget to dry it beforehand by heating it up above 300°C (A good oven can do that, otherwise I guess a saucepan and gentle heating could also possibly do). Then, keep it in a container, sealed from moisture while it cools, until it is in your glovebox and ready to be used. (one of those glass pots with a rubber ring for preserves is the best I can think of, but there may be a bunch of alternatives for that) You'll also need an oxygen scavenger, and that will be harder to find. Were I work, we use some copper oxide deposited on high surface-area alumina, which we regenerate by heating it at 300°C in a flow of hydrogen (that way we can regenerate both the zeolite and oxygen scavenger in one go!). Perhaps "pyrophoric iron" (Iron II oxide, made by thermally decomposing iron II oxalate to FeO and CO) could do. (the standard iron powder/sodium chloride scavengers used in food packaging won't do, as they require some moisture to work). Once you have proper scrubbers, you'll obviously have to get the argon moving through or over them. I guess spreading them in trays and moving your gloves around for a few minutes could cause enough drafts. Also, don't trust those supposedly airtight foam joints. They're airtight enough for storing food, but not for air-sen chemistry. You could probably mitigate that by keeping your box under constant argon overpressure, though it may slightly hinder your dexterity with those gloves. Oh, and on a side note, you could cut a piece of the plastic on the side of your box and epoxy a glass window on it. That way, we'll get much nicer camera views! I hope this is helpful, best of luck!

Great job. I use an old soldering iron and a heat knife.

nice little project, will be interesting to see what your going to use it for.

try wearing another set of gloves maybe latex or cotton so you can take your hands out quicker and prevent bacteria growing in the gloves from your sweat

Attach a pressure gauge to your box and evacuate the ambient air as much as possible before pumping the Argon inside. The pressure gauge will help you determine when the box returns to atmospheric pressure while filling it with Argon. This will ensure an improved Argon concentration inside the box. I would also recommend applying a resin sealant to the foam lid sealant already installed on the box to better prevent Argon/ambient air transfer. This same sealant could be applied to the periphery of your glove connections to the box. Thank you for this video!

Very nice project! Looking forward to more videos. Lithium sounds like a fantastic subject to cover.

Hey, tip for the drill bit. I cracked like 2 monotubs before i tried going slowly, that way it doesnt cut completely through but just about. Then you take a single edge razor and its so easy to cut it put perfectly. Then use a bit of sandpaper if you want

just asking if it would be better to use the clamp on the outside of the box? less things to sterilize.

that foam seal looks a bit dinky, if you're interested in improving that I can recommend rtv silicone. you can squeeze it into the gaps, let it cure, and you have a custom sized silicone gasket

A Hot empty can cuts beautiful holes and seals on box 😉

You need to prevent the blending of argon with air. Inflate a ballon with argon inside the chamber and then pop it.

You can buy a fine-tooth saw blade instead of a cutoff wheel. It works Much better on plastics.

can you please list the names of the items used in the making of such a convenient SAB.

Nice Video, clean build. And for my application i could even drop the gas ports. Making a 'very simple' build absolute fool-proof. ^^)

Nice glove box. Too bad its not very transparent but I guess you could add a glass window to fix that.

Nice project - I'm looking forward to seeing it in use! My suggestions for improvement would be to first, maintain a positive pressure of argon into the box when you're using it. That way any leaks will be just argon out, rather than air in. I'm not sure how useful this one would be, but it might be a good idea to add a check valve to the output port. That way even with a low flow rate of argon, air won't flow back in easily.

What if you add another port and valve to be able to pull a vacuum on the box? You will need to seal your threaded fittings, but once the box is in a vacuum, break the vacuum with the argon. If you can get a good vacuum on the box, it will boil off the moisture. The deeper the vacuum, the more moisture you will remove. I know it kind of stretches the limit of a homemade glove box with a clear tote, but just an idea.

that's a great still air box, from experience, unfortunately I have had those exact gloves deteriorate after 6-8 months from day light. they turn into a messy glob of goo. however, your way of mounting them, it shouldn't be a problem to replace. Great Video!, look forward to more!!! 73!

Never used argon so what is it used for . ?

I wonder if a second hand oxygen concentrator could be used to provide a sufficiently oxygen depleted nitrogen atmosphere, seems to be the type of zeolite adsoption system some use. I believe they can be had for $100-200, and they provide an unlimited quantity of gas at a good volume, and you get an oxygen supply as a bonus. I don't know how the economics compare, how much did the tank & regulator, & refills cost?

so as well as a moisture absorber in the box do you think it would be ideal to run the argon through a drying tube or chamber? i plan to do this project and want to prep samples of potassium and sodium ampouled shiny under argon.

Great for making Bernie Sanders Glow Sticks

What brand of container is that ? All of the similar containers i can find all have slanted/tapered sides . Thanks

You might look into drierite as your desiccant... It's so safe we used it to do physiological tests with frogs. (Although might not be too useful for certain gas-emitting reactions that can react with sulfur or calcium)

I agree with some of the other comments I am reading, if you really want to seal that box you need to remove that foam strip and fill the gap RTV silicone! It wouldn't hurt to run a thin layer of it around rings inside of the box and underneath the gloves. If you really want to seal her up tight, then run it around the two pipe fittings and add some teflon tape to your pipe fittings. It is a shame it is made of plastic, it would have been fun to see how long it would take for a burning candle to use up all of the oxygen in there.

“I’ll probably make several trips to Home Depot” We are definitely on the same brain wave haha.

Can you test the insulations with producing lots of smoke inside?

Excellent tutorial. Thank you very much.

Hole saw buddy !

To cut the holes in the box it's easier to use a drill bit on the dremel with the flexible extension hose, just drill a hole and then use it like a pen shaped router.at high speeds the drill bit cuts thru that plastic like a hot knife thru butter

Nice work man, can you tell me how did you calculate the time for Argon to replace oxygen?

Awesome idea !

You might have better luck with plexiglass than that cheapo plastic (I work at ACE Hardware), and you'll probably want to strip out that crappy foam lining and add some closed-cell rubber foam instead. Also, I'd undo those clamps and put some petroleum jelly or plumber's putty in between the gloves and the PVC, and then clamp them back again for a better seal. And in regards to +piranha031091 's advice, perhaps making tiny versions of this box with a moisture scrubber and an oxygen scrubber, then connecting them inline, would help out nicely (and be easier to replace)

Hello is it possible that the lithium never gets dark again (= 0 percent oxygen) using this system?

For how long will the argon flask last?

Try a something to defuse the argon. In welding stainless pipe we purge the inside of the pipe to prevent oxidation We use a ball of stainless steel wool balled up and taped to the gas outlet

try some ice packs with a dish and drain to pull some moisture out of air. activated carbon or a baked zeolite could help.

turn a hole driller backwards so itspins the opposite direction then the pvc wnt chip

Hello sir, how to clean the box befor use

Out of curiosity why are you working with the lid on the bottom?

Nice video. But i have a question what if instead of argo we wanted to use n2 gas. Where should i place my n2 gas inlet and outlet? Since n2 is slight lighter but not that much than air.

Am I able to grow mushrooms in my small closet

Add some uv light!

Hellerman Tyton would be better than metal clamps not ?

even if you plan to use it for chemistry....power outlet would be handy... but how to seal a cable?

👍 great

Very yes

If you made an inflatable glove box you would get the O2 concentration a lot lower with a lot less gas used.

I was hoping to learn how to make a glovebox for my driving gloves in my car. Just kidding.

How would you get a 110 outlet in there?

Ahaha i had the same idea a few weeks ago funny you did the same thing xP

Now how do I remove the Argon Gas,. and or, how high does the gas sit in the chamber. I need to build a glove box that is Oxygen FREE, but I don't really want the gas in there either. If the gas sits low, and I work mid level, then I think I should be fine. Can anyone help me with this issue? I would greatly appreciate it.

Hey man is this anaerobic? I'm trying to make an Oxygen free chamber.

So close! Hose clamps, for anyone who couldn't find anything online. not pipe clamps, those are clamps like a c-clamp but with a pipe as the the thing that acts as the c.

Owsm

What is this glove box for?

It's time to extract some Lithium :) (#3)

Simple? Lmao, but a really good idea

Note to self, don't let you try to make chlorine gas.

I tried installing this in my car, now there's no leg room.

Ther wasn't a problem ur posting ...u chose not to air out ur dirty laundry

Love all these "You should have done this...." comments. Dont be that guy!

if you could make this harder i would not need any blue pill’s, and spend my 40$ on a nice girl..

"Very simple" lol

Your idea of using Argon is completely 'over the top'. You have overcomplicated a very simple concept, failing to understand the basics of microbiology. In very simple terms, I will describe your video as laughable.

A word about technique: Put a polythene plastic bag over the gas inlet inside, inflate it, filling the inside of the box with the bag. When it's full, take the bag off and collapse it inside the box. Doing this reduces mixing of air into the inert gas you are using to fill the box. This takes a lot less gas than just "flushing. Advanced Practical Inorganic chemistry by Adams and Raynor, 1965 Wiley, ch 9, Inert-Atmosphere Technique, p 89-96 If you want really clean gas, use a 12v fan ti circulate the inside gas over lithium granules. Professionally, we use heated titanium or zirconium turnings. Welding argon often contains a few percent nitrogen, just FWIW. Lithium scrubs O2, moisture, and nitrogen but is a bit expensive.For drying purposes, cheap(er) lithium turnings are available from Chinese vendors (cf: AliExpress.com)