Blow up my lab bench - again! - (May/18/2010 )

Anyone have any suggestions as to an alternative to an ethanol lamp for flaming forceps and things like that? I've blown up my lab bench for the third time with my ethanol lamp - when I light it, it just blows up. And when our building was built they were too afraid to put in a gas line for bunsen burners.

There are some burner burner systems for gas cartridges available. They do not need any gas line. I don't know the supplier, just saw it inside some benches of cell culture labs

I had one of those. They work nicely, but you need to remember to shut off the cartridge when you are done!

Here is a link to a similar, higher-falutin' gadget with an IR sensor:

http://vwrlabshop.com/fireboy-plus-safety-...gies/p/0007033/

You could also go to a hardware store and get a small propane blowtorch like those used for soldering pipes. They're not too expensive and it's not hard to rig up a stand for it.