Name: john

Message: Where would you recommend I purchase a eppendorf pipette like the one you use?

I used Eppindorf pipettors to drip variably-sized drops of dye to make a couple of mandala designs in my gallery - see Mandala: Intricate blues and violets and Mandala: Squares and eight-pointed stars.

However, I would recommend against buying an Eppindorf or similar micropipettor unless you need to measure your drop size precisely. Those things really are just too expensive, generally several hundred dollars each. (I have mine only because I kept them when my lab advisor moved when I was in graduate school.) The same is true of other brands of precision laboratory micropipettes such as Biohit, Pipetman, or Gilson Rainin. You might search for one on eBay. New ones are appallingly expensive. Warn Natural Science sells an economy model for $105, plus $9 for a box of the required disposable tips, which looks like a better deal than anything on eBay.

Instead, for making precise drips of dye in your art, I recommend that you get some disposable thin stem plastic pipettes such as these at Ward Natural Science supplies: 

The thin stem pipettes at Ward cost $20 for a package of 100.  I like the thin stem pipettes better than the more common plastic transfer pipets that have a thicker stem, though they can be used, too, and are less expensive. If you rinse them out immediately after use, you can reuse disposable plastic pipettes many times for dispensing drops of dyes.

Another alternative is to use a syringe, like the ones used to inject medication. A one-milliliter (one CC) syringe with needle attached makes quite fine drops, though you have to be careful not too push the plunger too quickly. A larger syringe makes fatter drops. The drop size depends on the size of the opening in the needle. You should be able to get syringes, with or without blunted tips, at a feed store, or, depending on local regulations, you may be able to purchase them at a pharmacy. You can use them in dyeing with or without a needle attached. If you're using a syringe with a sharp needle, I recommend that you blunt the tip with a file, or by rubbing it against a stone or a concrete sidewalk, so that you don't risk sticking yourself.

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