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Ring Stand: a Brass Rod on a Board Foot with Sliding Rings (Faraday, 1830)
Charlie

Created by

Charlie

7. November 2026DE
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Ring Stand: a Brass Rod on a Board Foot with Sliding Rings (Faraday, 1830)

A stand that holds flasks and basins at any height over a lamp or furnace. Michael Faraday (1830) describes the retort-stand: an upright brass rod on a heavy foot, with rings of several sizes, each on an arm whose socket slides up and down the rod and is fixed by a screw-nut at the back. Brass feet filled with lead tip over under a heavy vessel, so he makes the foot a stout board about 12 x 6 x 1 inches, the rod fixed 1 1/2 inches from one end, and stands the lamp or furnace on the board under the ring. Source: M. Faraday, Chemical Manipulation (1830), §386, p. 175. Picture: his woodcut.
Beginner
Unknown

Instructions

1

Read Faraday

"It is much better to make the foot of a piece of stout board, about twelve inches in length, six inches in width, and an inch thick. The upright rod should be fixed about one inch and a half from one end of it, the lamp or furnace should be placed upon it, and the ring of course in a corresponding direction. Such an arrangement is perfectly steady, and cannot be overset by any weight which it is strong enough to bear."
2

Fix the rod in the board

Take a stout board about 12 in. long, 6 in. wide and 1 in. thick. Fix an upright brass rod in it about 1 1/2 in. from one end. Rod size, and how it is fixed, are not given (unknown). Ours: a hardwood board.

Materials for this step:

Hardwood BoardHardwood Board1 ft
Brass RodBrass Rod1 upright
Unknown ConnectorUnknown Connector1 piece

Tools needed:

Unknown DimensionsUnknown Dimensions
3

Make the rings

Make several rings of different sizes, each fixed to an arm, and each arm to a socket that slides freely up and down the rod. Fit each socket with a screw-nut at the back to tighten it at any height. The metal and sizes are not given (unknown). Ours: wing nuts for the screw-nuts.

Materials for this step:

Unknown MetalUnknown Metal1 rings, arms, sockets
Wing NutWing Nut1 piece

Tools needed:

Unknown DimensionsUnknown Dimensions
4

Use it

Stand the lamp or furnace on the board and turn the ring over it. Slide the ring to the height wanted and tighten the screw. Do not set a hot flask on a cold ring, or a cold, freshly filled flask on a hot ring over the fire: the bottom may come out (Faraday §388).

Materials

5

Tools Required

1

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