The Verran Teachings 2: Alchemy Lab Equipment
Andaris, 15 Cylus Arc 717
“Here we go again miss Cole. Nice to see you are back for more! Luther is still busy elsewhere, so I will be your teacher this evening too, if it’s okay for you of course.“ Laurits Verran gave her a welcoming smile.
Yrmellyn nodded and pulled her books out of the backpack, assuming the teaching would continue to be based on this literature. Laurits Verran looked in the book named “The Basics of Alchemy for The Adventurous Beginner” and when he had found the chapter he wanted her to work with he handed it to Yrmellyn once again.
“I know that it’s the alchemy that inspires you miss Cole, but I’m afraid you aren’t done with the basics yet. This evening ... let’s proceed to learn about the equipment of a alchemy lab. I think it’s essential to know the purpose and function of the tools and how to use them properly. Otherwise it’s hardly worth the while to conduct experiments, as you will not know what you are doing. I understand that you may find it tiresome, but this knowledge just cannot be skipped if you plan to delve into alchemy.“
The painter accepted this without comments.
Laurits Verran continued to speak.
“You can see chemistry and alchemy as two independent and separate things, Miss Cole, or you can see them as a complex total. As so often in science, there’s more than one way to define things. The boundaries between different disciplines are sometimes quite diffuse constructs, made up for the sake of practicality by those who practice chemistry or alchemy, or both."
Yrmellyn listened and waited for him to continue. It was interesting to learn about the traps of optional scientific definitions. Knowledge wasn’t totally safe and true, but could be made up for practical reasons. It reminded her of art. She memorized it for potential use in the future, but they seemed to be on their way into high theory now and she was a painter mainly interested in basics and practical applications.
“Let’s continue with the basics now, Miss Cole.”
They were still in the showroom of the shop, where customers used to wait. Laurits pointed at a stool in front of the counter. “This will take time ... perhaps you want to sit down while you read. Personally I find it useful to memorize this kind of stuff in alphabetical order. It’s a memory technique, to use the letters as a hooks and hang the things up on them, in your thoughts.”
To be honest Yrmellyn had already browsed the book at home and was somewhat familiar with the content, but she knew she had skipped over parts of it due to boredom and it seemed like a good idea to study the equipment chapters in a more organized manner. It would be easier to do so when she had company, or so it felt. She read and memorized. Just like Laurits Verran had said, this took time. While the painter studied the book, the man disappeared into the rooms behind the counter, after telling her to shout out to him when she was ready to recount what she had learnt. Yrmellyn wasn’t sure how long time she had spent when she finally called for her teacher to return.
“Done? Let’s see what you have learn then miss Cole. Tell me all about the essential equipment of a laboratory for chemistry or alchemy.”
Yrmellyn started at the cumbersome task, feeling happy that she hadn't taken the advice to use the memory technique of hooking everything to a letter but memorized it in categories instead.
“There’s safety clothing equipment in a good alchemy lab. You need an apron at all occasions, which is part of the clothing you need to wear according to safety rule number two. Gloves are important for protecting your hands from contact with the chemicals you handle, and the book also mentions masks for preventing you from involuntarily breathing in dangerous gas, vapor and smoke. In addition, when handling dangerous materials, it can be essential to wear a kind of special extra big spectacles with for eye protection.”
Her teacher nodded in agreement and didn’t seem to have any comments on that so she continued.
“Containers made of glass and other resilient materials are essential equipment. There’s beakers, flasks and bowls of various sizes, preferable made of glass. The beaker thongs is for example a beaker of special shape, like a bottle with a broader based and a narrower neck, commonly used by chemists. There’s also the test tubes, those are tubes you use for tests and of course storage bottles with stoppers.”
“Good, miss Cole. Continue. “
“Tools for measurement and manipulation of materials are needed so the chemicals can be weighed accurately, dosed accurately, stirred accurately and such. An assortment of rods made of glass is needed for when you need to stir chemicals to mix and blend them, or take a sample of something. You also need glass cylinders for measurement of liquids, graduated cylinders for high degree of accuracy. For some ends you can also need a ruler. There is also the very essential tool the thermometer which you use to measure temperature. A funnel to pour chemicals into flasks is a must, as this prevents one from spilling chemicals by accident. The book recommends a hand lens, which is a magnifying glass if I have understood it right. This enables the chemist to study very small chemical particles and other things in detail. Pipet! That’s a small glass tube used to such up small amounts of a chemical and add in one drop at the time to some other chemical or mix thereof. Spatulas are a bit like flat spoons."
“Very good. You seem to have been memorized the information properly. But there’s more. Carry on!”
“Equipment for heating and cooling chemicals comes next. You need a burner or brazier of some kind, so you can heat up the chemicals in experiments. A tinderbox or other source of fire is a must. You need a surface of stone to put hot container on. Sometimes a alchemy lab can also be equipped for cooling of substances. This seems to be the complete list of basic essential equipment in a alchemy lab.”
“Excellent, Miss Cole! I suspect you could have done well at the university if you would have been able to afford to study there.” Laurits Verran beamed at his student.
“Thanks!”
The painter granted Laurits Verran one those brilliant and charming smiles she had so often granted people in her past as professional courtesan, whether they deserved it or not. At the time it had mostly been a mechanical and superficial expression that didn’t reach her eyes. Nowadays this smile was more seldom seen, but at the occasions it lit up her face it was genuine and her eyes shone with true pleasure. Yrmellyn felt enthusiastic over the progress she was making. Even if she still was a beginner she found herself gaining new knowledge at lightning speed.
“You are a fantastic teacher mister Verran” she said spontaneously. “One day you must tell me more about those personal experiences you mentioned last time, from the city of Rhakros I believe it was. I’m always exited to hear about exotic places and the people there. It’s something of an artist’s dream to paint in new places, you know. I can’t say I have ever heard much about Rhakros except that the city is said to be the seat of an immortal just like my home town Rharne is the seat of the holy Ilaren, praised be her name. The ships I travelled with in later years never stopped there... anyways, I’m excited to hear more about your experiences there, at some point when you have time to tell me about what you know about Rhakros.“
Laurits Verran seemed frozen for a moment.
Then he came of the sudden silent stillness and answered.
“I’m a very busy man, Miss Cole. My brother Luther needs me to stand in for him and guide you in your studies, which I’m set on doing my very best to support you with. My personal experience of...exotic places...one of them Rhakros...is something I don’t use to speak about so often. I think we need to give priority to your studies in chemistry and alchemy.”
“I apologize if I came off as demanding more than the deal with your brother was about” said Yrmellyn, feeling a bit embarrassed now. “I was just feeling interested. I’m always on the outlook for interesting motifs for my art and your words about the way people dump chemicals in Rhakros intrigued me. I thought that it’s perhaps a place I might want to visit...someday.”
“No, it’s NOT a place you want to visit Miss Cole. Believe me. That city is the worst insect infested pestilence hole in the whole world and people who go there are guaranteed to come back sick or dead or worse, if they come back at all. The eating habits of the locals include insects of more or less disgusting kinds, like spiders, grasshoppers and larvae. People who can eat that kind of food can eat anything, including other people ...and former people. Whatever you do, don’t go there. Just don’t.”
Yrmellyn stared at him, because he spoke with a vehemence and passion that made her feel like a veil had been pulled to the side and showed another man beneath it.
Laurits Verran composed himself. “Just don’t go there Miss Cole” he said in a normal and calm tone. “Don’t go there. It’s a shitty place.”
Then he pointed at her book and said there was still more she needed to learn about the basics, but they would take that next time.
Yrmellyn nodded and pulled her books out of the backpack, assuming the teaching would continue to be based on this literature. Laurits Verran looked in the book named “The Basics of Alchemy for The Adventurous Beginner” and when he had found the chapter he wanted her to work with he handed it to Yrmellyn once again.
“I know that it’s the alchemy that inspires you miss Cole, but I’m afraid you aren’t done with the basics yet. This evening ... let’s proceed to learn about the equipment of a alchemy lab. I think it’s essential to know the purpose and function of the tools and how to use them properly. Otherwise it’s hardly worth the while to conduct experiments, as you will not know what you are doing. I understand that you may find it tiresome, but this knowledge just cannot be skipped if you plan to delve into alchemy.“
The painter accepted this without comments.
Laurits Verran continued to speak.
“You can see chemistry and alchemy as two independent and separate things, Miss Cole, or you can see them as a complex total. As so often in science, there’s more than one way to define things. The boundaries between different disciplines are sometimes quite diffuse constructs, made up for the sake of practicality by those who practice chemistry or alchemy, or both."
Yrmellyn listened and waited for him to continue. It was interesting to learn about the traps of optional scientific definitions. Knowledge wasn’t totally safe and true, but could be made up for practical reasons. It reminded her of art. She memorized it for potential use in the future, but they seemed to be on their way into high theory now and she was a painter mainly interested in basics and practical applications.
“Let’s continue with the basics now, Miss Cole.”
They were still in the showroom of the shop, where customers used to wait. Laurits pointed at a stool in front of the counter. “This will take time ... perhaps you want to sit down while you read. Personally I find it useful to memorize this kind of stuff in alphabetical order. It’s a memory technique, to use the letters as a hooks and hang the things up on them, in your thoughts.”
To be honest Yrmellyn had already browsed the book at home and was somewhat familiar with the content, but she knew she had skipped over parts of it due to boredom and it seemed like a good idea to study the equipment chapters in a more organized manner. It would be easier to do so when she had company, or so it felt. She read and memorized. Just like Laurits Verran had said, this took time. While the painter studied the book, the man disappeared into the rooms behind the counter, after telling her to shout out to him when she was ready to recount what she had learnt. Yrmellyn wasn’t sure how long time she had spent when she finally called for her teacher to return.
“Done? Let’s see what you have learn then miss Cole. Tell me all about the essential equipment of a laboratory for chemistry or alchemy.”
Yrmellyn started at the cumbersome task, feeling happy that she hadn't taken the advice to use the memory technique of hooking everything to a letter but memorized it in categories instead.
“There’s safety clothing equipment in a good alchemy lab. You need an apron at all occasions, which is part of the clothing you need to wear according to safety rule number two. Gloves are important for protecting your hands from contact with the chemicals you handle, and the book also mentions masks for preventing you from involuntarily breathing in dangerous gas, vapor and smoke. In addition, when handling dangerous materials, it can be essential to wear a kind of special extra big spectacles with for eye protection.”
Her teacher nodded in agreement and didn’t seem to have any comments on that so she continued.
“Containers made of glass and other resilient materials are essential equipment. There’s beakers, flasks and bowls of various sizes, preferable made of glass. The beaker thongs is for example a beaker of special shape, like a bottle with a broader based and a narrower neck, commonly used by chemists. There’s also the test tubes, those are tubes you use for tests and of course storage bottles with stoppers.”
“Good, miss Cole. Continue. “
“Tools for measurement and manipulation of materials are needed so the chemicals can be weighed accurately, dosed accurately, stirred accurately and such. An assortment of rods made of glass is needed for when you need to stir chemicals to mix and blend them, or take a sample of something. You also need glass cylinders for measurement of liquids, graduated cylinders for high degree of accuracy. For some ends you can also need a ruler. There is also the very essential tool the thermometer which you use to measure temperature. A funnel to pour chemicals into flasks is a must, as this prevents one from spilling chemicals by accident. The book recommends a hand lens, which is a magnifying glass if I have understood it right. This enables the chemist to study very small chemical particles and other things in detail. Pipet! That’s a small glass tube used to such up small amounts of a chemical and add in one drop at the time to some other chemical or mix thereof. Spatulas are a bit like flat spoons."
“Very good. You seem to have been memorized the information properly. But there’s more. Carry on!”
“Equipment for heating and cooling chemicals comes next. You need a burner or brazier of some kind, so you can heat up the chemicals in experiments. A tinderbox or other source of fire is a must. You need a surface of stone to put hot container on. Sometimes a alchemy lab can also be equipped for cooling of substances. This seems to be the complete list of basic essential equipment in a alchemy lab.”
“Excellent, Miss Cole! I suspect you could have done well at the university if you would have been able to afford to study there.” Laurits Verran beamed at his student.
“Thanks!”
The painter granted Laurits Verran one those brilliant and charming smiles she had so often granted people in her past as professional courtesan, whether they deserved it or not. At the time it had mostly been a mechanical and superficial expression that didn’t reach her eyes. Nowadays this smile was more seldom seen, but at the occasions it lit up her face it was genuine and her eyes shone with true pleasure. Yrmellyn felt enthusiastic over the progress she was making. Even if she still was a beginner she found herself gaining new knowledge at lightning speed.
“You are a fantastic teacher mister Verran” she said spontaneously. “One day you must tell me more about those personal experiences you mentioned last time, from the city of Rhakros I believe it was. I’m always exited to hear about exotic places and the people there. It’s something of an artist’s dream to paint in new places, you know. I can’t say I have ever heard much about Rhakros except that the city is said to be the seat of an immortal just like my home town Rharne is the seat of the holy Ilaren, praised be her name. The ships I travelled with in later years never stopped there... anyways, I’m excited to hear more about your experiences there, at some point when you have time to tell me about what you know about Rhakros.“
Laurits Verran seemed frozen for a moment.
Then he came of the sudden silent stillness and answered.
“I’m a very busy man, Miss Cole. My brother Luther needs me to stand in for him and guide you in your studies, which I’m set on doing my very best to support you with. My personal experience of...exotic places...one of them Rhakros...is something I don’t use to speak about so often. I think we need to give priority to your studies in chemistry and alchemy.”
“I apologize if I came off as demanding more than the deal with your brother was about” said Yrmellyn, feeling a bit embarrassed now. “I was just feeling interested. I’m always on the outlook for interesting motifs for my art and your words about the way people dump chemicals in Rhakros intrigued me. I thought that it’s perhaps a place I might want to visit...someday.”
“No, it’s NOT a place you want to visit Miss Cole. Believe me. That city is the worst insect infested pestilence hole in the whole world and people who go there are guaranteed to come back sick or dead or worse, if they come back at all. The eating habits of the locals include insects of more or less disgusting kinds, like spiders, grasshoppers and larvae. People who can eat that kind of food can eat anything, including other people ...and former people. Whatever you do, don’t go there. Just don’t.”
Yrmellyn stared at him, because he spoke with a vehemence and passion that made her feel like a veil had been pulled to the side and showed another man beneath it.
Laurits Verran composed himself. “Just don’t go there Miss Cole” he said in a normal and calm tone. “Don’t go there. It’s a shitty place.”
Then he pointed at her book and said there was still more she needed to learn about the basics, but they would take that next time.
