Telescoping sample collection wand

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farnsy
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Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:03 pm
Location: Fort Worth, Texas

Telescoping sample collection wand

#1 Post by farnsy » Sat Jun 19, 2021 9:52 pm

Anyone have a cool solution for collecting samples from water without having to step out into the mud? It is a small enough job that a little container on the end of whatever cheap telescoping rod is around seems like the right solution, but I have not yet figured out the right kind of rod or container to use. Obviously, it doesn't need to hold a lot of water, so I'm thinking about maybe little handles for fishing nets, but I would need to figure out how to attach a container to it as well.

Optimally, I'd like to have something with the capability to grab little bits of algae or whatever, but that sounds like a fancier solution than what most people would be using, so it might be difficult to find or build.

What do you use?

arb566
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Location: British Columbia Canada

Re: Telescoping sample collection wand

#2 Post by arb566 » Sat Jun 19, 2021 11:54 pm

Golf ball retriever, extends more than you need and common in recycling stores or thrift shops. i paid 2 dollars for mine and wedged an old pill bottle in the end. Works a treat but watch out as some are pretty flimsy.

dtsh
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Location: Wisconsin

Re: Telescoping sample collection wand

#3 Post by dtsh » Sun Jun 20, 2021 12:43 am

I have a 4' fiberglass rod, the type used to mark a driveway, onto which I taped the bottom half of a soda bottle. When I cut up the bottle, I leave several inches of tang from the top half to make securing it to the rod easier. Cost was a few bucks.

Picture of it here:

https://www.microbehunter.com/microscop ... 09#p102809

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75RR
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Re: Telescoping sample collection wand

#4 Post by 75RR » Sun Jun 20, 2021 5:59 am

.
Here is a neat solution (for large bodies of water) from a previous post: https://www.microbehunter.com/microscop ... rod#p81351

Image
Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)

MicroBob
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Re: Telescoping sample collection wand

#5 Post by MicroBob » Sun Jun 20, 2021 9:21 am

Hi together,
I like the golf ball retriever idea a lot, never heard of it before. Fairly short telescopic sticks can be bought in form of photo monopods. Longer ones can be bought in form of building cleaning tools.

Bob

Hobbyst46
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Re: Telescoping sample collection wand

#6 Post by Hobbyst46 » Sun Jun 20, 2021 11:09 am

The nice photo above displays a plankton net on the right.
The outflow end of the plankton nets ends in a receptacle. Which can be a jar of any kind.
However, a practical and convenient receptacle should be easily attached and detached, and when stoppered, impervious to water.
50ml polypropylene lab Falcon tubes answer these requirements.

The falcon tube is hermetically sealed by the screw-on stopper and does not leak, at least under normal hunting temperatures (10-40C ?).
It is sufficiently transparent; acrylic Falcon tubes are more transparent but are easily destroyed by some solvents (e.g. acetone) and are fragile.
The Falcon tube is defined as disposable, yet can be used and reused and reused... almost indefinitely; although, if cleaned with a hard-fibre bristle, it is scratched so loses its transparency somewhat.

50ml is a small volume, yet still adequate (IMHO).

The stopper of a polypropylene tube can be easily cut (even by repeated punching with a red-hot nail) such that it becomes a ring. The ring is sewn or glued to the plankton net. The inner thread of the ring remains free. This way, tubes are easily attached to the net, and when full (of plankton in water) are easily replaced.
There are cheaper disposable plastic vials in consumer shops (e. g. for personal portions of candy in children's birthday parties), but they usually leak even when tightly stoppered.
FWIW.

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75RR
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Re: Telescoping sample collection wand

#7 Post by 75RR » Sun Jun 20, 2021 3:32 pm

.
I seem to recall seeing collecting sieves with small sample jars fitted to the ends.

However, in the Miniature Britain program linked by MichaelG. https://www.microbehunter.com/microscop ... 47#p105547

the sieve is fitted with a mesh at the end, allowing the water to flow through. The contents trapped by the mesh are then washed into a bowl.
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Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)

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