Insulin Syringes for Insemination Work

0.3 ml and 0.5 ml insulin syringes with needle removed

These small plastic syringes normally come with needles attached, but after use these may be removed from syringe by judicious use of a pair of pliers. They should be disassembled and washed in a strong detergent solution. Silicone grease will then need to be re-applied to the nitrile rubber piston to achieve a reliable seal.

Three 0.3 ml insulin syringes with return springs

It may be advantageous to thread a compression spring over the piston before re-assembly... This will act as a return spring (suitable springs can be retrieved from extinct retractable ball point pens). The springs in the samples shown at right came from a dismantled computer printer.

1 ml insulin syringe tip, after modification

There is another size of insulin syringe that has a capacity of 1 ml, this has a needle that is cemented in place, but there are modifications that we can do to make this type useful as well. The drawing above is about twice full size and the one on the right is about eight times life size to show the detail. The tubular metal needle can be pulled free using pliers and a bit of a twisting action. Alternatively the metal needle can be heated with a soldering iron, in which case it pulls out effortlessly.

1 ml insulin syringe with PVC tube pushed over the tip

The three plastic fins can be pared down using a scalpel or a modeling knife. Which leaves a cylindrical nipple at the tip that can have plastic tubing pushed over it's end for saline delivery. As illustrated at left.