01
The observation.
An ACS conference exhibit floor, and a bag of promotional objects that were not worth keeping. Serious science, forgettable merchandise.
THE CALCULATED CHEMIST
Science deserved
better objects.
The Calculated Chemist makes drinkware and commissioned objects for people and organizations shaped by science.
Most science merchandise starts with a blank catalog product and asks what can be printed on it. We start with the object — its form, material, and use — and treat marking as the last step rather than the reason it exists.
The first of those objects is the Flask Vessel.
Most science merchandise starts with a blank catalog product and asks what can be printed on it. We start with the object — its form, material, and use — and treat marking as the last step rather than the reason it exists.
The first of those objects is the Flask Vessel.
FOUNDER-LED OBJECT SYSTEM · EST. 2021
DISCIPLINE
Organic / materials chemistry
METHOD
Prototype, test, refine
STANDARD
Useful objects, not disposable swag
ORIGIN RECORD · FOUNDER NOTE
It started with what
I didn't bring home.
As an undergraduate researcher, I went to an American Chemical Society conference and spent most of it on the exhibit floor. I wanted to see what the instrument makers, suppliers, and research organizations were building, and I took the promotional items they were handing out.
Weeks later almost none of it was still in use. The science had been serious. The objects representing it were not — printed giveaways that were easy to accept and easy to throw away.
That contradiction stayed with me. Organizations built on precision and discovery were being represented by objects nobody wanted to keep. The Calculated Chemist did not exist yet. The observation came first.
Weeks later almost none of it was still in use. The science had been serious. The objects representing it were not — printed giveaways that were easy to accept and easy to throw away.
That contradiction stayed with me. Organizations built on precision and discovery were being represented by objects nobody wanted to keep. The Calculated Chemist did not exist yet. The observation came first.
FROM ADAPTED GLASSWARE TO STAINLESS STEEL VESSELS
02
The experiments.
A side business on Etsy, testing whether science-inspired objects could be genuinely useful. Early pieces were adapted and upcycled from laboratory glassware.
03
The first demand.
Laboratory-inspired drinkware found an audience, and scientific customers began ordering in quantity for teams, labs, and events.
04
The limitations.
Glass set the ceiling. It broke in transit, would not close properly, travelled badly, and could not be produced or stocked at volume.
05
The redesign.
The Erlenmeyer stopped being adapted glassware and became a purpose-built object: double-wall insulated stainless steel, designed from the silhouette up.
06
The company.
Tooling, prototyping, engraving and customization programs, a protected vessel design, and organizational demand turned a side business into full-time work.
Every step after that was a response to something that did not work.
TANNER GERSCHICK · FOUNDER / CHEMIST
FOUNDER / SCIENTIFIC RECORD
A chemist trained
to experiment.
The Calculated Chemist was founded by Tanner Gerschick, an organic and materials chemist. His research career ran through industrial polymer and materials science, where he became a named inventor on five published patent applications — four published U.S. applications and one international PCT application — including three on which he is the first-named inventor. That work spans high-performance polyamides, materials for additive manufacturing, and the chemical recycling of polyethersulfone.
Before chemistry, he spent several years modeling in the United States and Asia. It was less a design education than an early lesson in adaptability: entering unfamiliar industries and cities, absorbing new environments, tolerating rejection, and learning to start over.
Physical product development turned out to run on the same method as the lab. Build a version, test it against reality, find where it fails, change one variable, and run it again. Every object here has been through that loop.
Before chemistry, he spent several years modeling in the United States and Asia. It was less a design education than an early lesson in adaptability: entering unfamiliar industries and cities, absorbing new environments, tolerating rejection, and learning to start over.
Physical product development turned out to run on the same method as the lab. Build a version, test it against reality, find where it fails, change one variable, and run it again. Every object here has been through that loop.
The goal isn't to make science-themed products. It's to make better objects for people and organizations shaped by science.
METHOD
The science should be
in the object.
Most merchandise begins with a blank catalog product and asks what graphic can be printed on it. We work in the other direction.
We start with the object: its silhouette, weight, surface, closure, and reason for existing. A logo is the last layer applied to something that already works.
In practice that means calibrated markings instead of clip art, engraving instead of printing, matte finishes, controlled color, and laboratory forms translated into objects that survive daily use.
We start with the object: its silhouette, weight, surface, closure, and reason for existing. A logo is the last layer applied to something that already works.
In practice that means calibrated markings instead of clip art, engraving instead of printing, matte finishes, controlled color, and laboratory forms translated into objects that survive daily use.
01
Form carries meaning
The scientific reference lives in proportion, geometry, and silhouette — before any graphic is added.
02
Material defines the experience
Weight, finish, and durability decide how an object gets treated. Stainless steel and powder coat, not printed plastic.
03
Function earns retention
A meaningful object still has to earn a place in a daily routine. If it isn't used, it isn't kept.
04
Decoration comes last
Branding should complete a strong object. It cannot rescue a weak one.
OBJECT 001
Object 001 — the Flask Vessel.
The Flask Vessel takes the Erlenmeyer silhouette and rebuilds it as a double-wall vacuum-insulated stainless steel bottle.
It keeps what the form communicates and removes what made the glass version impractical: fragility, an open top, poor portability, and no safe place in a bag. The calibration markings are laser-engraved through the powder coat rather than printed, so they do not wear off.
It is the object the rest of this page is about — the first one that proved a scientific form could carry daily function without becoming a novelty.
It keeps what the form communicates and removes what made the glass version impractical: fragility, an open top, poor portability, and no safe place in a bag. The calibration markings are laser-engraved through the powder coat rather than printed, so they do not wear off.
It is the object the rest of this page is about — the first one that proved a scientific form could carry daily function without becoming a novelty.
FLASK VESSEL · DOUBLE-WALL STAINLESS STEEL
01
440 mL / 15 fl oz
Usable capacity, built to the exterior proportions of a 500 mL Erlenmeyer flask.
02
304 Stainless
Food-grade stainless steel inside and out, finished with a durable powder coat.
03
Double-Wall
Vacuum-insulated construction that holds temperature and prevents condensation.
04
Customizable
Built for engraving, lid marks, strap options, and commissioned organizational programs.
The vessel's design is protected by U.S. Design Patent D1,124,879.
Selected organizations we've worked with
A selection of the organizations that have ordered The Calculated Chemist objects for their teams, labs, events, and gifting programs.
COMMISSIONED OBJECTS
Built for individuals.
Structured for organizations.
The same object system adapts to laboratories, universities, museums, hospitals, distributors, and corporate gifting programs.
Marking is controlled rather than maximal: engraving through the powder coat, a vertical logo on the reverse so the calibration face stays intact, an optional lid mark, and strap color options. The result is an object people keep using that happens to carry your name.
Spec samples are available before a program is committed, so a buyer can hold the object before signing off on it.
Marking is controlled rather than maximal: engraving through the powder coat, a vertical logo on the reverse so the calibration face stays intact, an optional lid mark, and strap color options. The result is an object people keep using that happens to carry your name.
Spec samples are available before a program is committed, so a buyer can hold the object before signing off on it.
CONTROLLED BRANDING TOUCHPOINTS · LASER / LID / STRAP
01
Laser engraving
Permanent logo application cut through the powder-coated surface. It does not peel, fade, or wash off.
02
Back-side placement
Vertical logo orientation works with the tapered form while preserving the front calibration markings.
03
Lid marking
Small-format logo or icon placement for a controlled secondary brand touchpoint.
04
Strap customization
Color and logo options for larger programs where the object needs to carry brand identity with restraint.
Volume pricing is published from 25 units, with one engraved logo included at every tier.
THE STANDARD
For people who
notice the object.
The Calculated Chemist exists for people and organizations who care what an object is made of, how it behaves in use, and whether it earns a place in the rotation.
Everything here was built the way the research was: observed, tested, and revised.
Everything here was built the way the research was: observed, tested, and revised.
Objects for experimentation.
