Joseph Tanatar’s scientific legacy includes the so-called blowpipe method – a technique now considered obsolete for identifying unknown geological substances. Before the advent of modern spectrometers, the blowpipe method was a fundamental technique in field chemistry. Prospectors and chemists would crush an unknown mineral and subject it to an intensely hot, mouth-blown flame to deduce its elements based on how it melted, vaporised, or changed colour. In this work package, students will explore and try out the blowpipe method for themselves using historical instruments.