Hip Flask

• A hip flask is a portable beverage container.Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  A hip flask is more commonly called, simply, a flask. A hip flask can be made of stainless steel, pewter, sterling or plated silver, or glass. Glass flasks are often encased in a leather, silver or metal cover or container to protect the glass. In earlier eras, beverages were stored in leather bags, gourds or other hollowed fruits or vegetables and stopped with a cork. The hip flask evolved from these storage methods and shrank to fit in a hip pocket over time. A hip flask is used to store alcoholic beverages. During the Victorian era, flasks were equipped with chains to fasten to a saddle or clothing, and were used by sport hunters to carry alcohol intended to be consumed for purposes of warmth. According to Teddy Reed and Sons, during the 1920s when Prohibition was enforced, sales of hip flasks were illegal. Today, a hip flask is simply a portable way of carrying a personal amount of alcohol on your person.
  
  

Laboratory Flask

• A laboratory flask is used for mixing or containing liquids.Martin Poole/Stockbyte/Getty Images
  
  A laboratory flask is glass and has a narrow opening with a wide base. They are sometimes confused with beakers, but a beaker has a wide opening and a wide, or identical size, base. A laboratory flask is used for measuring and containing liquids that are too great in quantity to be contained within a glass test tube. There are three types of laboratory flasks: Erlenmeyer, volumetric and sidearm flasks. The Erlenmeyer flask is the "standard"-appearing flask with an hourglass-like shape and is used for mixing or swirling liquids. It can be heated over a flame burner or other heat source. A volumetric flask has a long narrow top and is intended for temporary use and solution preparation. It can be lightly heated. A sidearm flask is a component of a vacuum system and features a tube or spout on one side to which another tube or connecting device is attached.
  
  

Vacuum Flask (Thermos)

• A vacuum flask is more commonly called a Thermos.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  A vacuum flask is more typically known by a famous brand name: Thermos. Originally made of glass and metal, these insulated flasks are now made of molded plastic, metal and/or glass. The vacuum flask was originally invented in 1892, and has evolved as a device to keep hot liquids hot and cold liquids cold. The vacuum flask is used in many industries, such as the medical field, as well as for common uses such as keeping your lunch beverage cold or your coffee hot. A vacuum flask has a double wall that features a vacuum-insulated inner portion surrounded by an outer wall of metal or plastic. Some collectors prize children's lunch vacuum flasks for their nostalgic appeal. Some of these fetch very high prices in collectible markets.
  
  

Foundry Flask

• Foundry flasks are often used in the steel industry.Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
  
  A foundry flask is a lot different from the hip, laboratory and vacuum flask. The foundry flask can be box-shaped and has no top or bottom. Sand is inserted and packed into this flask. The flask is made of wood or other materials as dictated by the industry utilizing it, such as the steel industry. The flask holds a pressed mold, and molten metal or another molten liquid that will transform into a solid is poured into the mold and held within by the sand inside the foundry flask. When the component material has solidified, the foundry flask can be removed, leaving behind the molded item.