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Chemical analysis relies on calibrated glassware and sophisticated instrumentation. This chapter describes three approaches to student-built models of these tools. In the first, students participate in a semester-long activity to develop quantitative chemical containers (QCCs) to allow those with autism spectrum disorder to work in a laboratory setting. Students determine accuracy, precision, and uncertainty for each container and create technical specifications documents that describe the prototype and its ability to maintain its structure and its volume. Students pitch their designs, use Tinkercad and other software to create their QCCs, print the prototypes on 3D printers, and troubleshoot the robustness of their container. In the second approach, students receive a parts kit for a home-built spectrophotometer. The kit allows for construction of different instruments at varying degrees of sophistication. After design and construction, students characterize the performance of their instrument and/or demonstrate its applicability in an analysis problem. In the third approach, students develop, evaluate, and revise scientific models to explain and predict physical-chemical phenomena in instrumental analysis. The activity promotes understanding at the macroscopic and molecular levels. Different strategies to implement model-based learning are presented, including hand-made models, animated videos, and do-it-yourself instrument prototypes. The flexible activities presented in this chapter may be implemented in classroom or laboratory sections, using different levels of inquiry according to the time and resources available. Additionally, these strategies actively engage students in group work and social interactions that improve motivation and appreciation for the chemical sciences.