Best way to measure?

[canoeist]

Don't beat me too bad, I am new to diy, just mixed my first 10ml.

I am looking for some advice on the best way to measure small amounts of ingrediants. The first batch I made had 3ml,4ml,2ml,1ml & .1ml in it. I used a marked syringe to add drops into then poured each one into a graduated cylinder. I wound up about a ml over. How do you measure/control the amounts? Thanks for any help, hope I don't explode when I try this juice

 

[Dougiestyle]

I use a syringe, also. They're pretty close measurements, except if you're using a long, large gauge needle, you have to account for the excess that's in the needle. I'd say there's .3ml in my needle alone. Drops are definitely a good measure, but you have to know how many drops/ml VG may have less drops/ml than PG. Best to measure how many drops/ml of the different liquids and account for that when measuring less than 1mL of any given ingerdient.

FWIW I don't worry with EXACT measurements too much. If it's ~18mg (+/-2mg), then I'm good. I usually mix 30ml/week and that's it, unless I get through 2 or 3 days and I finally decide I can't take this awful flavor. Then I go back to the drawing board lol.

 

[markfm]

I'll use pipettes a lot for smaller measurements, sometimes syringes. With a nominal 1 ml pipette you can get pretty close to 0.1 ml without much headached. Just rinse them well after, I'll usually do a half dozen rounds of water fill/empty and they seem to come out okay.

(Most things, established blends, I'll do 60 ml at a time. In that case I just switch to a 15ml graduated beaker, since I'm dealing with 3.6ml and larger volumes of the components. 5 or 10ml syringes are also appropriate for the larger volume mixes.)

 

[AzPlumber]

and use the E juice Me Up calculator found up top in the sticky notes. If you set it for 10ml you will end up with 10ml if your messuring correctly.

 

[Vchick]

Until I find the recipe that works I use drops, then move onto the syringe.

I found on one of the vendors website a good idea for ratios and very small batches,
for a tester & 10% flavor, use 1 drop flavor to 9 drops liquid, from there I can adjust up or down. It has saved me from having wasted juice countless times, hth!

 

[Hoosier]

I use 1ml syringes for flavoring and various other sizes for various other liquid.

I have been looking real hard at glass pipettes though, but put that on the back burner after I broke a 5ml glass bottle that had a tobacco experiment in it earlier this week.

I was never graceful on the basketball court either....

 

[Rule62]

I use 3 and 5 ml syringes, with long 14 or 16 ga. needles to draw the liquids up into the syringe. But I remove the needle from the syringe for dispensing liquids into my mix. I'm particular about my measurements, and I don't know how much those long needles hold. I use a different syringe for each ingredient, and clean them out afterward with Everclear.

 

[Eddie.Willers]

Pipettes for 1ml and less (like flavorings), graduated cylinders for PG and VG - sometimes a large bore pipette for nic base.

The key point is to be consistent in how you measure. Don't do 'x' drops from this bottle + 1ml using this pipette and 3ml from that syringe - stick to using the same type of dispense/measure equipment.

 

[morepyro]

If you want to take the liquid in the needle out of your measurement, then draw extra fluid into the syringe, and stop pushing the plunger when you have used the amount you want.

For instance- You want to add 2ml of flavor to your mix, and you have a 3ml syringe. Draw 2.5 ml into the syringe. Add the flavor to your mix, but stop when it reaches the .5ml line. You have added precisely 2ml and taken the volume in the needle out of the equation. You can put the remainder back in the flavor bottle.

For the super precise- leave a little head space between the rubber plug on the syringe and the top of the liquid by drawing a small amount of air into the syringe before you start to draw up your liquid. That way you can read the liquid level against the lines on your syringe without the black rubber getting in the way.

 

[zoiDman]

I vape at a Target e-Liquid of around 18mg 30%PG|70%VG

So all my DIY recipes are Built around using Pre-Mixed 22mg 40%PG|60%VG Unflavored Nicotine Base. For this I use a Graduate Cylinder. I make about 120ml at a time.

Then I add Flavoring/Sweetener to the 22mg Pre-Mix for each 20ml or 30ml via Drops.

Dead Simple and Completely Repeatable.

 

[Tracker II]

How do you know that your measuring was off just because your graduated cylinder showed you being 1 ml over? The reason I ask this is that I just noticed that my nice Pyrex 10ml cylinder is graduated incorrectly. The first marking is for 1ml. It is then marked in 1/10 ml increments. The problem is that my 1ml mark is way off as it only takes .7 mls to reach it (measuring at the bottom of the fluid curve as we were taught in science class). I can't remember who I bought it from but for $15, you would have thought they could have done a little better job of calibrating.

Moral of story? If something doesn't match up, don't assume that it's the cheap piece of equipment that is off!

 

[zoiDman]

How do you know that your measuring was off just because your graduated cylinder showed you being 1 ml over? The reason I ask this is that I just noticed that my nice Pyrex 10ml cylinder is graduated incorrectly. The first marking is for 1ml. It is then marked in 1/10 ml increments. The problem is that my 1ml mark is way off as it only takes .7 mls to reach it (measuring at the bottom of the fluid curve as we were taught in science class). I can't remember who I bought it from but for $15, you would have thought they could have done a little better job of calibrating.

Moral of story? If something doesn't match up, don't assume that it's the cheap piece of equipment that is off!

This is Actually a Very Good Point.

Could be the Graduated Cylinder is Wacked.

 

[panachronic]

I like these:



It's a pediatric dosing syringe, available just about anywhere. The key feature to look for is the stepped stopper, which fits just about any size bottle well enough to turn it upside down without leaking. You don't have to use the 10 ml syringe, if you have a smaller one with a blunt tip that works, too.

But what I think I'll try next is a set-up like this:



That way I won't have to risk turning the bottles upside down.

 

[Str8V8ping]

I posted a thread a while ago proving that some syringes are inaccurate . Do a search for it . I tested a few brands with pictures . The only one of the three that was 100% accurate was BD syringes . Out of the 3 they were all the same body and sizes but 3 different level markings on it . Usually off by .1 per ml which equals to .5ml off per 5ml syringe .

I didnt have a chance to read the full thread but i always measure with syringes . I use the blue 1ml syringes from ebay which i found accurate as well and are 40drops per ml . They are 1.50 for 20 of them so i use one dedicated to each flavor . Then i use a BD syringe for nic and pg/vg .

I never ever use those crapper pipettes . I have some that are like 75drops per ml . Imo they are just a hassle .All different ,they get bubbles which makes it off . etc.

btw with the graduated cylinder are you reading it at eye level at the bottom of the minscus ?

 

[canoeist]

I'll check the cylinder somehow. It won't be an issue if I am mixing 30 ml, I was using a syringe to measure and moving to the cylinder and wound up over per the markings on the cylinder. Sounds like measuring with a syringe is the best way for small quantities.

Str8 - I will look around ebay and see what I can find. Thanks.

 

[markfm]

Small digital scales are pretty cheap. I use one when measuring nic strength. Measure 10 - 15 ml to get the density of the liquid, then see what "1 ml" of the liquid weighs using your instrument bring tested.

 

[canoeist]

On my second batch I used syringes. Worked much better except for the VG, it would not draw thru the needle so I took the needle off. Does anyone know what gauge needle I need for the thick VG? Not sure what I am using, they were for filling cartos from CCV. Thanks for any help!

 

[AzPlumber]

14 guage at room temp but I find VG easier to work with warmed up. I just use a pan of hot water and put my VG bottle in it.

 

[zoiDman]

Small digital scales are pretty cheap. I use one when measuring nic strength. Measure 10 - 15 ml to get the density of the liquid, then see what "1 ml" of the liquid weighs using your instrument bring tested.

Weighing is a Very Good way to Measure. A Very Good way.

And if you make a "Ladder" Weight Recipe, there are very few thing to wash when you are done.

Just don't do what I did and Spill Cherry-Pineapple on the Key Pad of your Scale.

On my second batch I used syringes. Worked much better except for the VG, it would not draw thru the needle so I took the needle off. Does anyone know what gauge needle I need for the thick VG? Not sure what I am using, they were for filling cartos from CCV. Thanks for any help!

Are you using Pure VG or do you Thin it before you use it?

 

[Str8V8ping]

On my second batch I used syringes. Worked much better except for the VG, it would not draw thru the needle so I took the needle off. Does anyone know what gauge needle I need for the thick VG? Not sure what I am using, they were for filling cartos from CCV. Thanks for any help!

14ga . I just use 14ga for everything .I dont have any issues using 14 ga with unthinned frozen vg nic base . Slower then pg of course but does the job . I also get the long 2"'ers so i dont have to reach into the bottle .