Using a pipette vs measuring by drops.

[Virginia Kay]

So I made my first eliquid, kept it simple with one flavor, Black Cherry. Flavor wise it turned out fine, but I'm not doing something right when it comes to measuring. I used an ELiquid Calculator to figure out the recipe for 3mls, but when I went to put my concoction in a 3ml bottle, I had maybe 3/4 of the bottle filled.


I used a pipette I got in the DIY kit I ordered, and even I don't know how I could have screwed THAT up , but I think maybe somehow I measured incorrectly using it. Is it easier for beginners to go by drops than trying to measure out mls?

 

[DaDuke]

Keep in mind even using the same pipette, syringe or dropper drop size will vary. Viscocity will also affect drop size. I tried using drops to diy and always got stuff i couldnt accurately reproduce.

This time around i decided to go with a pipette and get mad accuray. I bought the 2ml pump and the 10ml pump but discovered the 10ml punp actually handles 1ml-2ml-5ml and 10ml pipettes. Heres the link to the 10ml pump> Bel-Art Economy Pipette Pump III Pipetting Devices, SCIENCEWARE 379020010. 379020010. Bel-Art Pipets & Liquid Handling. $19.26 free shipping 5% coupon code = bx5sm9g I also ordered glass pipettes for the pump here> Pipettes, Syringes, Bulbs and Pumps This allows me to accurately measure down to 1/20th of a ML and pretty good down to 1/40th. I went the more expensive route on the pump since the shape helps reduce the strain while pipetting and the glass for several reasons that might not be important to others.

If you want to get into accuracy on the cheap then i recommend one stop diy shop. I would think the same thing is true that the 10ml pump can handle all sizes up to 10 just as the more expensive one can. Measuring Equipment - One Stop DIY Shop Store 10ml pump= 11.25 and plastic pipettes are only .65 cents for 1ml, 2ml or 5ml. Can't beat that price with a stick. Use the drop down to see all the pumps and pipettes.

Hope that helps...

 

[Virginia Kay]

I actually ordered my kit from One Stop, I didn't know about the pumps, but when I looked them up they said they were out of stock. I sent an email asking when they'd be in stock, thanks for the tip.

 

[Nikhil]

Depending on the bottle, they often can hold more than they are rated for. Without a syringe or graduated cylinder it's pretty difficult to tell if a 3/4th full 3ml bottle is 2.3ml or really 3ml, but if you have those you can test it.

 

[kushka]

I use syringes to measure my e-liquids - they are very accurate, easy to use and come in all sizes (I use 1ml and 3ml and 5ml) - they are also cheap, I bought mine for around 15 cents each online at KV vet supply. Of course when I was buying them I had an elderly cat with multiple health problems that requires daily shots and other things that syringes came in handy for. The only problem in buying from them there is unless you have a pet that needs toys or other supplies (they have lots of stuff), it is hard to justify the shipping cost just to buy a few syringes. You can also buy them at pharmacies - the problem with that is they often sale them in boxes of 100 or so which when you only need 2 or 3 is hard to justify. Of course you could away ask. When my doctor prescribed these weekly shots for me the pharmacist would always throw in a needle and syringe free with the vial of meds - so I know they keep singles back behind the counter.

 

[DaDuke]

1stop diy shop carries syringes with blunt tip i believe. I just could never get use to measuring with syringes. Can't get the hang of using them one handed with any degree of fast accuracy or constantly fumbling. The one handed operation of the pump using a thumb wheel for draw and ultra fine adjustments just makes me wanna squeel like a school girl. Another thing i like is that due to the length of the pipette (14") the graduations for 1/10th of a ml is 3/4" making it easier to see very small differences. Downside is due to the length it gets tiring on the shoulder holding it up there for long periods of time if you're doing a lot of pipetting. I use a jar for resting my elbow on when doing a lot of experimenting.