Measuring recipes

[Janet]

I'm now mixing Bickford's and Cook's extracts, Glycerin, and e-Juice. Was wondering how some of you measure the small amounts to make recipes to fill Sweet Breath bottles. So far, I''ve been just counting drops and using a pipette. It would be great to find a tiny measuring cup for milliliters. How do you guys measure? Any products and resources you could recommend would be most appreciated. Also, please share any good recipes using Bickford's and Cook's flavoring extracts.

[dnakr]

I guess with a dropper full or 1/2 dropper or 1/4 dropper

[MNZ]

When I'm mixing things together I use a 1ml syringe I bought from the pharmacy. It's the type that are commonly used by diabetics for injection of insulin so are readily available. It will quite likely be neccessary to explain or maybe even show the pharmacist what you need them for, They can be very cautious about selling syringes and needles to the general public.

In general I make up quite small amounts when I'm "playing" with flavour combinations. Typically that is 2-3ml only so I'm not wasting to much juice on failures. The 1ml syringe makes it very easy to measure accurately the small amounts involved.

I have several syringes and am careful to keep them separate when mixing, 1 for each component. Cleaning is also a big part of it, I was them out using hot water and detergent and then a plain hot water rinse. Every so often I take them completely apart, barrel, plunger and needle and boil them in water for a few minutes to really get them clean and more or less sterile again. They do wear out after awhile and go back to the pharmacy as they have a sharps disposal service, and I get some more.

5ml syringes can be bought as medicine dispensors from most pharmacies, these don't have a needle though. That makes it a bit more difficult to use them, but they do still work ok.

I forgot to add. I make my mixes in some small glass pill bottles I also got from the pharmacy, they are probably 15ml in size, brown glass and work very well. The brown glass is important as nicotine is photosensitive and breaks down in sunlight. Opaque plastic would work too.

My mixing bottles have straight sides and a wide mouth, that makes it easy to get the syringe in them.

[TropicalBob]

Like MNZ, I use a syringe purchased a long time ago from E-Cig. I'll usually make about 4ml at a time. The flavoring is added with an eyedropper; the glycerine and homebrew with the syringe. I've lately been adding liquor (disinfectant and atomizer cleaner) in small amounts.

But I'm a creator, not an organizer, so I don't even keep a record of what I do. Yes, this confuses me and I must start recording what's in each bottle! I've got two very successful liquids -- and I don't know the percentage of the ingredients.

[karenwest1961]

I've lately been adding liquor (disinfectant and atomizer cleaner) in small amounts.

But I'm a creator, not an organizer, so I don't even keep a record of what I do. Yes, this confuses me and I must start recording what's in each bottle! I've got two very successful liquids -- and I don't know the percentage of the ingredients.

so you really HAVE been using booze! thought it was a joke.

my bad.

I just took my pain med so i'm pwi (posting while ignorant).

[TropicalBob]

That pain med will make you feel gooooood.

Yes, I have been adding some liquor. I noticed that some commercial e-liquids list "alcohol" as an ingredient, so it surely can't hurt anything. Then we get a post about how bacteria hate alcohol. Then we know we can clean an atomizer with an alcohol bath. So I figure: why not?

Tastes great, less filling.

[sanneke]

Bob, it makes sense what you say.

What kind of alcohol do you use?
And how much?

[karenwest1961]

one drop for atomizer,

one shot for Bob

two drops for atomizer

two shots for Bob

one shot for atomizer

what the hell, who needs a shot glass?

[sanneke]

LOL Karen, the meds are working!

[TropicalBob]

LOL too. Actually, I'm using about 10 drops from an eyedropper of Kahlua liquor (your favorite flavor should be fine) to about 4ml of mixed fluid. I'll be doing some more stuff soon and will make notes. I only make about 4ml at a time.

I was a food editor (hard to believe) for seven years at The Tampa Tribune and I never got over "a pinch of this, a dash of that." It's still the way I do things. What measurement?