Drop Question

[Heabob]

This helps a lot. Don't know how long I could have gone dropping my random drops thinking alls good with the world...and my % are accurate. Wondering why this one tastes so different than that, hell I put 20 drops in both. Really glad I thought to ask this early on. You all have been a great help. Actually stumbled upon a post from a year or two back addressing the same issue. Don't mean to bring up old news, there's really a lot to go through here. If anyone knows of a thread related to cleaning plastic bottles or whether I need to move to glass for steeping, let me know. I'll weed through the posts in the meantime, but I hate to throw them away. Seems such a waste. Some of these flavors just cling to it...I'm trying to find a nice base and I swear I taste that clove I mixed in that bottle. If I have to move to glass...damn, this is getting expensive. And I haven't even really started.

I leave my labels on used up bottles, and then just use an old "orange flavor" bottle to make a new batch of "orange flavor".
Unless it's a totally new recipe, the leftovers in the bottom of the old bottle doesn't hurt a thing.

Some types of flavors really have some staying power

 

[xxJollyRogerxx]

Yea I started doing the same thing. Someone sent me a bottle of cola as a freebie and the stuff was so horrible I had to pour it out and that stench will not leave the bottle. I have just been leaving it in water a day or so but this one I may need to throw some vinegar in there with to try and get it out. I think that was the worst tasting juice I have had yet

 

[Heabob]

Yea I started doing the same thing. Someone sent me a bottle of cola as a freebie and the stuff was so horrible I had to pour it out and that stench will not leave the bottle. I have just been leaving it in water a day or so but this one I may need to throw some vinegar in there with to try and get it out. I think that was the worst tasting juice I have had yet

Lol, ya, the Orange Dream Bar juice I got as a freebie from MBV actually stained the plastic bottle orange.

So... some flavors might be better off in glass bottles.

 

[zoiDman]

So basically measuring is going to be more accurate/consistent than using drops? What do all you experienced DIYers do?

What Level of Accuracy are you Trying to Achieve?

As to Consistency. Drops are Actually Very Consistent from Drop to Drop. As long as the Same Dropper is used Each Time for a Given Liquid.

 

[DistantDrumming]

Fairly accurate. Testing single flavors at different percentages in small (10ml) batches. Could vary by just 1%...maybe even 0.5% depending on the flavor's strength. Once I find the taste I like, then mix with another that I've tested in the same manner. Seems as if the syringe will be much easier. Otherwise, I'll have to test each new flavor for drop/ml ratio. Also moving to glass thanks to my new found ability to focus my searching on this forum

 

[zoiDman]

Not sure what Flavoring Percentages you are planning on Using. So I'll just Make Up some Numbers.

If you use 10% Flavoring in a 10ml Batch, you would be Adding 1ml of Flavoring.

1% Error on 1ml = .01 ml.

So you would need to be Able to Measure Accurately on the +/- .005 ml Level.

If this is what you Desire, then I think you Should Consider Purchasing a Very Accurate ( and Very Expensive ) Scale and do your Mixing by Weighing your Flavoring.

BTW - Can you Taste the Difference of .01ml of Flavoring in 10ml of e-Liquid?

 

[DistantDrumming]

Your numbers make no sense. From this thread alone I have a variance of 20-42gtts/ml, that's a little more than 50%. So, I mix my juice at say 6% at my 42/ml ratio, because that's where I find I like it best. My vendor runs out, I order some from a different place. Or my vendor changes packaging on me and I have a different bottle on with say 20gtts/ml. What happens? After steeping for a week or more? Wasted that time cause now I 12% that tastes like crap. No need for high tech equipment. Not going by gtts and measuring instead avoids that.

 

[DistantDrumming]

Meant 9% not 12% which is still significant.

 

[zoiDman]

Your numbers make no sense. From this thread alone I have a variance of 20-42gtts/ml, that's a little more than 50%. So, I mix my juice at say 6% at my 42/ml ratio, because that's where I find I like it best. My vendor runs out, I order some from a different place. Or my vendor changes packaging on me and I have a different bottle on with say 20gtts/ml. What happens? After steeping for a week or more? Wasted that time cause now I 12% that tastes like crap. No need for high tech equipment. Not going by gtts and measuring instead avoids that.

Not sure what you mean by the Numbers Make No Sense?

Are you talking about Drops you have Made? Or the Number of Drops/ml that others have Reported?

 

[DistantDrumming]

Both. And that I don't wanna do a gtt/ml on configuration o every flavor I get in the mail. There's no standard for gtts per ml. That was my original question. I do want to be specific on my percentages. Regardless of bottle/supplier. And transitioning to larger amounts when I get it right. Want to duplicate what I get in a 10ml test in 60/120 hell, 240+ if I get it right. I'm all about sharing And it has to be right.

 

[Heabob]

Both. And that I don't wanna do a gtt/ml on configuration o every flavor I get in the mail. There's no standard for gtts per ml. That was my original question. I do want to be specific on my percentages. Regardless of bottle/supplier. And transitioning to larger amounts when I get it right. Want to duplicate what I get in a 10ml test in 60/120 hell, 240+ if I get it right. I'm all about sharing And it has to be right.

That's why I prefer using syringes, better consistency.
Or use a scale for absolute precision...

 

[zoiDman]

Both. And that I don't wanna do a gtt/ml on configuration o every flavor I get in the mail. There's no standard for gtts per ml. That was my original question. I do want to be specific on my percentages. Regardless of bottle/supplier. And transitioning to larger amounts when I get it right. Want to duplicate what I get in a 10ml test in 60/120 hell, 240+ if I get it right. I'm all about sharing And it has to be right.

You have to do what you Think is Best.

 

[BigLungs]

Has anyone determined the drop/ml ratio of flavors dripped straight from the original container? Will this vary? Have an eyedropper, but no idea of drop/ml ratio on that either. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Here is my test to find out drops/ml.

I take a 1ml syringe, you could use any size but 1ml works perfect, remove the plunger from the syringe. I then put my finger over the luer lock end to seal it. I then fill up my dropper and drip into the syringe counting the number of drops until I reach 1ml. Test done, you now know how many drops/ml for that dropper. Repeat test with other droppers to determine their drops/ml as well.

 

[Ohio Points]

I always say:

"Drops, Twice the effort for half the accuracy"

syringes work great and no guessing.

 

[BigLungs]

I always say:

"Drops, Twice the effort for half the accuracy"

syringes work great and no guessing.

Actually drops are more accurate. You could easily fit an extra drop or two into a syringe when measuring and not even notice because it looks like you are exactly on the line, therefore putting an extra drop into or taking an extra drop from your mixture here and there.

It is much more work to measure by the drop for sure. I only measure my flavorings this way, and mostly because I was fed up with certain flavors just destroying my syringes the instant they came in contact with one another.

If I had thousands of dollars to spend on glass on glass syringes then maybe I would feel different, but I can't afford glass syringes.

 

[zoiDman]

Some People are Using Drops because there is Nothing to Wash when you're Done Mixing.

And Real World levels of Accuracy and Repeatability can Still be Maintained.

 

[JulesXsmokr]

I drop my flavors and base directly into the mix bottle while its sitting on a .00ml gram scale.. Cheap. easy, super accurate, clean up is next to none, unless you miss aim. Great mixing tool, and a killer program for free is available here...

 

[cbabbman]

I drop my flavors and base directly into the mix bottle while its sitting on a .00ml gram scale.. Cheap. easy, super accurate, clean up is next to none, unless you miss aim. Great mixing tool, and a killer program for free is available here...

With all the tools available to us these days and with how inexpensive a scale is for weighing this stuff is, I just shudder every time I hear the word 'drops' when it comes to mixing...

It's quite fascinating to see how different every drop can be when you can watch the scale as you add them... even from the same bottle or dropper

 

[zoiDman]

With all the tools available to us these days and with how inexpensive a scale is for weighing this stuff is, I just shudder every time I hear the word 'drops' when it comes to mixing...

It's quite fascinating to see how different every drop can be when you can watch the scale as you add them... even from the same bottle or dropper

What Size Variations are you Seeing?

And what is the Accuracy and Resolution of the Scale you are Using?

 

[JulesXsmokr]

I see 2 hundredths of a gram between drops of pg and vg. and it can be more between using different spouts, eye droppers, and dropper bottles, there is a good variance between them all. - and it's a repeatable accuracy.