How do you measure liquid ingredients?

[RamShot Rowdy]

So I mixed my second batch of eliquid today, and it was a total disaster. Measuring flavorings in PG with the syringes I have is fine, but trying to draw and measure 30ml of VG with a syringe is like trying to suck a baseball through a straw. Plus as levels of PG, VG, and nicotine are getting lower in my bottles it's hard or impossible to get a needle far enough down in there to pick up any liquid. Is there a better way to measure this stuff, especially the large volume stuff like VG and PG?

I threw out nearly 80ml of PG,VG, and nicotine base today because the markings were off on the beakers I bought from MFS. I thought I had added to much of one component, being afraid I over did the nicotine I trashed the entire batch. I later discovered it was right, the beaker lines just showed more than what was actually in there...very frustrating.

 

[kickflipsnnollies]

Get a well-made graduated cylinder set. Pyrex brand is always good but not cheap. Bomex has done me well too. Just make sure the tolerances are +-5% or less. Most of them say this on the cylinder itself.

A beaker would be more suited to set on a stir plate with a stir bar for mixing.

Whatever brand you decide on, don't buy it from a vaping-oriented place. They tax hard.

Or do it by weight.

And remember that in bigger batches like that your mistakes aren't as bad. If you're making 100 ml and you go over by a drop on your nic it's not that bad.

 

[Cullin Kin]

Also, wide gauge needle tips like these: http://www.nicoticket.com/14gu-1-1-2-blunt-tip-needle/ work great for VG.

 

[Dave_in_OK]

You can use these and cut them so that VG isn't so hard to draw.
Dispensing Needle, Plastic Tapered Beige 14 ga 0.063id x 1.25" Tip, 50 pcs: Science Lab Needles: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

 

[Larry J]

I think you'll find that warming your VG will help a lot. I use a 10 ml glass pipette with a pump attached to measure all my VG and nic (VG based). The opening on the pipette is bigger than even a large gauge needle, which makes things a lot easier.

 

[Alter]

I use syringes to scale my juices. I remove the plunger out of the syringe, hold my finger over the bottom , pour the vg, pg and nic into the top then put the plunger back and press the liquid into the container. I use a 1mm syringe to dispense the flavorings since some don't come with dripper tops. I try not to turn simple juice making into rocket science and over complicate the procedure.

 

[Mrdaputer]

So I mixed my second batch of eliquid today, and it was a total disaster. Measuring flavorings in PG with the syringes I have is fine, but trying to draw and measure 30ml of VG with a syringe is like trying to suck a baseball through a straw. Plus as levels of PG, VG, and nicotine are getting lower in my bottles it's hard or impossible to get a needle far enough down in there to pick up any liquid. Is there a better way to measure this stuff, especially the large volume stuff like VG and PG?

I threw out nearly 80ml of PG,VG, and nicotine base today because the markings were off on the beakers I bought from MFS. I thought I had added to much of one component, being afraid I over did the nicotine I trashed the entire batch. I later discovered it was right, the beaker lines just showed more than what was actually in there...very frustrating.

You will get a lot of good answers here. What I do is have 125ml of pg/vg already mixed up. I use a big syringe pull out the plunger put 20ml pg into it use the plunger and squirt that into my 125ml bottle. I then pull out the plunger again and pour my vg into the syringe then put that into my 125ml bottle till I get the ratio I want.
When I make a batch of flavoring I do the same thing take out the plunger add how much of each flafor I need put the plunger back in then squirt into my bottle.
I hope I explained that right.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

I just use eyeball to mix my 50/50 base in 125 ml containers. Just fill halfway with VG and then the rest of the way with PG. It is not really critical to get this exact and the small amounts of PG or VG in a flavoring or nicotine do not change things enough to bother me. The 50/50 mix then works well in a 14ga blunt tip needle syringe for measuring for my actual juice mix. Of course I measure the nicotine and flavor precisely in a syringe.

 

[zoiDman]

So I mixed my second batch of eliquid today, and it was a total disaster. Measuring flavorings in PG with the syringes I have is fine, but trying to draw and measure 30ml of VG with a syringe is like trying to suck a baseball through a straw. Plus as levels of PG, VG, and nicotine are getting lower in my bottles it's hard or impossible to get a needle far enough down in there to pick up any liquid. Is there a better way to measure this stuff, especially the large volume stuff like VG and PG?

I threw out nearly 80ml of PG,VG, and nicotine base today because the markings were off on the beakers I bought from MFS. I thought I had added to much of one component, being afraid I over did the nicotine I trashed the entire batch. I later discovered it was right, the beaker lines just showed more than what was actually in there...very frustrating.

I use a Scale to make diluted "Pre-Mix" from 100mg/ml Nicotine Base.

Then I use either a Scale or a Scale/Drops to add Flavorings for the Final Recipe.

 

[kickflipsnnollies]

Pouring into a syringe is just doing it wrong. You pour into a beaker, flask or graduated cylinder. Use the right tool for the right job.

And getting your base right IS important. If it's off, your entire mix will be off.

 

[Portertown]

I use a scale and do everything by weight. I have my PG and VG in 120ml plastic bottles with drip tips(Yorker). My Nic is in a 60ml glass bottle with a dropper cap.
My flavors are in 30ml plastic bottles with drip tips.
By using this method I can be accurate down to one drop and have no items to clean after mixing.
I find this way of mixing to be so easy to do and my juices turn out the same each time.

 

[mattiem]

Pouring into a syringe is just doing it wrong. .

Guess I've been doing it wrong for the past couple of years then

 

[zoiDman]

Guess I've been doing it wrong for the past couple of years then

It Isn't a wrong way if it Works for You.

 

[Strangebrew]

3" leur lock blunts are available on ebay.

 

[Alien Traveler]

Pouring into a syringe is just doing it wrong. You pour into a beaker, flask or graduated cylinder. Use the right tool for the right job.

Why so?
You'll leave a lot of viscous liquid left on walls of beaker or cylinder. You'll get all of your liquid of syringe.

 

[Strangebrew]

How do you measure liquid ingredients?
In the old days; I pour amounts into graduation cylinders, which were poured into a jug large enough to accommodated all ingredients. (SHAKE!!) (Withholdings flavoring, and 15% of the required PG.) That jug was distributed into smaller vessels (jars), then the amount of flavor and additional PG as required based on the flavor strength. (Always used PG based flavors and no mix ever was >15% flavor.)
Now the present: Grad cylinders have been replaced with a scale (two), 0.01 HUNDREDTHS!!!! All is done as was, just more accurate in making mistakes. LOL

 

[Strangebrew]

Why so?
You'll leave a lot of viscous liquid left on walls of beaker or cylinder. You'll get all of your liquid of syringe.

Sounds similar to getting blood from a turnip.

 

[Hoosier]

I use oral dosing syringes for PG & VG. They have a wider opening than luer. Mine also come with a wedged stopper so I can press the stopper into my bottle, flip it over and draw into the syringe, flip it back upright and withdraw syringe from stopper.

Quick, easy, and precise enough to be repeatable.

 

[Mrdaputer]

Pouring into a syringe is just doing it wrong. You pour into a beaker, flask or graduated cylinder. Use the right tool for the right job.

And getting your base right IS important. If it's off, your entire mix will be off.

No it is not wrong.... Wrong would be going back to cigs. I have stuff in a tackle box and bring that to friends and family. kinda like taking the show on the road different strokes for different folks ya know. More than one right way to mix and vape

 

[zoiDman]

I use oral dosing syringes for PG & VG. They have a wider opening than luer. Mine also come with a wedged stopper so I can press the stopper into my bottle, flip it over and draw into the syringe, flip it back upright and withdraw syringe from stopper.

Quick, easy, and precise enough to be repeatable.

This, to Me, is the Most Important thing about doing DIY.

All the Numbers are just kinda Arbitrary. I don't care if my Mix is 17.5mg/ml when it should be 18mg/ml. Or if my Flavoring is 11.732% when it should be 13%.

As long as there is Batch to Batch Repeatability, I don't care.