Lab Equipment: Must Have's and Gimicks

[JCinFLA]

Not sure exactly which part of my post you disagree with, but...if this part of your response is true...

Everything I post is implicitly a personal opinion.

your disagreement can't be with this part of my post:

That statement is your personal opinion...not a fact.

I can't see how you could be in disagreement about this part:

There are many of us who measure by volume and don't find it to be wasteful, messy, nor inaccurate except in large batches when we already know what we're doing.

...

because there really are many of us who feel that way, or we wouldn't be measuring by volume.

So, it must be the middle statement I made. However, I have actually had several DIY newbies tell me that it's often hard to distinguish someone's opinion from fact, in posts about DIY. They get somewhat confused at times as to what to believe. That's the reason I made that statement.

ETA: It's all good though. I'm well past letting Disagree ratings bother me. I just like to understand what someone disagreed with, is all. Never hurts to gain insight into the thinking of others, IMO.

 

[GOMuniEsq]

Not sure exactly which part of my post you disagree with, but...if this part of your response is true...



your disagreement can't be with this part of my post:


I can't see how you could be in disagreement about this part:
...

because there really are many of us who feel that way, or we wouldn't be measuring by volume.

So, it must be the middle statement I made. However, I have actually had several DIY newbies tell me that it's often hard to distinguish someone's opinion from fact, in posts about DIY. They get somewhat confused at times as to what to believe. That's the reason I made that statement.

ETA: It's all good though. I'm well past letting Disagree ratings bother me. I just like to understand what someone disagreed with, is all. Never hurts to gain insight into the thinking of others, IMO.

That was a vengeful Disagree for having the temerity to quibble over some trivial detail of my fine effortpost without also taking the time to compliment it. I will concede that accuracy is not particularly crucial, so losses to the measuring equipment in volumetric mixing may be disregarded without incurring disaster.

 

[Letitia]

Will you please both just stop. Not at all helpful to the OP.

 

[zoiDman]

Hi there, I'm about to make a rather large order to start up my e-juice mixing lab and I was wondering, what do I REALLY need, now, I really want a Nitecore e-liquid Mixer NFF01, but I know I don't need it, not untill I get really good at making juice and am starting to make bigger quantities.
I also ordered 25 10ml bottles, so I can make 5-7ml test batches to save on wastage, for that I ordered a proper scale and some 1ml syringes, to help with the small quantities I'll be working with.
But what else would be your ESSENTIAL pieces of lab equipment for a first time buyer and starter e-juice maker?
Wer're gonna have some fun with this thread, I can see it already, we're gonna get our vape geekness on!!

You have gotten some Very Good advise already. As well as a Little Drama. LOL

But I am Very Surprised no one has mentioned getting a Lab Coat?

They really Don't do all that much for protection. But the Geek Factor is Off the Charts.

No Self-Respecting DIYer should be without one.

Not sure I would Answer the Door while you are wearing it with an Erlenmeyer Flask in your hand? Especially if Steely Dan's Kid Charlemagne is playing in the background.

But that is up to You.

 

[Skeebo]

You have gotten some Very Good advise already. As well as a Little Drama. LOL

But I am Very Surprised no one has mentioned getting a Lab Coat?

They really Don't do all that much for protection. But the Geek Factor is Off the Charts.

No Self-Respecting DIYer should be without one.

Not sure I would Answer the Door while you are wearing it with an Erlenmeyer Flask in your hand? Especially if Steely Dan's Kid Charlemagne is playing in the background.

But that is up to You.

I do have a lab coat and so much more. This is a picture of me correcting a mixing mistake.

I am using a pair of tweezers to carefully remove custard flavor molecules after an over pour. It's why I PERSONALLY feel a microscope is essential. I think it's also important to point out the size of my gloves.

 

[mikepetro]

Hahahaha, you all may laugh, but this is the PPE the I actually own and use when I am breaking down liters of nic into smaller 100ml bottles. My nic is a wee bit stronger than your standard 100mgl though.

 

[uthinkofsomething]

-Avoid "chubby gorilla" bottles as these cannot be reused.-
@GOMuniEsq actually they make up to 60ml chubbies in ldpe. I don't think they all are, but I have seen them for sale.

 

[GOMuniEsq]

-Avoid "chubby gorilla" bottles as these cannot be reused.-
@GOMuniEsq actually they make up to 60ml chubbies in ldpe. I don't think they all are, but I have seen them for sale.

I bought chubbies in several sizes up to 100mL without realizing what they were intended for. These are the same bottles that vape stores use for their professional e-juice. Once the top is screwed on it locks in place and it's impossible to get off to refill without destroying the bottle. The actual material is incidental.

 

[Rossum]

Volumetric measuring leaves ingredient residue on all of the glassware which necessitates cleanup and means less of the good stuff in your bottle. VG in particular coats the surface of graduated cylinders and must be scraped off, which I consider messy.

I measure out VG first, then use the same graduated cylinder to measure PG, which will happily pick up the residual VG that stuck in the cylinder.

A 250ml graduated cylinder is the one and only piece of "lab equipment" I use for mixing. But I use very little flavoring and just measure it by the drop, and I understand that may not work for everyone.

 

[GOMuniEsq]

I measure out VG first, then use the same graduated cylinder to measure PG, which will happily pick up the residual VG that stuck in the cylinder.

A 250ml graduated cylinder is the one and only piece of "lab equipment" I use for mixing. But I use very little flavoring and just measure it by the drop, and I understand that may not work for everyone.

Right on! Before I discovered mixing by weight I used to "lubricate" my cylinder by doing the PG first, so that I'd have an easier time getting the VG out. Your technique sounds far more effective.

 

[Letitia]

-Avoid "chubby gorilla" bottles as these cannot be reused.-
@GOMuniEsq actually they make up to 60ml chubbies in ldpe. I don't think they all are, but I have seen them for sale.

You can rinse and reuse ldpe. Though I can unfortunately confirm that they aren't good for transferring concentrates into. Stick with PET or glass for those. I have found that I prefer dropperbottles.com ldpe unicorn bottles over the chubby brand though.

 

[Letitia]

I bought chubbies in several sizes up to 100mL without realizing what they were intended for. These are the same bottles that vape stores use for their professional e-juice. Once the top is screwed on it locks in place and it's impossible to get off to refill without destroying the bottle. The actual material is incidental.

You can get the tips off with patience and a thin knife blade. Used to have to do this to add nic to them.

 

[JCinFLA]

actually they make up to 60ml chubbies in ldpe. I don't think they all are, but I have seen them for sale.

Yep. Just helped a friend's husband start DIY 2 weekends ago. He had several of them he'd gotten eliquid in from a local vape shop. He washed and reused 2 of them for some DIY he made.

Just a few places they're sold are: liquidbottles.com, heartlandvapes.com, bullcityflavors.com and also on Amazon.

 

[AngeNZ]

I bought chubbies in several sizes up to 100mL without realizing what they were intended for. These are the same bottles that vape stores use for their professional e-juice. Once the top is screwed on it locks in place and it's impossible to get off to refill without destroying the bottle. The actual material is incidental.

I reuse my authentic chubby gorilla 50ml bottles all the time - a lil flat head screwdriver (doesn't have to be blue ) under the nozzle cap (above the threads), and they flip right off.

I'm not sure though, if they are the same as what you are talking about however. Mine just came full of commercial juice, so I saved them for diy.


Everyone has forgotten the most important thing that you will need:

High Tech Labels

I use this:

And this:

 

[uthinkofsomething]

I nab blank shipping labels that would just go in the trash from my place of employ. Sometimes scotch tape to make sure they stay on longer. And a pen.

 

[Rossum]

High Tech Labels

I use this:
View attachment 828875

I prefer white electrical tape to masking tape.

 

[GOMuniEsq]

I accept that I was wrong about Chubby Gorilla bottles. I have learned that with the right tools and some effort they can be reopened and reused.

 

[mikepetro]

These work fine, I have been easily refilling them for a year now,

https://www.amazon.com/Chubby-Gorilla-Unicorn-Bottles-Black/dp/B072Q6FBHM

 

[GOMuniEsq]

These work fine, I have been easily refilling them for a year now,

https://www.amazon.com/Chubby-Gorilla-Unicorn-Bottles-Black/dp/B072Q6FBHM

View attachment 828909

Chubby Gorilla also makes Unicorn bottles? No wonder there's so much confusion. Where I live the DIY store sells two kinds.

These they call Chubby Gorilla and they have the tamper-evident features that make them hard to reuse.

These they call unicorn bottles. They're super easy to reuse.

 

[Rossum]

Glass.
Dropper.
Bottles.
With old-school (not child proof) caps.

Yeah, I'm a Luddite.