I continue to venture further into the world of DIY. Started off just blending pre-mix stuff, then tweaking it with FA, and then mixing down some stuff that I ordered incorrectly. Plus I grabbed some 60mg PG when Midwest Vapor had the selloff. So I'm pretty well set for at least all the 18mg juice I can get from 60ml of 60mg PG. I've had a few mishaps here and there, like little eruptions when the juice decides to make a bubble lock at the bottom of a bottle neck while I'm filling. The main thing that's bugged me lately is VG clinging to the insides / outsides of whatever it is. I looked around a bit for some tips on the mechanics of dispensing, and it seems like there's a bit here and there, so I thought maybe getting tips all in one thread might be handy.
The last time I mixed, I squirted VG directly into a 50ml graduated cylinder to measure it, then used a pipette and pump for my nic juice and the last bit of PG for the total 30ml. Then I dropped in my flavorings. This resulted in a very pretty looking cylinder of layers of ingredients. I used a glass stirring rod to attempt to mix in the cylinder, but that was quite tedious, and not completely effective. I used a small lab funnel to empty the cylinder into a bottle, and ended up holding it there for a while waiting for all the VG to finish dripping out.
My plan for my next batch is to use the cylinder to measure the VG, dump it into my 2oz bottle, then use the pipette to dispense the PG ingredients and flavoring into the cylinder. I won't be measuring with the cylinder, but I figure the PG will mix pretty easily with the remnants of the VG in there, and it should flow out pretty easily. Then I can just shake the bottle.
The mad scientist in me wants to buy more lab equipment. Who doesn't need an erlenmyer flask on their kitchen table? Or I could clamp the graduated cylinder at an angle dripping into the funnel so I don't have to sit there holding it for 5 minutes.
I noticed that warming the VG first helps a lot too.
Oh yeah, a 10ml glass pipette with a pump works great, but it's a bit on the long side, so a tad unwieldy.
I've found that when filling a dropper bottle from another dropper bottle, if I aim the flow at the side of the neck, it tends to avoid that bubble lock phenomenon.
I know some folks just use syringes, but I get impatient trying to use them for VG.
The last time I mixed, I squirted VG directly into a 50ml graduated cylinder to measure it, then used a pipette and pump for my nic juice and the last bit of PG for the total 30ml. Then I dropped in my flavorings. This resulted in a very pretty looking cylinder of layers of ingredients. I used a glass stirring rod to attempt to mix in the cylinder, but that was quite tedious, and not completely effective. I used a small lab funnel to empty the cylinder into a bottle, and ended up holding it there for a while waiting for all the VG to finish dripping out.
My plan for my next batch is to use the cylinder to measure the VG, dump it into my 2oz bottle, then use the pipette to dispense the PG ingredients and flavoring into the cylinder. I won't be measuring with the cylinder, but I figure the PG will mix pretty easily with the remnants of the VG in there, and it should flow out pretty easily. Then I can just shake the bottle.
The mad scientist in me wants to buy more lab equipment. Who doesn't need an erlenmyer flask on their kitchen table? Or I could clamp the graduated cylinder at an angle dripping into the funnel so I don't have to sit there holding it for 5 minutes.
I noticed that warming the VG first helps a lot too.
Oh yeah, a 10ml glass pipette with a pump works great, but it's a bit on the long side, so a tad unwieldy.
I've found that when filling a dropper bottle from another dropper bottle, if I aim the flow at the side of the neck, it tends to avoid that bubble lock phenomenon.
I know some folks just use syringes, but I get impatient trying to use them for VG.
