Recipes not adding up to fill the bottle

[kimaw1313]

So, I'm new to DIY. Got all my stuff today and went about making some juice. I noticed with the first one that when I put all the ingredients in the bottle it only came out to be about 4ml (maybe 3.5?). So, I made a second one. Same deal. I am using the Breaketru calculator and all of my ingredients do add up to 5ml but it isn't filling up my 5ml bottle. Any ideas?

 

[HeatherBee]

Are you going by drops? It's best to actually measure which is easy with syringes (no needles necessary)

 

[kimaw1313]

Are you going by drops? It's best to actually measure which is easy with syringes (no needles necessary)

I am using a dropper measured by ml's.

 

[HeatherBee]

Hrm that's odd. I haven't had that problem but have only used a different calculator. Try a different calc?

 

[Hoosier]

Have you measured the bottle's actual capacity with a graduated cylinder?

Most 30ml bottles are 33-34ml. A 3ml bottle is about 3.5ml. Etc, etc.

I don't expect my recipes to fill my bottles.

 

[kimaw1313]

Which one do you use? I was going to try the excel spreadsheet created by Dan.

 

[kimaw1313]

Have you measured the bottle's actual capacity with a graduated cylinder?

Most 30ml bottles are 33-34ml. A 3ml bottle is about 3.5ml. Etc, etc.

I don't expect my recipes to fill my bottles.

Yes, I checked it by filling the syringe with water at 5ml and it pretty much filled it up. I'm going to try another calculator to see if maybe that's the problem.

 

[Shantia]

Water is thinner then PG or VG and can come out of your dropper as larger drops, then when you switch to the heavier stuff you get smaller drops. I would count it out with your PG if i were you, and maybe even your VG. I used to use pipettes to measure with and quickly started encountering inconsistancies with my volume of juice. So i started measuring directly into a syringe..can still use a pipette for that too.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

The ejuice me up calculator works fine. You can manually add up all the individual quantities to see if it makes up 5ml if it will put your mind at rest, but I use that software and it works out fine. I agree with Hoosier - for example the common hard plastic "5ml" dropper bottles that a lot of suppliers sell actually hold about 7ml if filled to the brim.

 

[Flaklaflubillibu]

I'm not a veteran, and I don't play one on TV , but I have had to pipette highly viscous reagents like VG before for work (usually 100% stock detergent solutions and VG for cell lysis buffers), and the biggest problem with ensuring an accurate measurement is that the solution will stick to the inside wall of the pipette, or whatever dispenser being used. The only way around this with pipettes, or a dropper in your case, is to give the substance plenty of time to run down the walls. I have taped many a pipette against a lab shelf over a bottle to let the solution drip out slowly and completely over the course of several minutes. I haven't had this problem recently with mixing eJuice as I ended up using a syringe at home, so it can be forced out.

 

[StormFinch]

I also would wonder about the accuracy of the dropper. I know even some syringes aren't known for their accuracy, so could the dropper be off?

 

[Hoosier]

Heck, I thought I'd seen a lot while mixing, but a 5ml bottle that is filled to the brim with 5ml is a new one to me.

 

[zoiDman]

Perhaps if the OP posted exactly what they mixed we could do the math and figure out why it is not 5 mls?

 

[GitMoe]

Try to never measure by drops and also if you're using VG or thicker stuff it will stick to your dropper inside. I've seen almost 1ml of VG not come out of a pipette without waiting for it.

 

[Para]

I haven't had this problem recently with mixing eJuice as I ended up using a syringe at home, so it can be forced out.

Using a pipette pump will "force out" the liquid. Rarely do I have a drop left in the pipette when I use a pump. Also, it's the only way I can get a truly accurate recipe for small batches. A bit off and the recipe is changed.

 

[gingersnaps]

I have found that it is actually 25-30 drops per ml rather than the 20 defaulted on the calc. I would go to using syringes or just adjust the drops per ml setting on the calc till it's closer to what you want to fill a bottle. small bottles do hold an extra .5-1 ml

 

[kimaw1313]

I used:

1.5ml nicotine w/PG
2 ml of PG
1 ml of VG
.5ml flavor

I just don't get why the stuff I order comes in an almost full bottle but the stuff I make doesn't. I was using pipettes and a dropper. I will try to use a syringe but I don't have a needle suitable.

 

[gingersnaps]

all bottles are rated smaller than they really are. most bottles are rated by amt when it reaches the neck of the bottle. example a 5 ml bottle is 5 ml at the neck but topped off as full a possible is 5.5-6. also when you buy a bottle of something odds are there is more in it than you paid for. once bought a few 30 ml of nic and got 40 ml in each bc of the type of bottle.

 

[Switched]

It is not the calculator(s) bottles can carry more than what their size is.

 

[zoiDman]

It sounds like who you buy your juice from gives you a little more than 5ml. Lots of vendors do that.