Some flavors damaging my syringes.

[Matty316]

Been DIYing for a while now and noticed some flavors are real syringe killers. They seem to eat away or melt the rubber bung in the syringe. I've found inawera blueberry particularly bad for this with me only getting 1 use out of the syringe before having to throw it away.

Is there any other types of syringes i could buy that are less reactive to these flavors?

 

[Hitmetwice]

I use a 1ml eyedropper(glass)
or a childs medicine dropper
(5ml. graduated) found at most drugstores.

I do make larger quantities however, not smaller test type batches that require small amounts of flavouring. 100ml. minimum size.
Also use a measuring cup often.

Have you tried leaving the syringe apart soaking in water after use?
Clean and dry thoroughly?

Measuring by weight may minimize the need of using a syringe.

Just some thoughts.Cheers.

 

[Maestro]

Get a scale and stop using syringes. I just drip from the bottle or use a pipette and throw it away. More accurate, no mess and no cleanup. Why make it more trouble than it has to be?

 

[Matty316]

Have you tried leaving the syringe apart soaking in water after use?
Clean and dry thoroughly?

Yeah i always clean and dry them straight after use but with some of the flavors I use just the few seconds it takes to measure seems to be all it takes to finish them off.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Yeah i always clean and dry them straight after use but with some of the flavors I use just the few seconds it takes to measure seems to be all it takes to finish them off.

How is the syringe being damaged? Is the measurements on the outside coming off? Or is it melting the plastic?
They do have glass syringes. I ordered some but have yet to use them. They are shipped from China and take a while to get here. I will be back with a link.


eta
5PCS x Cute Mini 1ml Glass Syringe Lab Glassware

Glass Sampler Luer Lock Tip Syringe 10cc Injector 10ml Stainless steel

 

[Matty316]

Get a scale and stop using syringes. I just drip from the bottle or use a pipette and throw it away. More accurate, no mess and no cleanup. Why make it more trouble than it has to be?

Been thinking about going down this route. I normally make liqiud in 30ml batches and some flavors in percentages as low as 1%. would i be able to get a set of scales that could accurately measure weights this low at a reasonable price?

 

[Matty316]

How is the syringe being damaged? Is the measurements on the outside coming off? Or is it melting the plastic?
They do have glass syringes. I ordered some but have yet to use them. They are shipped from China and take a while to get here. I will be back with a link.

It's the rubber bung inside the syringe. Seems to react to some of my flavors and corrode/melt.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Look up at my last post...I added some links to glass syringes

 

[puffon]

Banana flavors will also make the rubber swell.
You could try coating the rubber with VG, before drawing out the flavor.
or use a glass dropper to fill the syringe.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Been thinking about going down this route. I normally make liqiud in 30ml batches and some flavors in percentages as low as 1%. would i be able to get a set of scales that could accurately measure weights this low at a reasonable price?

Look in this thread(DIY) for mixing by weight--or something similar. Its a complete set of instructions as well as links to scales at affordable pricing.

 

[Matty316]

@Sugar_and_Spice those glass ones look promising think i willl give them a go. cheers

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Another thing you may want to consider is luer lock caps that can be put on the end of the syringe so no leaking comes through. And measure your flavors that way. It is what I have been doing.


eta
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0151QYIKA?psc=1

They have them in all colors.....I like the clear ones.

 

[Just Me]

My 1ml syringes are all stuck, too. Several days ago, I ordered glass droppers and received them today. They look great, but I haven't used them yet. Fifty-nine cents each from this place, NO shipping charge (at least in my area in the US--please check before ordering).

They also sell Boston round amber glass bottles and polycone caps if you need those.

18-400 Calibrated Child Resistant Glass Dropper (7x66)

 

[Just Me]

It's the rubber bung inside the syringe. Seems to react to some of my flavors and corrode/melt.

It's not Just the rubber bung in the syringe that's being affected. It does what it does to any type of plastic/rubber. I had one of those older tanks (maybe a CE4?) crack from the bottom to the top from one of those flavorings. Plus, I had an old Protank totally seize up to the point I couldn't get it apart, which included soaking in water, freezing, heating, pliers, vise-grips, WD-40, etc. Nothing got it apart. I hated the Protank for the brief period I used it anyway, so I just tossed it.

 

[BrotherBob]

Is there any other types of syringes i could buy that are less reactive to these flavors?

3 choices as I see it:
Glass -- too chancy --bit of expense with no guarantee.
Scale -- May be easier in the long run. (not cheaper)
Do nothing and wash (3 shots/squirts of water from 3 different water containers) the syringe immediately after use. TA (Tobacco absolute) will effect the syringes I use. So, 3 shots in succession, of clean water allows syringe reuse for me.

 

[Just Me]

3 choices as I see it:
Glass -- too chancy --bit of expense with no guarantee.
Scale -- May be easier in the long run. (not cheaper)
Do nothing and wash (3 shots/squirts of water from 3 different water containers) the syringe immediately after use. TA (Tobacco absolute) will effect the syringes I use. So, 3 shots in succession, of clean water allows syringe reuse for me.

The problem with the do nothing idea is that when those offending flavorings hit your syringe, they can seize your equipment immediately. I remember a certain banana flavoring I tried--couldn't squirt it out of the syringe once I got it in there. Too late.

I thought about glass syringes, but they're pricey, and I decided it wasn't worth the effort to get THAT exact anyway.

Scale. I have a good one. I make homemade soap. But I discovered mine isn't exact enough to measure drops. Wouldn't move even after 4-6 drops, so I abandoned that idea.

I ordered these and got them today--one milliliter glass droppers I will use for small amounts of flavorings only. Free shipping. 18-400 Calibrated Child Resistant Glass Dropper (7x66)

 

[dannyv45]

Yeah i always clean and dry them straight after use but with some of the flavors I use just the few seconds it takes to measure seems to be all it takes to finish them off.

You can help that by pulling out the plunger and dipping it in VG before use and after cleaning dip it in VG then store. Many flavors do destroy syringes quickly. I have a few glass syringes for those types of flavoring. But it is a good argument for using a scale.

 

[Frenchfry1942]

I have one 3ml glass syringe. Sometimes I have to refill it though.

 

[bwh79]

Been thinking about going down this route. I normally make liqiud in 30ml batches and some flavors in percentages as low as 1%. would i be able to get a set of scales that could accurately measure weights this low at a reasonable price?

Absolutely. You'll want a 500g x .01g digital scale (500g max. weight can accommodate large batches even accounting for the weight of your container, and .01g resolution is less than the weight of a single drop of most liquids, so it can precisely measure even the smallest amount you can throw at it.) About $30 on eBay or Amazon here in the US, I imagine you can get something pretty similar where you're at.

 

[Maestro]

Been thinking about going down this route. I normally make liqiud in 30ml batches and some flavors in percentages as low as 1%. would i be able to get a set of scales that could accurately measure weights this low at a reasonable price?

This is the one I got.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UGBG20/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1