Taking the plunge

[Mmc]

I am just about ready to go to the dark side and buy a syringe for filling cartos. Now the question is, can you reuse the syringe and needles or do you throw them out after your filling session?
Do you need a different one for each flavor? Or do you just buy one and go down the line.
Never used a needle and syringe in my life

 

[keelalagirl55]

I reuse....I flush with pga or vodka (which ever is in reach). As for having one per flavor.....I only have 1 that is dedicated....I cannot get the mint smell out of it (used oil flavoring).
Now...I do have more than 2....I got mine at Tractor Supply....they are not expensive. Any Farm and Fleet store should have them.

 

[Conard]

I just wash mine out with water.
I start with the mildest flavor and work my way up to the strongest without cleaning the syringe out between.

 

[ValleyGirl]

Oh I would poke myself for sure...I just know it! Anyway, I don't even know where I'd be able to get a syringe. I don't think you can just go and buy them all willy-nilly like. Not in these parts anyhoo.

 

[Katalyst]

I got mine from my family doctor after explaining to him what it was for. He had no problem giving me what I needed: 18 gauge (great for thick juices) with sharp tip (easier on the batting) at 1 1/2 inches long...perfect size for the cartos. I simply fluch with hot water an occasionally alcohol. Good luck Mmc!!

 

[Conard]

ValleyGirl, there are several Tractor Supply stores near you that have them. I think I bought 5 syringes and 5 18ga needles for about 10 bucks.
Like here:
2749 CALLOWAY DR BAKERSFIELD CA 93312

You can also get blunt tip needles (no point).

 

[ValleyGirl]

ValleyGirl, there are several Tractor Supply stores near you that have them. I think I bought 5 syringes and 5 18ga needles for about 10 bucks.
Like here:
2749 CALLOWAY DR BAKERSFIELD CA 93312

You can also get blunt tip needles (no point).

Just wondering...what do tractors and needles/syringes have in common??? A Tractor Supply Store seems a rather odd place to buy a syringe, so I MUST be missing somethin' here...

 

[phishtraveler]

try the syringe. you will be happy. get a blunt tip so you don't stick yourself!
you will wonder why you never tried it before.

i just squirt water through them to rinse clean. i suppose you could clean them even more, but its just alcohol based juices and i only rotate the same 3-4 juices through them.

 

[keelalagirl55]

lol...they are like a farm and fleet....the tractor = farm......they sell some vaccines and other care items for horses, cattle, cats, dogs, etc.......

 

[Mmc]

I'm ordering from amazon because there are no tractor supply stores where I live, actualy, there aren't many stores at all. Any way, that's why I was getting confuse because amazon sells boxes of 100

 

[ValleyGirl]

lol...they are like a farm and fleet....the tractor = farm......they sell some vaccines and other care items for horses, cattle, cats, dogs, etc.......

Ooooohhhh...(DUH!) Now I get it

Thanks, Keela

 

[keelalagirl55]

Ooooohhhh...(DUH!) Now I get it

hahaha..You're welcome..I can totally see the confusion...it sounds like a tractor store....maybe selling riding lawn mowers and such......
They should call it "Tractor Supply Farm and Fleet"

I'm ordering from amazon because there are no tractor supply stores where I live, actualy, there aren't many stores at all. Any way, that's why I was getting confuse because amazon sells boxes of 100

Many of the suppliers here sell the syringes and even the blunt needles.....

 

[NoMatches]

I use a blunt tip 18 and just rinse it with hot water. I don't force the syringe into the filler material. I just sort of drip it. The blunt tip makes it hard to penetrate, so I don't. I could use a sharp tip, but I generally don't like the sight of blood, especially my own. I like to be able to measure how much juice I am putting into a carto.

What does confound me however, is once the jar is half empty and the syringe isn't long enough to get to the juice. I tried inverting it, but it gets a little leaky. I'm thinking test tube... I just top off from the jar. I only use the syringe on blanks and cleaned cartos. I tend to use a carto until the performance falls off, never letting it get dry. Then I'll clean it.

 

[Darrigaaz]

You can also get syringes from your local Vet. That's where I got my handful from that I use for DIY juice mixing.

 

[ValleyGirl]

You can also get syringes from your local Vet. That's where I got my handful from that I use for DIY juice mixing.

hmmm...that's a good idea. All I know is I tried asking the pharmacist at CVS and she looked at me like I was crazy or something. sheesh!

 

[Conard]

I didn't think I would be into the syringe thing at all. Then I went to a local vapors meeting and watched a nurse fill cartos with a syringe.
The speed and accuracy combined with no mess or major clean up sold me right on the spot. I stopped at the farm store on the way home.

 

[Darrigaaz]

hmmm...that's a good idea. All I know is I tried asking the pharmacist at CVS and she looked at me like I was crazy or something.

Just don't grind your teeth and rub your hands together when you ask

 

[jeffree]

Go for it, mmc! It's one of the best decisions I've made. I use the same needle for weeks on end, just flushing it with hot water periodically. I'd suggest an 18-gauge with a sharp (bevel) tip since it slides into the filler like butter. The blunt tips frustrated me because they would crunch the filler out of shape. I buy the needles for about a dime each and the syringes for a couple of dimes each at Amazon. Hope it works out for you.

 

[keelalagirl55]

yea....one thing to keep in mind....the needle gauge....the lower the number the bigger round the needle....I have 16's and they are kinda tough to maneuver through the filler and they won't go through the holes in 510 cartos.....18 is probably the optimum for the juice thickness and being able to easily fill without disrupting too much of the filler....next time I'm out and about I'm gonna get some 18ga.....if you go too small, the liquid is too thick to draw into the syringe through the needle....

 

[Morandir835]

I would love to switch to syringe filling, knowing my luck though I'd get pulled over and arrested for suspicion of drug use....