Alright so after nicotinerivers mistake of not including my syringes I got them in today! They say single use only on the side and I was wondering if anyone actually uses them one time only and discards them or if that is just in there because of the potential medical use? Do you just make sure to clean them so you don't cross contaminate?
Why are people always so committed to the volume thing, no matter how many tell them (from experience!) that weight is the way to go. Despite this always being the case... especially when starting!?
I am genuinely curious, not just beating up on OP. It's just bizarre how many times I have seen this.
even after lurking here for a good long while, i was/still mostly am convinced that volume will be easier than weight. i generally shake the life out of my flavors before i add them, use the 1ml syringe/needle only for that flavor. i do have a scale and graduated cylinders coming in(this week i hope) so i will be comparing for myself which is easier to do. but since the place i got my flavors from shipped glass without droppers, i don't really know how easy it will be for me without my syringes.... but that is just me.
maybe we could poke ELR about using weight measures in the recipe's but i don't know how 'e would deal with how each individual bottle from each individual flavor from each individual company might only be about .1% of each other.... weight really does just seem more confusing
ELR does weight. It's a checkbox in the settings. 1g = 1ml. Hardly anyone goes to the trouble of using specific gravities for flavors, because as long as you're consistent, it makes very little difference. ELR also has the option to use the manufacturer's specific gravities for flavors if you're into that.
Well for me starting out money was tight. I lurked for a while, I've taken plenty of chemistry and science classes to understand that mixing by weight in the long run will be better. But it was cheaper for me to do volume first because I was only mixing one recipe with three flavors. I've always recommended to people that if they want to make more than just simple recipes with few flavors that weight is the way to go.
I'd guess cost more than anything. Flavours, bases, nic, bottles - it all adds up when you're starting out and you need one of EVERYTHING, then you look at adding a whopping ~$50 or so to it (for me at least, in Canada), and it's like "Uh, nah, I'll stick with these $0.50 syringes for now."
My guess is because it seems easier when you don't know anything about it, and you can't get a good scale (cheap) from any of the DIY vendors.
I guess you could reuse them, but when you can purchase 500 pipettes for 3 cents each (or less), it's just easier to throw them out after being used. If you're using them for flavorings you could probably label them to dedicate each one to a flavor so that you don't cross contaminate.
I'm mixing by volume at the moment so I purchased syringes
Got it. Do what you gotta do then, but mixing by weight has been much much easier for me.
This scale feels and costs cheap BUT you can turn off the auto off function and when you put the 100g calibration weight on it it reads 100g. Many thanks to the unlicensed pharmaceutical entrepreneurs who made these things accessible.
I suggest getting a scale. Syringes are such a pain compared to being able to just drip your ingredients in. Look for something that can weigh up to 500g minimum, measures in increments of .01g, and has a long auto off setting. I got mine of amazon for $20, and was well worth the investment
Care to link me to it? Most I've seen were around $40
He ya go! I live in Canada btw so I dont know if it will be deliverable to you if you live elsewhere.
i suggest clear tape over over the ml markings.. they wear off sometimes.
personally use volume but this is due to still having a box of syringes from my initial go at it... the wife thinks it is funny watching me measure this way anyways.
having 50 syringes all marked for each flavor i use them with... on second thought forget the clear tape you will justify the scale faster!
When I first started out I measured by volume and it was a major PITA compared to measuring by weight. I totally reused syringes and definitely sucked cleaning those bastards after every batch. Do yourself a favor and get a scale and some pipettes, so so so much easier and accurate. Not to mention pulling VG through a syringe is fucking annoying.
That message on your syringes is intended for hospital use and those who purchase them for insulin or other medications. Just rinse them out in hot water and you should be fine.
I would suggest you try pipettes as they are much easier to use and you can get hundreds on Amazon for a very cheap price.
When you get tired of mixing with syringes and pipettes then purchase a scale and you will find it to be much easier to use and much less hassle to clean up.
Only reason I haven't yet is simply because I was just starting to mix like a week ago, loving it a lot! Definitely going down the rabbit hole of buying a ton of flavorings, although I'm making my money back by selling juice to friends! I'll probably try doing it by weight soon, the only thing I'm worried about is the idea that not everything is 1ml=1g or whatever it is):
There is a calculator on the side bar that is really excellent. It's the third one down. I use it exclusively and it works perfectly. Just put your flavor into the ingredients list and then select the calculate weight based on PG/VG button and you will be close enough to not need to worry about it. I recommend that you read and follow the entire tutorial for this calculator and you should be good to go.
I realize it is hard to make the decision to purchase a scale and do your mixing by weight but I promise when you do you will not be sorry. I mixed my DIY juice for well over a year before I finally broke down and bought a scale and I'm so glad I did. I still have a couple of syringes and a bag full of pipettes but I very seldom use them since switching to mixing by weight.
Those of us who have gone through the mixing by volume system are just trying to help when we suggest purchasing a scale as we know how much better it is and we are trying to keep you from making the same mistakes we made.