Digital scales

[oldhippydude]

If you had a lab grade 1mm glass pipette with gradations to 1/100 ml you could easily measure then weigh 1ml of each fluid.
Where you get such a thing unless you have a mate who works in a lab (as I do) i have no idea.
When I searched the internet a while back I could only find them in boxes of 100.

 

[Ment]

why isn't everyone doing it?!

I just guess everything, it's really not that important.

 

[darkprincelucifer]

Yeah, all of the above methods will work for calculating the weight of concentrates, but you're sort of missing the point a bit really. It's not about accurately MEASURING, it's about accurately REPEATING. For a start, if you use the suspension weight (the weight of PG), you'll still be a damn site more accurate than eyeballing it in a syringe or counting drops. But the important bit is that the next time you mix, you'll get exactly the same thing.

 

[darkprincelucifer]

I just guess everything, it's really not that important.

If you want to exactly recreate something you've mixed in order to improve it, of course it's important. Unless of course you're a "That'll do, tastes good enough" sort of mixer or just have crap tastebuds, in which case this is the wrong thread for you.

 

[oldhippydude]

I definitely think scales are the way to go & I have seen more people mention them recently.
A measuring cylinder on scales is I think the perfect solution.
I do not have either but I think it covers all the bases.

 

[ZT]

I started using digital scales to mix this week - why isn't everyone doing it?!

It's made mixing SO much quicker and more consistent and the kit cost me about a tenner. Seriously, it's a no brainier. If you're not already, get on it.

Just need a graduated cylinder now so I don't have to draw 30ml of VG into a syringe.

good luck getting the VG out of the graduated cylinder ...

especially in the winter ..

you will loose 15 - 20% of it unless your like REALLY patient

Weigh how much VG you need in the graduated cylinder .. write it down and next time just weight that into the final mix straight from the VG container .. also takes a possible contamination step out.

 

[ZT]

You need to first work out how much 1ml of liquid weighs, then you're away. Or you could use an app like Liquix, that already knows the weight of PG and VG. It might jot be worth it if you're using a premixed PG/VG/NIC and just the one concentrate, it might not save you much time. When you start doing 17.64ml of VG and 0.83ml of Nic, scales are seriously efficient.

dont trust the weights in liquix

(actually they are fine for smaller volumes)

over larger volumes weigh your items individually first at close to what you need .. and write it down

Ive found QUITE a difference in what Liquix thinks 1.5 Ltr of VG is and what my scales do ..

Ive also noted weight differences in different batches of VG / flavours etc ..

 

[darkprincelucifer]

good luck getting the VG out of the graduated cylinder ...

especially in the winter ..

you will loose 15 - 20% of it unless your like REALLY patient

Weigh how much VG you need in the graduated cylinder .. write it down and next time just weight that into the final mix straight from the VG container .. also takes a possible contamination step out.

I had thought this might happen. I was trying to come up with a way of getting the VG from it's bottle (wide neck) to the juice bottle (narrow neck). A funnel would have the same problem I imagine. I suppose the other thing to do would be to mix in a glass pouring beaker?

 

[darkprincelucifer]

dont trust the weights in liquix

(actually they are fine for smaller volumes)

over larger volumes weigh your items individually first at close to what you need .. and write it down

Ive found QUITE a difference in what Liquix thinks 1.5 Ltr of VG is and what my scales do ..

Ive also noted weight differences in different batches of VG / flavours etc ..

Ah, I don't need to worry about that then! The largest batches I mix at the moment are 50ml and I imagine the largest I'll ever mix will be 100ml. Unless of course I create some wonder flavour and get to go all Richie Rich on it. I can dream!

 

[ZT]

I had thought this might happen. I was trying to come up with a way of getting the VG from it's bottle (wide neck) to the juice bottle (narrow neck). A funnel would have the same problem I imagine. I suppose the other thing to do would be to mix in a glass pouring beaker?

Personally I would mix and steep in a larger necked container .. then split it up after steeping

however Im probably mixing larger batches than the average home mixer .. which might render this pointless

so yes .. mix in a glass pouring beaker (dont trust the measurements on these .. they are notoriously inaccurate .. get Grade A Measuring cylinders for real accuracy when making your initial weight / amount observations and writing them down for future use.. and even then my interpretation on where the line is in relation to the liquid may be different to yours (but that is defo splitting hairs)

tip 2: when pouring out of your glass beaker .. get as much as you can out .. then stand the beaker in warm water for a few minutes to get even more out ... there will still be transfer error (the liquid that sticks to the glass - the error is larger the larger container you use, this happens even with water, the more viscous the liquid, the larger the transfer error) - this is why weighing into the final container is the most accurate way) but warming the last bits up will minimise it.