I will admit to never using measuring spoons for homebrew developers mostly due to the complex nature of using so many spoons of one size and so many other spoons of another size and have always used a scale for weighing powdered components. I recently spent much time working with a homebrew developer concentrate MC-glycerol and had significant issues with consistent results due to measurement errors that I had not expected. A few days ago I ordered this set of measuring spoons on Amazona:
This set of five spoons goes down to 1/64 of a teaspoon. I was not aware these were available, and it changes everything for me. 1/64 of a teaspoon gives me exactly 0.05 grams of metol, exactly what I need for 500ml Gainers original MC developer mixed 1:1. Another very clever aspect of Gainers developers from 1993 is they use even teaspoon measures for 3 chemicals in the case of the metol version. My version of this, which uses sodium carbonate monohydrate rather than anhydrous, and is for 1/4 the amount of developer is:
sodium carbonate monohydrate 1 tsp
ascorbic acid 1/8 tsp
metol 1/64 tsp
water 500 ml
This is extremely easy to mix, and very accurate provided a good box cutter blade is used to level the spoons. I was always envious of people using measuring syringes to mix their homebrew developers from liquid concentrates that were made using a good scale with fair amounts of chemical to make stable solutions in glycols and other polyols for stability, and always wanted to try that, only without using phenidone. When I started doing this, I have nothing but trouble mixing my concentrates in glycerol solution with a measuring syringe. The troubles included:
1. The 10 ml syringes I got read 1 ml when the syringe was empty. This was very confusing since I always thought empty meant zero. So getting in the habit of adding 1 to everything I need was challenging.
2. Very difficult reading the scale on the syringes. Mine have 3 different units but the ml scale is very hard to read. I only want an ml scale, but got some extras at no charge. When measuring a fluid, you have to fill the syringe, then discharge until a certain level is read, but that level is invisible, so you have to subtract from the higher number and use that since you can only read upward not downward. For example, I need 3.6 ml. So after filling, I push the plunger down until I see 5 ml -0.4 ml to known when to stop. So I need to add 2 and then suptract 0.4, not easy to remember, so have to repeat several times to get it right.
3. After filling the syringe and then slowly ejecting excess until reaching desired amount, while holding it but putting zero pressure on the plunger, solution continues to dribble out slowly due to gravity, density, and oiliness. How do I lock the plunger? Put the cap back on, which takes a few seconds? Try to instantly dump the syringe without a time delay? This may be worse for glycerol than glycol due to greater density.
4, Thermal expansion or compression. Glycerol has a large amount of thermal expansion with heat, so to have an accurate measure, I need to stabilize the temperature of the cooncentrate along with the water I use for mixing. I have not being doing this, but should have, since my work space is always 5-6 df colder than the 70 deg. F I stability with.
I wasn't aware of all these issues with measuring syringes. It may just be the ones I bought. For myself and others using metol, I believe it much easier an more accurate to use measuring spoons with chemistry more compatible with them. I also was not aware I could get 1/64 tsp measuring spoon. If 1/256 tsp are available, users of penidone could use them, although it may be hard to breath without blowing it away.
Comments and suggestions are very welcome, especially if people can steer me to better measuring syringes meaning those that read zero when empty and have clearly marked ml only.
This set of five spoons goes down to 1/64 of a teaspoon. I was not aware these were available, and it changes everything for me. 1/64 of a teaspoon gives me exactly 0.05 grams of metol, exactly what I need for 500ml Gainers original MC developer mixed 1:1. Another very clever aspect of Gainers developers from 1993 is they use even teaspoon measures for 3 chemicals in the case of the metol version. My version of this, which uses sodium carbonate monohydrate rather than anhydrous, and is for 1/4 the amount of developer is:
sodium carbonate monohydrate 1 tsp
ascorbic acid 1/8 tsp
metol 1/64 tsp
water 500 ml
This is extremely easy to mix, and very accurate provided a good box cutter blade is used to level the spoons. I was always envious of people using measuring syringes to mix their homebrew developers from liquid concentrates that were made using a good scale with fair amounts of chemical to make stable solutions in glycols and other polyols for stability, and always wanted to try that, only without using phenidone. When I started doing this, I have nothing but trouble mixing my concentrates in glycerol solution with a measuring syringe. The troubles included:
1. The 10 ml syringes I got read 1 ml when the syringe was empty. This was very confusing since I always thought empty meant zero. So getting in the habit of adding 1 to everything I need was challenging.
2. Very difficult reading the scale on the syringes. Mine have 3 different units but the ml scale is very hard to read. I only want an ml scale, but got some extras at no charge. When measuring a fluid, you have to fill the syringe, then discharge until a certain level is read, but that level is invisible, so you have to subtract from the higher number and use that since you can only read upward not downward. For example, I need 3.6 ml. So after filling, I push the plunger down until I see 5 ml -0.4 ml to known when to stop. So I need to add 2 and then suptract 0.4, not easy to remember, so have to repeat several times to get it right.
3. After filling the syringe and then slowly ejecting excess until reaching desired amount, while holding it but putting zero pressure on the plunger, solution continues to dribble out slowly due to gravity, density, and oiliness. How do I lock the plunger? Put the cap back on, which takes a few seconds? Try to instantly dump the syringe without a time delay? This may be worse for glycerol than glycol due to greater density.
4, Thermal expansion or compression. Glycerol has a large amount of thermal expansion with heat, so to have an accurate measure, I need to stabilize the temperature of the cooncentrate along with the water I use for mixing. I have not being doing this, but should have, since my work space is always 5-6 df colder than the 70 deg. F I stability with.
I wasn't aware of all these issues with measuring syringes. It may just be the ones I bought. For myself and others using metol, I believe it much easier an more accurate to use measuring spoons with chemistry more compatible with them. I also was not aware I could get 1/64 tsp measuring spoon. If 1/256 tsp are available, users of penidone could use them, although it may be hard to breath without blowing it away.
Comments and suggestions are very welcome, especially if people can steer me to better measuring syringes meaning those that read zero when empty and have clearly marked ml only.
