An easier way to mix phlojel and powders

fast89lx

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I just thought I would post this in case other people are looking for an easy way to mix up their powders into phlojel.

The first time I tried to homebrew some 1t and 4ad, I took two bowls, put the powder in, added some isopropyl alcohol and mixed it with a spatchula, then I added the phlojel to the bowl and mixed it all up. when I was done I tried to load it into some 60ml syringes, I had thee problems doing it this way: First, the spatchula has a "bump" in the middle where the stick goes in, this makes it hard to scrape all of the mix into the syringe, consequently I lost some of it since it was stuck to the spatchula, second There was residue stuck all over the bowl, I got a lot of it out, but there was still some stuck there. Last you can't tell if all of the powder is dissolved or if it is still grainy, yes if its REALLY grainy you can see it, but if there is small grains its hard to see.

Now like I said this was my first time so I kind of planned on having a hard time at it but I lost 7 days worth of gel because of these problems. Last night I mixed up some more 4ad but I did it a different way. First I made sure to cut up the powder w/ a credit card to make it finer, next I put it into a ziploc baggie, get it all to go into one corner, next add in some isopropyl alcohol and mix it up with your fingers (from the outside of the bag!) You can seal the bag and use the credit card to spread it around if you want. Next add in the phlojel and mix it up with the card / your fingers.

This way you can feel if its grainy or not, and I think that the credit card does a better job at mixing in and crushing the grains better than a rubber spatchula. When you are done mixing, you can then snip a corner and squeeze it into a syringe, or just squeeze it out of that corner and weight it out that way if you don't want to do the syringes.

Just thought that maybe some of you would find this useful.
 
pu12en12g

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Great idea !

Now is there a easier way to guesstimate (measure) powder / everclear / phlojel u. quantities without a scale ?
 
rrgg

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If you know the total weight, you could measure out the number 1/8 teaspoons you have. Then divide the weight by number of scoops. For example, if you have 30g and you count 65 scoops, then you each scoop is about 460mg. (These numbers are completely made up).
 
B5150

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JMO...if you have no means to measure you should not be brewing. But opinions are like a**holes :)
 
rrgg

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Maybe... but if you're putting around 8g into a TD solution, I'm not sure if it matters that you're off by maybe 100-500mg. Besides, isn't the dose kind of arbitrary in the first place?
 
pu12en12g

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Maybe... but if you're putting around 8g into a TD solution, I'm not sure if it matters that you're off by maybe 100-500mg.
That was kind of the way I was looking at it... :cheers:

....but a scale is on the way :blink:
 

triceptor

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I just thought I would post this in case other people are looking for an easy way to mix up their powders into phlojel.

The first time I tried to homebrew some 1t and 4ad, I took two bowls, put the powder in, added some isopropyl alcohol and mixed it with a spatchula, then I added the phlojel to the bowl and mixed it all up. when I was done I tried to load it into some 60ml syringes, I had thee problems doing it this way: First, the spatchula has a "bump" in the middle where the stick goes in, this makes it hard to scrape all of the mix into the syringe, consequently I lost some of it since it was stuck to the spatchula, second There was residue stuck all over the bowl, I got a lot of it out, but there was still some stuck there. Last you can't tell if all of the powder is dissolved or if it is still grainy, yes if its REALLY grainy you can see it, but if there is small grains its hard to see.

Now like I said this was my first time so I kind of planned on having a hard time at it but I lost 7 days worth of gel because of these problems. Last night I mixed up some more 4ad but I did it a different way. First I made sure to cut up the powder w/ a credit card to make it finer, next I put it into a ziploc baggie, get it all to go into one corner, next add in some isopropyl alcohol and mix it up with your fingers (from the outside of the bag!) You can seal the bag and use the credit card to spread it around if you want. Next add in the phlojel and mix it up with the card / your fingers.

This way you can feel if its grainy or not, and I think that the credit card does a better job at mixing in and crushing the grains better than a rubber spatchula. When you are done mixing, you can then snip a corner and squeeze it into a syringe, or just squeeze it out of that corner and weight it out that way if you don't want to do the syringes.

Just thought that maybe some of you would find this useful.
this is a great idea. necesity.. the mother of invention!
 

oswizzle

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can you do this trick without the isopropyl alcohol ...if you just wanted to mix the Phlojel with the test base to make a 1ml/100mg mix....I have screwed up couple of times making a dermal of sand paper grit soultion
 

triceptor

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can you do this trick without the isopropyl alcohol ...if you just wanted to mix the Phlojel with the test base to make a 1ml/100mg mix....I have screwed up couple of times making a dermal of sand paper grit soultion
oswizzle - how are you triturating the powder? are u suing a mortar and pestle? the above method has some flaws, however it will work. also you should not be using isopropyl alcohol. ethyl is the way to go if using alcohol as solvent.

in all my experience homerewing with PJU i have seen gritty batches there have always been a result of not triturating the powder properly. This can be done during the levigation stage if using a solvent. for 6G of test base you need only use 3 to 4 ml of ethyl to levigate with. problem wit using alcohol that causes grit (and I've seen this a doze time now) is if you don;t have your PJU weighed out ahead of time. You levigate with alcohol and then let it sit in the bowl while you weigh out the PJU and the powder turns into a cake as the alcohol evaporates. Then when you add the PJU you end up with lumps and grit larger that the original powder. Huge pieces of grit that actually clog the syringe.

if you email me at [email protected] I'll help you save your batches and do it right.
 

oswizzle

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Triceptor,,,, I am taking the Powder and smashing it into nothing using the Motar and Pestle.....it seems like the powder is fine but kinda clumped up togethor and sticks to the Motar bowl..I guess i will try maybe doing the credit card trick after i do that.....the final batch with no alcohol just PJU should be smooth with no grit at all?
 

triceptor

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Triceptor,,,, I am taking the Powder and smashing it into nothing using the Motar and Pestle.....it seems like the powder is fine but kinda clumped up togethor and sticks to the Motar bowl..I guess i will try maybe doing the credit card trick after i do that.....the final batch with no alcohol just PJU should be smooth with no grit at all?
be careful not to end up compressing the powder when triturating it. if this happens use something to scrape it from the sides of the mortar. i tend to use a gentle downward moton with the pestle, strarting high up on the wall of the mortar and pushung down toward the center of the bowl.

Also, are you washing the mortar prior to triturating - perhaps with isopropryl? Porcelain can retain some moisture. Be sure the mortar is completely dry prior to placing the powder in it or this can cause the powder to conglomerate.
 
BigVrunga

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You could proably blast the mortar with a hair dryer to ensure it is completely dry.
 

triceptor

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You could proably blast the mortar with a hair dryer to ensure it is completely dry.
if you are using a 70% isopropyl or 95% ethyl as the last step in preparing your mortar, it should dry pretty quickly, however, a blow dryer would work as well.
 

oswizzle

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Triceptor I think i know my problem,,,,the Mortar and pestle i am using is made of stone...today I came across an Agate Mortar and Pestle...all i gotta say is wow....this **** turns the Test Base into the finest Powder I have yet come across from various failed methods...I read somewhere that Agate Mortar and Pestles are used by labs for somewhat the same purpose...Have you heard of it?
 

superstar

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I am in the middle of mixing up a batch of 4D in phlojel now. I used this ziploc bag method. It worked pretty well but I still have some minor grittiness after an hour of squashing the mix in the baggie with my fingers, a credit card and even a pestle. Would a hot water bath be a good idea? Or is it OK if a few hard grains of 4AD are in the mix when I rub it into my skin? Thanks, Guys.
 

triceptor

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I am in the middle of mixing up a batch of 4D in phlojel now. I used this ziploc bag method. It worked pretty well but I still have some minor grittiness after an hour of squashing the mix in the baggie with my fingers, a credit card and even a pestle. Would a hot water bath be a good idea? Or is it OK if a few hard grains of 4AD are in the mix when I rub it into my skin? Thanks, Guys.
the ziplock bag approach is not efficient. the best method is to follow the compounding instructions on the phlojel.us website for compounding powders into PJU.

a few crumbs aren't going to make that big of a difference. in the early days of my compounding I used to pick them off my chest and eat them :)
 
exnihilo

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I would dissolve the test base completely in something with a low boiling point like diethyl ether, add the desired amount of phlojel, then heat to like 30 degrees and leave it stirring on a magnetic stirring apparatus untill the consistency of the phlojel returned to normal. That way you would be assured the best possible mixture.
 
jonny21

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I would dissolve the test base completely in something with a low boiling point like diethyl ether, add the desired amount of phlojel, then heat to like 30 degrees and leave it stirring on a magnetic stirring apparatus untill the consistency of the phlojel returned to normal. That way you would be assured the best possible mixture.
Are you sure that would be the safest way?

http://ptcl.chem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/DI/diethyl_ether.html
 
exnihilo

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It's pretty safe as far as industrial contaminants go, MSDSs always make stuff look really nasty... Have you looked at the MSDSs for ethanol lately? :D Regardless, Given the low boiling point and some patience it would be fairly easy to remove almost all of it from the mixture.

I didn't think about the wisdom of advising people to use this given the high flammibility, I typically use this stuff in a vacuum hood or with a rotovap.
 
jonny21

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I didn't think about the wisdom of advising people to use this given the high flammibility, I typically use this stuff in a vacuum hood or with a rotovap.
:blink:

Please don't tell me you have either one at home.

The point you make re:using a solvent with Test Base is valid. All of my mixtures using Phlojel Ultra so far have had some degree of grittiness. So far my attempt using D-limonene in the early stage of triturating the powder has worked best. I made a batch using BA last night and will see how that turns out later today.
 
exnihilo

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:blink:

Please don't tell me you have either one at home.

The point you make re:using a solvent with Test Base is valid. All of my mixtures using Phlojel Ultra so far have had some degree of grittiness. So far my attempt using D-limonene in the early stage of triturating the powder has worked best. I made a batch using BA last night and will see how that turns out later today.
Part of the problem with using a solvent with test base is that it's not terribly soluble in anything (though larger molecules with medium-high dipole moments seem to work best). In order to deal with this and properly dissolve a decent amount of test base, you will likely need to use an amount of solvent which would mess up the consistency and efficacy of phlojel. Triturating with a small amount of solvent is obviously going to help quite a bit in getting a good consistency, but for best results all the testosterone needs to be dissolved. If phlojel stands up well to heating, one could also use ethanol to dissolve the testosterone, then rapidly stir while heating at around 60-70 degrees until the desired consistency is reached.

You might also try getting perillyl alcohol as it is basically the alcohol of limonene, and as such it will likely be a better solvent.
 
exnihilo

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Having a hard time locating that.

Would any of these work better than ethanol?

http://shop2.chemassociates.com/shopsite/Chemassoc2/solvents.html
If I were to venture a guess I'd say that acetone would be your best bet if you're looking to evaporate off excess solvent after mixing with phlojel. Methanol would also probably be effective, it has a fairly low boiling point but I don't think that it'll be quite as effective a solvent merely because it is slightly more prone to hydrogen interactions.

Edit: you can get acetone at a hardware store too, big plus.
 

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