Another way of transferring very small amount of precious liquid would be to use those 1 ml insulin syringes with 1/100 ml graduation. I regularly use them whilst mixing my film development chemicals where I need to be very precise for consistent film development. FYI, some pharmacies/chemists may not sell you those if they think you'll be using them for dodgy purposes!
Sturdy glass bottles vs. High recovery V-vials
- Thread starter PEARL
- Start date
There are mainly 2 types of glass material I.e borosilicate and soda lime. The main advantages of borosilicate are thermal and chemical resistance. Adam used it for his Pyrex series distillation for the very same reason. In the past, Pyrex kitchenware used to be made of borosilicate material for its high thermal resistance hence less prone to thermal shock. In fact the Duran bottle that Ensar used to store his oil is made of borosilicate glass too.
Now I presume the sturdy glass bottle is made of soda-lime or equivalent, otherwise it should cost as much as the v-vial. V-vial is made of type 1 borosilicate glass, which is the most premium glass type you can get today and typically used in laboratory setting for its chemical resistance property. In terms of durability, both v vial and Duran bottles are the same since they are made of the same material. The only difference is the thickness of the glass as both are designed for different purposes. V vials are designed for small sample storage whereas Duran bottles are meant for large volume of liquid handling. While I agree the smaller v vials (0.1ml and 0.3ml) are very fragile, the larger size 3ml and above is just as tough with stronger bottle neck.
In my opinion, there are 2 advantages of using v-vials over the glass bottle.
1. Chemical resistance of borosilicate glass and cap lining vs soda-lime and plastic applicator
2. Different volume options
Actually the chemical resistance advantage is quite insignificant or even negligible. If the Oud oil is safe enough to apply on skin, then typically it is not corrosive or acidic enough to cut through the glass leading to leakables into the oil. For this reason, normal soda-lime glass is more than suffice to use as storage bottle. On the other hand, I am not too sure about the plastic applicator on its reactivity with the oil over time as I do not know what is the material type. The v vial cap lining facing the oil is made of a material called PTFE (I.e telfon coating) which is one of the most inert plastic. It is deemed the ultimate storage for volatile or reactive fluids. Having said this, Oud oil has been kept in glass bottles with applicators for decades and It seems to be working fine so far. Unless you are super nerdy and picky with storage condition (like me for example!), it is not a big pull factor to switch to v-vial based on this reason alone.
Now the biggest reason to switch over to v-vial is the wide selection of vials of different volume sizes. The options available are 0.1ml, 0.3ml, 1ml, 2ml, 3ml, 5ml and 10ml. Typically I would fill the oil almost to the brim of the vial to minimize the residual air and the ideal amount of oil to transfer to the vial is higher than the stated volume capacity. Based on my experience, 0.1ml can store 0.25gr; 0.3ml can store 0.95gr; 2ml can store 2.5gr or 3gr (there are 2 different formats) and 3ml can store 4gr.
I treasure my Oud collection a lot (well after all they had burned many holes big and small in my wallet already!) and want them to be stored as pristine as possible. The biggest issues I have is oxidation, which ruin many of my precious oil samples kept in the sampler tubes. As the volume of the head space above the oil increases with each swipe, I can imagine the oil is very slowly but surely oxidizing to death.
The V vial allows me to circumvent this issue by breaking up the oil. For a full 3gr bottle, I would usually break it up into 3 0.3ml vial (0.9gr x3) and 1 0.1ml vial (0.2gr). In this way, I can kept the oils in its pristine condition for a long period of time while enjoying the oil as and when I like. Furthermore, even though skin contamination using the plastic applicator is quite remote, I prefer not to take chance and choose to use a disposable plastic toothpick instead. In addition using a pointed toothpick this way allow me to recover the last bit of the oil.
Both the storage vessels have their pro and cons. V vial is definitely not cheap if you are going to use them for all your oils. If you are one of those who will blow through a bottle of oil in a year time, I think the sturdy glass bottle with applicator will work perfectly fine. But if you are like me who is more of a collector and like to preserve the amazing oils for future generations to come, v vials might be a better option. Unfortunately I am not rich enough to purchase oils in large enough quantity to justify using the Duran bottles!
Now I presume the sturdy glass bottle is made of soda-lime or equivalent, otherwise it should cost as much as the v-vial. V-vial is made of type 1 borosilicate glass, which is the most premium glass type you can get today and typically used in laboratory setting for its chemical resistance property. In terms of durability, both v vial and Duran bottles are the same since they are made of the same material. The only difference is the thickness of the glass as both are designed for different purposes. V vials are designed for small sample storage whereas Duran bottles are meant for large volume of liquid handling. While I agree the smaller v vials (0.1ml and 0.3ml) are very fragile, the larger size 3ml and above is just as tough with stronger bottle neck.
In my opinion, there are 2 advantages of using v-vials over the glass bottle.
1. Chemical resistance of borosilicate glass and cap lining vs soda-lime and plastic applicator
2. Different volume options
Actually the chemical resistance advantage is quite insignificant or even negligible. If the Oud oil is safe enough to apply on skin, then typically it is not corrosive or acidic enough to cut through the glass leading to leakables into the oil. For this reason, normal soda-lime glass is more than suffice to use as storage bottle. On the other hand, I am not too sure about the plastic applicator on its reactivity with the oil over time as I do not know what is the material type. The v vial cap lining facing the oil is made of a material called PTFE (I.e telfon coating) which is one of the most inert plastic. It is deemed the ultimate storage for volatile or reactive fluids. Having said this, Oud oil has been kept in glass bottles with applicators for decades and It seems to be working fine so far. Unless you are super nerdy and picky with storage condition (like me for example!), it is not a big pull factor to switch to v-vial based on this reason alone.
Now the biggest reason to switch over to v-vial is the wide selection of vials of different volume sizes. The options available are 0.1ml, 0.3ml, 1ml, 2ml, 3ml, 5ml and 10ml. Typically I would fill the oil almost to the brim of the vial to minimize the residual air and the ideal amount of oil to transfer to the vial is higher than the stated volume capacity. Based on my experience, 0.1ml can store 0.25gr; 0.3ml can store 0.95gr; 2ml can store 2.5gr or 3gr (there are 2 different formats) and 3ml can store 4gr.
I treasure my Oud collection a lot (well after all they had burned many holes big and small in my wallet already!) and want them to be stored as pristine as possible. The biggest issues I have is oxidation, which ruin many of my precious oil samples kept in the sampler tubes. As the volume of the head space above the oil increases with each swipe, I can imagine the oil is very slowly but surely oxidizing to death.
The V vial allows me to circumvent this issue by breaking up the oil. For a full 3gr bottle, I would usually break it up into 3 0.3ml vial (0.9gr x3) and 1 0.1ml vial (0.2gr). In this way, I can kept the oils in its pristine condition for a long period of time while enjoying the oil as and when I like. Furthermore, even though skin contamination using the plastic applicator is quite remote, I prefer not to take chance and choose to use a disposable plastic toothpick instead. In addition using a pointed toothpick this way allow me to recover the last bit of the oil.
Both the storage vessels have their pro and cons. V vial is definitely not cheap if you are going to use them for all your oils. If you are one of those who will blow through a bottle of oil in a year time, I think the sturdy glass bottle with applicator will work perfectly fine. But if you are like me who is more of a collector and like to preserve the amazing oils for future generations to come, v vials might be a better option. Unfortunately I am not rich enough to purchase oils in large enough quantity to justify using the Duran bottles!
Hello Rasoul S
Here are some options to consider
JG Finneran 4100-830 Borosilicate Glass Shell Vials, 750L Capacity, 8mm Diameter, 30mm Height, 8mm Plug, Clear (Case of 1000) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C148WB2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4GuZzb2W97A34
And the caps to go along with it
JG Finneran 5400SB-08 Polyethylene Starburst Snap Plug, 8mm Diameter, Clear (Case of 1000) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C14047W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_rKuZzbMHRXA5N
However, if filled to the cap, there will still be a little oxygen/airspace remaining within the cap itself.
If you prefer much less oxygen/airspace, a V Vial, high recovery vial, or limited volume vial, and all filled to the brim, then affixed with a screw-on cap, is the way to go.
Here are some options to consider
JG Finneran 4100-830 Borosilicate Glass Shell Vials, 750L Capacity, 8mm Diameter, 30mm Height, 8mm Plug, Clear (Case of 1000) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C148WB2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4GuZzb2W97A34
And the caps to go along with it
JG Finneran 5400SB-08 Polyethylene Starburst Snap Plug, 8mm Diameter, Clear (Case of 1000) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C14047W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_rKuZzbMHRXA5N
However, if filled to the cap, there will still be a little oxygen/airspace remaining within the cap itself.
If you prefer much less oxygen/airspace, a V Vial, high recovery vial, or limited volume vial, and all filled to the brim, then affixed with a screw-on cap, is the way to go.
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dear @Oudamberlove ty for your reply. anywhere you know i may be able to source smaller quantities? even a 100 is too many. 50? i think v vial filled to the brim is the way to go. my intention is to seperate oils i get in 3 mil into 2 or 3 smaller vials. one for long haul, one for current consumption and perhaps one for mid term. my search online has only tuned up listings for rather large min quantity purchase...
@Rasoul S
You can get all the vials you need from the following:
https://www.calpaclab.com/search.php?search_query=v-vial
In addition, the 0.1ml v vial does not come with solid cap. You need to buy them separately if mind the open hole cap. I had gotten mine from Amazon but you could get them from CP lab as well. Take note that the vial cap size is 8-425.
https://www.amazon.com/Wheaton-Screw-Phenolic-Styrene-Butadiene-Rubber/dp/B007I7Q2LE
V-vial is not cheap and is about $10 per vial. Curt (oudamberlove) option is a lot cheaper. [emoji4]
You can get all the vials you need from the following:
https://www.calpaclab.com/search.php?search_query=v-vial
In addition, the 0.1ml v vial does not come with solid cap. You need to buy them separately if mind the open hole cap. I had gotten mine from Amazon but you could get them from CP lab as well. Take note that the vial cap size is 8-425.
https://www.amazon.com/Wheaton-Screw-Phenolic-Styrene-Butadiene-Rubber/dp/B007I7Q2LE
V-vial is not cheap and is about $10 per vial. Curt (oudamberlove) option is a lot cheaper. [emoji4]
@oudlearner sincere thanks for your guidance. @Oud Learner
http://www.bloxygen.com
It's pure Argon gas.
A tiny spray into a bottle will immediately halt oxidation. Note that upon each opening you will have to spray again but one bottle is good for roughly 200 sprays.
It's pure Argon gas.
A tiny spray into a bottle will immediately halt oxidation. Note that upon each opening you will have to spray again but one bottle is good for roughly 200 sprays.
Regarding argon gas would you recommend putting it in all the bottles whether you use them or not or putting them in bottles which you plan on aging for some time?
What would be the correct way of spraying this stuff in the bottle? Would you push the nozzle in the oil and spray there or on top of the oil?
Thanks!
What would be the correct way of spraying this stuff in the bottle? Would you push the nozzle in the oil and spray there or on top of the oil?
Thanks!
I think it depends on the oil but I do think lighter colored oils with more ethereal notes will not last long, only months, if in a bottle with significant air space. Small quantity samples need to be used even more quickly.
I do think a couple oils I have in partial bottles have been ruined just sitting there for a few months. Wish I would have known then and gassed them.
I do think a couple oils I have in partial bottles have been ruined just sitting there for a few months. Wish I would have known then and gassed them.