Can someone check my list of supplies? I'm just starting to learn how to home brew.

Can someone check my list of supplies? I'm just starting to learn how to home brew.

Hot Plate - $30 used
Weighing Scale (free)
Glass Beakers 250ml ($7)
Pre-sealed vials (50mL jugs) ($33)
Nalgene Filter Unit ($25)
22um filters
Hand vacuum pump ($43)
Whatman syringe filters ($5)
Cotton Seed Oil (or grape seed/sesame carrier) ($15)
Benzyl Alcohol 16 oz. ($23)
Benzyl Benzoate 16 oz. ($20)
20mL + 3mL size syringes ($7)
18gauge drawing needles ($8)


I have a science background and lots of lab experience, just not when synthesizing raw hormones...So this will be a learning process for me, any help is appreciated. So far I have this list I've gathered above, prices are not exact. Am I missing anything from my list? Thanks.

You will need graduated cylinder for accurately measure BA bb and oil - maybe. If you are doing small amounts a 20ml syringe should be fine.

How do you plan on sterilizing glassware and stuff?

With the Nalgene unit you should also get a glass media jar to fit and junk the receiver part that comes with it if it's plastic.

No reason to spend $43 on a vacuum pump. You should be able to find them half that price at least.

I got away without graduated cylinders by using a syringe to measure out BA and BB

Get you a caulking gun to help with that syringe filtering unless you have god thumbs. Doc is right... you can easily get a pump from hardware store for about $20-$25. I used some mixture oil (grapeseed, virgin olive, cotton seed) and it actually came out pretty damn thin. But GSO is always good. But most importantly... the quality of the powder is #1. Dont ask me how I know...

metsfan4life said:

Get you a caulking gun to help with that syringe filtering unless you have god thumbs. Doc is right... you can easily get a pump from hardware store for about $20-$25. I used some mixture oil (grapeseed, virgin olive, cotton seed) and it actually came out pretty damn thin. But GSO is always good. But most importantly... the quality of the powder is #1. Dont ask me how I know...

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This^^^. I invested in a caulk gun after my thumbs turned blue. Caulk guns are still a pain in the ass but better than not being able to use your hands for days

hand pump is the only way to go just switched over....B4 10ml= 10 or more minutes, Now 100ml in maybe 15 minutes (Test E).

I am going to have to invest in a caulk gun...my damn thumbs hurt for days everytime i play mad scientist!

tunafisherman said:

I am going to have to invest in a caulk gun...my damn thumbs hurt for days everytime i play mad scientist!

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Invest in bottle top filters or something better. Syringe filters suck lol

PillarofBalance said:

You will need graduated cylinder for accurately measure BA bb and oil - maybe. If you are doing small amounts a 20ml syringe should be fine.

How do you plan on sterilizing glassware and stuff?

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Good question...I would assume using distilled water along with some sort of disinfectant..possibly a phenolic compound, iodine, ethanol, chlorine, or anti-bacterial dish soap and hot water??

I also don't want to do small amounts, I want to do large amounts with a millipore stericup 250mL with 22.um filter...SO Im guessing 50mL barrels? or 100mL barrels? So far I'm only collecting my lab supplies, Im unsure on how much powder+oil+alcohol will translate into mg/ml of compound in vials...ANyone have experience with this?

BiologicalChemist said:

Good question...I would assume using distilled water along with some sort of disinfectant..possibly a phenolic compound, iodine, ethanol, chlorine, or anti-bacterial dish soap and hot water??

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Wash the glassware with detergent (not soap) or glassware cleaner made for a lab and rinse with water a few times and a final few rinses with distilled water. Then You can autoclave the glassware or depyrogenate it in an oven at 500deg F for about 1hr.

I also don't want to do small amounts, I want to do large amounts with a millipore stericup 250mL with 22.um filter...SO Im guessing 50mL barrels? or 100mL barrels?

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If you're not doing small amounts you don't really need the syringe filters. If you do get them, use them with smaller syringes than 50 or 100ml. The larger the syringe the more force you have to apply to the plunger to get the same pressure applied at the filter end.

If you use he millipore stericup system make sure to get a glass media jar or receiver jar. If I'm not mistaken, the millipore system uses plastic receivers and they crack when you get to around 8-10psi of vacuum. I have Hybex glass media jars and they're great. I prefer whatman zapcaps for filters but to each his own.

So far I'm only collecting my lab supplies, Im unsure on how much powder+oil+alcohol will translate into mg/ml of compound in vials...ANyone have experience with this?

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It's simple math. You figure out what concentration you want the oil to be and how much total oil you want to make and make the recipe from there to figure out how much powder/solvents/oil you'll need or you work backwards and base it on how much powder you have.

Let's say you want 500ml of test e @ 250mg/ml with 1% BA and 10% BB

1) 500ml x 250mg/ml = 125,000mg / 1000mg/gram = 125grams of test e powder

2) 1% BA = 0.01 x 500ml = 5ml of BA

3) 10% BB = .10 x 500ml = 50ml of BB

4) I like to use a syringe and fill the beaker up to the desired volume and mark it off at that level. You can skip this if you have accurate beakers but my set was kind of cheap

5) mix the BA, BB, and powder together in a beaker

6) add enough oil to the fill line you made or the 500ml line

7) filter, put in vials, presto.

DocDePanda187123 said:

Wash the glassware with detergent (not soap) or glassware cleaner made for a lab and rinse with water a few times and a final few rinses with distilled water. Then You can autoclave the glassware or depyrogenate it in an oven at 500deg F for about 1hr.



If you're not doing small amounts you don't really need the syringe filters. If you do get them, use them with smaller syringes than 50 or 100ml. The larger the syringe the more force you have to apply to the plunger to get the same pressure applied at the filter end.

If you use he millipore stericup system make sure to get a glass media jar or receiver jar. If I'm not mistaken, the millipore system uses plastic receivers and they crack when you get to around 8-10psi of vacuum. I have Hybex glass media jars and they're great. I prefer whatman zapcaps for filters but to each his own.



It's simple math. You figure out what concentration you want the oil to be and how much total oil you want to make and make the recipe from there to figure out how much powder/solvents/oil you'll need or you work backwards and base it on how much powder you have.

Let's say you want 500ml of test e @ 250mg/ml with 1% BA and 10% BB

1) 500ml x 250mg/ml = 125,000mg / 1000mg/gram = 125grams of test e powder

2) 1% BA = 0.01 x 500ml = 5ml of BA

3) 10% BB = .10 x 500ml = 50ml of BB

4) I like to use a syringe and fill the beaker up to the desired volume and mark it off at that level. You can skip this if you have accurate beakers but my set was kind of cheap

5) mix the BA, BB, and powder together in a beaker

6) add enough oil to the fill line you made or the 500ml line

7) filter, put in vials, presto.

Click to expand...

Great thanks for all the info. everyone..I'll probably be running into some more questions along the way