Transferring oils for long term storage

Crazy thing I have a good amount of gear from the same source. And thought about this. I commend you. I’m not doing all that work lmao. I would think it would still last close to a year or longer as is. Atleast I hope lol. Another fun fact I was never paranoid about such things before the god damn forum lmao. Ignorance is bliss.
 
Crazy thing I have a good amount of gear from the same source. And thought about this. I commend you. I’m not doing all that work lmao. I would think it would still last close to a year or longer as is. Atleast I hope lol. Another fun fact I was never paranoid about such things before the god damn forum lmao. Ignorance is bliss.
A year should not be a problem, and I, too, wouldn't bother with all of this if it was just a years storage I was expecting. Yes, the forum feeds all kinds of OCD thinking lol
 
A year should not be a problem, and I, too, wouldn't bother with all of this if it was just a years storage I was expecting. Yes, the forum feeds all kinds of OCD thinking lol
10 years ago I stored a ton of gear in a zip lock back. Not upright, clanging around, lmao. No AC. Lmfao. Used it all. I would never do such a thing now. No testing. Connect at the gym. Sheesh
 
I ordered 50 of those vials and will do the same with a bunch of surplus Chinese test. I will filter and transfer to new vials and I guess try to freeze them for long term (I am thinking stuff I wont use in 3 years). Thanks for the idea.
 
I ordered 50 of those vials and will do the same with a bunch of surplus Chinese test. I will filter and transfer to new vials and I guess try to freeze them for long term (I am thinking stuff I wont use in 3 years). Thanks for the idea.
I have a small amount of Chinese oils and will be doing the same with those (0.22um filter). I actually just ordered a bunch of 3D printed cases specifically for freezer use, so they're more easily organized and kept upright in there.
 
I have a small amount of Chinese oils and will be doing the same with those (0.22um filter). I actually just ordered a bunch of 3D printed cases specifically for freezer use, so they're more easily organized and kept upright in there.
Yep sounds like what I plan to do. I have some 45 slot cases from Amazon I will just fill one up, freezer bag over that, keep it upright while freezing....and then prepare for the apocalypse?
 
Like many of you, I'm doing my best to prepare for future scarcity, and have stocked up on oils from a few quality domestic sources in order to prepare for the times ahead. I've bought most everything in MCT due to it being fully saturated and thus less likely to oxidize. I store everything upright in a temperature controlled environment, totally protected from all light. One unfortunate issue I faced was that one of the best sources here is very generous in how he fills his vials, and this means that even when stored perfectly vertical, the oil makes contact with the stopper. Over time, the benzyl benzoate will cause a breakdown of the butyl rubber, eventually compromising the seal and ruining the contents of the vial. Ideally, you want as little dead space/air in the vial as possible, but you don't want the oil making contact with the stopper, even when using PTFE, Flurotec or other Teflon type coated stoppers. While these stopper are far, far superior to plain butyl and silicon stoppers, it's still not ideal for them to be in contact with the oil.

Here is an example of one of the generously filled vials;
(note that I am not criticizing the source, and I am not saying this would be an issue for normal, shorter term storage, I'm just trying to get every last bit of longevity I can out of my stash)
View attachment 340565

I purchased 150 sealed, sterile vials with Flurotec stoppers. These are usually quite expensive, but I found a good deal on some that had expired last year. For me, this is not an issue. You may have higher standards and want to purchase in date vials.

View attachment 340566
View attachment 340567

These particular vials ended up being perfect, as while they were advertised as 10ml, they easily held the full contents of the other vials, with just enough room to spare to allow for space between the oil and stoppers. They were slightly taller than the old vials. I used 10cc syringes from Exel, which hold right around 12cc and ended up being perfect. I sterilized all surfaces with alcohol, used a 23g needle to vent, a 16g to withdraw from the old vial, and a 20g to fill the new vials, also with a 23g to vent. I replaced the needles whenever they started to struggle to penetrate the stoppers, which was about every 7 or 8 vials I'd guess. I penetrated the stoppers of the new vials at about a 45° angle, and after injecting all the oil, I removed the vent needle, raised the needle with the syringe to the top area of the vial, and sucked 12cc of air out, creating a vacuum within the vial to help minimize oxidation. If I was going this with Chinese or questionable oils, I'd have used a 0.22um PTFE filter, but I didn't feel it necessary with clean, domestic oil. After the contents were all transferred, I was able to carefully salvage the original labels. I also used vial seals to ensure that the stoppers don't allow any gasses in. Stoppers do well with self healing, especially after just a couple of punctures from relatively narrow needles, but it's an extra measure of insurance.

View attachment 340568View attachment 340569

This was definitely a tedious and time consuming process, but it's valuable insurance for the future, in my opinion. I did Primo and Mast E today, and sadly (happily?) have a long way to go before I get through the bulk of what I need to get done. In addition to all my vials from this source, I'm also going to be doing this with any vials using silicon stoppers, as they're fairly poor at preventing outgassing when compared to butyl rubber.

Just figured I'd share my little OCD project. I'm totally open to advice, criticism, tips, info, etc... So feel free to let me know anything that could be useful.
Did you sterilize again or just roll with it? I found another supplier of these selling for 16.95 for 25.
 
Did you sterilize again or just roll with it? I found another supplier of these selling for 16.95 for 25.
I did not. I considered running everything through 0.22um filters, but decided against it, mostly to save time. I used as sterile an environment as I could, wore a mask, and everything in the work area was sterilized beforehand.
 
I went with sterile not expired instead. Only thing is the ones I got were not evacuated. This thread got me thinking too as I’ve never done this before. Any thing different to the approach with evacuated vs not evacuated? Excuse my ignorance.
 
I went with sterile not expired instead. Only thing is the ones I got were not evacuated. This thread got me thinking too as I’ve never done this before. Any thing different to the approach with evacuated vs not evacuated? Excuse my ignorance.

One is in vacuum and the other isn't. Being in vacuum prevents oxidation. Certain compounds like tren, gso, eo are more prone to oxidation.

I assume you got the ultra spec ones for sterile not evacuated? Normal alk vials do not have PTFE or flurotec stoppers.
 
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Might have grabbed the wrong crap.

Also I only use MCT
 
Also I only use MCT

ALK has the best glass but those stoppers are not PTFE or FLUROTEC.
These are the ones you want, the glass is not as good but as least it's PTFE coated. An unexpired ALK vial with FLUROTEC will cost significantly more, which is why people get the expired ones.

 
ALK has the best glass but those stoppers are not PTFE or FLUROTEC.
These are the ones you want, the glass is not as good but as least it's PTFE coated. An unexpired ALK vial with FLUROTEC will cost significantly more, which is why people get the expired ones.

Thanks brother. Live and learn. Appreciate all the info you and readalot have thrown out (and some others). The lack of my education has been eye opening.
 
ALK has the best glass but those stoppers are not PTFE or FLUROTEC.
These are the ones you want, the glass is not as good but as least it's PTFE coated. An unexpired ALK vial with FLUROTEC will cost significantly more, which is why people get the expired ones.

Yup, the expired ones are fine. The likelihood of contamination sitting empty and sealed on the shelf in the warehouse is way lower than contamination sitting for 5 years in your closet after you've filled it.
 
Thanks brother. Live and learn. Appreciate all the info you and readalot have thrown out (and some others). The lack of my education has been eye opening.
The info provided is solid by photon. I have the ultra spec and ALK. ALK are butyl stoppers. The ultra spec have ptfe coated chlorobutyl stoppers. The ALK made in USA. Ultra spec are China. Either are great. Enjoy.
 

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