Last-minute recon and filter questions before my first pin

Ruckus4519

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Hello everyone. My start date is nearly here. Would you kind people mind fielding a handful of final questions? To set the scene: Tirz is the only thing I'm prepping for. I've also tacked my shopping list on the end, in case anything slipped my mind.

  • Does each sterile vial need its own fresh filter?
    • My idea was to divide the 30mg over 2-3 vials and keep the leftovers frozen, so one vial never lasts past 4-6 weeks.
  • Would 3mL syringe barrels do?
  • How many barrels does a single filter pass take?
    • 50SGM winds up just "flushing" the filter through with air.
    • The PDF guide gets away with one, yet I don't fancy contaminating the BAC vial — even if the air I'm pushing is only 0.1 mL, through the same barrel I recon'd with.
    • Chances are I'm overthinking lol
  • Does filtering with two needle lengths actually beat sticking to one?
    • 5/8″ (16mm) and 1 1/2″ (40mm)
    • rather than the longer one on its own?
    • Both show up in the PDF guide: 4x of the shorter one (venting included) and 1x of the longer one.
    • Lengths never came up in 50SGM's post — only the gauges.
  • Vial Opener - would it be a bad idea for drawing up the last drops or whatever
  • pH Test strips - a pack went in, though that's probably not very useful unless I get KLOW or any of its components, right?

Sources I leaned on:

  • ForestForay's PDF Recon and Filter Guide, hosted on the STG website
  • WLBLD's First Supply Order from Last Month
  • plus 50ShadesGreyMarket's Filtering Guide from last November

Already in the cart (about $120 all told):

  • 2 vials of 30mL BAC water
  • syringe barrels, 3mL, 100 needed
  • needles for 25g 5/8", 100 of them
  • needles for 25g 1.5", another 100
  • sterile PES syringe filters, 0.22um 4mm, 20 of them
  • empty sterile vials, 5mL, 10 of them
  • pH test strips, 1 pack
  • vial opener, 1

Picking up locally:

  • insulin syringes
  • alcohol prep pads
  • 70% iso alcohol
  • a spray bottle
  • something like a metal baking sheet, maybe
  • sharps container

Wishlist, for much later:

  • pens
  • pen needles
  • sterile cartridges
    • (Turtle is my likely source, though I still haven't worked out what to do with a four-pack)
  • Hydrapeak food jar, 32oz
  • silicone vial holders
  • compatible ice pack
  • desiccants
    • Molecular sieves came up as an alternative to silica gel for temperatures below 0 — is that overkill? They're billed as reusable, and they aren't too pricey either.
  • "vials" to keep the desiccants in
    • possibly 3D printed.
 
Ruckus4519 said:

Hello everyone. My start date is nearly here. Would you kind people mind fielding a handful of final questions? To set the scene: Tirz is the only thing I'm prepping for. I've also tacked my shopping list on the end, in case anything slipped my mind.

  • Does each sterile vial need its own fresh filter?
    • My idea was to divide the 30mg over 2-3 vials and keep the leftovers frozen, so one vial never lasts past 4-6 weeks.
  • Would 3mL syringe barrels do?
  • How many barrels does a single filter pass take?
    • 50SGM winds up just "flushing" the filter through with air.
    • The PDF guide gets away with one, yet I don't fancy contaminating the BAC vial — even if the air I'm pushing is only 0.1 mL, through the same barrel I recon'd with.
    • Chances are I'm overthinking lol
  • Does filtering with two needle lengths actually beat sticking to one?
    • 5/8″ (16mm) and 1 1/2″ (40mm)
    • rather than the longer one on its own?
    • Both show up in the PDF guide: 4x of the shorter one (venting included) and 1x of the longer one.
    • Lengths never came up in 50SGM's post — only the gauges.
  • Vial Opener - would it be a bad idea for drawing up the last drops or whatever
  • pH Test strips - a pack went in, though that's probably not very useful unless I get KLOW or any of its components, right?

Sources I leaned on:

  • ForestForay's PDF Recon and Filter Guide, hosted on the STG website
  • WLBLD's First Supply Order from Last Month
  • plus 50ShadesGreyMarket's Filtering Guide from last November

Already in the cart (about $120 all told):

  • 2 vials of 30mL BAC water
  • syringe barrels, 3mL, 100 needed
  • needles for 25g 5/8", 100 of them
  • needles for 25g 1.5", another 100
  • sterile PES syringe filters, 0.22um 4mm, 20 of them
  • empty sterile vials, 5mL, 10 of them
  • pH test strips, 1 pack
  • vial opener, 1

Picking up locally:

  • insulin syringes
  • alcohol prep pads
  • 70% iso alcohol
  • a spray bottle
  • something like a metal baking sheet, maybe
  • sharps container

Wishlist, for much later:

  • pens
  • pen needles
  • sterile cartridges
    • (Turtle is my likely source, though I still haven't worked out what to do with a four-pack)
  • Hydrapeak food jar, 32oz
  • silicone vial holders
  • compatible ice pack
  • desiccants
    • Molecular sieves came up as an alternative to silica gel for temperatures below 0 — is that overkill? They're billed as reusable, and they aren't too pricey either.
  • "vials" to keep the desiccants in
    • possibly 3D printed.
Once a needle has gone through the vial or cart seal, I treat it as dirty and never remove its filter, so it's single-use for me.

Before filtering begins, I wet the filter using a separate syringe.

If you're beginning at 2.5mg, my own preference would be 1mg/10U; for 5mg, 2mg/10U. That means you can reconstitute with 3ml and then divide it between a 1ml and a 2ml vial, which keeps things simpler. The catch is that a lyo vial holds no more than 3ml, so for a 35mg COA, 2mg/10U is likely the easier route: 12U (2.4mg) for the first 2 shots, then 13U for the next 2. Doing 75U for 7.5mg is not something you'd want.

3ml syringes work, but for precise measurement I'd rather use 50U or 100U low dead volume. It's probably not critical—don't put more faith in a COA than 10%. If you have thumbs, pH strips and a vial opener are likely unnecessary.

These metal trays are what I like to work on, though the choice is yours.


https://www.amazon.com/SONGMICS-Organizers-Countertop-Expandable-UKCS001B01/dp/B07G78S5Z8


Paper towels laid on a countertop and sprayed down would also do.

70% alcohol in a spray bottle is probably available at Target or Walgreens.

Prep pads are simple enough—just the small ones, for wiping rubber stoppers.

Where you are affects syringe access. Some states make them hard to get.

edit: Oh yeah, and freezing a single vial of Tirz isn't worth it to me. With good BAC and filtration, plus no further punctures after filling, I'd probably go 60+ days.

After all, compounders ship 90day supplies and tell you to just refrigerate.
 
joseblo said:

Ruckus4519 said:

Hello everyone. My start date is nearly here. Would you kind people mind fielding a handful of final questions? To set the scene: Tirz is the only thing I'm prepping for. I've also tacked my shopping list on the end, in case anything slipped my mind.

  • Does each sterile vial need its own fresh filter?
    • My idea was to divide the 30mg over 2-3 vials and keep the leftovers frozen, so one vial never lasts past 4-6 weeks.
  • Would 3mL syringe barrels do?
  • How many barrels does a single filter pass take?
    • 50SGM winds up just "flushing" the filter through with air.
    • The PDF guide gets away with one, yet I don't fancy contaminating the BAC vial — even if the air I'm pushing is only 0.1 mL, through the same barrel I recon'd with.
    • Chances are I'm overthinking lol
  • Does filtering with two needle lengths actually beat sticking to one?
    • 5/8″ (16mm) and 1 1/2″ (40mm)
    • rather than the longer one on its own?
    • Both show up in the PDF guide: 4x of the shorter one (venting included) and 1x of the longer one.
    • Lengths never came up in 50SGM's post — only the gauges.
  • Vial Opener - would it be a bad idea for drawing up the last drops or whatever
  • pH Test strips - a pack went in, though that's probably not very useful unless I get KLOW or any of its components, right?

Sources I leaned on:

  • ForestForay's PDF Recon and Filter Guide, hosted on the STG website
  • WLBLD's First Supply Order from Last Month
  • plus 50ShadesGreyMarket's Filtering Guide from last November

Already in the cart (about $120 all told):

  • 2 vials of 30mL BAC water
  • syringe barrels, 3mL, 100 needed
  • needles for 25g 5/8", 100 of them
  • needles for 25g 1.5", another 100
  • sterile PES syringe filters, 0.22um 4mm, 20 of them
  • empty sterile vials, 5mL, 10 of them
  • pH test strips, 1 pack
  • vial opener, 1

Picking up locally:

  • insulin syringes
  • alcohol prep pads
  • 70% iso alcohol
  • a spray bottle
  • something like a metal baking sheet, maybe
  • sharps container

Wishlist, for much later:

  • pens
  • pen needles
  • sterile cartridges
    • (Turtle is my likely source, though I still haven't worked out what to do with a four-pack)
  • Hydrapeak food jar, 32oz
  • silicone vial holders
  • compatible ice pack
  • desiccants
    • Molecular sieves came up as an alternative to silica gel for temperatures below 0 — is that overkill? They're billed as reusable, and they aren't too pricey either.
  • "vials" to keep the desiccants in
    • possibly 3D printed.
Once a needle has gone through the vial or cart seal, I treat it as dirty and never remove its filter, so it's single-use for me.

Before filtering begins, I wet the filter using a separate syringe.

If you're beginning at 2.5mg, my own preference would be 1mg/10U; for 5mg, 2mg/10U. That means you can reconstitute with 3ml and then divide it between a 1ml and a 2ml vial, which keeps things simpler. The catch is that a lyo vial holds no more than 3ml, so for a 35mg COA, 2mg/10U is likely the easier route: 12U (2.4mg) for the first 2 shots, then 13U for the next 2. Doing 75U for 7.5mg is not something you'd want.

3ml syringes work, but for precise measurement I'd rather use 50U or 100U low dead volume. It's probably not critical—don't put more faith in a COA than 10%. If you have thumbs, pH strips and a vial opener are likely unnecessary.

These metal trays are what I like to work on, though the choice is yours.


https://www.amazon.com/SONGMICS-Organizers-Countertop-Expandable-UKCS001B01/dp/B07G78S5Z8


Paper towels laid on a countertop and sprayed down would also do.

70% alcohol in a spray bottle is probably available at Target or Walgreens.

Prep pads are simple enough—just the small ones, for wiping rubber stoppers.

Where you are affects syringe access. Some states make them hard to get.

edit: Oh yeah, and freezing a single vial of Tirz isn't worth it to me. With good BAC and filtration, plus no further punctures after filling, I'd probably go 60+ days.

After all, compounders ship 90day supplies and tell you to just refrigerate.
I'm guessing you wet it down with BAC first? Is that syringe kept solely for this task?

joseblo said:

Ruckus4519 said:

Hello everyone. My start date is nearly here. Would you kind people mind fielding a handful of final questions? To set the scene: Tirz is the only thing I'm prepping for. I've also tacked my shopping list on the end, in case anything slipped my mind.

  • Does each sterile vial need its own fresh filter?
    • My idea was to divide the 30mg over 2-3 vials and keep the leftovers frozen, so one vial never lasts past 4-6 weeks.
  • Would 3mL syringe barrels do?
  • How many barrels does a single filter pass take?
    • 50SGM winds up just "flushing" the filter through with air.
    • The PDF guide gets away with one, yet I don't fancy contaminating the BAC vial — even if the air I'm pushing is only 0.1 mL, through the same barrel I recon'd with.
    • Chances are I'm overthinking lol
  • Does filtering with two needle lengths actually beat sticking to one?
    • 5/8″ (16mm) and 1 1/2″ (40mm)
    • rather than the longer one on its own?
    • Both show up in the PDF guide: 4x of the shorter one (venting included) and 1x of the longer one.
    • Lengths never came up in 50SGM's post — only the gauges.
  • Vial Opener - would it be a bad idea for drawing up the last drops or whatever
  • pH Test strips - a pack went in, though that's probably not very useful unless I get KLOW or any of its components, right?

Sources I leaned on:

  • ForestForay's PDF Recon and Filter Guide, hosted on the STG website
  • WLBLD's First Supply Order from Last Month
  • plus 50ShadesGreyMarket's Filtering Guide from last November

Already in the cart (about $120 all told):

  • 2 vials of 30mL BAC water
  • syringe barrels, 3mL, 100 needed
  • needles for 25g 5/8", 100 of them
  • needles for 25g 1.5", another 100
  • sterile PES syringe filters, 0.22um 4mm, 20 of them
  • empty sterile vials, 5mL, 10 of them
  • pH test strips, 1 pack
  • vial opener, 1

Picking up locally:

  • insulin syringes
  • alcohol prep pads
  • 70% iso alcohol
  • a spray bottle
  • something like a metal baking sheet, maybe
  • sharps container

Wishlist, for much later:

  • pens
  • pen needles
  • sterile cartridges
    • (Turtle is my likely source, though I still haven't worked out what to do with a four-pack)
  • Hydrapeak food jar, 32oz
  • silicone vial holders
  • compatible ice pack
  • desiccants
    • Molecular sieves came up as an alternative to silica gel for temperatures below 0 — is that overkill? They're billed as reusable, and they aren't too pricey either.
  • "vials" to keep the desiccants in
    • possibly 3D printed.
Once a needle has gone through the vial or cart seal, I treat it as dirty and never remove its filter, so it's single-use for me.

Before filtering begins, I wet the filter using a separate syringe.

If you're beginning at 2.5mg, my own preference would be 1mg/10U; for 5mg, 2mg/10U. That means you can reconstitute with 3ml and then divide it between a 1ml and a 2ml vial, which keeps things simpler. The catch is that a lyo vial holds no more than 3ml, so for a 35mg COA, 2mg/10U is likely the easier route: 12U (2.4mg) for the first 2 shots, then 13U for the next 2. Doing 75U for 7.5mg is not something you'd want.

3ml syringes work, but for precise measurement I'd rather use 50U or 100U low dead volume. It's probably not critical—don't put more faith in a COA than 10%. If you have thumbs, pH strips and a vial opener are likely unnecessary.

These metal trays are what I like to work on, though the choice is yours.


https://www.amazon.com/SONGMICS-Organizers-Countertop-Expandable-UKCS001B01/dp/B07G78S5Z8


Paper towels laid on a countertop and sprayed down would also do.

70% alcohol in a spray bottle is probably available at Target or Walgreens.

Prep pads are simple enough—just the small ones, for wiping rubber stoppers.

Where you are affects syringe access. Some states make them hard to get.

edit: Oh yeah, and freezing a single vial of Tirz isn't worth it to me. With good BAC and filtration, plus no further punctures after filling, I'd probably go 60+ days.

After all, compounders ship 90day supplies and tell you to just refrigerate.
1 U equals 0.01, correct? That means we're discussing the 0.5mL and 1.0mL syringes, not really the insulin type. Unfortunately the shop I'm browsing has none in stock.

My plan is to remain at the smallest dose that works for as long as I can, though I'll keep this in mind for when I increase.

joseblo said:

Ruckus4519 said:

Hello everyone. My start date is nearly here. Would you kind people mind fielding a handful of final questions? To set the scene: Tirz is the only thing I'm prepping for. I've also tacked my shopping list on the end, in case anything slipped my mind.

  • Does each sterile vial need its own fresh filter?
    • My idea was to divide the 30mg over 2-3 vials and keep the leftovers frozen, so one vial never lasts past 4-6 weeks.
  • Would 3mL syringe barrels do?
  • How many barrels does a single filter pass take?
    • 50SGM winds up just "flushing" the filter through with air.
    • The PDF guide gets away with one, yet I don't fancy contaminating the BAC vial — even if the air I'm pushing is only 0.1 mL, through the same barrel I recon'd with.
    • Chances are I'm overthinking lol
  • Does filtering with two needle lengths actually beat sticking to one?
    • 5/8″ (16mm) and 1 1/2″ (40mm)
    • rather than the longer one on its own?
    • Both show up in the PDF guide: 4x of the shorter one (venting included) and 1x of the longer one.
    • Lengths never came up in 50SGM's post — only the gauges.
  • Vial Opener - would it be a bad idea for drawing up the last drops or whatever
  • pH Test strips - a pack went in, though that's probably not very useful unless I get KLOW or any of its components, right?

Sources I leaned on:

  • ForestForay's PDF Recon and Filter Guide, hosted on the STG website
  • WLBLD's First Supply Order from Last Month
  • plus 50ShadesGreyMarket's Filtering Guide from last November

Already in the cart (about $120 all told):

  • 2 vials of 30mL BAC water
  • syringe barrels, 3mL, 100 needed
  • needles for 25g 5/8", 100 of them
  • needles for 25g 1.5", another 100
  • sterile PES syringe filters, 0.22um 4mm, 20 of them
  • empty sterile vials, 5mL, 10 of them
  • pH test strips, 1 pack
  • vial opener, 1

Picking up locally:

  • insulin syringes
  • alcohol prep pads
  • 70% iso alcohol
  • a spray bottle
  • something like a metal baking sheet, maybe
  • sharps container

Wishlist, for much later:

  • pens
  • pen needles
  • sterile cartridges
    • (Turtle is my likely source, though I still haven't worked out what to do with a four-pack)
  • Hydrapeak food jar, 32oz
  • silicone vial holders
  • compatible ice pack
  • desiccants
    • Molecular sieves came up as an alternative to silica gel for temperatures below 0 — is that overkill? They're billed as reusable, and they aren't too pricey either.
  • "vials" to keep the desiccants in
    • possibly 3D printed.
Once a needle has gone through the vial or cart seal, I treat it as dirty and never remove its filter, so it's single-use for me.

Before filtering begins, I wet the filter using a separate syringe.

If you're beginning at 2.5mg, my own preference would be 1mg/10U; for 5mg, 2mg/10U. That means you can reconstitute with 3ml and then divide it between a 1ml and a 2ml vial, which keeps things simpler. The catch is that a lyo vial holds no more than 3ml, so for a 35mg COA, 2mg/10U is likely the easier route: 12U (2.4mg) for the first 2 shots, then 13U for the next 2. Doing 75U for 7.5mg is not something you'd want.

3ml syringes work, but for precise measurement I'd rather use 50U or 100U low dead volume. It's probably not critical—don't put more faith in a COA than 10%. If you have thumbs, pH strips and a vial opener are likely unnecessary.

These metal trays are what I like to work on, though the choice is yours.


https://www.amazon.com/SONGMICS-Organizers-Countertop-Expandable-UKCS001B01/dp/B07G78S5Z8


Paper towels laid on a countertop and sprayed down would also do.

70% alcohol in a spray bottle is probably available at Target or Walgreens.

Prep pads are simple enough—just the small ones, for wiping rubber stoppers.

Where you are affects syringe access. Some states make them hard to get.

edit: Oh yeah, and freezing a single vial of Tirz isn't worth it to me. With good BAC and filtration, plus no further punctures after filling, I'd probably go 60+ days.

After all, compounders ship 90day supplies and tell you to just refrigerate.
How much volume is the ceiling for a subq injection? Do you cap yourself at 50U or less?

joseblo said:

Ruckus4519 said:

Hello everyone. My start date is nearly here. Would you kind people mind fielding a handful of final questions? To set the scene: Tirz is the only thing I'm prepping for. I've also tacked my shopping list on the end, in case anything slipped my mind.

  • Does each sterile vial need its own fresh filter?
    • My idea was to divide the 30mg over 2-3 vials and keep the leftovers frozen, so one vial never lasts past 4-6 weeks.
  • Would 3mL syringe barrels do?
  • How many barrels does a single filter pass take?
    • 50SGM winds up just "flushing" the filter through with air.
    • The PDF guide gets away with one, yet I don't fancy contaminating the BAC vial — even if the air I'm pushing is only 0.1 mL, through the same barrel I recon'd with.
    • Chances are I'm overthinking lol
  • Does filtering with two needle lengths actually beat sticking to one?
    • 5/8″ (16mm) and 1 1/2″ (40mm)
    • rather than the longer one on its own?
    • Both show up in the PDF guide: 4x of the shorter one (venting included) and 1x of the longer one.
    • Lengths never came up in 50SGM's post — only the gauges.
  • Vial Opener - would it be a bad idea for drawing up the last drops or whatever
  • pH Test strips - a pack went in, though that's probably not very useful unless I get KLOW or any of its components, right?

Sources I leaned on:

  • ForestForay's PDF Recon and Filter Guide, hosted on the STG website
  • WLBLD's First Supply Order from Last Month
  • plus 50ShadesGreyMarket's Filtering Guide from last November

Already in the cart (about $120 all told):

  • 2 vials of 30mL BAC water
  • syringe barrels, 3mL, 100 needed
  • needles for 25g 5/8", 100 of them
  • needles for 25g 1.5", another 100
  • sterile PES syringe filters, 0.22um 4mm, 20 of them
  • empty sterile vials, 5mL, 10 of them
  • pH test strips, 1 pack
  • vial opener, 1

Picking up locally:

  • insulin syringes
  • alcohol prep pads
  • 70% iso alcohol
  • a spray bottle
  • something like a metal baking sheet, maybe
  • sharps container

Wishlist, for much later:

  • pens
  • pen needles
  • sterile cartridges
    • (Turtle is my likely source, though I still haven't worked out what to do with a four-pack)
  • Hydrapeak food jar, 32oz
  • silicone vial holders
  • compatible ice pack
  • desiccants
    • Molecular sieves came up as an alternative to silica gel for temperatures below 0 — is that overkill? They're billed as reusable, and they aren't too pricey either.
  • "vials" to keep the desiccants in
    • possibly 3D printed.
Once a needle has gone through the vial or cart seal, I treat it as dirty and never remove its filter, so it's single-use for me.

Before filtering begins, I wet the filter using a separate syringe.

If you're beginning at 2.5mg, my own preference would be 1mg/10U; for 5mg, 2mg/10U. That means you can reconstitute with 3ml and then divide it between a 1ml and a 2ml vial, which keeps things simpler. The catch is that a lyo vial holds no more than 3ml, so for a 35mg COA, 2mg/10U is likely the easier route: 12U (2.4mg) for the first 2 shots, then 13U for the next 2. Doing 75U for 7.5mg is not something you'd want.

3ml syringes work, but for precise measurement I'd rather use 50U or 100U low dead volume. It's probably not critical—don't put more faith in a COA than 10%. If you have thumbs, pH strips and a vial opener are likely unnecessary.

These metal trays are what I like to work on, though the choice is yours.


https://www.amazon.com/SONGMICS-Organizers-Countertop-Expandable-UKCS001B01/dp/B07G78S5Z8


Paper towels laid on a countertop and sprayed down would also do.

70% alcohol in a spray bottle is probably available at Target or Walgreens.

Prep pads are simple enough—just the small ones, for wiping rubber stoppers.

Where you are affects syringe access. Some states make them hard to get.

edit: Oh yeah, and freezing a single vial of Tirz isn't worth it to me. With good BAC and filtration, plus no further punctures after filling, I'd probably go 60+ days.

After all, compounders ship 90day supplies and tell you to just refrigerate.
Can you explain a bit more about that? The vendor's COA lists about 31mg, while a 3P report showed 33mg. What do you make of that?

joseblo said:

Ruckus4519 said:

Hello everyone. My start date is nearly here. Would you kind people mind fielding a handful of final questions? To set the scene: Tirz is the only thing I'm prepping for. I've also tacked my shopping list on the end, in case anything slipped my mind.

  • Does each sterile vial need its own fresh filter?
    • My idea was to divide the 30mg over 2-3 vials and keep the leftovers frozen, so one vial never lasts past 4-6 weeks.
  • Would 3mL syringe barrels do?
  • How many barrels does a single filter pass take?
    • 50SGM winds up just "flushing" the filter through with air.
    • The PDF guide gets away with one, yet I don't fancy contaminating the BAC vial — even if the air I'm pushing is only 0.1 mL, through the same barrel I recon'd with.
    • Chances are I'm overthinking lol
  • Does filtering with two needle lengths actually beat sticking to one?
    • 5/8″ (16mm) and 1 1/2″ (40mm)
    • rather than the longer one on its own?
    • Both show up in the PDF guide: 4x of the shorter one (venting included) and 1x of the longer one.
    • Lengths never came up in 50SGM's post — only the gauges.
  • Vial Opener - would it be a bad idea for drawing up the last drops or whatever
  • pH Test strips - a pack went in, though that's probably not very useful unless I get KLOW or any of its components, right?

Sources I leaned on:

  • ForestForay's PDF Recon and Filter Guide, hosted on the STG website
  • WLBLD's First Supply Order from Last Month
  • plus 50ShadesGreyMarket's Filtering Guide from last November

Already in the cart (about $120 all told):

  • 2 vials of 30mL BAC water
  • syringe barrels, 3mL, 100 needed
  • needles for 25g 5/8", 100 of them
  • needles for 25g 1.5", another 100
  • sterile PES syringe filters, 0.22um 4mm, 20 of them
  • empty sterile vials, 5mL, 10 of them
  • pH test strips, 1 pack
  • vial opener, 1

Picking up locally:

  • insulin syringes
  • alcohol prep pads
  • 70% iso alcohol
  • a spray bottle
  • something like a metal baking sheet, maybe
  • sharps container

Wishlist, for much later:

  • pens
  • pen needles
  • sterile cartridges
    • (Turtle is my likely source, though I still haven't worked out what to do with a four-pack)
  • Hydrapeak food jar, 32oz
  • silicone vial holders
  • compatible ice pack
  • desiccants
    • Molecular sieves came up as an alternative to silica gel for temperatures below 0 — is that overkill? They're billed as reusable, and they aren't too pricey either.
  • "vials" to keep the desiccants in
    • possibly 3D printed.
Once a needle has gone through the vial or cart seal, I treat it as dirty and never remove its filter, so it's single-use for me.

Before filtering begins, I wet the filter using a separate syringe.

If you're beginning at 2.5mg, my own preference would be 1mg/10U; for 5mg, 2mg/10U. That means you can reconstitute with 3ml and then divide it between a 1ml and a 2ml vial, which keeps things simpler. The catch is that a lyo vial holds no more than 3ml, so for a 35mg COA, 2mg/10U is likely the easier route: 12U (2.4mg) for the first 2 shots, then 13U for the next 2. Doing 75U for 7.5mg is not something you'd want.

3ml syringes work, but for precise measurement I'd rather use 50U or 100U low dead volume. It's probably not critical—don't put more faith in a COA than 10%. If you have thumbs, pH strips and a vial opener are likely unnecessary.

These metal trays are what I like to work on, though the choice is yours.


https://www.amazon.com/SONGMICS-Organizers-Countertop-Expandable-UKCS001B01/dp/B07G78S5Z8


Paper towels laid on a countertop and sprayed down would also do.

70% alcohol in a spray bottle is probably available at Target or Walgreens.

Prep pads are simple enough—just the small ones, for wiping rubber stoppers.

Where you are affects syringe access. Some states make them hard to get.

edit: Oh yeah, and freezing a single vial of Tirz isn't worth it to me. With good BAC and filtration, plus no further punctures after filling, I'd probably go 60+ days.

After all, compounders ship 90day supplies and tell you to just refrigerate.
At the time I wrote that, I had a 100-count box in mind, but now I'm leaning toward 2 bags of 10 each in both 29G and 30G.

joseblo said:

Ruckus4519 said:

Hello everyone. My start date is nearly here. Would you kind people mind fielding a handful of final questions? To set the scene: Tirz is the only thing I'm prepping for. I've also tacked my shopping list on the end, in case anything slipped my mind.

  • Does each sterile vial need its own fresh filter?
    • My idea was to divide the 30mg over 2-3 vials and keep the leftovers frozen, so one vial never lasts past 4-6 weeks.
  • Would 3mL syringe barrels do?
  • How many barrels does a single filter pass take?
    • 50SGM winds up just "flushing" the filter through with air.
    • The PDF guide gets away with one, yet I don't fancy contaminating the BAC vial — even if the air I'm pushing is only 0.1 mL, through the same barrel I recon'd with.
    • Chances are I'm overthinking lol
  • Does filtering with two needle lengths actually beat sticking to one?
    • 5/8″ (16mm) and 1 1/2″ (40mm)
    • rather than the longer one on its own?
    • Both show up in the PDF guide: 4x of the shorter one (venting included) and 1x of the longer one.
    • Lengths never came up in 50SGM's post — only the gauges.
  • Vial Opener - would it be a bad idea for drawing up the last drops or whatever
  • pH Test strips - a pack went in, though that's probably not very useful unless I get KLOW or any of its components, right?

Sources I leaned on:

  • ForestForay's PDF Recon and Filter Guide, hosted on the STG website
  • WLBLD's First Supply Order from Last Month
  • plus 50ShadesGreyMarket's Filtering Guide from last November

Already in the cart (about $120 all told):

  • 2 vials of 30mL BAC water
  • syringe barrels, 3mL, 100 needed
  • needles for 25g 5/8", 100 of them
  • needles for 25g 1.5", another 100
  • sterile PES syringe filters, 0.22um 4mm, 20 of them
  • empty sterile vials, 5mL, 10 of them
  • pH test strips, 1 pack
  • vial opener, 1

Picking up locally:

  • insulin syringes
  • alcohol prep pads
  • 70% iso alcohol
  • a spray bottle
  • something like a metal baking sheet, maybe
  • sharps container

Wishlist, for much later:

  • pens
  • pen needles
  • sterile cartridges
    • (Turtle is my likely source, though I still haven't worked out what to do with a four-pack)
  • Hydrapeak food jar, 32oz
  • silicone vial holders
  • compatible ice pack
  • desiccants
    • Molecular sieves came up as an alternative to silica gel for temperatures below 0 — is that overkill? They're billed as reusable, and they aren't too pricey either.
  • "vials" to keep the desiccants in
    • possibly 3D printed.
Once a needle has gone through the vial or cart seal, I treat it as dirty and never remove its filter, so it's single-use for me.

Before filtering begins, I wet the filter using a separate syringe.

If you're beginning at 2.5mg, my own preference would be 1mg/10U; for 5mg, 2mg/10U. That means you can reconstitute with 3ml and then divide it between a 1ml and a 2ml vial, which keeps things simpler. The catch is that a lyo vial holds no more than 3ml, so for a 35mg COA, 2mg/10U is likely the easier route: 12U (2.4mg) for the first 2 shots, then 13U for the next 2. Doing 75U for 7.5mg is not something you'd want.

3ml syringes work, but for precise measurement I'd rather use 50U or 100U low dead volume. It's probably not critical—don't put more faith in a COA than 10%. If you have thumbs, pH strips and a vial opener are likely unnecessary.

These metal trays are what I like to work on, though the choice is yours.


https://www.amazon.com/SONGMICS-Organizers-Countertop-Expandable-UKCS001B01/dp/B07G78S5Z8


Paper towels laid on a countertop and sprayed down would also do.

70% alcohol in a spray bottle is probably available at Target or Walgreens.

Prep pads are simple enough—just the small ones, for wiping rubber stoppers.

Where you are affects syringe access. Some states make them hard to get.

edit: Oh yeah, and freezing a single vial of Tirz isn't worth it to me. With good BAC and filtration, plus no further punctures after filling, I'd probably go 60+ days.

After all, compounders ship 90day supplies and tell you to just refrigerate.
Would batch reconstituting, freezing, then filtering after thawing ever be something you'd do?
 
About the syringes you mentioned: for reconstitution I've got the 3ml ones. My go-to are .05 and 1ml-31G/8mm (5/16) syringes. To me, 25 feels a bit large. If I went with a 25G, I'm pretty sure my wife would give me a smack. This is all for Reta.
 
BNLFL said:

About the syringes you mentioned: for reconstitution I've got the 3ml ones. My go-to are .05 and 1ml-31G/8mm (5/16) syringes. To me, 25 feels a bit large. If I went with a 25G, I'm pretty sure my wife would give me a smack. This is all for Reta.
With 25G harpoons, fringe peptides get stronger placebo effects, haha.

When I do IM for glutathione, 27G is what I use, and it really isn't bad at all.
 
Calm Logic said:

BNLFL said:

About the syringes you mentioned: for reconstitution I've got the 3ml ones. My go-to are .05 and 1ml-31G/8mm (5/16) syringes. To me, 25 feels a bit large. If I went with a 25G, I'm pretty sure my wife would give me a smack. This is all for Reta.
With 25G harpoons, fringe peptides get stronger placebo effects, haha.

When I do IM for glutathione, 27G is what I use, and it really isn't bad at all.
The guys I know on Testosterone who are into lifting, my son included, go with 23-25G 1" syringes. I refer to those as horse needles.
 
Ruckus4519 said:

Hello everyone. My start date is nearly here. Would you kind people mind fielding a handful of final questions? To set the scene: Tirz is the only thing I'm prepping for. I've also tacked my shopping list on the end, in case anything slipped my mind.

  • Does each sterile vial need its own fresh filter?
    • My idea was to divide the 30mg over 2-3 vials and keep the leftovers frozen, so one vial never lasts past 4-6 weeks.
  • Would 3mL syringe barrels do?
  • How many barrels does a single filter pass take?
    • 50SGM winds up just "flushing" the filter through with air.
    • The PDF guide gets away with one, yet I don't fancy contaminating the BAC vial — even if the air I'm pushing is only 0.1 mL, through the same barrel I recon'd with.
    • Chances are I'm overthinking lol
  • Does filtering with two needle lengths actually beat sticking to one?
    • 5/8″ (16mm) and 1 1/2″ (40mm)
    • rather than the longer one on its own?
    • Both show up in the PDF guide: 4x of the shorter one (venting included) and 1x of the longer one.
    • Lengths never came up in 50SGM's post — only the gauges.
  • Vial Opener - would it be a bad idea for drawing up the last drops or whatever
  • pH Test strips - a pack went in, though that's probably not very useful unless I get KLOW or any of its components, right?

Sources I leaned on:

  • ForestForay's PDF Recon and Filter Guide, hosted on the STG website
  • WLBLD's First Supply Order from Last Month
  • plus 50ShadesGreyMarket's Filtering Guide from last November

Already in the cart (about $120 all told):

  • 2 vials of 30mL BAC water
  • syringe barrels, 3mL, 100 needed
  • needles for 25g 5/8", 100 of them
  • needles for 25g 1.5", another 100
  • sterile PES syringe filters, 0.22um 4mm, 20 of them
  • empty sterile vials, 5mL, 10 of them
  • pH test strips, 1 pack
  • vial opener, 1

Picking up locally:

  • insulin syringes
  • alcohol prep pads
  • 70% iso alcohol
  • a spray bottle
  • something like a metal baking sheet, maybe
  • sharps container

Wishlist, for much later:

  • pens
  • pen needles
  • sterile cartridges
    • (Turtle is my likely source, though I still haven't worked out what to do with a four-pack)
  • Hydrapeak food jar, 32oz
  • silicone vial holders
  • compatible ice pack
  • desiccants
    • Molecular sieves came up as an alternative to silica gel for temperatures below 0 — is that overkill? They're billed as reusable, and they aren't too pricey either.
  • "vials" to keep the desiccants in
    • possibly 3D printed.
I appreciate this. I guess it works as well as anything as a place to begin my research. There's far more involved in all of this than I had anticipated. Wishing you the best with it!
 
BNLFL said:

About the syringes you mentioned: for reconstitution I've got the 3ml ones. My go-to are .05 and 1ml-31G/8mm (5/16) syringes. To me, 25 feels a bit large. If I went with a 25G, I'm pretty sure my wife would give me a smack. This is all for Reta.
Haha, I only use the 25G when reconstituting. For injecting, I'll be using different insulin syringes.
 
For filtering, the size I go with is 13mm. From what I've seen, a 4mm works when the volume is no more than 1ml, while a 13mm handles 1-10ml. Also, remember to account for the liquid left behind in the filter—0.07ml with a 4mm, and 0.28ml with a 13mm. You can either compensate by tweaking the BAC when you reconstitute, or simply accept going slightly over.

If you're buying a tray to filter on, choose stainless steel.

Before my first attempt, I read up on everything and felt confident I'd manage. But once I laid out all the supplies, I froze. Nothing I'd studied stuck in my mind. In the end, I pulled up a YT video and copied what they did step by step. LOL
 
HereKittyKitty said:

For filtering, the size I go with is 13mm. From what I've seen, a 4mm works when the volume is no more than 1ml, while a 13mm handles 1-10ml. Also, remember to account for the liquid left behind in the filter—0.07ml with a 4mm, and 0.28ml with a 13mm. You can either compensate by tweaking the BAC when you reconstitute, or simply accept going slightly over.

If you're buying a tray to filter on, choose stainless steel.

Before my first attempt, I read up on everything and felt confident I'd manage. But once I laid out all the supplies, I froze. Nothing I'd studied stuck in my mind. In the end, I pulled up a YT video and copied what they did step by step. LOL
Appreciate it! Learned something new today — this is the first I'm hearing about it.

Next order I'll grab the 13mm size. I need to restock vials regardless. Really relieved I didn't buy a 100pk 😂

It'll be a bit more of a hassle, but for now I'll just run 1mL through the filter per vial.
 
I quit using 25g needles for reconstitution. What happened was the self-sealing stopper failed to close up, so air could enter or escape while I was pulling or injecting air. After that, I switched to 30g — it takes longer, but it's less risky.
 
The 4mm is fine to use. Simply take your time. Filter only the amount you require. Avoid forcing it rapidly through the filter. You will be fine. 🙂
 
Hello everyone, I'm yet another complete beginner. I've just recently learned about filtering. Is that an official part of the protocol, or does it come down to individual choice?
 
trash5000 said:

Ruckus4519 said:

Hello everyone. My start date is nearly here. Would you kind people mind fielding a handful of final questions? To set the scene: Tirz is the only thing I'm prepping for. I've also tacked my shopping list on the end, in case anything slipped my mind.

  • Does each sterile vial need its own fresh filter?
    • My idea was to divide the 30mg over 2-3 vials and keep the leftovers frozen, so one vial never lasts past 4-6 weeks.
  • Would 3mL syringe barrels do?
  • How many barrels does a single filter pass take?
    • 50SGM winds up just "flushing" the filter through with air.
    • The PDF guide gets away with one, yet I don't fancy contaminating the BAC vial — even if the air I'm pushing is only 0.1 mL, through the same barrel I recon'd with.
    • Chances are I'm overthinking lol
  • Does filtering with two needle lengths actually beat sticking to one?
    • 5/8″ (16mm) and 1 1/2″ (40mm)
    • rather than the longer one on its own?
    • Both show up in the PDF guide: 4x of the shorter one (venting included) and 1x of the longer one.
    • Lengths never came up in 50SGM's post — only the gauges.
  • Vial Opener - would it be a bad idea for drawing up the last drops or whatever
  • pH Test strips - a pack went in, though that's probably not very useful unless I get KLOW or any of its components, right?

Sources I leaned on:

  • ForestForay's PDF Recon and Filter Guide, hosted on the STG website
  • WLBLD's First Supply Order from Last Month
  • plus 50ShadesGreyMarket's Filtering Guide from last November

Already in the cart (about $120 all told):

  • 2 vials of 30mL BAC water
  • syringe barrels, 3mL, 100 needed
  • needles for 25g 5/8", 100 of them
  • needles for 25g 1.5", another 100
  • sterile PES syringe filters, 0.22um 4mm, 20 of them
  • empty sterile vials, 5mL, 10 of them
  • pH test strips, 1 pack
  • vial opener, 1

Picking up locally:

  • insulin syringes
  • alcohol prep pads
  • 70% iso alcohol
  • a spray bottle
  • something like a metal baking sheet, maybe
  • sharps container

Wishlist, for much later:

  • pens
  • pen needles
  • sterile cartridges
    • (Turtle is my likely source, though I still haven't worked out what to do with a four-pack)
  • Hydrapeak food jar, 32oz
  • silicone vial holders
  • compatible ice pack
  • desiccants
    • Molecular sieves came up as an alternative to silica gel for temperatures below 0 — is that overkill? They're billed as reusable, and they aren't too pricey either.
  • "vials" to keep the desiccants in
    • possibly 3D printed.
I appreciate this. I guess it works as well as anything as a place to begin my research. There's far more involved in all of this than I had anticipated. Wishing you the best with it!
When someone is brand new and intends to reconstitute vials individually as they go, is skipping filtration actually workable? Could a single bigger syringe handle the recon step, with separate smaller ones drawn for each dose?
 
drzoid614 said:

Hello everyone, I'm yet another complete beginner. I've just recently learned about filtering. Is that an official part of the protocol, or does it come down to individual choice?
Whether you filter comes down to what you prefer, but I'm fairly adamant about not putting anything into my body unless it's gone through a filter. You can find no shortage of photos showing debris in reconstituted peptides—insects, strands of hair, and so on.

Since 0.22 micron filters are fine enough to catch bacteria, and peptides frequently have sterility problems, filtering out bacteria strikes me as the sensible move. My filters come straight from biologix; 100 of them cost a little more than $50 with shipping included. https://biologixusa.com/products/bi...female-luer-lock--male-luer-slip-100-pcs-pack
 
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