Creating products: Equipment (part 1)

The more you create, the more it seems you need to buy special equipment for your crafting...but it doesn't have to be that way. I'll give you an idea of which things I feel I really need and which I don't (and I hope you'll chime in with your favourite toys for the workshop)

Scale: This is is essential. I'd suggest getting a digital scale that can weigh to 1 gram. You've seen my scale over the last few days - a grey Escali - but I'm debating getting this one with the glass top because it might be easier to clean. Having said this, I'm worried the glass might not be all that durable. (I find my plastic scales eventually look really dirty with all the oil and things spilled on them over time, hence the wanting something that cleans up easily!)

I have a smaller scale that can weigh down to 0.1 grams for those smaller things like cosmeceuticals or extracts. I've had epoxy scales in the past, but I've purchased a new one from a jewellery shop and I'm pleased with it. I had a scale from London Drugs (click here to see the Salter scale), but it wouldn't work again once I replaced the batteries. My current one as a backlight, an on/off button that actually works, and weighs down to 0.1 gram (I can't find a picture of it, so I'll take one later today!). I've only had it two weeks, so I'm not comfortable recommending it, but it was $16.99 (as opposed to the $40 everyone seems to want) and it takes AAA batteries instead of those expensive button batteries. So I'm a fan so far. 

Pipettes: I love these things! I buy them in packs of 100 from Aquarius Aroma & Soap (although you can get them from various locations, like Lotioncrafter and Voyageur, and probably a 100 other places). You can find different sizes, and I prefer the 3 ml or 3.5 ml (Lotioncrafter and Aquarius, respectively) because the tube part is larger and I find it easier to read. 

Pipettes are supposed to be one time usage type things, but I have found you can clean them for things like fragrances. Fill a container in the sink full of hot water with dishwashing liquid. Suck the soap up into pipette, then squish it out. Suck up some clean water (warm, preferably) and shake. Do this a few times until you're sure the suds are gone. There! You've cleaned a  pipette!

When I'm crafting, I'll get one for something like hydrolyzed oat protein and either keep it in the bottle or beside the bottle so I'm not using a new one every time I need a bit of oat protein. 

Heating and holding containers: I covered this topic more extensively in this post, but I'll remind you that you want something that is heat resistant and sturdy. Something with a handle is a good thing - but if you want to use a beaker or Mason jar, have some tongs or dish cloth/oven mitt handy to remove the containers from your double boiler. 

Do you know why Pyrex works well against heat? Because it's glass made with soda lime, which is heat resistant and less likely to break. The labware is made with borosilicate glass, which is more resistant to heat, but the soda lime is more resistant to breaking when dropped, which Pyrex considers more important in a household! (Click here for a very defensive statement from Pyrex!)

You don't want to go very hot to very cold or very cold to very hot with a Pyrex (or competitors') container. I regularly go from my double boiler to the freezer for things like lotion bars, but there is a risk your container could shatter. We had this happen in the double boiler once - it just cracked, no shards or anything, but the liquids in the container were ruined! We weren't going very hot to very cold or vice versa, but I think doing that often is what caused the shattering.

Join me tomorrow as we look at other equipment you could use in your workshop!