Whitey's Capping Method
In keeping with my philosophy of developing the easiest possible methods to provide high quality, highly accurate finished products, this thread describes the easiest, most foolproof method I have developed for capping. Welcome, my friends, to the new school of capping powders. If any of you are familiar with my easy method for injectables, this is just a new application of the same concept.
New-School Volume-Based Mixing System:
What if I told you there is a way that you could forget entirely about powder and filler densities, and in fact, the only math calculation you'd need for the whole process is the # of mg per cap of active compound multiplied by the number 100, since you have 100 caps per tray? Well, that's exactly what I'm going to tell you, my friends. I'll walk you through the theory, or you can skip right ahead to the method, and I'll tell you exactly what to do.
The Theory:
In capping, we really have to accomplish one thing. Let's take a 50mg capsule of Clomifene Citrate as an example - our mission is to accurately get 50mg of Clomid in each capsule, and fill the rest of the cap with an inert substance (filler). Now it's the execution that gets complicated. In order to accomplish our task, we have to determine what percentage of the capsule's volume both the active compound and the filler occupy. To do this, you have to know the density of each powder - more specifically, the number of mg of each powder it takes to completely fill a capsule. Then you do some math based on those numbers to determine how much of each substance you must use, then measure them out, mix properly, and cap. And this is a perfectly fine and dandy way to make caps, and it's how I've done it for years. But it has the disadvantages of being time-consuming and overly complex for the novice capper. Not to mention it requires one to know how much of a certain compound fits into a capsule, which may require filling and weighing caps with sufficient accuracy to obtain that information.
Let's simplify things. At the end of the day, what do you need to know? You simply need to know the amount of filler that fits into a cap, after your active compound has been addeed. It's difficult because the old method requires us to measure all of our ingredients by weight, then perform calculations to deal with volume/density issues. But what if we decided to measure our powder blends by volume, instead? See, the volume of compounds we add never changes (excepting tamping/packing issues, which we will discuss later). Only the weight of the powder used varies from powder to powder.
The single constant in filling any container is VOLUME. And the volume of the bottom half of a Size 0 capsule is 0.65cc. This means that for every batch of 100 caps, you are limited to 65cc of total powder volume. Forget weight. Weight will be different for every powder. Volume is what we can count on.
EZ 1-2-3 Method:
1. Weigh your active compound (#mg/cap x 100)
2. Pour into graduated cylinder
3. Add filler to a fully settled volume of 65cc.
The Method Explained:
Use a 100ml graduated cylinder - I use a plastic one that I don't have to worry about breaking. Measure your active compound on an accurate scale. I mix one batch at a time, and the math couldn't be easier. Your formula: (#mg/cap x 100). Pour that powder into your graduated cylinder. Now, simply add the filler powder of your choice (although non-fluffy powders work best). Add up to 65cc, or a little past, and tap the cylinder on the counter to settle the powder. After 5-10 solid taps, you'll find that the powder is fully settled, and you can add or remove filler and tap again as needed to get exactly 65cc volume of fully settled powder.
If you blinked, you missed it - because you are DONE. All that's left is to thoroughly mix the powder and cap it, but I'll include a complete discussion of the capping process for those who may find it useful.
Overview:
1. Gather supplies
a. Capsule Machine and empty Size 0 gelcaps
b. An accurate scale
c. Mixing System supplies - at a minimum, I use a mortar/pestle and a round rubbermaid bowl with tight lid
d. 100ml Graduated Cylinder
e. Powders - actives and a good dense, free-flowing filler powder
2. Measure out your powder using Whitey's Volume Method as discussed above
a. Weigh your active compound (#mg/cap x 100)
b. Pour into graduated cylinder
c. Add filler to a fully settled volume of 65cc.
3. Mix powder evenly using one of the powder mixing methods
4. Fill capsules using tapping, not tamping, to settle the powder
Supplies Needed:
1. Capsule Machine (see discussion below) and empty gelcaps
2. Scale/scales - Really, to cap accurately over the long run, dealing with low mg-dosed compounds, it's best to own a scale accurate to .01g. I have a .01g that handles up to 100g, and a .1g accurate scale with a 500g capacity, which allow me to tackle any project I can think of. Scale retailers:
3. A Mixing System (see discussion below) - some examples are mortar and pestle, coffee grinder, tumbler, or shaking system.
4. 100ml Graduated Cylinder - I understand there is some concern about the accuracy of cheaper graduated cylinders, and that you get what you pay for. Honestly, I believe the better plasticware is more than adequate for the purposes of measuring powder volume for capsules, and encourage using unbreakable cylinders so you can really tap them well to settle the powder.
5. Powders - active compounds and fillers. We'll talk about fillers of course, but please don't ask where to get hormone powders and such in this thread. It's against the rules, and a threat to board safety.
Capsule Machines:
I've recommended purchasing a good quality manual capsule machine that fills 100 caps at a time. I feel that it is by far the best bang for the buck capper. It's disadvantages: Like all manual cappers, it does require you to manually pull apart the empty capsules and place them in the trays, but unlike the "Cap 'm' Quik" - it does actually join the caps for you. It loses a tiny bit of powder when you turn the trays vertical to join the caps, but it's manageable, and if you have the inclination, you can modify the capper (as described elsewhere by SV-1) to solve the problem. Advantages: more caps per tray = more efficiency, and best of all, the math is kept so simple you can do it all in your head.
Mixing Systems:
There are many ways to mix your blended powder. I'll just try to cover the advantages and disadvantages of each.
1. Mortar/Pestle - Geometric Dilution Method
Advantages: Old school grinding and mixing at its finest. Compounding pharmacies still use this method, and with geometric dilution, it's considered a highly accurate mixing method.
**Geometric Dilution means you start with a 1:1 ratio of active compound to filler, and you mix it with the mortar and pestle. Then, you add another part filler equal to the amount of powder already mixed. You keep doing this, the amount being added increasing geometrically, until finally, all the filler is added and powder mixed evenly.
A final advantage is that the mortar and pestle easily takes care of any lumps in your active powder that could affect dosing, and it helps break up more granulated powders and/or fillers, bringing them closer to the same particle size.
Disadvantages: Powder tends to stick in the grooves in the bowl on many mortar/pestle units, and since it starts sticking at the very beginning of the process, where the active compound % is higher, there may be some wasted compound and resulting underdosing of compound. Obviously, this is more significant in lower-dosed compounds than in higher, where it is of fairly minor concern.
Another disadvantage is that the mortar and pestle/geometric dilution method can be fairly slow and may be considered cumbersome in comparison to some of the more hands-free methods.
2. Shaking Methods
Some people just put the powder in a ziploc bag or other container and shake.
Advantages: Well, overall the method is simple and easy. And given enough time and friction of particles moving past each other, it might be reasonably accurate.
Disadvantages: But, likely this method on its own will not lend the level of mixing accuracy we'd like to see. Nor will it do anything about any small clumps that might exist in the powder.
Bottom Line: It may be useful, however, in conjunction with other methods. If you do it, a plastic bag is not the best approach - better would be a round rubbermaid container with a tight sealing lid.
3. Power Blending
Assuming you don't own expensive laboratory blending equipment, we're probably talking about a coffee grinder setup.
Advantages: Automatic blending, hands free, and typically does a decent job of handling clumps.
Disadvantages: Depending on the machine, it may actually do a particularly poor job of mixing powder below the level of the mixing blade. Test this for yourself by mixing powders of different color or adding some food coloring to the mix. Additionally, powder tends to stick to the side, and many models don't form a tight enough seal around the grinding compartment to keep powder from flying out.
Bottom Line: Probably not the best method of mixing powders, by itself. When I used this method, I had to finish the mixing with another method. A lot depends, I'm sure on the particular model of grinder, so as always, your mileage may vary.
4. Tumbling Systems
Advantages: A very accurate method of mixing in a constantly rotating tube or cylinder, which uses gravity and friction to mix powder to a very high degree of completeness. With an automated system, like a rock tumbler (used for polishing rocks), this is all hands free and effortless.
Disadvantages: The priciest of all the methods, if you acquire a machine. If you attempt to do it manually, perhaps by constantly turning a protein jug or other cylindrical container to mix your powder, your probably looking at one of the most time-consuming and labor intensive methods, unless you can devise some sort of contraption to do the work for you.
Whitey's Mixing Method:
If you're doing high volume work, invest in an automated blending or tumbling system. For those of you like me, looking for the best and easiest method, with minimal cost, here's my favorite method at the present time:
It's a combination of mortar/pestle-geometric dilution and a shaking method. I start with a round, bowl-shaped rubbermaid container, with a tight-fitting lid. I pour my active compound in the bottom and a roughly equal amount of filler, and use the pestle from my mortar and pestle to thoroughly mix this and knock all the lumps out of the powder.
Now, I use baking soda as a filler, so I know roughly how much I'll be adding to the cylinder for any given project. So, this step is inserted before adding the active compound to the graduated cylinder. And I like to mix about half the powder with the pestle, using geometric dilution - and give it a quick shake (with the lid on) for good measure before pouring in the cylinder and topping off with filler.
Once I've got the powder measured for volume (65cc), I'll pour it back into my plastic mixing bowl - I can stir with the pestle for a bit, and then I always like to give it a good shake. Technically, I've used geometric dilution throughout the entire process, I get the benefit of friction and lump breaking from the pestle, and I've added shaking to the mix for good measure. I feel this method provides a very well-mixed powder, and it's very quick, easy, and clean. Feel free to use it if it works for you.
Fillers:
The best fillers are loose, dry powders, that aren't sticky and blend well with most powders. Some examples: baking soda (my favorite) and dextrose. In the past, I've used protein powder, but I find it to be harder to work with because there is too large a volume difference between its loose and packed states. Try to avoid powders with this property. Others have used corn starch, which seems a bit finer than a filler would be ideally, and corn meal, which might work pretty well, if you don't mind its appearance. I'll add in an appendix of this thread a list of commonly used fillers, as well as active compounds, with their approximate weight per Size 0 capsule.
As we'll see in the next section, the less compressible a filler powder is, the greater our accuracy will be. You're welcome to use other powders, but if you use fluffy filler powders, you'll have more variability and will need to be careful not to get too aggressive when you settle the powder for measurement.
Filling the Capsules:
Again, let me encourage you to avoid sticky powders, fluffy powders, super-fine powders, or highly compressible powders like protein powder. They will decrease your accuracy in capping by adding variability in the filling process. It's also best to avoid tamping. Tamping is the packing down of powders, using a special tool to compress the powder inside the caps. Don't do this - it's totally unnecessary. All you want to do, really, is provide the same level of settling force (tapping the cylinder/capping unit on the counter or work surface) when you measure the powders and when you fill the caps. You're not going to be able to slam the tray down without the powder/caps flying out, so don't slam the cylinder down that hard either. Just good, solid taps do fine.
Powders like baking soda are dense enough to reach a close to fully packed state just through settling, which is exactly what we want. Tamping, especially with the capsule machine mentioned in this thread is almost always counter-productive. It's an option if you end up with too much powder, but it tends to deform the caps, expanding them such that they have trouble when you join them and result in some broken and misjoined caps (a mess). It's much better to spend a little time using short, light taps - tapping the tray softly, but repeatedly, on your work surface. I aim to have all the caps settled and filled with 2 sets (at most, 3 sets) of tapping, with spreading inbetween. The more dense and free-flowing your filler powder is, the easier and faster this will be.
Summary:
1. Measure out your powder using Whitey's Volume Method
a. Weigh your active compound (#mg/cap x 100)
b. Pour into graduated cylinder
c. Add filler to a fully settled volume of 65cc.
2. Mix powder evenly using one of the powder mixing methods
3. Fill capsules using tapping, not tamping, to settle the powder