Rubber Stopper Maintanence

So I’ll be pulling from a 50ml jug for the first time insted of a 10ml. I was wondering if there are any tips/tricks to keep the rubber stopper in good shape. Obviously a smaller guage needle would cause less damage but what else?

Thanks bushy, in regards to the 10ml vials lying around. Would ones that I’ve already used and pulled all the juice out of still be considered sterile? My initial thoughts are no, but I’m probably wrong.

The silicone idea kind of scares me from a sterility standpoint.

Do you think trying to keep drawing from the same spot in the stopper would enable the majority of the stopper to remain in good order. OR would repeted stabbing in the same spot weaken the stopper as a whole vs. multiple spots.

Am I making a big deal out of nothing? I mean shit, it’s not like I’m the first guy to use a jug. And I’ll only be drawing with a 22g.

Thanks for the help.

In my experience, I used alcohol swabs to clean the the rubber stopper before and after extracting. I then covered the stopper with a little cellophane. I read that that keeps contaminents out and helps the stopper stay tighter. I never saw a problem with 22g extractions and stopper problems using that method. Hope this helps.

–W8

As W8 logic said, swab before and after.

The other thing you should do is play around the clock on the stopper.

start at the 12 o’clock position and every day work your way around the outside, drawing from another spot. this will reduce the wear on your stopper for constently drawing in the same general area, and save you from the rubber chunks in the gear.

That being said, a 50cc jug is a big jug! Consider purchacing some presealed vials from a research site, and breaking it up into smaller jugs.

Thanks for the replies guys. But it turned into even more of a non-issue than before. I got a bunch of 10’s insted of the 50’s I was anticipating.

Seacrest out

Or you could stick the needle in and leave it in, extract your amount and pull the plunger all the way out carefully, and extract with another needle.That way only 1 hole. and sterilization isnt really an issue.

[quote]c_simms wrote:
Or you could stick the needle in and leave it in, extract your amount and pull the plunger all the way out carefully, and extract with another needle.That way only 1 hole. and sterilization isnt really an issue.[/quote]

I seriously hope you’re kidding.