3lephant1 Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 I have a tablespoon that is 1/2 ounce. I'm trying to understand the difference between an ounce on a scale and a liquid ounce.Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Just ignore the fact that those two things have the same name. They are different things and could just as well have different names.A liquid ounce is what you get from a measuring cup or a measuring spoon. You're filling a container to a certain level, so it measures how much space a liquid takes up (the volume).The ounce you get on a scale is a measure of how heavy something is (the weight).When you measure fragrance oil in those two ways, you get two different amounts. You could theoretically do it either way, as long as you're consistent. Doing it by weight on a scale has some advantages though. One of them is that it's more consistent because it's easier to accurately measure weight on a scale than volume in a cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girlnextdoor Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 Now that reply was as simple as it gets.. Def appreciate the way you broke that down for her.. seriously..its nice to know that there are ppl out there that can answer your questions without making u feel like a complete moron... I appreciate you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Dee* Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 i bought a jewelry scale on ebay for 9.00 shipping included just to measure my fragrance oil. i found out my postal scale i use to weigh my wax doesnt like to weigh light weight stuff. but i love love this jewelry scale it is very sensitive. i just pour the oil into a small shot glass on the scale after i tare the glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 (edited) The confusion is due to our odd system of measurements, where we have the same name for two different things. These things have two different names in the metric system: Mass and weight is grams, while liquid volume is liters. No reason mix them up.That lets you know that when you buy a 2-liter bottle of soda, it refers to the size of the bottle (volume) rather than the weight of the liquid. If you buy a chocolate bar in Europe it will be sold by its weight in grams and the difference would be obvious.If you buy a 12 oz bottle of soda, that also happens to refer to the size of the bottle (look closely and it says "liquid ounces" on the label). But if you buy a 12 oz bar of chocolate, it says "net weight" on the label, referring to how heavy the piece of chocolate is. Same name, different measurement. Edited November 9, 2009 by topofmurrayhill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lephant1 Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Hi,Ok, I'm beginning to develop an understanding of weights and measures.Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustpuuppy Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 More info, here. Pretty geeky stuff.Bottom line is that a fluid ounce used to be based on the volume of water that was equal to one ounce in weight.Obviously this was too easy, so it got changed over the years.Also, a fluid ounce of FO will be heavier than a fluid ounce of water. And some FOs will be heavier than others.A fluid ounce of water now weighs 1.04 ounces by weight.An ounce of cinnamon FO might weigh 1.06 ounces by weight, and vanilla might weigh 1.08 onces by weight.Don't know if those weights are accurate, except for the water, but you get the idea.So if you use measuring cups and spoons, your recipes won't be consistent from one fragrance to another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 So if you use measuring cups and spoons, your recipes won't be consistent from one fragrance to another.Assuming you measure accurately, the recipes will be consistent in volume of FO from one fragrance to another. I don't think we can say for sure that consistent weight is better than consistent volume. When it comes to simple wax + FO candle formulas, either way works.When things get more complicated, the only practical approach is to weigh all ingredients and record formulas as the concentration of ingredients by weight in the finished product (the product could be a candle or a wax blend). Hobbyists don't necessarily have to worry about that, although we still encourage them to use a scale to help measure FO accurately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crissyp Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I'm new to the board and can honestly say Top you are the best. I always learn so much from your posts. Thanks for all the help !!Christie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwantItgreen Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I'm new to the board and can honestly say Top you are the best. I always learn so much from your posts. Thanks for all the help !!ChristieI second that! Thanks to you Top! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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