Am I at least in the right ballpark?

[IDJoel]

Good post IDJoel. I could never pulled any juice or flavor with a syringe(hands just won't cooperate) so I have been measuring with the syringe method %/ml since I started DIY.

Thank you Sugar! You are always so kind!
I am afraid I was a bit confused by the next sentence; you can't use syringes so you use syringes? I'm sorry... not trying to pick on you (I put a lot of stock in your posts!). I am sure that didn't come out the way you intended, and I value what you have to say, so I am just trying to understand.

I have to giggle at your reference to two finger typing. I know the feeling. And get so mad at myself when halfway thru writing a long post, slip and end up erasing half of what I wrote. But patience is a virtue. At least that is what I tell myself as I contemplate throwing the damn keyboard out with the trash. LOL

<laughing hysterically> <wiping tears from my eyes> God how I know that all too well!
Fore me; it's usually typing, proof reading, correcting, posting, discover @JCinFLA or @b.m. have already posted with the same thought (and expressed so better), re-edit my post, and feel inferior!

In case these may help others, too, here's several tips I discovered about making 100% VG Nic easier to use:

Thank you JC, all great suggestions!!

I did a tutorial and offer several suggestions here Mixing By Weight: Basics 101.

Thank you for mentioning that! I intended to link it in my previous post and fell into another rabbit hole. That really is a great introduction to weight measurement! It made me want to try!!

So trust me, I am not abandoning my thread

I don't (hope) that anyone here "needs" a one for one reply. We have all received help, and in return, enjoy helping others. I don't believe anyone will think you are abandoning a thread until you go dark for several days.

adding 100 mg of nic in it makes it very antimicrobial.

Well said! There is a reason nicotine is STILL used as a pesticide (and why we, as DIYers, take safety measures)!

So if you are Right, it sounds like either PG or VG or any Combination for a Nicotine Base will work.

Exactly. Though I gotta admit; you are the first person I have heard/read about having "growth" on ANY nicotine. So I will never again say "baloney."

"Accurate" is perhaps the wrong word to use, but it's almost certainly more "precise" than using pipettes and syringes. The scales we use have a resolution of .01 grams. A single drop of nic base, flavor, or dilutant, weighs in around .02-.04 grams depending on composition and what you use for a dropper. I don't think you're going to get "to the drop" precision out of anything larger than a 1ml syringe, and that's going to make tedious work of mixing even the smallest of batches.

I will take a stronger stance and say "accuracy is the wrong word to use." When a person uses averages, doesn't calibrate the scale (or uses unregulated/verified objects to calibrate); any potential for accuracy is chucked out the window.
"Precise" is certainly more debatable. Me with a 1mL syringe graduated to one one hundredth of a mL (1/100mL) against you with a scale reading to .01 mg. I think would be an even odds bet. As I have to go up in syringe size; the odds will definitely move in your favor for sure. And tedious? You are talking to a half blind man... You have no idea!!

Hot-spots today are very rare, and any reputable vendor has there nic blended properly before bottling, but of course it's a good idea to do anyway to make sure(shaking), but lets not spread the assumption that VG nic generally is hot spotting cause it's not..

Thank you @mhertz!! I have not found a first person report of "hot spots on this (or two other forums) more recent than 2012.
Can it happen? Yes. (Almost anything CAN happen.)
Is it a good practice to shake on first receipt? Yes. (A few minutes of time spent shaking is WELL worth my peace of mind!)
Does nicotine "fall out" of solution? No. (Unless it is supersaturated, e.g. >200mg/ml)
Nicotine is NOT scary. It simply demands respect and attention to what you are doing. The same respect you would give to other chemical compounds like gasoline, motor oil, alcohol, pesticides, herbicides, or any of the myriad of chemicals sitting in your medicine cabinet and garage (I am referring to 100mg/mL and lower).

However, it makes a lot of sense to me to deal with that difficulty when adding VG and make handling "the dangerous stuff" easier by getting the nic in a 100% PG solution. Hope that makes sense.

Nicotine is no less/no more dangerous in PG than VG. Unless you anticipate you are going to have problems working with VG in general; this is not really a justifiable argument.
That said; use what makes you most comfortable. There really isn't a huge benefit of one over the other. Just don't tell yourself it is "safer." It still needs to be handled with the same respect.

nobody said anything about a mix, like a 50/50 nic solution. Only thing I can come up with is that it makes the calculations more difficult, but with juice calculators??????

Quite right! @VNeil says he buys in 50/50 and I see some sense in that. The only downside I see to that is it will limit some of the vendors that can provide what you want. Almost (all?) nicotine vendors offer 100% PG or VG options. But fewer of them offer a blended (some variation(s) of PG AND VG). If you find a vendor you like (trust, price, quality) then I think this is a perfectly reasonable option!
You are also right that a calculator will do the arithmetic for virtually any blend. One is just as easy as another. Though, the fractions can get a bit intimidating if you let it. It just depends on how precise you are trying to be. (But this is true even for 100% mixes too depending on size/scale). Just keep reminding yourself that you are making a recipe; not trying to split an atom (one of my many montras... have I mentioned I am also OCD? ).

seriously considering getting the scale and mixing by weight, but have done no research into that yet. But will ask......if going that route, additional needs would include pipettes, some bottles and beakers,

If your budget isn't too pinched by this train of thought; I think it is not a bad one. I am glad you had a chance to check out @Capt.shay's thread.To me; it is one of the best, well thought out, well presented, intros to mixing by weight that I have seen (without any of the hype or half-truths some of the "fundamentalists" might promulgate). I think he could steer you toward a descent scale, or to those who can.
What I have learned from reading different threads here on ECF, and countless reviews of countless scales on Amazon, is I will be looking for something with dependability (it is amazing how many of the $10-$20 range start getting wonky after a couple of months), a minimum of a 0.01 gram reading (this seems to be the accepted/expected norm for DIY), an "auto off" over ride (many of the small pocket scales that operate solely on battery power will automatically shut off after a short period of time if it doesn't sense a change in weight... and as slow as I move this can be problematic ),and at least a 500 gram capacity (I have found myself mixing in larger and larger volumes and the mixing vessel counts toward the total weight capacity too... not as big a deal if it is plastic vs. glass).
I may be completely wrong and hopefully @Capt.shay or someone else who mixs by weight can jump in here and correct my errors.

I'll stop with the "dumb questions"

That's a "dumb statement" because I haven't heard you ask any "dumb questions." I personally don't believe there are "dumb" questions is the person asking genuinely wants to know. There are "antagonistic" questions when someone is just trying to start an argument which I don't see on this thread. And there are "lazy" questions when the answers are readily available but the individual would rather just ask instead of making an effort to search out those answers. But you have obviously been doing what you can to educate yourself by reading, and following suggestions, and generally making an effort so I don't believe you are lazy.
You're all good in my book my friend!

B.T.W. I would recommend a different scale and I also go in to that in the thread.

If I can hijack @OlderNDirt 's thread for a moment; I wanted to asked @Capt.shay if he had an opinion on this scale in particular (the scale/not the vendor)?
2000g x 0.01g digital scale (first on the list)
I ask because the capacity and sensitivity are good and the price is right.

When I do a mix I put my VG in a microwave and heat it up a bit to thin it out and make it easier to measure. However, you DO NOT EVER want to heat up 100mg nic, the fumes are quite overwhelming.

Good point. I have nuked my VG for a few seconds and does make it a LOT easier to work with. I have never put my VG nic in because I heard it causes the nicotine to degrade quickly. When I was talking to @Kurt about making the VG nic a little more user friendly to work with he said he will sometime place his working volume in a warm water bath (like the sink with a couple of inches of water in it) to get it above room temp. He said that he didn't believe this was causing any significant harm to the nic.
I never thought about fumes! (not with the sink/with the microwave)

There is no right way to do all this. It is more like different cooks go about making chili different ways but more or less end up with the same results.

BEST TAKE-AWAY YET!
Good DIY is all about WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU!

@OlderNDirt; almost everything we have told you are suggestions and what works for our individual style of mixing (except for safety, and my contribution is straight manure ). The toughest part (at least for me) of the DIY journey is sorting through the seemingly limitless bounty of perfectly valid information to find what is going to work best for you. And sadly; that is one task no one cane help you with.
You ask good questions. You seem to understand the information. I am confident you will be successful!

Enjoy the journey!

I started out just thinking about getting some nic in storage, but the DIY bug is starting to bite!

Oops! I just saw this; you're screwed!

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Thank you Sugar! You are always so kind!
I am afraid I was a bit confused by the next sentence; you can't use syringes so you use syringes? I'm sorry... not trying to pick on you (I put a lot of stock in your posts!). I am sure that didn't come out the way you intended, and I value what you have to say, so I am just trying to understand.

Oh my. Let me explain myself. I have previously said that I could not use the syringe with needle attached to pull up liquid as it is too difficult on my hands. But I should clarify that I still use the syringe part for the measurements that are listed on the sides of the syringes. I do this by capping off the end where the needle normally resides with a luer lock cap. I am not sure how else I would be able to measure such smaller amts used in mixing a recipe. I certainly do not wish to count drops. LOL
Hope this helps to clear up your confusion. I could post pics IF you absolutely insist. LOL

 

[VNeil]

"Precise" is certainly more debatable. Me with a 1mL syringe graduated to one one hundredth of a mL (1/100mL) against you with a scale reading to .01 mg. I think would be an even odds bet. As I have to go up in syringe size; the odds will definitely move in your favor for sure. And tedious? You are talking to a half blind man... You have no idea!!

In fact, the only way for the scale to equal the theoretical precision of a syringe is if you can find a way to add less than a full drop at a time, and the only way I know is to use a syringe

Drop counts per ml vary between 20-30 or so, depending on your dropper and that correlates to .03 to .05g per drop. That is the smallest resolution you can achieve with a scale. In practice this is not usually an issue unless you are measuring out very small percentages in a small mix.

Tip: the one place I have run into this is with a Mother's Milk clone recipe that called for 0.1% of TFA Cinnamon Spice, and absolutely no more. The author suggested 1 drop per 50ml, making it impossible to mix a test batch of, say, 10ml. I solved the problem by diluting my cinnamon flavors with PG, into 1:3 (25% dilution) and 1:9 (10% dilution). That allowed me to precisely come to 0.1% regardless of the final mix and in any case my margins of error were smaller.

There are certain potential inaccuracies with syringes...

1) If you use a blunt tip needle, the liquid in that needle is not accounted for and it is best to use the shortest and smallest diameter needle that your liquid will draw into. I think the worst I ran into was 0.1ml with a long 12ga blunt tip. Using a 22ga long needle it was, I think, 0.01ml or less.

2) Syringes are calibrated to assume no air in the syringe since that is a huge problem if they are used to actually inject something into a bloodstream. The bottom of the plunger is rounded to account for the corresponding shape of the bottom of the syringe. If you add air in an attempt to better read the meniscus you will underestimate the actual amount

3) Some people here claim syringes are not very accurate but it is not clear to me that they are fully accounting for the 2 items above. When I do it right it seems to agree with my scale.

Once again I want to stress that in most cases I'm geeking out here but I think it is important to understand the fundamental inaccuracies in either method. And apologies if this was covered previously.

 

[mhertz]

Yes, i've always used scales solely for the very much added convenience without cleanup directly mixing in end-bottle, and not because of any possible accuracy improvements.

However, I dont feel syringes are any more precise in use because not all are calibrated 100% and it involves eye-balling and there can be leftovers, so I believe they are comparabel in precision roughly...

Instead of more precise, they are possibly more consistent, because it doesn't matter how good eye-balling you do from one mix to the next or leftovers left
(I check my scales often with coins to see if they need calibration, so I know they remain precise.)

Anyway, as stated, the number one selling point as far as i'm concerned is the much more pleasant operation... Seriously... Go freakin' try it already (You can always get a better scale later, but the important thing is just to get one, and possibly upgrade later if wanted; as said mine is precise to 0.01g max 0.02g for 14'ish USD... The cutt-off of 30 secs to 1 min is fine imho, as that's the time you have if you somehow pause between adding one ingredient... It's not for all ingredients... Mine is 1 min, but the other for 30 secs where more than enough i.e. you don't add some drops of a flavor and then decide to wait 35 secs before adding more drops of that same flavor, lol - you have min 30 sec between every drop or squirt added of same ingredient...)

 

[wiredlove]

What I have learned from reading different threads here on ECF, and countless reviews of countless scales on Amazon, is I will be looking for something with dependability (it is amazing how many of the $10-$20 range start getting wonky after a couple of months), a minimum of a 0.01 gram reading (this seems to be the accepted/expected norm for DIY), an "auto off" over ride (many of the small pocket scales that operate solely on battery power will automatically shut off after a short period of time if it doesn't sense a change in weight... and as slow as I move this can be problematic ),and at least a 500 gram capacity (I have found myself mixing in larger and larger volumes and the mixing vessel counts toward the total weight capacity too... not as big a deal if it is plastic vs. glass).
I may be completely wrong and hopefully @Capt.shay or someone else who mixs by weight can jump in here and correct my errors.

This is the scale I'm using https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UGBG20 [ LB-501 - 500g X .01g ] which I bought after reading several threads about mixing by weight. It does have an auto off on battery, but disables that if it is on AC power adapter. It includes the calibration weights and AC power adapter.

The 500g max will include the container's weight, so your mix will need to be less than the 500g.

Since I was limited by the 500g, the last time I mixed 1000ml, I just did multiple batches and then combined them into one large erlenmeyer flask, then used my magnetic mixer on the full amount. (it's a powerful magnetic mixer that uses rare earth magnets to power through that volume and density of liquid)

 

[wiredlove]

In fact, the only way for the scale to equal the theoretical precision of a syringe is if you can find a way to add less than a full drop at a time, and the only way I know is to use a syringe

If you're willing to throw down a few hundred, you can buy lab pipettes with the level of accuracy to satisfy almost anyone's OCD. Pipetman is one - they start at the $300 range with a 2µl (0.002mL) to .2µl (0.0002mL) dispensing range. I'm sure the FDA would be happy with us using those.

 

[IDJoel]

Oh my. Let me explain myself. I have previously said that I could not use the syringe with needle attached to pull up liquid as it is too difficult on my hands. But I should clarify that I still use the syringe part for the measurements that are listed on the sides of the syringes. I do this by capping off the end where the needle normally resides with a luer lock cap. I am not sure how else I would be able to measure such smaller amts used in mixing a recipe. I certainly do not wish to count drops. LOL
Hope this helps to clear up your confusion. I could post pics IF you absolutely insist. LOL

Thank you Sugar for such a patient, and thorough, explanation. Even I understand now! (Pictures will not be required! )

 

[OlderNDirt]

OK! Got my work done and my weekly trip to town, so getting caught up here. Looks like I am ready to go on some things to order:

For my nic base, I'm going with 100% VG since my preference is around 70/30 and I want some play room for percentage of flavorings. For starters, a 500ml and 120ml each from Nude Nicotine and Wizard Labs. I would pack both the 500ml unopened for storage and use the 120ml bottles to get started mixing. I am not sure if it ships in glass bottles, so will ask......I plan on wrapping the container in foil or something dark and using a foodsaver to seal tight. Good idea and should it still be in glass?

Will pick up some VG and PG, maybe from one or both of those suppliers if it gets me into free shipping range. Something to at least get me started.

Once I get those orders going, I will work on the rest.

Several ideas/suggestions on a scale, so will follow along on any additional opinions as we go. I liked the looks of the one @Capt.shay suggested in his blog, but have never, ever used Ebay. May just be another first for me. But if I am going to dive into Ebay, may as well wait and see what the Capt has to say about @IDJoel's question. If I understand correctly, a 500g scale will handle mixing in at least a 120ml bottle, so not sure I would ever need 2000g since I will only be mixing for me. Then again, at some point I may find out I have some friends if anybody finds out I am DIYing.

So time to get my first order in and get back here for more research. Thanks yet again, all!

 

[sketchness]

OK! Got my work done and my weekly trip to town, so getting caught up here. Looks like I am ready to go on some things to order:

For my nic base, I'm going with 100% VG since my preference is around 70/30 and I want some play room for percentage of flavorings. For starters, a 500ml and 120ml each from Nude Nicotine and Wizard Labs. I would pack both the 500ml unopened for storage and use the 120ml bottles to get started mixing. I am not sure if it ships in glass bottles, so will ask......I plan on wrapping the container in foil or something dark and using a foodsaver to seal tight. Good idea and should it still be in glass?

Will pick up some VG and PG, maybe from one or both of those suppliers if it gets me into free shipping range. Something to at least get me started.

Once I get those orders going, I will work on the rest.

Several ideas/suggestions on a scale, so will follow along on any additional opinions as we go. I liked the looks of the one @Capt.shay suggested in his blog, but have never, ever used Ebay. May just be another first for me. But if I am going to dive into Ebay, may as well wait and see what the Capt has to say about @IDJoel's question. If I understand correctly, a 500g scale will handle mixing in at least a 120ml bottle, so not sure I would ever need 2000g since I will only be mixing for me. Then again, at some point I may find out I have some friends if anybody finds out I am DIYing.

So time to get my first order in and get back here for more research. Thanks yet again, all!

What sort of vapes do you enjoy and are you going for throat hit? Many have their opinions on what they like but I couldn't imagine spending more money on wizard labs nic than nude. If you like throat hit/ tobacco taste there are some vastly cheaper options. I am in the flavorless nicotine fan club. Both ship the nic in plastic. Which is fine for short term storage. They say less than 6 month but I wouldn't leave it more than a week or two. And only if I had too.

Some pg vg to start from whoever makes sense. This is a great deal for quantity

1 Gallon Veg Glycerin + 1 Gallon Propylene Glycol - FREE US SHIPPING

I personally get the 2 gallons of vg. I use very little pg.

As far as eBay goes setup a paypal account. That is the way to go. So no one is getting your card numbers.

 

[Capt.shay]

a minimum of a 0.01 gram reading (this seems to be the accepted/expected norm for DIY), an "auto off" over ride (many of the small pocket scales that operate solely on battery power will automatically shut off after a short period of time if it doesn't sense a change in weight... and as slow as I move this can be problematic ),and at least a 500 gram capacity

May just be another first for me. But if I am going to dive into Ebay, may as well wait and see what the Capt has to say about @IDJoel's question. If I understand correctly, a 500g scale will handle mixing in at least a 120ml bottle, so not sure I would ever need 2000g since I will only be mixing for me. Then again, at some point I may find out I have some friends if anybody finds out I am DIYing.

Criteria would indeed be .01 accuracy, at least 500g, no auto shut off. I can mix up to 240 ml batch including the bottle with the 500g max scale, larger batches with a beaker because it is lighter. When I needed more than 240 ml, I weigh the nic. pg. and flavors in one beaker then the VG in another then combine. The AW scale does indeed shut itself down in battery mode and I want the convenience of using the batteries. I don't want a cord running across the mixing table all the time. The AW scale also has a pretty heavy lag that can throw you off sometimes and defiantly slows me down.

For the benefit of those who didn't check out the Mixing By Weight: Basics 101, I recommend this scale: 500g x 0.01g High Precision Digital Scale SF-400D2 Counting w/ USB Wall Adapter

 

[OlderNDirt]

What sort of vapes do you enjoy and are you going for throat hit? Many have their opinions on what they like but I couldn't imagine spending more money on wizard labs nic than nude. If you like throat hit/ tobacco taste there are some vastly cheaper options. I am in the flavorless nicotine fan club. Both ship the nic in plastic. Which is fine for short term storage. They say less than 6 month but I wouldn't leave it more than a week or two. And only if I had too.

Some pg vg to start from whoever makes sense. This is a great deal for quantity

1 Gallon Veg Glycerin + 1 Gallon Propylene Glycol - FREE US SHIPPING

I personally get the 2 gallons of vg. I use very little pg.

As far as eBay goes setup a paypal account. That is the way to go. So no one is getting your card numbers.

Thanks for the great tips!

I'm not in the big throat hit crowd. I only subΩ and have gotten into RTA's recently, so learning about different builds. Based on what I read, NN and Wizard seemed to be less peppery then others, so figured that was a decent starting point and compare the two. I've always taken my time and proceeded slowly when trying a new tank/build/flavor/etc but figured I may not have that luxury in picking out a favorite nic base. And if I do have more time later, all the better to try something different if need be.

Good to know they both ship in plastic! Guess I can just pick up the 500ml base and some bottles for storage and keeping some out for the start. Thanks!

Hard to guess how long a gallon of VG or PG will last me, probably pretty long on the PG, but I presume the freezer would be best or is refrigeration sufficient?

And now I remember why I never used Ebay, having to set up a Paypal account. But thanks for reminding me that I really don't want to put my CC# out there for somebody I know nothing about! Will check for other buying options (even if it costs a bit more) or look into setting up a PP account!

 

[OlderNDirt]

Thanks @Capt.shay ! Given the Ebay Paypal thing sketchness reminded me of, I am going to do some checking for other sources, and if I find something comparable that looks good, will check back with a link and see what you think of it.

I think I will certainly need a scale that the auto shut-off can be turned off or can adjust the time or will have to leave it plugged in. No idea how much time one has before it kicks in, but I tend to be a bit on the slow side myself!

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Thanks for the great tips!

I'm not in the big throat hit crowd. I only subΩ and have gotten into RTA's recently, so learning about different builds. Based on what I read, NN and Wizard seemed to be less peppery then others, so figured that was a decent starting point and compare the two. I've always taken my time and proceeded slowly when trying a new tank/build/flavor/etc but figured I may not have that luxury in picking out a favorite nic base. And if I do have more time later, all the better to try something different if need be.

Good to know they both ship in plastic! Guess I can just pick up the 500ml base and some bottles for storage and keeping some out for the start. Thanks!

Hard to guess how long a gallon of VG or PG will last me, probably pretty long on the PG, but I presume the freezer would be best or is refrigeration sufficient?

And now I remember why I never used Ebay, having to set up a Paypal account. But thanks for reminding me that I really don't want to put my CC# out there for somebody I know nothing about! Will check for other buying options (even if it costs a bit more) or look into setting up a PP account!

I don't think setting up a pp account it is a requirement to purchase on ebay. It is preferred of course, but you can still use your cc on ebay. They just have pp process the transaction so they still don't see the numbers.

 

[corn flakes]

You don't have to have an account to use paypal.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Thanks for the great tips!

I'm not in the big throat hit crowd. I only subΩ and have gotten into RTA's recently, so learning about different builds. Based on what I read, NN and Wizard seemed to be less peppery then others, so figured that was a decent starting point and compare the two.

Just in case this may happen.....NN is in CA. Some of the vendors will require a pic of your drivers license in order to purchase.. or else have you sign upon delivery. You may want to consider that. Dunno. Just thought I would mention it.


And I think(but not 100% sure--) that nic in vg won't taste peppery per se. I think the sweetness of vg negates some the pepperish notes in nic. Not like pg. Pg is used also to help with a throat hit(so I am told). Not big on throat hits either so I tend to like the smoother nics myself. The last nic I bought is from here
E-Liquid Bottles by E-Liq Online Shop
It is clean and clear.
They too are in CA, but I bought before the new laws in CA became effective.

 

[OlderNDirt]

Just in case this may happen.....NN is in CA. Some of the vendors will require a pic of your drivers license in order to purchase.. or else have you sign upon delivery. You may want to consider that. Dunno. Just thought I would mention it.


And I think(but not 100% sure--) that nic in vg won't taste peppery per se. I think the sweetness of vg negates some the pepperish notes in nic. Not like pg. Pg is used also to help with a throat hit(so I am told). Not big on throat hits either so I tend to like the smoother nics myself. The last nic I bought is from here
E-Liquid Bottles by E-Liq Online Shop
It is clean and clear.
They too are in CA, but I bought before the new laws in CA became effective.

I took another look on their website and could find nothing about pics or signatures for delivery, but I guess that might come when doing checkout. I can't imagine California law would pertain to other states, but then again, not much surprises me anymore. If they require the drivers license, I think I can go elsewhere.

When checking their site, I saw they had an option to purchase in glass bottles sealed with argon for long-term storage, up to 2 years they said. 500ml in 125ml bottles would be about $15 more then buying the 500ml plastic bottle and some smaller glass bottles to break it down into, so question is, will that keep it longer?

I will check out the site you suggested as well as others. Thanks for that and the other info!

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

I took another look on their website and could find nothing about pics or signatures for delivery, but I guess that might come when doing checkout. I can't imagine California law would pertain to other states, but then again, not much surprises me anymore. If they require the drivers license, I think I can go elsewhere.

When checking their site, I saw they had an option to purchase in glass bottles sealed with argon for long-term storage, up to 2 years they said. 500ml in 125ml bottles would be about $15 more then buying the 500ml plastic bottle and some smaller glass bottles to break it down into, so question is, will that keep it longer?

I will check out the site you suggested as well as others. Thanks for that and the other info!

The last time I ordered from them, which was last month or the month before, the CA law was not yet in effect so I don't know if they would require it for out of state purchases. But I did order some hardware from another CA company, who informed me they need a pic of my license before they could ship my order. They could have told me before I placed the order and they did not. Plus after waiting for my order to ship for a few days, I finally emailed them and asked if there was a problem, and it was only then that they informed me. I was so mad. Not only did they wait until after purchase, but they waited until I contacted them. GRRR. Won't order from them again.
Anyway, I ordered 250ml bottle with the argon bottle cap option from NN. It came in glass and I just put it in the freezer without even unwrapping to look at it. I guess its a good option. Guess I will know in a couple of years when I am ready to use it. I think you can get better options elsewhere for less money as NN argon is quite expensive compared to other vendors. But to each their own. I am quite pleased with e-liq. It came in plastic so I did transfer to smaller bottles. Doing so gave me the opportunity to see, smell and use a sample size for testing.
They shipped fairly quickly also., With NN, I waited 3 weeks to receive my order without a word from them. Guess they are slammed with orders also.
A lot of ppl on ecf like Heartland vapes for their nic. I have never tried it but many say its good.

After a while you get overload on all the info(as I am sure you are by now). Just go with whatever you are comfortable doing.

 

[OlderNDirt]

Thanks @Sugar_and_Spice ! Heartland vapes is one I've seen around a bit, so may check them out before ordering! I'm not at all interested in messing around with a place that doesn't spell things out to start with.

 

[OlderNDirt]

@Sugar_and_Spice, so I checked out Heartland Vapes and my goodness, talk about ordering in quantity! Interested in splitting a 55 gal drum? !

I wanted to order in smaller quantities (500ml max), but at their price, I could throw half of the liter out and still be cheaper then some others. On a quick calculations and wanting to end up with a 6mg nic juice, I came up with a liter of base mixing about 555 30ml bottles, enough to last me a couple years if I only vaped my mixed juice. And I sure wasn't looking at buying PG and VG by the liter right now, but those looked like very reasonable prices as well. But will have to check and confirm storage practices for those as well, especially the PG.

So putting my order together for a liter of nic, liters of VG and PG, and some bottles to break it down into. And may as well get some bottles for mixed juice and throw in a syringe pack and some gloves. Heck, Looks like I'll be set to start upon receipt of one order! Well, all but a scale, so better get to work on that!

Thanks again for steering me in a good direction!

Oh, and may still put in a smaller order with Wizard and NN to try other nic and now I am curious how NN would handle my order. But I have time to think about that!

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

@Sugar_and_Spice, so I checked out Heartland Vapes and my goodness, talk about ordering in quantity! Interested in splitting a 55 gal drum? !

I wanted to order in smaller quantities (500ml max), but at their price, I could throw half of the liter out and still be cheaper then some others. On a quick calculations and wanting to end up with a 6mg nic juice, I came up with a liter of base mixing about 555 30ml bottles, enough to last me a couple years if I only vaped my mixed juice. And I sure wasn't looking at buying PG and VG by the liter right now, but those looked like very reasonable prices as well. But will have to check and confirm storage practices for those as well, especially the PG.

So putting my order together for a liter of nic, liters of VG and PG, and some bottles to break it down into. And may as well get some bottles for mixed juice and throw in a syringe pack and some gloves. Heck, Looks like I'll be set to start upon receipt of one order! Well, all but a scale, so better get to work on that!

Thanks again for steering me in a good direction!

Oh, and may still put in a smaller order with Wizard and NN to try other nic and now I am curious how NN would handle my order. But I have time to think about that!

Oh my gosh.....thanks but no...lol
Storage of pg/vg is simple. Dark, cool cabinet. Its ok to put into fridge but not necessary. This stuff keeps a long time.
Unless you have room to store 555 30ml bottles, I would not do that. I take my nic and divide it down into workable levels. ie....If I buy a litre, I would also buy probably buy a few more large type bottles in split that litre into.....
Say we first break it down to 50mg from the 100mg.
1000(litre-rounded up)ml of 100mg divide in half.
Pour 500ml(again rounded up) of 100 mg into another litre bottle
then
add 500ml of pg or vg to it.
This will give you a litre of 1000ml of 50mg. Put that one in the freezer and put a label on it with nic strength and date.
Take the original bottle that still has 500ml of 100mg and divide that in half by pouring 250ml(again rounded up) into another litre bottle. Add 750 ml pg/vg(match whatever pg/vg the original nic is in) and this will make a litre of 25ish mg. Label this and put into freezer. And you have 250ml(approx)in the original bottle to still work with for mixing.
OR
You can see how this is one way to divide your litre up. You can play with the numbers and decide how you want to store nic long term. But always leave a little out to work with.

Instead of adding pg/vg right away to produce that litre of 50mg, you could buy 4 250ml bottles and divide the litre up between them without adding additional pg/vg and put into storage.

AS you can see there are many ways to go about it. Whatever works for you is what you do.
But 555 30ml bottles is a lot of work....lol