Beginner DIY Eliquid Problems

[rhysowen9]

Hi All,

I've just started attempting to make my own eliquids.
I'm having massive problems and I'm hoping that I'm making an easily recognisable, rookie mistake that can be corrected easily.

Initially, I started trying to make an Element Watermelon Chill Clone, my recipe was:

20% PG
80% VG
3% Nicotine (100% VG)

10% Watermelon
3% Sweetener
2% Peppermint
2% Menthol
2% Koolada

The throat hit was absolutely unbearable...
So I thought I should go back to basics and instead tried to make a small 15ml, watermelon only batch:

6.25mg Nicotine Base (VG)
1.05ml Watermelon Flavouring
0.3ml Sweetener
5.11ml VG
2.29ml PG

All of my kit comes from DarkStar.
I let the eliquid sit, top off, for a day...
The throat hit, again, is unbearable...

I must be doing something ridiculously wrong!

 

[Izan]

Hi mate,
Please tell us:
Brand of flavouring
Strength of nic base
Target nicotine strength
Devices being used (resistance/watts/volts/wire ect.)

Can you post a screen cap of the mixing calc/values you are using?

Cheers
I

 

[rhysowen9]

Hi Izan, cheers for the reply.

Watermelon and Sweetener are TFA, Nic Base is 7.2%
I'm using a Kanger Subtank Mini with a 0.5 Ohm coil running at 25W.
I'm aiming for 3% Nic strength.
Screenshot of my calcs attached!

 

[Izan]

Your recipe is making 30mg/ml not 3mg/ml.
in your 15ml recipe you would need to use about a half ml of nic base to achieve 3mg/ml. ( you are currently using 10 times that amount).
3mg/ml is also .03%.

Cheers
I

 

[rhysowen9]

Jesus... I knew it was something ridiculous...
Thank you, so much.. And thank you for not exercising well earned trolling rights :L

 

[Tee_Jay]

I'm a newbie also. I'm confused about your use of percentage. when you say your base is 7.2%, what do you mean?

there are 1000 mg in 1g, and 1g of pg/vg weight is (about) 1 ml. So 7.2% is 72 mg/ml. no?

The easiest way to calculate nic content, without leaving it to formulas is to figure out how many mg of nic you put in, then divide that by the total volume of juice at the end.

 

[Izan]

I'm a newbie also. I'm confused about your use of percentage. when you say your base is 7.2%, what do you mean?

there are 1000 mg in 1g, and 1g of pg/vg weight is (about) 1 ml. So 7.2% is 72 mg/ml. no?

The easiest way to calculate nic content, without leaving it to formulas is to figure out how many mg of nic you put in, then divide that by the total volume of juice at the end.

Yarp..
100% nicotine is 1000MG/ML
Consumer grade nic base is generally 10% (US market) or 7.2% (UK market). (100MG/ML or 72MG/ML respectively)
Finished juices tend to contain less than 1% nicotine. (10MG/ML)
Cheers
I

 

[puffon]

I find it easier (less confusing) for me, to use "Nicotine Unit" set for mg/ml, instead of percentage.

 

[BrotherBob]

3mg/ml is also .03%.

General - What do the numbers or % in Nicotine e Liquid (e.g. 0 mg, 12 mg, 18 mg) mean?
@rhysowen9

 

[dannyv45]

If you want to make a 3mg, 15ml base and your NIC is 72mg (7.2%) you should add .62ml's (just over half a ml) of NIC to your pg/vg base.

As far as trolls nope none around here. We just want to help. I once tried to make a cool vape just like you and used 20% menthol and nearly froze to death We've all been there.

Get a good e-juice calculator like in the link below. It will help a lot.

eJuice Me Up - Best eJuice Calculator

 

[DaveP]

I'm a newbie also. I'm confused about your use of percentage. when you say your base is 7.2%, what do you mean?

there are 1000 mg in 1g, and 1g of pg/vg weight is (about) 1 ml. So 7.2% is 72 mg/ml. no?

The easiest way to calculate nic content, without leaving it to formulas is to figure out how many mg of nic you put in, then divide that by the total volume of juice at the end.

And, from a long time vaper who recently entered the DIY juice crowd, remember that if you change the amounts of anything in your juice you just changed the nic level (experiential knowledge gained the hard way! ).

That can be a headache if you are trying to keep track of it all manually. A good ejuice calculator app will balance all that out for you based on the balance of components you originally set up, but you have to tell it when you change something and let it recalculate.

 

[SteveS45]

Also one thing I did not see mentioned here is to make sure you SHAKE you nicotine to make sure it is well mixed and you do not get a hot spot which no matter how accurately you calculate it will result in a stronger DIY e-Liquid in the end.

 

[Tee_Jay]

Hi folks - I have another beginner question. I hope it's ok to post it here rather than start a new thread..

A while back i made my first batch of DIY. I used what turned out to be SK cigs brand nic/pg/vg. In the end i have 5 L of 20 mg/ml juice that is 60% pg / 40% vg.

The 20 mg was a compromise. I wanted lower nic but i went in with a buddy who wanted 24. My preference would have been 12. Stupid me - I didn't save any pg/vg and ordering it is a pain.

Can i cut it with water? I've seen people talk about it in threads here but only small amounts.. anyone tried a high percentage (like say, 40%) water? Sorry if it's a stupid question..

 

[SteveS45]

I do not use distilled water in my DIY mixes and can't honestly say but 40% would be way too much! Get some VG and dilute the nicotine that way.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Hi folks - I have another beginner question. I hope it's ok to post it here rather than start a new thread..

A while back i made my first batch of DIY. I used what turned out to be SK cigs brand nic/pg/vg. In the end i have 5 L of 20 mg/ml juice that is 60% pg / 40% vg.

The 20 mg was a compromise. I wanted lower nic but i went in with a buddy who wanted 24. My preference would have been 12. Stupid me - I didn't save any pg/vg and ordering it is a pain.

Can i cut it with water? I've seen people talk about it in threads here but only small amounts.. anyone tried a high percentage (like say, 40%) water? Sorry if it's a stupid question..

First no question is dumb....
40% is way too much water. Better off ordering more pg/vg.


eta
Buy just enough pg/vg to mix whatever amount you want and put the 4 other litres in the freezer. It will keep.

 

[Maestro]

You don't get much vapor with water. That's why PG and VG is used. A few drops can be beneficial in order to thin out thick juice. But 40%? You'll be disappointed in the results.

 

[puffon]

I didn't save any pg/vg and ordering it is a pain.

VG is available at most Walmarts.
PG is available at Tractor Supply.
Cheaper deals online tho.

 

[Tee_Jay]

Ok.. Got it.. Water is a bad idea! I kind of thought so but i would have tried it so i'm glad i asked.. thanks for the replies by the way..

About the vg... Does too much make the vape feel a bit more harsh - like an irritant?

 

[Tee_Jay]

Hi again .. I just answered my own question

I went to Shoppers Drugmart and found Life brand USP glycerine.. I tried it straight up, and wow! It's awesome! tastes sweet and feels perfect..

Then i mixed it 1/2 and 1/2 with my 60 PG/40 VG @ 20 mg/ml.. I guess that lands it at 30 PG/70 VG @ 10 mg/ml..

It's perfect now.. Still no flavouring in any of it..

 

[IDJoel]

Hi again .. I just answered my own question

I went to Shoppers Drugmart and found Life brand USP glycerine.. I tried it straight up, and wow! It's awesome! tastes sweet and feels perfect..

Then i mixed it 1/2 and 1/2 with my 60 PG/40 VG @ 20 mg/ml.. I guess that lands it at 30 PG/70 VG @ 10 mg/ml..

It's perfect now.. Still no flavouring in any of it..

Glad you found your answer. I would just add, if you are unsure, try with a SMALL amount FIRST. As long as it isn't something dangerous; you will only be potentially wasting a few milliliters. Asking is never wrong but don't be afraid to try; just don't commit your entire inventory to an experiment. Trial and error is how most of us have learned/still learn. DIY is so subjective to begin with (flavor/taste especially). Baby steps, and small sample batches with lots of detailed notes, is what helps us to grow our understanding of what works best for each of us on an individual basis.

Water boils/converts to steam at significantly lower temperatures than most other ingredients found in e-liquid so it can cause significant popping, and spitting, if it is in excess and/or not thoroughly blended. I am happy you found a workable solution.