Dipping my toes in the world of DIY eliquid.

[Redbird11]

Hey everyone. I am in the very early steps of trying out DIY. I have read up on it quite a bit, and I have taken advantage of a lot of the information available on this forum. I do have one question on my mind that I have not been able to find any reference to on here however.

During my training wheel phase, I plan on purchasing Base - Unflavored Nicotine from Liquid Barn (probably 12mg). BASE | Unflavored eLiquid ReFill (500ml). Now I know that when higher nicotine concentration is purchased such as 48mg or 100mg, you need to freeze it. But with the premixed nicotine/pg/vg base, is that necessary? Or do I just treat it like regular ejuice and store it somewhere dark?

 

[dennism]

I don't freeze my nicotine, just keep it in my dark closet at room temperature.

 

[Izan]

RB,

Light and heat cause nicotine to degrade.
At higher concentrations, more nicotine is likley to be exposed and thus degrade, so 100mg/ml will degrade faster than 12mg/ml.
PG/VG with or without nicotine will NOT freeze in commercially used freezers. It just gets thicker.
buy the best quality PG/VG and nicotine you can afford.

With September quickly approaching, 100mg/ml strength would be the lowest percentage I would buy.
100mg/ml, 100% VG base is easily diluted to lower levels to facilitate mixing of smaller batches of DIY juice. 5 or 10 ml. The majority of DIY flavors are PG based.
Have a look at "one shot" flavoring mixes for a super easy way to start with almost guaranteed good results.

My wife and I vape about 100mg of nicotine per day. A liter of 100mg/ml has lasted a bit over 5 years.
I prefer 100%VG nicotine manufactured by Chemnovatic. Vapers Tek

If you have a problem with children randomly drinking from bottles stored in your freezer, wrap the bottles in foil and place them in tape sealed, well labeled, plastic storage containers. ( and have a talk with the lil window licker and his parents)




HTH
I

 

[JCinFLA]

But with the premixed nicotine/pg/vg base, is that necessary? Or do I just treat it like regular ejuice and store it somewhere dark?

If you're going to buy just 12mg nic base, especially in smaller quantities, putting it in the freezer isn't necessary, IMO. However, as @Izan said...you'll get "more bang for your buck" and be much better prepared for the longterm future, if you'll buy the 100mg/mL nic base by the Liter instead. Paying a vendor for 12mg nic base is paying them a ridiculous price for mostly just plain PG and/or VG that's in it. Their actual cost for the small amount of nicotine in it...is tiny.

I've gotten most of my 100mg/mL nic base in 100% VG for "my freezer stash", from Heartland Vapes for $44.99/Liter or even less on Sale. Their Free S/H threshold is just $50, too. So...if you need plain PG, plain VG, bottles to store your nic base in, etc...getting some of those things at the same time will definitely save you $$, especially with the Free S/H.

 

[Train2]

I think really, the thing is how long you're storing.
See, you don't HAVE to store in a freezer, but it lengthens the life-span.
And if you buy a half liter of 100mg, that's gonna last you a while.
Like for me, 500mls of 12 mg is gonna be gone in 3 months, while same volume of 100mg is going to last me like 2 years...so it's in the freezer.

Hey everyone. I am in the very early steps of trying out DIY. I have read up on it quite a bit, and I have taken advantage of a lot of the information available on this forum. I do have one question on my mind that I have not been able to find any reference to on here however.

During my training wheel phase, I plan on purchasing Base - Unflavored Nicotine from Liquid Barn (probably 12mg). BASE | Unflavored eLiquid ReFill (500ml). Now I know that when higher nicotine concentration is purchased such as 48mg or 100mg, you need to freeze it. But with the premixed nicotine/pg/vg base, is that necessary? Or do I just treat it like regular ejuice and store it somewhere dark?

 

[PeterKay]

Like folks previously said, I would buy the strongest nicotine you can man. This way you can mix whatever you want and it takes up much less space. It should also be cheaper overall per mg.
Just be aware that extra safety measures are needed when handling 100mg nic versus 12mg nic. Gloves are a must, you don't want to spill 100mg nic base all over your hands.

 

[Redbird11]

RB,

Light and heat cause nicotine to degrade.
At higher concentrations, more nicotine is likley to be exposed and thus degrade, so 100mg/ml will degrade faster than 12mg/ml.
PG/VG with or without nicotine will NOT freeze in commercially used freezers. It just gets thicker.
Buy the best quality PG/VG and nicotine you can afford.

With September quickly approaching, 100mg/ml strength would be the lowest percentage I would buy.
100mg/ml, 100% VG base is easily diluted to lower levels to facilitate mixing of smaller batches of DIY juice. 5 or 10 ml. The majority of DIY flavors are PG based.
Have a look at "one shot" flavoring mixes for a super easy way to start with almost guaranteed good results.

My wife and I vape about 100mg of nicotine per day. A liter of 100mg/ml has lasted a bit over 5 years.
I prefer 100%VG nicotine manufactured by Chemnovatic. Vapers Tek

If you have a problem with children randomly drinking from bottles stored in your freezer, wrap the bottles in foil and place them in tape sealed, well labeled, plastic storage containers. ( and have a talk with the lil window licker and his parents)




HTH
I

Maybe I should have mentioned that I do plan on buying at least a couple of liters of 100mg nic soon as well. I know for sure that I need to freeze those. However, I am also going to buy a couple of 500ml of this Liquid Barn base liquid of 12mg, just to get accustomed to the whole process. I wondering if that needed to be frozen too since it was a much smaller concentration.

 

[Redbird11]

I think really, the thing is how long you're storing.
See, you don't HAVE to store in a freezer, but it lengthens the life-span.
And if you buy a half liter of 100mg, that's gonna last you a while.
Like for me, 500mls of 12 mg is gonna be gone in 3 months, while same volume of 100mg is going to last me like 2 years...so it's in the freezer.

I understand about the lifespan. I am preparing for the "vapocolypse" so I will be buying 100mg too and freezing it. I just also wanted to get some lower nic base for my first actual mixing.

 

[vaper1960]

Maybe I should have mentioned that I do plan on buying at least a couple of liters of 100mg nic soon as well. I know for sure that I need to freeze those. However, I am also going to buy a couple of 500ml of this Liquid Barn base liquid of 12mg, just to get accustomed to the whole process. I wondering if that needed to be frozen too since it was a much smaller concentration.

That makes sense... easy way to get started and learn about flavors. Speaking of flavors, I have compiled a list (from lots of research) that you might find useful. You can find it here:
Well-reviewed Flavor Concentrates
I'm going to create a blog for this soon.

 

[vaper1960]

This is a really good deal on a starter kit (has many useful things and you get four 30 ml bottles of flavors):
DIY Kit

 

[vaper1960]

I had already been doing DIY awhile but still bought that kit because it was such a good deal

 

[JCinFLA]

I just also wanted to get some lower nic base for my first actual mixing.

When I first started DIY, and wasn't sure I'd even like doing DIY...I didn't start out with 100mg/mL nic base either. I bought (1) 120mL bottle of 24mg/mL nic base in 100% VG. I was making my eliquid so it would be 6mg when finished. That gave me some actual experience in working with, and adding, nic base to my mix.

I could've just bought the 6mg nic base (and paid nearly the same as I did for the 24mg/mL), but all I'd be adding would be flavorings then. It also wouldn't have allowed me to make as many mL of finished eliquid as the 24mg/mL did.

When I found out I loved doing DIY and felt very comfortable with handling the nic base...I went right from that 24mg/mL to buying 100mg/mL by the Liter. Then I really started saving $$ on my DIY, too.

 

[Redbird11]

That makes sense... easy way to get started and learn about flavors. Speaking of flavors, I have compiled a list (from lots of research) that you might find useful. You can find it here:
Well-reviewed Flavor Concentrates
I'm going to create a blog for this soon.

Thats awesome. I have been researching some flavors. I was originally just get some from Liquid Barn when I purchased the Base PG/VG/Nic mix, but I read that their flavors are possibly not considered the best. So I planned on purchasing some flavoring from somewhere like Bull City or Flavor Jungle. Now I just need to figure out exactly what lab supplies I need in regards to bottles, etc. I am not sure if a starter kit actually comes with everything I need. That Heartland Kit does look like a good value.

 

[Redbird11]

When I first started DIY, and wasn't sure I'd even like doing DIY...I didn't start out with 100mg/mL nic base either. I bought (1) 120mL bottle of 24mg/mL nic base in 100% VG. I was making my eliquid so it would be 6mg when finished. That gave me some actual experience in working with, and adding, nic base to my mix.

I could've just bought the 6mg nic base (and paid nearly the same as I did for the 24mg/mL), but all I'd be adding would be flavorings then. It also wouldn't have allowed me to make as many mL of finished eliquid as the 24mg/mL did.

When I found out I loved doing DIY and felt very comfortable with handling the nic base...I went right from that 24mg/mL to buying 100mg/mL by the Liter. Then I really started saving $$ on my DIY, too.

I am confident that I will have no problem figuring out how to use the high nic concentrate, but just wanted to start on the easier side of things. Another thing is that I really did not want to stock a bunch of stuff in my freezer right now. That is one of the reasons I was hoping that I did not have to freeze the premixed base from Liquid Barn.

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

I am also going to buy a couple of 500ml of this Liquid Barn base liquid of 12mg, just to get accustomed to the whole process. I wondering if that needed to be frozen too since it was a much smaller concentration.

No, probably not. If you are going to use that 12mg base over the course of say 6 months, then no need to freeze it. Just keep it in a dark and preferable cool place. Your fridge would be a good place as long as anyone in your house knows not to touch it. But you don;t have to keep it in the fridge. 12mg base is basically eliquid. I have vaped eliquid that is over a year old kept on a shelf where it can get warm at times an it tastes fine and I haven't grown a 4th arm

I understand about the lifespan. I am preparing for the "vapocolypse" so I will be buying 100mg too and freezing it

Be sure to get glass bottles to freeze it in. Many (most?) nic sellers don't ship in glass. I have seen some pics of nic from the high priced sellers that don't even ship in glass. For long-term storage you want glass - plastic is porous so moisture in your freezer can get through eventually and degrade your nic.

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

BTW: Don't dip your toes in your eliquid. I hear toe jam flavored eliquid isn't all it's cracked-up to be.

 

[Redbird11]

No, probably not. If you are going to use that 12mg base over the course of say 6 months, then no need to freeze it. Just keep it in a dark and preferable cool place. Your fridge would be a good place as long as anyone in your house knows not to touch it. But you don;t have to keep it in the fridge. 12mg base is basically eliquid

That is what I was hoping. I wanted something I could just stash away in the dark or something. Want to save freezer room for when I get the 100mg Nic. Do you think its possible for the 12mg Nic to be good for 1 year?

Be sure to get glass bottles to freeze it in. Many (most?) nic sellers don't ship in glass. I have seen some pics of nic from the high priced sellers that don't even ship in glass. For long-term storage you want glass - plastic is porous so moisture in your freezer can get through eventually and degrade your nic.

Oh, I know that glass is the way to go. I am just trying to figure out what glass bottles I want. I know those boston round amber bottles are good, but I see so many different ones online. And then what kind of caps to get for them. Some have dropper caps, some just black lids, and so on.

 

[Redbird11]

BTW: Don't dip your toes in your eliquid. I hear toe jam flavored eliquid isn't all it's cracked-up to be.

It's probably better than some store bought stuff I've had in the past!

 

[Ed Brown]

No, probably not. If you are going to use that 12mg base over the course of say 6 months, then no need to freeze it. Just keep it in a dark and preferable cool place. Your fridge would be a good place as long as anyone in your house knows not to touch it. But you don;t have to keep it in the fridge. 12mg base is basically eliquid. I have vaped eliquid that is over a year old kept on a shelf where it can get warm at times an it tastes fine and I haven't grown a 4th arm

I haven't heard the story about your 3rd arm.

 

[UncLeJunkLe]

Do you think its possible for the 12mg Nic to be good for 1 year?

I think it's possible, but that's just my opinion.