It's a long story. But let me tell you, having 3 arms is pretty "handy".
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It's a long story. But let me tell you, having 3 arms is pretty "handy".
Some bottles come with caps, some don't. Whatever the case is, you want to make sure you get poly cone caps (aka phenolic caps), not regular caps that have cardboard gaskets. Don't assume that bottles that come with caps are poly cone caps. Months ago I came across a site that had bottles with caps, but I was told by others that the caps are not poly cone so you have to buy them separately. The listing said nothing about it and the company never answered my email inquiring (COUGH essential depot COUGH
). I bought all my 4 oz bottles from heartlandvapes and my large 16oz bottles from GlassBottleOutlet on Amazon.
For my long term storage I decided to go with clear bottles for the 4oz bottles because I want to be able to look at the nic at a glance when I check on it without having to pour any out of the bottle just to see it. They will not be subject to light since they are stored in boxes inside my freezer, which does not have a light anyhow.
I bought amber bottles for the 16 ounce bottles only because clear ones in that size that I could find were way too expensive compared to the Amber ones from GlassBottleOutlet. My newest nic went into the larger bottles and as I go through the nic in the small bottles I will be decanting the 16oz bottles into the 4 oz bottles.
A tip: if you buy glass bottles from HeartlandVapes - it's slightly cheaper if you buy the bottle and the caps separately. It's always been that way and no one really knows why.
I bought more caps than I need for all my bottles because these caps can break easily if you tighten them too much. I broke 3 so thankfully I had extra.
If you buy the 16oz from GBO, heartland's 28mm caps are the same ones that come with the bottles from GBO. Yes, I know they say "8oz" but that's because heartland doesn't sell the 16oz bottles. They are the same thread and thread spacing (28/400) as the caps on the 16oz GBO bottles. In fact, they are 100% identical.
buying glass bottles from most places seems to be very expensive due to the shipping cost, so shop wisely.
I'm not an expert in DIY or bottles by any means. I'm just sharing my info.
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You definitely want the black caps with the polycone liners in them. The whole purpose of the liner is that it displaces a small amount of oxygen that will be at the top of the nearly filled bottle...as you screw the cap on it.
There is a variety of plastic caps that are phenolic. Some have polycone liners in them and many don't. Phenolic refers to a type of plastic that a cap itself can be made of. They're usually more expensive than other types of plastic caps. The term phenolic has nothing to do with having a polycone liner in the cap or not. A glass bottle company rep. explained that to me 4 years ago, when I asked about it. So, as long as the caps you buy have the polycone liner in them...it doesn't matter if the cap itself is "phenolic" or not.
"Definition of phenolic (Entry 2 of 2) 1 : a usually thermosetting resin or plastic made by condensation of a phenol with an aldehyde and used especially for molding and insulating and in coatings and adhesives..."
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Thanks for explaining that me. I wanted to make sure that I purchased the more effective bottles and caps to use for long term nic storage. Now I can spend time debating on what brand of 100mg nic to buy, and whether to mix by volume or by weight.
OH...geez, now you're really going to open up a can of worms! I know you'll get a wide variety of suggestions about which nic base to buy and why, because everyone has their own individual preferences. Then there's the strong opinions and preferences for measuring by weight or measuring by volume. So, be ready for the can opening to begin!
In the longrun...when dealing with DIY...the truth is...that there IS no 1 "best" anything for everyone who does it! Doesn't matter if you're talking about the method of measuring, or flavoring brands to use, or types and sizes of bottles to buy for your eliquids, or places to buy supplies, etc. Each person makes those decisions based on a variety of things (ie. their budget, how readily available something is from vendors, what's more comfortable for him/her to do or to work with, price differences from vendor to vendor, etc). We can ALL end up making great DIY, no matter what our individual choices are for the above.
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You don't really need amber bottles since you'll be storing in the freezer without access of light, the amber color helps to protect the content of the bottle from light but in your case it won't be really necessary. You have to pay attention to one thing though: when you are transfering from plastic to glass, or shaking the bottle before you use it, try to use swirling motion instead of shaking not to aerate the nic solution too much. You don't want bubbles that's for sure, aerating your solution will result in much quicker oxydation of the nic.
See, I wasn't even aware I was supposed to shake or swirl nicotine before I used it. I figured I was just supposed to fill up a syringe or something, and then put it in the bottle. Thank you for the tip.
In regards to the light, I'll have to use my fridge freezer, and light does come on when I open it. I just figured amber was safer to use in that situation.
Regarding measuring by weight vs volume... I mix my "base" (VG, PG, nicotine) by volume (very easy if you mark lines on a plastic bottle (I use a 120 ml and mix 100 ml) Leave some airspace so you can shake it up after mixing.
For flavors, a scale is so much easier (I need one myself) Otherwise use small syringes.
Always mix new flavors/recipes in small batches the first time (I do 10 ml) We call them SFTs (single flavor tests) Keep your recipes simple at first (like 3-4 flavors) It sounds hard but is so fun!
For flavors, a scale is so much easier (I need one myself) Otherwise use small syringes.
Always mix new flavors/recipes in small batches the first time (I do 10 ml) We call them SFTs (single flavor tests) Keep your recipes simple at first (like 3-4 flavors) It sounds hard but is so fun!
The more I look into it the more I like the idea of using a scale. It seems like it would be less mess and cleanup. And yes, my first recipes are going to be very simple. Baby steps.
@Redbird11, I have nic in my freezer from 2013 and it's very clear. Same as when I received it. So yes, nicotine will last in the freezer.
I accidentally dropped an amber bottle of Nude Nicotine's nic on my kitchen floor not long ago from freezer height (~4 1/2 ft). It didn't break or crack. Nude Nicotine uses excellent bottles. I use their Armor v2 100mg nic. The bottles have a self-sealing luer-lock adapter affixed under the hermetically-sealed cap for an easy draw with a syringe. I always bought the 120ml bottles as they're just easier to handle and ready to pop in the freezer once you receive them.
Don't know if you saw these...
Rossum's excellent thread: Nic Base Storage: Freezer vs. Room Temp Experiment
Nic. Comparisons:
Nicotine Comparisons
Good luck!
I accidentally dropped an amber bottle of Nude Nicotine's nic on my kitchen floor not long ago from freezer height (~4 1/2 ft). It didn't break or crack. Nude Nicotine uses excellent bottles. I use their Armor v2 100mg nic. The bottles have a self-sealing luer-lock adapter affixed under the hermetically-sealed cap for an easy draw with a syringe. I always bought the 120ml bottles as they're just easier to handle and ready to pop in the freezer once you receive them.
Don't know if you saw these...
Rossum's excellent thread: Nic Base Storage: Freezer vs. Room Temp Experiment
Nic. Comparisons:
Nicotine Comparisons
Good luck!
Many people share that thought. However, actually...it depends on what supplies a person uses who measures by volume, and how they use them.
Haha I totally forgot to ask you in pm about your methodology for mixing by volume like a month ago, there's too much going on in this forumMany people share that thought. However, actually...it depends on what supplies a person uses who measures by volume, and how they use them.
Hey thanks! I had actually browsed the nic comparisons thread before, but at 270+ pages, it became a bit overwhelming. Then I tried to research the different types: nicselect, purnic, CNT, and so on. Then I got a headache.@Redbird11, I have nic in my freezer from 2013 and it's very clear. Same as when I received it. So yes, nicotine will last in the freezer.
I accidentally dropped an amber bottle of Nude Nicotine's nic on my kitchen floor not long ago from freezer height (~4 1/2 ft). It didn't break or crack. Nude Nicotine uses excellent bottles. I use their Armor v2 100mg nic. The bottles have a self-sealing luer-lock adapter affixed under the hermetically-sealed cap for an easy draw with a syringe. I always bought the 120ml bottles as they're just easier to handle and ready to pop in the freezer once you receive them.
Don't know if you saw these...
Rossum's excellent thread: Nic Base Storage: Freezer vs. Room Temp Experiment
Nic. Comparisons:
Nicotine Comparisons
Good luck!
It's mostly sunlight you should be worried about. The light in the fridge/freezer is artificial, and very weak. And on top of that you only open it up for a very short time. But you're right, an amber bottle will give your nic even better protection when you take it out, for example, if it's out for the entire duration of your mixing session during the day in a light room.
I gotta admit- I skipped the step you are taking. What I did was I started getting the cheapest nic/mg solution in PG I could get a hold off
(Excluding my first attempts at DIY when I was using nic shots which was a total fail.)
I'll maybe make it easier for you. I don't recommend to do it like I did, buying the cheapest. But choose 3 most popular and tested brands, with good reviews, like the ones you mentioned, and check which one you can buy the cheapest. I doubt you will feel much difference. For example: NicSelect, 1407 reviews on google, overall rating 4.9/5... 1407 people can't be wrong man.
I mean they can, but that's highly unlikely. I remember the first time I moved to a new address around 3 years ago and wanted to order Chinese, I went on google. Found one with 4.8/5, with a similar number of reviews than that nic, can't remember exactly. Guess what- it was bloody delicious!
Don't overthink this... do your first DIY and take your time on the stocking up part. Good to do your homework though... you are way ahead of the game 
Well my feeling is I want to prepare for the possibility of the September supply issue. If I was starting a few years ago, then I would just grab a small bottle of nic from a company. If I didn't like it, no big deal. On to the next company.I gotta admit- I skipped the step you are taking. What I did was I started getting the cheapest nic/mg solution in PG I could get a hold off
But if I am purchasing this nicotine with the intent of supplying me for several years, I want to be thorough. Because, from what my understanding is, there is a good chance that nicotine will not be nearly as easy to come by in a few months time.
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