DIY for dummies?

[Amy87]

I live in Indiana, and as of July first there will only be six vendors carrying the license that will now be needed to sell eliquid. My super cheap out of state vendor will no longer be allowed to ship to Indiana, so I am desperate to know how to make this on my own.

I am in dire need of a simple explanation of how to DYI. I have read through several threads, and looked at calculators, youtube videos and articles. But the problem is I am horrible at math, and by the time I look at all the percentages and measurements I just feel more confused than before I started researching it.

So just as an example, lets say I want to make a 30ml bottle. I prefer high PG, so I was looking at a 24mg/ml nicotine base of 80/20 pg/vg. I vape 12mg juice. And of course there will be flavoring added, but its the percentage of nic base that I'm confused about. Would it be easier to buy the nicotine, pg and vg separately and mix my own base?

I know this can't be rocket science, it seems like everyone else is doing it just fine, but the math, oh God the math!!!

 

[Hightech Redneck]

I vape 6mg and order 100mg nic. In the long run it is much cheaper to use bulk pg and vg.
I use i think a little under 2ml of nic to bring 30ml up to 6mg nic.
Nic is typically the most expensive ingredient, and I buy vg/pg by the gallon.
There are a lot of calculators out there to help you start with your measurements.
There is also a ton of info in the blogs and DIY section.
Hope that helps, and I'm sure others will chime in as well.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Its ok. DIY can be a little confusing at times. You will get the hang of it pretty quick. Look at your 30 ml bottles as it will hold 100% of your finished product. This will help to visualize what you need to do. So if for ex. you want 10% flavoring in your 30ml bottle the math is 30*.10 = 3ml. See how easy that was?

Find a good ejuice calculator and just plug in the numbers and it will do the math for you.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Ok using your example of the nic base. 24mg/ml in 80/20 pg/vg when split in half to get your 12mg can mess up the pg/vg ratio, so when ordering nic in any mg consider ordering it in pg or vg and then order some plain pg and vg to help you get to the desired ratio.

 

[Train2]

I could probably walk you through the math, but it CAN get confusing - because every addition (flavors for example) changes both the strength and the PG/VG ratio. That's why you use the calculator:

You enter what you HAVE:
Nic strength, and whether it's in PG or VG
Flavor percentages in your recipe
Total volume you want (30 ml, for example)

You enter what you WANT:
Final nic strength
Final PG/VG ratio you want

And it tells you how much of each ingredient you should put in the bottle

If you have a PC, I recommend EJuiceMeUp, which you install.
It has built-in recipes, and lets you "save as" your own.

If you prefer an online calculator, you can use the Steam Engine one.

If the calculators get you confused, come back and ask questions - people here will help!!
Screen capture works good too, so we can see what you're looking at.

 

[Amy87]

I vape 6mg and order 100mg nic. In the long run it is much cheaper to use bulk pg and vg.
I use i think a little under 2ml of nic to bring 30ml up to 6mg nic.
Nic is typically the most expensive ingredient, and I buy vg/pg by the gallon.
There are a lot of calculators out there to help you start with your measurements.
There is also a ton of info in the blogs and DIY section.
Hope that helps, and I'm sure others will chime in as well.

Ok, I think I worked this out as:
using 100mg nic, to get a total of roughly 12mg (13.33mg actually) I would use 4ml nic, making 400mg, which divided by a 30ml bottle comes out to my target (or close to it) of 12mg.

This sounds easier than using the bottle I was looking at that was only 24mg nic in the base. I am not so confused by the PG/VG and flavoring percentages, its getting the nic level correct that has been giving me a headache.

I think I will just order the supplies and do my best by trial and error. But I really appreciate your comment Hightech Redneck, that short reply was much clearer to me than the detailed tutorials I've been looking at. Thanks!

 

[Amy87]

Y'all are all so helpful. I have been away from the forums for a long time, but now I remember why I love them so much. Vapers rock

 

[puffon]

I don't like math either.
Found it easier to figure out ejuice me up.

 

[Hoosier]

Glad the great folks on this sub-forum were able to help out a fellow Hoosier!

 

[Amy87]

If you have a PC, I recommend EJuiceMeUp, which you install.
It has built-in recipes, and lets you "save as" your own.

Installing as I type this, I knew about online calculators, but I had no idea there was actual software out there. Thanks!

 

[Amy87]

Glad the great folks on this sub-forum were able to help out a fellow Hoosier!

Its a shame it's come to this isn't it? The news today was disheartening. I'm not giving up hope yet, I know you guys are still out there fighting for us, but I have to face facts that my regular supplier is out, at least for now.

 

[Train2]

Yeah - I like it, it's organized well - you put info in on the left, and then it tells you what to mix on the right.

Your flavorings are USUALLY going to count as PG - they're mostly PG. If you buy a flavoring that is in VG, it will probably be clearly marked as such.

Play with the calculator and see what happens in some situations to get used to it.

Installing as I type this, I knew about online calendars, but I had no idea there was actual software out there. Thanks!

 

[Train2]

And here's a math tip for "in your head" calculating.

Turn the nic into MILLIGRAMS TOTAL.

For instance: if you want a 30 ml bottle that's 12 mg/ml nic, how much TOTAL nicotine is that?
30ml x 12mg/ml = 360mg.

Then, how do you get 360 mg in the bottle?

• WIth 100 mg/ml nic, its 360/100 = 3.6mls.
• with 24 mg/ml nic, it would be 360/24 = 15mls. (or half the bottle - for half the strength, just like you'd expect).

That's it for the nic calculation - easy.
That doesn't solve for the VG/PG ratio though...

 

[Amy87]

And here's a math tip for "in your head" calculating.

Turn the nic into MILLIGRAMS TOTAL.

For instance: if you want a 30 ml bottle that's 12 mg/ml nic, how much TOTAL nicotine is that?
30ml x 12mg/ml = 360mg.

Then, how do you get 360 mg in the bottle?

• WIth 100 mg/ml nic, its 360/100 = 3.6mls.
• with 24 mg/ml nic, it would be 360/24 = 15mls. (or half the bottle - for half the strength, just like you'd expect).

That's it for the nic calculation - easy.
That doesn't solve for the VG/PG ratio though...

That is helpful. So my next question, I am only seeing Nic sold as a base mix with the PG/VG already in it. Is there not a way to buy each of the 3 components separately?

ETA: Why is there a place to enter vodka on the eJuice Me Up calculator?? LOL

 

[salemgold]

That is helpful. So my next question, I am only seeing Nic sold as a base mix with the PG/VG already in it. Is there not a way to buy each of the 3 components separately?

You do buy them separately. The nicotine comes in a PG base and then you buy the PG and/or Vg to dilute it down to your desired strength with

ETA- Have you looked at an ejuice calculator yet? It may make more sense to you once you do.

Ok, I see that you did look at calculators. Some are more complicated than they need to be. This is a very simple one. maybe it will help? eJuice Recipe Calculator

 

[englishmick]

I live in Indiana, and as of July first there will only be six vendors carrying the license that will now be needed to sell eliquid. My super cheap out of state vendor will no longer be allowed to ship to Indiana, so I am desperate to know how to make this on my own.

I am in dire need of a simple explanation of how to DYI. I have read through several threads, and looked at calculators, youtube videos and articles. But the problem is I am horrible at math, and by the time I look at all the percentages and measurements I just feel more confused than before I started researching it.

So just as an example, lets say I want to make a 30ml bottle. I prefer high PG, so I was looking at a 24mg/ml nicotine base of 80/20 pg/vg. I vape 12mg juice. And of course there will be flavoring added, but its the percentage of nic base that I'm confused about. Would it be easier to buy the nicotine, pg and vg separately and mix my own base?

I know this can't be rocket science, it seems like everyone else is doing it just fine, but the math, oh God the math!!!

It's intimidating when you first start thinking about it but it gets simple quite fast once you jump in. There's plenty of good advice floating around here.

I don't know where you are at in planning. We don't know for sure yet whether it will be possible to buy nicotine on-line from Indiana after July 1. There are some indications that the blockade will only affect mixed juice initially and bulk nic will still be available, but that may not be the case.

If you haven't already I suggest you go ahead and buy some nic right away just in case. It might be wise to assume that you only have a month left, and get as much as you can. The rest of it you can sort out at your leisure. There shouldn't be a problem getting flavorings or VG / PG since they are widely used outside of vaping.

A liter of nic will set you back around $100. It can be picked up cheaper if you look around. And that would last you quite a long time. Even if it's still available in the future, there's no downside to getting it now.

 

[Amy87]

You do buy them separately. The nicotine comes in a PG base and then you buy the PG and/or Vg to dilute it down to your desired strength with

Ok, so the PG/VG that comes in the base, I assumed that took care of your PG/VG ratios in your mixture. Now I'm confused again! So on the eJuice Me Up calculator, where it says enter your PG and VG, is it talking about the percentage in your nic base, or the extra pg/vg you will add seperately? I assumed it meant the percentage in your pre mixes base. See why I titled this thread DIY for dummies???

 

[salemgold]

Ok, so the PG/VG that comes in the base, I assumed that took care of your PG/VG ratios in your mixture. Now I'm confused again! So on the eJuice Me Up calculator, where it says enter your PG and VG, is it talking about the percentage in your nic base, or the extra pg/vg you will add seperately? I assumed it meant the percentage in your pre mixes base. See why I titled this thread DIY for dummies???

I have never used that calculator but, no. It should ask you what base (pg/VG)your nicotine is when you input the strength (mg) that you are starting with. The calculator will calculate what is in your nic as part of your PG or VG % you will need to add more pg/vg along with your flavors to lower the nicotine strength and make it vapeable.

 

[Amy87]

If you haven't already I suggest you go ahead and buy some nic right away just in case. It might be wise to assume that you only have a month left, and get as much as you can. The rest of it you can sort out at your leisure. There shouldn't be a problem getting flavorings or VG / PG since they are widely used outside of vaping.

Oh I intend to buy and buy soon. The way I understand it, the nicotine itself will still be allowed (for now), but premixed eliquid will be "contraband". So my worry is, with the nic bases including pg/vg, they may be considered unflavored eliquid. I was just hoping to figure out the basics before I ordered.

 

[salemgold]

This is my calculator of choice. See if it is any easier for you. You are not the first person to be confused as a beginner by ejuicemeup. E-Liquid Recipe Name