DIY help. Im taking the plunge.

[Derek Cross]

So im sure this type of question or questions have been posted before, but im looking for help from those that have a lot of experience with diy and maybe my specific questions will be better answered directly, rather than through searching as they seem very specific imo and Im confused about the measuring part, even though Ive read a ton and understand enough, im just having a hard time wrapping my head around it. So here it goes:

So my first question is if Im planning on a mostly vg, if no max vg eliquid @ 3mg nic, and eventually moving down to zero nic, what ratio is the most cost effective to get when it comes to nic? Do I just buy straight nic, and ad 3mg to each bottle after i get the flavor down? Is it about this simple?Im the least picky when it comes to flavors so thats why im choosing total vg since the carrier-pg isnt a must, and it makes it one less item I need to purchase. Also what are some good stand alone flavors from FA or other companies? Im looking for 3 stand alone max since im planning on using this to cut back my nic... Also i usually dilute my juices w/ vg and/or distilled water anyway cuz I enjoy a lighter vape in terms of flavor. I love my vapes, and I looove my nics, but i can no longer afford to keep up with the amount its all been costing me. Im going to cut down to 0mg nic, and just vape a few times a day. Thats the plan. I believe i can successfully get there in a month witj all your help, so please - any advice is greatly appreciated. Also is there a site where I can get everything ive described (remember keeping it simple, meaning I maybe dont need a kit w/all tje bottles, as I have enough of those, I just need the ingredients and maybe something to measure nic)... I know there are a lot of sites that do offer these kits, but does im looking for diy veterans opinions of where I can maybe get everything ive described and maybe I have the wrong idea here! Maybe im going the wrong direction and id like to hear this as well. I just think i will need less items since flavors dont matter to me as much as they matter to others, and i enjoy a lighter flavor Anyway. Recently I diluted all my 6mg online flavors down to 3mg using vg and dist water and theyre all vapable. Not great, but vapable and I still get the nic I need so Im looking to continue cutting down using the do-it-yourself method to save money and avoid the chanve of going back to ciggies. Thanks for all your help

 

[retired1]

Moved to DIY E-Liquid

 

[scotdc]

First bit of advice. Use paragraphs. Please. No one can understand you when you have 12 thoughts running together.

1. Use 100mg/ml nicotine to be the most cost effective.

2. Adding nicotine will alter the flavor level (diluting it mostly) so don't add it last - add it right in to your test recipes to be sure.

3. Buy some PG. It's $11 for a liter and you will probably need to thin down your juices some in order to vape them in many attys. Even max VG juices are about 10/90 or thinner for this reason. A liter will last you a long, long time at "max" VG.

4. If you enjoy lighter vapes, use light flavor in terms of percentage in your recipes. Shoot for 6% to 10% total flavorings.

5. Strongly consider unflavored juice if you really don't care about flavoring. Many people enjoy just PG/VG and nicotine mixed and equate it with a light cigarette. It would be easy to do and keep you off the analogs.

6. Get some 5ml and 10ml syringes, luer lock connection and 14 gauge blunt nose tips for measuring.

6. Good luck finding everything at one site. It's a pipe dream. I would try ecigexpress for a cheap outlet for nicotine and syringes, and Amazon for PG/VG.

7. Good stand alone flavors is all about what YOU like. Most FA flavors are worthwhile (not tobaccos though). Tobacco best brands are Hangsen and Inawera.

8. Good luck with DIY, and welcome to the club!

 

[Ronald3638]

You don't want to use straight Nic that's much too dangerous, 100 mg/ml nick is the strongest you should use.
Download E-juice me up. This calculator will do the work of telling you how much of each ingredient you need.
If you want to mix by volume you will need some syringes and if you would prefer mixing by weight you will need a scale that has a resolution of 1/100 grams (.01).
I've tried both ways and prefer by weight because it requires less clean up and is a bit faster.
Check out some of the youtube videos on DIY mixing. New Amsterdam Vape and DIY or DIE do some good tutorials.

 

[BrotherBob]

Might try watching a few good Youtube vids. You could google "Youtube vape: mix juice" . Nothing like watching it being done if reading about it does not sink in.

 

[Derek Cross]

First bit of advice. Use paragraphs. Please. No one can understand you when you have 12 thoughts running together.

1. Use 100mg/ml nicotine to be the most cost effective.

2. Adding nicotine will alter the flavor level (diluting it mostly) so don't add it last - add it right in to your test recipes to be sure.

3. Buy some PG. It's $11 for a liter and you will probably need to thin down your juices some in order to vape them in many attys. Even max VG juices are about 10/90 or thinner for this reason. A liter will last you a long, long time at "max" VG.

4. If you enjoy lighter vapes, use light flavor in terms of percentage in your recipes. Shoot for 6% to 10% total flavorings.

5. Strongly consider unflavored juice if you really don't care about flavoring. Many people enjoy just PG/VG and nicotine mixed and equate it with a light cigarette. It would be easy to do and keep you off the analogs.

6. Get some 5ml and 10ml syringes, luer lock connection and 14 gauge blunt nose tips for measuring.

6. Good luck finding everything at one site. It's a pipe dream. I would try ecigexpress for a cheap outlet for nicotine and syringes, and Amazon for PG/VG.

7. Good stand alone flavors is all about what YOU like. Most FA flavors are worthwhile (not tobaccos though). Tobacco best brands are Hangsen and Inawera.

8. Good luck with DIY, and welcome to the club!

Gotcha! Im new to this. Ive only ever really responded to Posts and just recently started posting things myself and I went back and reread my post and I can see how absolutely ridiculous it looks, lol. Super long and without anything to separate the thoughts. And here I thought I was making total sense.

I would like to thank you for not ridiculing me as I know some others would have. Instead of making fun, you took the route of educating a fellow vaper and forum member(your probably one of those people that understands we're all here to learn together) and I applaud you for this. Im not new to vaping and actually
since ive picked it up-ive just been going full throttle and so Ive learned a lot in a short time-just not much in the diy category. I have learned that even after diluting my 6mg ejuices w/ pure vg, cutting
down to 3mg that I still find it satisfactory, although a tad bit on the bland side and this leads me to believe id be fine w/ simple flavors(however I do very much enjoy a custard now and then).

Thank you so much for your insight. Youve helped answer a lot of my questions, but I now have a couple more. Can you provide a link to where on Amazon that youve successfully purchased pg/vg from? Like how will I know which ones are good quality, and reputable? Is it safe to assume that if they hold decent reviews theyre most likely the ones im looking for? Again im so new to this so I want to make the right choices the first time and I cannot afford to make mistakes that could have been avoided by reaching out to some of the veterans. Oh yeah, and my last question is this; If you had to buy only 3 flavors from FA, stand alone or even a 2 flavor combo, what would they be? My meaning fir this question is to help me choose something that will be vapable right off the batt. Im planning on putting the money I DO have towards nothing but diy gear and i dont want to end up w/ a bunch of stuff I dont want or need. I do understand that diy is all about trial and error and Im sure Im going to have a lot of waste. All im trying to do is minimize that waste as best as Im able-by reaching out and asking questions. Any advice is still appreciated

 

[Derek Cross]

Thank you all for your advice. As I said, im new to thos diy buisness, but ive been a cook since 16 yrs old(im 36 now) so I always thought id be a decent juice mixer

For those of you that have tried FA flavors, which ones would you all choose if you could only choose 3? Im gonna make my purchase tomorrow and im hoping to get some insight here before clicking that BUY button. I enjoy Strawberry vapes the most so I was thinking about maybe buying strawberry and cream and mixing those together w/vg, nicotine and some distilled water to make a juice thats vapable. Whats your thoughts on this?

 

[scotdc]

Gotcha! Im new to this. Ive only ever really responded to Posts and just recently started posting things myself and I went back and reread my post and I can see how absolutely ridiculous it looks, lol. Super long and without anything to separate the thoughts. And here I thought I was making total sense.

I would like to thank you for not ridiculing me as I know some others would have. Instead of making fun, you took the route of educating a fellow vaper and forum member(your probably one of those people that understands we're all here to learn together) and I applaud you for this. Im not new to vaping and actually
since ive picked it up-ive just been going full throttle and so Ive learned a lot in a short time-just not much in the diy category. I have learned that even after diluting my 6mg ejuices w/ pure vg, cutting
down to 3mg that I still find it satisfactory, although a tad bit on the bland side and this leads me to believe id be fine w/ simple flavors(however I do very much enjoy a custard now and then).

Thank you so much for your insight. Youve helped answer a lot of my questions, but I now have a couple more. Can you provide a link to where on Amazon that youve successfully purchased pg/vg from? Like how will I know which ones are good quality, and reputable? Is it safe to assume that if they hold decent reviews theyre most likely the ones im looking for? Again im so new to this so I want to make the right choices the first time and I cannot afford to make mistakes that could have been avoided by reaching out to some of the veterans. Oh yeah, and my last question is this; If you had to buy only 3 flavors from FA, stand alone or even a 2 flavor combo, what would they be? My meaning fir this question is to help me choose something that will be vapable right off the batt. Im planning on putting the money I DO have towards nothing but diy gear and i dont want to end up w/ a bunch of stuff I dont want or need. I do understand that diy is all about trial and error and Im sure Im going to have a lot of waste. All im trying to do is minimize that waste as best as Im able-by reaching out and asking questions. Any advice is still appreciated

You're welcome, and yes, we are all here to learn. I was in the same place a year ago.

I buy the Essential Depot brand of PG and VG and have had great success with their cheap price and smoothness in my vapes. Here's the PG, just look up the same brand in VG http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Dep...1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463507725&sr=8-1&keywords=pg

As far as flavors go, I can't tell you what might be best for you - it's simple really, pick the flavors you like to vape, I'm sure they wouldn't be my picks. I would pick a tobacco, vanilla classic, and caramel. But do you need to buy FA only? If you like peach flavors, for example, search the forums for "best peach flavor diy e juice" and get a consensus of what people's favorites are and go with that brand. When you want to branch out, try other brands of that flavoring to find what YOU like best.

I would probably go with Madagascar Vanilla and Caramel Original from FA at the very least. But if you're a fruit guy pick three fruits you like, and consider Ethyl Maltol, Sweetner, or Cactus to enhance the fruit flavor.

As far as minimizing waste, I don't maybe it's me, but you're probably going to get some flavors that are generally well regarded that just don't work for you. It's the nature of the beast. But, hell, it's only about $2 or $3 if you find a flavor you hate, and rather than toss it, you may be able to trade someone for it.

 

[Derek Cross]

Wow super helpful. Ive got almost every answer I was looking for! Thanks

 

[IDJoel]

Hi Derek,
You've already got some really good advice but I'm going to throw my in anyhow.

So my first question is if I'm planning on a mostly vg, if no max vg eliquid @ 3mg nic, and eventually moving down to zero nic, what ratio is the most cost effective to get when it comes to nic? Do I just buy straight nic, and ad 3mg to each bottle after i get the flavor down? Is it about this simple?

Do NOT BUY straight nic (1000mg/mL) EVER. This is for the professionals and can easily become lethal if mishandled. If you are looking for simple and cost-effective then 100mg/mL nic solution is just fine. 3mL in a 100mL batch (3mL 100mg/mL nic + 97mL VG/PG/flavoring = 100mL batch @3mg/mL nic) will give you a 3mg batch. Besides, nic does not quickly/easily mix in VG and will leave "hot" pockets of pure nick if not completely mixed, so unless you have access to commercial mixers, don't even think the words "pure nic" again. (Not scolding. I just don't want to see anyone hurt.)

Im the least picky when it comes to flavors so thats why im choosing total vg since the carrier-pg isnt a must, and it makes it one less item I need to purchase.

This isn't wrong but I don't necessarily share your sentiment. PG is not necessary, and people choose high/max VG for a variety of reasons: PG allergies, cloud chasing, avoiding throat-hit, and others. But not buying PG simply means you will need to buy more VG. It probably won't save you on shipping or much on overall cost. Also, depending on the type of device you are using the juice in, you may want a thinner mix (such as in some tanks). I understand you use water as a thinner but I personally have had some unpleasant mixes with higher water percentages. Obviously your mileage will vary. All I am saying is PG ain't the devil's juice.

Also what are some good stand alone flavors from FA or other companies? Im looking for 3 stand alone max since im planning on using this to cut back my nic... Also i usually dilute my juices w/ vg and/or distilled water anyway cuz I enjoy a lighter vape in terms of flavor.

When asking for flavor recommendations, it is helpful to those who want to help, if you would give an idea of the types of flavors you like ("I like fruits but don't do tobaccos."). The more specific you can be ("I like peaches, strawberries, and pears but don't like bananas." is better than "I like fruit."); the better the recommendations will be. (Again, not scolding, just educating. )
Several times in your original post you comment that you like "light vapes." That's the fun of DIYing. You make it the way you want it. If your bothering to make it at all, make it the way you like it, not just so it is tolerable. If you like a less pronounced flavor just use less flavoring.
If you really don't care, do as a previous poster suggested and vape unflavored. Flavoring is the single most expensive ingredient (per mL) in a DIY mix (nicotine being second most expensive). I vape unflavored when I can't make up my mind what flavor I want to vape next.

Also is there a site where I can get everything ive described (remember keeping it simple, meaning I maybe dont need a kit w/all tje bottles, as I have enough of those, I just need the ingredients and maybe something to measure nic)... I know there are a lot of sites that do offer these kits, but does im looking for diy veterans opinions of where I can maybe get everything ive described and maybe I have the wrong idea here! Maybe im going the wrong direction and id like to hear this as well. I just think i will need less items since flavors dont matter to me as much as they matter to others, and i enjoy a lighter flavor Anyway. Recently I diluted all my 6mg online flavors down to 3mg using vg and dist water and theyre all vapable. Not great, but vapable and I still get the nic I need so Im looking to continue cutting down using the do-it-yourself method to save money and avoid the chanve of going back to ciggies. Thanks for all your help

I agree that kits are not right for everyone. It depends on what is in them and if you will use everything included. Some kits will offer a substantial savings when compared to buying the same items a la carte. Don't ignore safety items that you don't already have (like gloves and eye protection). But if you can get the items you need more cheaply on their own; go for it. Likewise, if it is full of whistles and bells you never see yourself using; skip it.
For a list of what I consider basic starter needs; you might want to read my post that I just left here. And the one immediately following which concerns safety I neglected in the first.
It also has a list of the vendors I use.
I am afraid I respectfully disagree with a previous post in that I DO believe you can get everything you need to get started from one vendor. Is it going to be the rock-bottom best deal of the century? In all likelihood; no. But you can get what you need for a reasonable price without the hassle of bargain hunting every single item. If that is your thing, and you enjoy the "hunt," be my guest.

I wish you much success. Enjoy the ride.

 

[dannyv45]

Gotcha! Im new to this. Ive only ever really responded to Posts and just recently started posting things myself and I went back and reread my post and I can see how absolutely ridiculous it looks, lol. Super long and without anything to separate the thoughts. And here I thought I was making total sense.

I would like to thank you for not ridiculing me as I know some others would have. Instead of making fun, you took the route of educating a fellow vaper and forum member(your probably one of those people that understands we're all here to learn together) and I applaud you for this. Im not new to vaping and actually
since ive picked it up-ive just been going full throttle and so Ive learned a lot in a short time-just not much in the diy category. I have learned that even after diluting my 6mg ejuices w/ pure vg, cutting
down to 3mg that I still find it satisfactory, although a tad bit on the bland side and this leads me to believe id be fine w/ simple flavors(however I do very much enjoy a custard now and then).

Thank you so much for your insight. Youve helped answer a lot of my questions, but I now have a couple more. Can you provide a link to where on Amazon that youve successfully purchased pg/vg from? Like how will I know which ones are good quality, and reputable? Is it safe to assume that if they hold decent reviews theyre most likely the ones im looking for? Again im so new to this so I want to make the right choices the first time and I cannot afford to make mistakes that could have been avoided by reaching out to some of the veterans. Oh yeah, and my last question is this; If you had to buy only 3 flavors from FA, stand alone or even a 2 flavor combo, what would they be? My meaning fir this question is to help me choose something that will be vapable right off the batt. Im planning on putting the money I DO have towards nothing but diy gear and i dont want to end up w/ a bunch of stuff I dont want or need. I do understand that diy is all about trial and error and Im sure Im going to have a lot of waste. All im trying to do is minimize that waste as best as Im able-by reaching out and asking questions. Any advice is still appreciated

The best thing to do before trying to mix anything is to do some good research. It will help you understand the basics and help you formulate your questions. Start here.

My blogs will give insight into all aspects of DYI, from steeping to what supplies to have on hand to a basic walk through mixing your first E-juice.

E-Cigarette Forum - dannyv45 - Blogs

Then read hoosier's blogs. These blogs concentrate on fine tuning your mix and give insight on additives.

E-Cigarette Forum - Hoosier - Blogs

Then read Boletus's blog's. These blogs concentrate on formulation of nicotine bases regarding proper calculations methods for figuring Nicotine concentration as well as safety.

E-Cigarette Forum - Boletus - Blogs

Then read Ginger's book "E-Cigarettes 102: DIY E-Liquid". It is a book which I've contributed to that delivers an in depth easy to follow guide in the art of DYI.

E-Cigarettes 102: DIY E-Liquid

I recommend viewing VPLive Vape Team Episode #82: DIY Safety and bookmark it for future reference. It explains safety in all aspects of DYI.

VPLive Vape Team Episode #82: DIY Safety

then read the stickies at the top of the page.

this will explain a lot of the how's and why's.