DIY-It's so easy why do they make it seem like rocket science.

[Hitmetwice]

An old saying used by woodworkers comes to mind here....

Measure twice, cut once.

Rocket science? Hardly.
A simple mistake in arithmetic can have rather dire consequences though.
It's apparent by this thread that DIY is NOT for everyone.

Perhaps a simple math test before entering the DIY forum should be
mandatory. Or at least completing a lesson and a short quiz successfully.

It doesn't sound like it. Right after he said add your base, he said he uses 60 mg VG.

And this is why they make it sound like rocket science. Little assumptions can make big, dangerous mistakes. It is not that difficult, but you do have to have a good understanding of the math.

 

[Iffy]

Measure twice, cut once.

I prefer... measure with a micrometer, mark with a crayon and cut with an axe.

 

[bogs8812]

A short formula to compute for the final nic content of your mix would be Base NIC mg / Your Target mg = Result , then Total ml of the ejuice you want to make / Result = The volume of NIC in ml you need to add to your mix.

Example:

You have 36mg/ml base nic and you want to create a 10 ml ejuice with 12mg/ml ejuice, how would you compute for it?

36 / 12 = 3

then divide the total volume of the ejuice(in this example it's 10ml) you want to create by 3.

10 / 3 = 3.33(total ml of base nic you need to put in your ejuice)

Hope this helps

 

[frosting]

I just thought it's important to note that.... TPA stands for The Perfumers Apprentice. Meaning, their flavors are not designed for inhalation. Even the ones that "appear" to be for food that many DIYers buy to mix with, can also be used as perfume. I asked TPA if I could use their "flavors" in an old lotion and the same molecules are used for perfumery and flavoring. That's not a strike against them just pointing that out. It's not fair to say which one is safer or not as no long term testing of inhaling flavors has yet to be completed. It is safe to say however Capellas does not use any ingredients which would be strictly for perfumery. That can't be said of TPA. Just be aware of the risk. I say this using both by the way.

 

[GeekyGirl36]

whatever method or online calculator you use (or don't use) your final nic strength is
ALWAYS
Total mg of nic added divided by
Total final volume in ml
(mg/ml).

I would agree with you if you were using 100mg nic:
100(mg nic) / 10 (ml) = 10 (mg nic)

I use 24mg nic tho and if I applied the same math:
24 (mg nic) / 10 (ml) = 2.4 (mg nic)

I know that my juice comes out closer to 12mg (not exact because I don't account for the PG flavorings) because I use a 50/50 ratio of PG and VG. I don't want to cause trouble or anything, but I believe that with doing anything yourself, Math is KEY, safety is IMPORTANT and don't forget to have FUN. After all, life is fun and so is DIYing.

 

[tidegirl]

I would agree with you if you were using 100mg nic:
100(mg nic) / 10 (ml) = 10 (mg nic)

I use 24mg nic tho and if I applied the same math:
24 (mg nic) / 10 (ml) = 2.4 (mg nic)

I know that my juice comes out closer to 12mg (not exact because I don't account for the PG flavorings) because I use a 50/50 ratio of PG and VG. I don't want to cause trouble or anything, but I believe that with doing anything yourself, Math is KEY, safety is IMPORTANT and don't forget to have FUN. After all, life is fun and so is DIYing.

I think you are not accounting for the TOTAL amount of nic you are adding, and that's why the formula is giving you different results.

In your example, you say you are using 24 mg nic, but that is 24 mg/ml I assume. So if I understand you correctly, you are using 50% of this nic and 50% of the other base.

So in a 10 ml batch, you are using 5 ml of 24 mg/ml mic... giving you a total of 120 mg of nic in your 10 ml batch...

So you have 120mg / 10 ml which simplifies to

12 mg/ml.


There- clear as mud???

 

[GeekyGirl36]

I think you are not accounting for the TOTAL amount of nic you are adding, and that's why the formula is giving you different results.

In your example, you say you are using 24 mg nic, but that is 24 mg/ml I assume. So if I understand you correctly, you are using 50% of this nic and 50% of the other base.

So in a 10 ml batch, you are using 5 ml of 24 mg/ml mic... giving you a total of 120 mg of nic in your 10 ml batch...

So you have 120mg / 10 ml which simplifies to

12 mg/ml.


There- clear as mud???

Yes, I do agree with you that if I changed my calculation to total mg of nic in the bottle instead of mg of nic per ml then that calculation is correct. Again, I am not trying to cause trouble, but the original post did not read as such to me and a detail like mg of nic per ml instead of total mg of nic in the bottle can hurt somebody if they do not understand or know the difference. Again, my .

 

[Rocketman]

whatever method or online calculator you use (or don't use) your final nic strength is
ALWAYS
Total mg of nic added divided by
Total final volume in ml
(mg/ml).

as typed in original post
.

 

[canoeist]

Perhaps a simple math test before entering the DIY forum should be
mandatory. Or at least completing a lesson and a short quiz successfully.

+1 on this

 

[AzPlumber]

I would agree with you if you were using 100mg nic:
100(mg nic) / 10 (ml) = 10 (mg nic)

I use 24mg nic tho and if I applied the same math:
24 (mg nic) / 10 (ml) = 2.4 (mg nic)

I know that my juice comes out closer to 12mg (not exact because I don't account for the PG flavorings) because I use a 50/50 ratio of PG and VG. I don't want to cause trouble or anything, but I believe that with doing anything yourself, Math is KEY, safety is IMPORTANT and don't forget to have FUN. After all, life is fun and so is DIYing.

Ok let me give it a go
100mg nic = 100mg's per ml (a 10ml bottle of 100mg nic has a total of 1000mg's of nic)
24mg nic = 24mg's per ml (a 10ml bottle of 24mg has a total of 240mg's of nic)

 

[Hoosier]

Ok let me give it a go
100mg nic = 100mg's per ml (a 10ml bottle of 100mg nic has a total of 1000mg's of nic)
24mg nic = 24mg's per ml (a 10ml bottle of 24mg has a total of 240mg's of nic)

To quote Rocketman, ALWAYS.

 

[GeekyGirl36]

whatever method or online calculator you use (or don't use) your final nic strength is
ALWAYS
Total mg of nic added divided by
Total final volume in ml
(mg/ml).

Ok let me give it a go
100mg nic = 100mg's per ml (a 10ml bottle of 100mg nic has a total of 1000mg's of nic)
24mg nic = 24mg's per ml (a 10ml bottle of 24mg has a total of 240mg's of nic)

Yes and I was just pointing out that this could be miss understood as I did when I first read it. Most people are going to look at that post and think well I have X mg nic if I divide that by Y ml of juice bottle I am going to use then I will get X/Y mg nic juice and that is not true. I agree with all of the posts pointing out my flawed thinking because it was what I first thought when I read it. When I sat for a minute and read it again (knowing that I was missing something) I figured out what the original post was saying. If I did not know that something was wrong with what I first read or trust those that post here, then I would be thinking I was vaping much lower nic then I am. Again, not trying to cause trouble and this is only my .

 

[Rocketman]

we don't think you were trying to start trouble, just making sure you got it right.

 

[B2L]

I am relatively new to DIY, learned much of it from here, thanks all! Just to throw my 2 cents in mixing is not difficult at all but there are so many variables that make up the finished product that you can play with, (ie nic level, pg/vg ratio, flavor %, additives etc) that you can drive yourself nuts with in search of that perfect juice. Just enjoy the process, and watch those nic levels, it is an art more than a science.

 

[Butters78]

Im excited to give it a go myself... Saving money is one of the top reasons and making it myself will be satisfying. Donnah on here sent me some supplies (syringes, bottles labels, etc) to get started. All I need is my nic, pg, and vg and some flavors. Playing around with the online calculators make it seem easy enough. I did mock batches and the results are very straight forward. The main thing that really excites me is fine tuning my recipe to my tastes. For example vendor A sends me some strawberry/banana that just needs more strawberry. Doing it myself I can make that mix perfect.

 

[mcl5000]

I agree with the OP. Not necessarily the levels, but it's really not complicated at all.

The first time I mixed, I just filled up a 30ml bottle with the correct amounts that I wanted of each thing (nic, pg, vg). I marked off on the side where to fill each ingredient to, and now I make 30ml in probably 30 seconds. Depending on the flavor I'm using, my final mix will be between probably 20 and 25 mg/ml, but I don't really care if it fluctuates from mix to mix.

Flavors aren't really a science either. I'll generally go from 10-15% (15% fills the bottle, 10% is a little below full), and for mixes, I'll just use less of stronger flavors and more of weaker flavors. I don't bother writing anything down.

I was very intimated when I first started, but as long as you can handle very basic math, there's nothing to it.

 

[niczgreat]

Well I finally checked back in on the thread. I was trying to keep it simple. I agree the 60mg is too high for many people.
I was fully aware of what mg would be in the 40- 48mg range (Depends on how much PGA I add). I was in a hurry and should have added some cautions about Nic levels. Thank you for catching it.

I've been DIY for the past month or two and found that simpler is better.

My favorite vape right now is so simple it's brain dead. I'll add a caution. I've heard that Cinnamon and Capsicum may have bad health effects. Do your own research.

Roughly I add 48 drops of TPA Cinnamon Red Hots
I add 6 drops of Flavors West Capsicum
1-1 1/2 ML of Everpure 195 Proof
and fill the rest of the 28ml bottle with my VG Nic Mix
Easy as pie and delicious.

By the way take the same recipe and substitute Ginger for the Cinnamon Red Hots
and you have my 2nd favorite Vape.

One thing that I have found is that I like 2 ingredient flavors. Seems that 3 can be a crowd if
you aren't careful. I may end up mixing batches of single flavor e-liquids and than just mix them together in mini-batches.

For simplification purposes RTS Vapes sells the Nic/pg or Nic/VG Base from 100 all the way down to 36. If you like lower nic mixes just use simple averaging and buy straight PG or VG dilute down to the level you like than take around 20%-25% off to account for the Mix and dilution agent (PGA or Water if you are mixing VG Liquids)