DIY mixing question...

[iceman68]

Nite_PHX, you make some good points. I'm just trying to wrap my head around the math(not my strong point).

It seems what you're saying is a 50/50 mix at 18mg isn't attainable when starting with 24mg nic PG base because the desired 18mg is already 75% of the mix. So starting with a higher nic base - 48mg - leaves more room for mixing the 50/50.

This is my first attempt at DIY so I'm still a little lost. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Myrany]

go to this site E-Juice / E-Liquid Calculator

punch in your numbers and see what you get.

I came up with numbers on the chart that SHOULD work and I didnt do any math

 

[iceman68]

go to this site E-Juice / E-Liquid Calculator

punch in your numbers and see what you get.

I came up with numbers on the chart that SHOULD work and I didnt do any math

That works pretty good, especially the "not doing any math" part. It's even easier with VG nic base. I should get some of that as Nite_PHX suggested.

 

[boshans]

I am starting to realize this is true. And especially for larger quantities where counting drops just wouldn't be practical. I'll be using a syringe.

Make sure the syringe is a bigger gauge needle/tip/flex tip/whatever. At least if you are using VG, I got a syringe with a flexible plastic tip and it was a pain in the ... to suck the liquid through, had to cut off a piece of it to make the opening bigger. Even with it cut it is still pretty difficult to suck up VG, have to do it realllllly slow to keep the pressure up so it gets in there.

 

[Myrany]

Make sure the syringe is a bigger gauge needle/tip/flex tip/whatever. At least if you are using VG, I got a syringe with a flexible plastic tip and it was a pain in the ... to suck the liquid through, had to cut off a piece of it to make the opening bigger. Even with it cut it is still pretty difficult to suck up VG, have to do it realllllly slow to keep the pressure up so it gets in there.

Let me add another tip I am learning the hard way. Get the syringes/graduated cylinders with the marking moulded into the plastic and NOT printed on. The marking on mine are vanishing due to cleaning and juice getting on them.

 

[iceman68]

Make sure the syringe is a bigger gauge needle/tip/flex tip/whatever.

Good "tip" (pun intended). Sounds like I'll have to find a turkey baster

 

[Myrany]

Good "tip" (pun intended). Sounds like I'll have to find a turkey baster

Actually in the baking supplies household goods section of my grocery store you can find BIG syringes that are designed to inject meat with marinades. Something like that might work its a fair BIG needle.

this thing though you can get it all over the place
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/flavor-injector/

Mine is a different brand and has the measuring markings on it but it is that big and the needle is that big.

 

[iceman68]

Let me add another tip I am learning the hard way. Get the syringes/graduated cylinders with the marking moulded into the plastic and NOT printed on. The marking on mine are vanishing due to cleaning and juice getting on them.

I heard of a remedy for this. When you get a new syringe, put a piece of clear tape over the markings(packing tape would be my choice). This helps to preserve the markings over time.

Just a suggestion as opposed to getting the type with molded markings, which would probably be pricier.

 

[Myrany]

I heard of a remedy for this. When you get a new syringe, put a piece of clear tape over the markings(packing tape would be my choice). This helps to preserve the markings over time.

Just a suggestion as opposed to getting the type with molded markings, which would probably be pricier.

Great tip!

Unfortunately too late for my syringe LOL. So since I have to replace anyways I am probably going to go with the moulded ones assuming I can find them and call it an investment in good tools to get a job done I will doing alot.

 

[boshans]

I heard of a remedy for this. When you get a new syringe, put a piece of clear tape over the markings(packing tape would be my choice). This helps to preserve the markings over time.

Just a suggestion as opposed to getting the type with molded markings, which would probably be pricier.

I don't know if every pharmacy lets you buy them but I originally went to my CVS and got two syringes, for 25 cents each...they were obvioulsy sharp needle tips, but they had multiple gauges to choose from, and plus they are 25 ....ing cents lol. Just ask for the biggest gauge, I think I got one of the smallest and it didnt work at all. But hey even if the biggest one doesn't work they are only 25 cents.

The flex tip I got from a vendor was like 2 or 3 bucks or something like that..which now that I look back that is pretty expensive when a pharmacy gives you one for 25 cents lol.

 

[iceman68]

this thing though you can get it all over the place
Flavor Injector | Williams-Sonoma

Mine is a different brand and has the measuring markings on it but it is that big and the needle is that big.

OMG! That thing is huge! I'd probably hurt myself.

 

[Myrany]

OMG! That thing is huge! I'd probably hurt myself.

No offense intended but a guy with a hockey avatar worried about hurting himself? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[iceman68]

No offense intended but a guy with a hockey avatar worried about hurting himself? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I'm a very careful hockey player.

 

[Nite_PHX]

I use syringes to measure my liquids. I have a 1ml, 3ml, 5ml and 10ml syringe. You can pretty much measure any amount, from the smallest amount of flavor to 10ml of PG/VG. I don't however use the needle for any of them and I've not had any issues so far. I saw my brother trying to draw 100% VG out of a 6ml wild cherry sample and thought he was nuts. Pull the plunger an inch, let go and watch it go back 9/10th of an inch, repeat. I can see the need for the needle when filling some cartos and a few tanks but for making DIY liquid going into 10ml + bottles I don't see a need for them.

 

[Nite_PHX]

Nite_PHX, you make some good points. I'm just trying to wrap my head around the math(not my strong point).

It seems what you're saying is a 50/50 mix at 18mg isn't attainable when starting with 24mg nic PG base because the desired 18mg is already 75% of the mix. So starting with a higher nic base - 48mg - leaves more room for mixing the 50/50.

This is my first attempt at DIY so I'm still a little lost. Thanks for the advice.

You're on the right track iceman. With a 24mg PG base the best you can attain with a 50/50 blend is 12mg (half 24mg and half 0mg). Any PG flavor you add is going to take away from your PG nic so the more flavor you add the lower your finished nic level will be.

On the other hand a 50/50 blend with 48mg PG base is going to get you 24mg finished product. In order to get it down to 18mg you'll have to remove 12.5% of the nic base and replace it with 0 nic PG which could be straight PG or flavoring.

The calculators are nice but it never hurts to have a little idea of what's going on inside the calculator. A trust but verify kind of thing.

My brother was over last Saturday and we mixed up a bunch of 2ml test batches. We went from 100% PG to 100% VG in 10% increments. 100/0, 90/10, 80/20 and so on. What we were looking for is vapor production and throat hit. 100% PG has almost zero vapor and is incredibly dry and irritating on the throat while 100% VG made crazy clouds of vapor and honestly was no different than breathing in just plain air as far as throat hit goes. These tests were done with 12mg PG nic base so as not to sway what we felt to much. At 70PG / 30VG we still had some throat hit and pretty good vapor. At 60/40 we completely lost the throat hit but did notice a good increase in vapor. The results at 50/50 where pretty much the same as the 60/40 with a slight increase in vapor. Increasing the VG above 50% did not seem to increase the vapor production. This could be caused by the vaping devices which were Kanger mini T3's. I love these but they may not be able to produce more vapor.

I like 50/50 and 60/40 as well. My wife told me yesterday she would like to try 70/30 because she's a bit uncomfortable with the large amount of vapor at 60/40 that she's currently vaping. For me and my brother, imagine any Cheech & Chong movie you've ever seen. The more the merrier.

 

[StereoDreamer]

I use a web-based e-liquid calculator. It runs on any device that can access the internet, and you can access it from anywhere, so sharing recipes is easy. Plus it remembers all your old recipes, and lets you edit or use old ones to build new versions.

e-Liquid Calculator

 

[iceman68]

For me and my brother, imagine any Cheech & Chong movie you've ever seen. The more the merrier.

What is it about the huge clouds of vapor that's so satisfying? I don't recall that being much of a concern when smoking but it is certainly a factor when vaping.

Your info about the test batches is interesting. I'm a bit overwhelmed at the prospect of mixing what with all the factors to consider - the amounts of each ingredient, different flavor choices, PG to VG ratio, etc. Not to mention the difference in vaping devices. I'm using the one and only device I have which is a basic Joye 510. Getting tired of constantly having to grab the liquid and put a few more drops on the poly-fill(or whatever it's called). I've been considering upgrading to something with a tank but haven't made the leap yet. Also have to consider the cost factor in all of this.

My very first test batch I made up was 100% PG with a little cherry flavor at 12mg nic and it was terrible. Then I went on to make 5ml of RY4 flavor, 50/50(PG/VG), at 18mg nic. This was better but seemed strong and I wondered if I had screwed up the recipe. That's when I decided to join this forum and get some advice.

 

[Nite_PHX]

So you haven't received the official New Vapors Packet yet? I briefly scanned thru mine and I think there was mention of a prize for the one with the biggest vapor.

I started out with the Apollo Extreme ciga-like. Very nice product in my opinion however, like you now, grew tired of having to constantly add a few more drops to the cartomizer to keep the experience consistent. I next went to the Apollo Superior eGo with some CE4 clearomizers. Much better vaping time and consistency with the CE4 and CE5 that I bought. My next upgrade and where I'm at now and very happy with is a Vision Spinner battery and Kanger mini T3 tank. You can get a mini T3 for about $6 and a Spinner will run you about $25 for the 1300mah. Add another $6 for the ego style charger and you're ready to vape.

I've never vaped anything stronger than 12mg. Most of my mixes now end up being 6mg or less. After vaping my mix for a day, which has almost no throat hit, and then going back to a store bought 12mg I can certainly feel the difference. I think that I was more addicted to the act of smoking than I was to nicotine but I do like the throat hit you get from the nic. I don't like the throat irritation you get from PG though. Do I up my nic base so I can get that felling or what?

My very first favorite e-liquid was Apollo's RY4. Very mild with just a hint of sweetness and caramel. I thought wow I really like RY4 so I ordered some from other vendors. Yuck! They mostly taste like buttered caramel popcorn to me and really heavy on the caramel. I probably have 5 other RY4s here and they are all similar. My conclusion? Apollo is the only that has a vastly different idea of what RY4 should be and that's the one I like. RY4 is described as mild tobacco with a hint of vanilla and caramel. The key word here, vendors, is HINT.