Do many of you buy nicotine that is not already in PG/VG?

[badwolf91]

Hello I am doing a lot of reading and trying to prepare myself to get into DIY. I actually want to only start by making unflavored ejuice as I actually like the sweet flavor of PG and or VG and think it has a nice subtle vape. I see a lot of these 36mg/ml liquids and you basically water it down with the other stuff and have your juice. That is not really what I want to do as it seems like your just watering down a premade liquid already which im sure is a great way to start and still saves money but I think the other way will save even more $$ that im looking at and is more your own creation. The vendor I am looking at has 100mg/ml USP nic, 100% usp pg and vg. I was going to get the three once I get enough info that I know I can do this 100% right (nowhere near there yet but reading as much as possible) and get a nic tester.
I have read that VG decreases nic content but wasn't sure if the thread meant simply because of dilution or if it actually effects the NIC. If you buy nic alone without it being already in pg/vg.. for unflavored would I simply figure out say I take 1ml of 100 mg.. how many ML of my PG/VG I would need to add of pg/vg to make this a 24mg/ml? so would 100 mg, 1 ml of it make roughly 4.16 ml of total eliquid or is my thinking way off? I have been trying to do a lot of reading and finally wanted to pop a question, sorry if I seem foolish as I am new to this and just trying to soak up info before I make any sort of attempt as I am going to make sure I am making a safe liquid that will be quality made. I have done wine/beer brewing (not much of a drinker though just did it for fun) and now that im vaping really want to make my own liquid the further I get into this.

any responses are appreciated

 

[tidegirl]

Hi badwolf. Well, you can't buy nic that isn't diluted with PG or VG. Pure nic is 1,000 mg/ml (not 100 mg/ml) and is EXTREMELY dangerous. Just the fumes from it could kill you.

As for how to mix 100 mg/ml to make your juice, you can use an e juice calculator to figure that. (ejuicemeup from breakthru software is a good one). Or if you tell me what you want your final ratio to be- like 70/30 PG/VG or 50/50 PG/VG- I can plug in the numbers and tell you what to add.

 

[badwolf91]

hey I was thinking on starting w/ 50/50 pg/vg and possibly in the future playing with more vg to see how that was but for starters definitely 50/50. I was looking at the diy supplies section of lucky7vapes. BUT omg after reading further I finally see that it says its in a 100% vg base, cannot believe I missed that. so I wonder if I would need to add a tiny less vg then. probably not much of a difference though. that's great to know though I am very sad I missed that... now the name of the thread just makes me look stupid :/.. thanks for your help tidegirl. glad I took a 5th look and finally saw that... I may need to learn to read before I get into DIY eh? i guess i was just looking at the overall products.

so was i somewhat close then about how much nic liquid compared to vg/pg base? the calculator i looked at did not seem to specify but maybe it was because i was thinking the nic was without pg/vg base. i will definitely take a look at the calc referenced.

thanks again for your help!!

edit: wish i could change my thread name lol...

 

[Cloud Junky]

It is best to just buy the already mixed in PG and VG, you will not need anything higher than what is sold at vendors like VaporShots or Wizard Labs. I would keep it in moderation because a little goes a long way with the nic sold for DIY applications.

 

[tidegirl]

Believe me, you are not the first person to make a post with erroneous thinking. You won't be the last either. I know I have had my share of posts. Don't sweat it.

I forgot to ask how much you wanted to make at a time. But for a 30 ml bottle of unflavored 50/50 you would use...

7.2 ml of 100 mg/ml Nic in VG base
15 ml of PG
7.8 ml of VG

Now, if you wanted to get your nic in PG instead those numbers would reverse to:

7.2 ml of 100 mg/ml in PG base
7.8 ml of PG
15 ml of VG

The amount of nic base determines the final mg/ml. As you can see, whatever your base is in, you will use less of that ingredient to get your final mix. In the second example, you can see that if you add the nic and PG together, you get 15 ml, same as the VG. This gives you the 50/50 ratio.

When you download the calculator and play around with it a bit, it will all fall into place. Don't hesitate to ask more questions- the only dumb question is one unasked.

 

[badwolf91]

thank you that is extremely helpful, you are awesome!

its making so much more sense now that i know its the VG base along with your words

 

[littlebluepig]

We have all been there at one time or another, so i wouldn't worry about it too much. I'll try to answer the second question about VG reducing the nic level. When you add PG or VG it reduces the nic level by dilution. VG reduces the throat hit from nicotine more than PG does. Therefore reducing the perceived nicotine level. If that makes any sense. I know what I want to say, just not how to say it. VG will also mute the favor more than PG does. VG will give you more vapor, so you had to find the happy medium that gives you the experience that you want.

 

[laurie9300]

Here in Australia it is illegal to buy Nic locally so we import Nic base in bulk. 100mg Nic lasts a lot longer in pg rather than vg. We then buy our flavors in double strength to allow for mixing in the Nic base, pg and VG, and still end up with full flavor......

 

[badwolf91]

that's good to know, what type of lifespans are we talking incase they try to bring some crazy tax into place and I stalk up lol? vg vs pg nicotine?

 

[AmandaD]

100mg Nic lasts a lot longer in pg rather than vg. .

I didn't know that - why is that so? (It's not something I've read about on ECF!)

 

[LoveVanilla]

Without a background in chemistry, I suggest getting a little experience and learning the ropes first. The cost differential is truly pennies and the stakes are somewhat higher. Suggest starting under 50 mg/ml -- and many will say 36mg. Of course, there's always the school of hard knocks...

 

[badwolf91]

you could say I do have something of a background in measuring chemicals.. with that calculator it makes it seem like a no brainer now though I just don't want to start with something where im not getting as much bang for my buck or have larger quantities for no reason. I would prepare an area completely and use rubber gloves, syringes and whatnot. making sure i have exact measurements and test before use. every precaution imaginable that I can find/think of.. well ventilated and everything gets locked in a gun safe. 100 mg/ml seems perfect for mixing batches as the minimum I want to mix would be 30ml to test the stuff but for unflavored theres not much testing its the basic formula. im thinking I start by making my own unflavored for a while, in the meantime keep on testing some flavors to see what iwould really want to give a crack at making my own of. I do not plan on starting for many weeks still I want to just keep reading even though I already know what id need to do at this point. I just want to know the lifespan of nicotine in VG vs PG I might start a thread about unflavored DIY and why so many people seem not to even use PG in their unflavored mix which im working on figuring out if the peoples posts I have read are just VG guys or what

 

[Crunktanium]

100mg is a bit much for your first mix.

Spend $10 on a lesser strength to start out and don't be foolish. It has nothing to do with just tossing on gloves and storing in a safe place. If you make a mistake in measuring for whatever reason it could be a deadly one.

 

[badwolf91]

but if mixing from 100 mg/ml id need 7.2ml of vg nic base, 7.8 of vg and 15ml of pg. in a controlled setting using syringes would I really have so much potential for error? Definitely not going to just measure by drops or anything.. I have used syringes before know how they work quite well with measurements but if it really seems that big of a deal I will look around and see if I can find 50mg maybe I guess I have been only really considering one websites supplies. this is why I want to learn all I can before even making an attempt or ordering anything though. I just want to be stocked up incase the fda pulls some nic tax. 100 mg just seems more efficient but I have a lot of homework to do

 

[LoveVanilla]

Seems your mind is made up -- but it's not a cost issue. Okay if you're have constrained by storage. Put some 100 in the freezer -- just make sure it's completely and utterlyinaccessible to small or uninformed hands. And get lower concentration to learn the ropes. Mistakes and accidents do happen.

Personally I purchase and store 100 in a sealed, locked case. And then downmix everything removed to 50mg before commingling or use. While some live to tell tales, this is not a time to be young, brash and foolish.

 

[Dolly Dagger]

I started out my first DIY with 100 mg, I just happened to buy in a vg base (didn't know it went bad quicker than PG. Why is that?) I haven't had any issues. I don't have any dogs or children (and cat could care less) so I'm not worried about somebody getting into it, I do keep it sealed in a thick ziplock in a box and I keep a syringe/needle specifically for nic, nothing else. I usually wear nitrile gloves when handling it but I haven't always, I just make sure to wash my hands very well after (and before I start of course.) I got a tiny bit on my arm/sleeve once and got a light rash, probably because I didn't wash it off right away, but no other adverse reaction. My advice would be to go for it, be safe, do not ever make measuring mistakes with the nicotine, and have fun! Once you get in your groove you will get more comfortable & see it's easy & fun. Btw, I have never been able to get that ejuice calculator to work (it's probably just for a PC and I use a Mac or iPad) but I did find an app that I can plug my calculations into. Once I figured out how many ml of 100 mg nic to use for my preferred percentage in 15 ml bottles, that part never changes no matter what else I put into it. I'd say the hardest part of juice making is either finding the right percentage of flavoring to use or waiting for the juice to steep.. Lol
Good luck.

 

[badwolf91]

most definitely, nobody in my family will have access to this but me it would be under lock and key. I was considering a small refrigerator/freezer for these supplies that could have a lock on it. even though there are no children in the house I still don't want it even touched by any other hands. Thanks for all of the responses though they do help a lot to get all these points of view, contrary to my thread name ( i wish you could edit those :/) I do know how to read all of my supplies themselves even just a battery or a tank is locked in a gunsafe nothing gets left out if im not there. I am not going to be one of the ...... on the news because they got it all over their hands and called poison control or were not properly watching their own child and they some how got into ejuice (don't you put this stuff somewhere safe if you have a brain? just like any medication)

thanks everyone

 

[Wingsfan0310]

I get my Nic from Wizard Labs and my PG & VG from Essential Depot. I've been very happy with both companies.

PS I don't really believe there is much (if any) difference in Nic life in PG vs VG. The main difference is PG is easier for some to work with because of its thinner viscosity. Other than that it really depends on what you want your PG/VG ratio to be.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[dannyv45]

If it's treated just like any other house hold chemical it should be fine. After all you don't keep bleach, paint thinner etc.. in the reach of children. The big attraction to children is the brightly colored labels and fancy names. So maybe a good idea is to cover those with plain white sticky labels and write a non descript description of the flavor or number code it and associate that number to an entry in a ledger describing the flavor. It's always advisable to keep flavorings and NIC under lock and key but we all know that sometimes it's a hassle to keep mixed juices that are used everyday under lock and key and sometimes we just forget to put them away. At least generic labels will reduce the curiosity. Although my kids are grown adults I put generic labels on all my juices. You never know when you may have visitors with kids.

 

[Dolly Dagger]

If it's treated just like any other house hold chemical it should be fine. After all you don't keep bleach, paint thinner etc.. in the reach of children. The big attraction to children is the brightly colored labels and fancy names. So maybe a good idea is to cover those with plain white sticky labels and write a non descript description of the flavor or number code it and associate that number to an entry in a ledger describing the flavor. It's always advisable to keep flavorings and NIC under lock and key but we all know that sometimes it's a hassle to keep mixed juices that are used everyday under lock and key and sometimes we just forget to put them away. At least generic labels will reduce the curiosity. Although my kids are grown adults I put generic labels on all my juices. You never know when you may have visitors with kids.

That's a good idea. I'm partial to drawing pictures on my labels and I have about a 20 tank variety rainbow of different juices. A magnet for curious ones for sure...I carry them EVERYWHERE with me around the house in a colorful zippered makeup bag. If a child came here I'd have to hide them instantly. I should just break down and get a fanny pack. Lol

--edit--

I should add I prefer vg nicotine because if the bottle tips over it is MUCH less likely to spill all over. I see vg as a well contained mess vs pg. I have tipped over my 15 ml bottles after putting in my vg nic and none came out. So that's a plus, despite it being somewhat harder to work with.

---edit edit---

Chux pads are a lifesaver to work on, I use those under everything I mix. If it spills it's easy to clean up.