e-Liquid

[zaphod]

Hello, everyone. I'm from Bulgaria and I was not able to find e-liquid sold locally. Actually I found one online store charging 80$ per 50ml ... seems more like a robbery
I could order from outside Bulgaria but this will generally take more time to arrive so I started to wander how hard it could be to cook e-liquid by myself.
What are the basic ingredients for e-liquid. I have read something about glycerine and PG... what actualy is PG?
Anyone here cooking their own e-liquid?

 

[Pegaso]

Hi zaphod,

PG is Propylene Glycol .
VG is Vegetal Glycerine

In both cases, if you are gonna buy it to prepare your own e-liquds, be sure that you buy food grade or pharmaceutical grade.

About people doing their own recipes, there is a full section here dedicated to it... lots to read
You can find it here: DIY e-liquid

 

[zaphod]

Hmmm isnt Propylene Glycol toxic?

 

[zaphod]

From wikipedia:

Prolonged contact with propylene glycol is essentially non-irritating to the skin. Undiluted propylene glycol is minimally irritating to the eye, and can produce slight transient conjunctivitis (the eye recovers after the exposure is removed). Exposure to mists may cause eye irritation, as well as upper respiratory tract irritation.[8] Inhalation of the propylene glycol vapors appears to present no significant hazard in ordinary applications. However, limited human experience indicates that inhalation of propylene glycol mists could be irritating to some individuals. Therefore inhalation exposure to mists of these materials should be avoided. Some research has suggested that propylene glycol not be used in applications where inhalation exposure or human eye contact with the spray mists of these materials is likely, such as fogs for theatrical productions or antifreeze solutions for emergency eye wash stations.[9]

 

[BadSeed]

Hmmm isnt Propylene Glycol toxic?

No. Ethylene Glycol is toxic. Propylene Glycol is fine. It's used as a food additive among other things and is the stuff that makes smoke in smoke machines.

 

[PeteMcArthur]

Hmmm isnt Propylene Glycol toxic?

Hopefully not as 99% of e-liquid is based on it Don't think we've had any deaths so far. In truth no one can say with absolute certainty but PG has been used in a wide range of products that have been ingested and inhaled and apart from the occasional allergic reaction it seems to be safe.

If you compare PG to the huge amount of toxins and carcinogens in tobacco smoke, I know which one I prefer to risk.

 

[PeteMcArthur]

From wikipedia:

Prolonged contact with propylene glycol is essentially non-irritating to the skin. Undiluted propylene glycol is minimally irritating to the eye, and can produce slight transient conjunctivitis (the eye recovers after the exposure is removed). Exposure to mists may cause eye irritation, as well as upper respiratory tract irritation.[8] Inhalation of the propylene glycol vapors appears to present no significant hazard in ordinary applications. However, limited human experience indicates that inhalation of propylene glycol mists could be irritating to some individuals. Therefore inhalation exposure to mists of these materials should be avoided. Some research has suggested that propylene glycol not be used in applications where inhalation exposure or human eye contact with the spray mists of these materials is likely, such as fogs for theatrical productions or antifreeze solutions for emergency eye wash stations.[9]

Sorry I'm afraid you can't use wikipedia as proof of anything. Some of it is factual, some not, but a reference source it is not.

 

[zaphod]

Okay than. where should I seek this thing? is it sold at drugstores or ?

 

[PeteMcArthur]

Okay than. where should I seek this thing? is it sold at drugstores or ?

I think it is far easier to get and experiment with VG. It should be sold as glycerine in pharmacies. Just get the purest you can. PG is less available to the general public as it's main use is commercial.

 

[e-pipeman]

You'd be fine using glycerine alone - don't worry too much about pg. Oh, and nicotine, of course Just do a search on the forum - there's lots of stuff on "home brew". The nicotine part is potentially the most dangerous, so please - read the forum and proceed with care.

 

[zaphod]

Actually I find no difference between no-nicotine and high nicotine cartridges.... to me its all about the smoke... I dont sense the nicotine anyways after the second cigarette( the real ones) ...

 

[PeteMcArthur]

Actually I find no difference between no-nicotine and high nicotine cartridges.... to me its all about the smoke... I dont sense the nicotine anyways after the second cigarette( the real ones) ...

Well you will certainly get plenty of smoke from VG. A couple of drops of glycerine alone on an atomiser will produce huge clouds of vapour

 

[zaphod]

Nice, thanks a lot guys, going to test it. From what I read in the bulgarian forums there is glycerine at the drugstores for under 50 cent per 50 ml

 

[zaphod]

Hello, again, Got something called marked Glycerinum - 85% Glycerol + 15% distiled water but the gall at the store was not sure if its food grade... I dont know if its vegetable either..
I wrote email to the manufacturer to ask if ots ok to use it as food ingredient.

 

[paxes]

If you have any large supermarkets have a look under the cake making ingredients or check out a cake store. You can buy VG in small bottles here in the UK quite easily.

 

[zaphod]

Okay the pharmaceutist at the drugstore told me the stuff is ok for oral use.
Are there any chances for glycerine to be toxic or generaly not good for smoking?

 

[Dale]

Scientific data on that question is hard to come by, but the common wisdom is that vaping PG is safer than smoking cigarettes and vaping VG is safer than vaping PG. You should check out info in the do-it-yourself e-liquid forum to learn more including recipes, ratios and flavorings.

 

[Bertrand]

Okay the pharmaceutist at the drugstore told me the stuff is ok for oral use.
Are there any chances for glycerine to be toxic or generaly not good for smoking?

Yes. I smoke it nonetheless, though.

 

[Pegaso]

[...]and vaping VG is safer than vaping PG.

I don't understand that statement...
As far as I've read in this forum, there are more scientific studies about inhaling PG than about VG.

As far as we know, I feel both are safe enough ¿why do you say VG is safer than PG?

 

[TropicalBob]

You will find that the chemical company testing Pillbox's liquid made a very positive report, suggesting, however, that the safer VG be substituted for PG. I'm sure that's where the conclusion comes from, since you're not going to find tests that compare inhaling the two substances.