Lowering the strength of e-liquid manually

[jedisilversun]

I thought it might be useful on this beginner forum to have a thread about safe ways to lower e-liquids seeing as a lot of noobs seem to have a problem slightly over doing it with nic inhilation.

So i have my bottle of 14mg '555' juice but i only smoke extra light cigarettes so it would be prudent of me to lower the strength of the juice rather than deal with the effects of too much nic in my system (cause lets face it when you first get your e-cig, putting it downs a bit of a problem haha).

* I have Glycerine in my cupboard, bought from the chemist to deal with a sore throat one time. Can i use this stuff and if so what ratios do i use it in?

* Where can i get dropper bottles from to mix?

* When messing around with filter 'fluff' and nicotine should i wear protective gloves?

Any more?

 

[7slicetoastie]

Hi Silversun,

I use TW 36mg which is pretty high, I tone this down by adding Vege Glycerin to it to take it down to 18mg. I drip only so 1 drop TW and 1 drop VG onto the atomiser or onto the cartridge. This also has the added benefit of producing loads of vapour as with VG you gets plumes of smoke

The glycerin in your cupboard make sure it's 100% food grade.

Dripper bottles are cheap as chips..just google them and loads will come up. Other than that try your local chemists to see if they have any there.

Good luck and let us know how you get on

 

[jedisilversun]

Hi Toastie

So IF you drip directly onto the cart, say one drop juice/one drop Vegetable Glycerine does this work then? I thought the glycerine would be too thick and would need thinning with water. Its fine this way then, just to drip it directly onto a cart?

Also How much smoking (approx) would you actually get from 1 drop of each?

 

[GabbyD]

The glycerin is very thick. I tried a drip directly on an atomizer and it clogged. I now dilute it. My mixture is 80% glycerin and 20% vodka (you can also use distilled water). I mix that 50/50 with my 36 mg. liquid to end up with 18 mg. I mix up several mls at a time in a little jar I bought at the drug store and I use this to refill cartridges.

 

[jedisilversun]

Thanks Gabby

Instead of using distilled water can i use normal boiled water after its cooled down?

If not where do i get distilled water?

 

[GabbyD]

I've never used water so maybe somebody else will answer if you can just boil some. I have no idea. But I can get distilled water at the grocery store here. It's stocked with the regular bottled water, in a gallon jug. It shouldn't be too hard to find. I'm under the impression that the minerals in regular water might clog or damage an atomizer. Hopefully somebody else will chime in on the water issue!

 

[7slicetoastie]

Sorry I don't add anything to the glycerin..not tried Vodka either as might get a bit pricey !

I just drip directly onto the atomiser. It is thick but I haven't had any problems with clogging yet ( touch wood ! ). I use a very small drop.

I tried dripping on the cart aswell and works just as well. Bit more fiddly though..I would put the e cig down and hold the cart whilst I dripped into it only to watch in slow motion as the e-cig rolled off the table and landed on the floor with a sickenning thud !!! I find it easier to pull the cart off with the cart still in my mouth then drip onto the atomiser then replace.

Try and get a small dropper bottle with a small openning.

I haven't counted the puffs but you get a lot of vapour if you use the VG neat, and I don't put the ecig down so I really couldn't say.

 

[jedisilversun]

What made you use vodka to thin the glycerine?

Im presuming the alcohol is burned off when the atomiser heats right? But do you feel any effect of using vodka?

Edit: I read...
Distilled water cannot be done by boiling a kettle. This only concentrates any traces of anything being removed. Dilstillation at home can be done by somehow collecting the steam from a boiling kettle or bought at DIY stores such as B&Q (for UK peeps) and Halfords car accessory shops (sold as radiator top ups) though contents should be checked as some will contain other additives. Distilled water isn't deionised water.

 

[GabbyD]

I read about using alcohol here. There is a "tips and tricks" section below and a sub-forum about DIY liquid. You might want to poke around there and read some. No, I don't get any alcohol effect at all.

It isn't really pricey considering the amount used. Just a ml here and there. But I chose that from all the other options simply because I had a bottle on hand and nobody really drinks the stuff here anymore, so it's just sitting there begging to be put to use.

 

[jedisilversun]

Good info and yet another tale of woe on the e-cig running away lol.

I might get a teeny bottle of vodka, a litre bottle of distilled water would take me years to get through!

 

[jedisilversun]

Thanks Gabby. I think i'll have a mosey over

 

[jedisilversun]

Update and info on glycerine.

I've spoken to a techie from this company and he told me...

Glyceryn BP 100% v/v (E422) (mine is Thornton and ross) is a vegetable glycerine derived from coconut oil. It is pharmaceutical grade and although he couldn't tell me whether this was comparable to food grade it is intended to be ingested internally so he saw no problems with adding it to a cart or liquid and ingesting it this way.

This glycerine is a bottle i bought from a supermarket for mixing with lemon juice to sooth sore throats.



Edit: Food grade is apparently not tested as thoroughly as pharm grade for safety, purity and raw materials.

 

[Kate]

Great thread, very useful Jedi

That information on BP/USP pharmaceutical grade being tested for safety more that food grade is interesting. We've had a few conversations about that here and nobody knew which was best. You seem to have answered the question. Was it the manufacturer who told you that?

Here are a couple of links that folk might find useful -

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/5066-eliquid-recepies.html

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/5128-36mg-xmg-24mg.html

 

[jedisilversun]

The company was Thornton and Ross. When i looked up the make of the glycerine i had in my cupboard it seemed they supply a lot of the UK. Im not sure about supplies to other countries. I saw on another thread though not on the beginners forum that someone had asked about some glycerine they had bought and it was also BP v/v (E422). I dont know if is also vegetable based but it seemed a coincidence.

I discovered that Food grade and pharm grade Glycerine must be at least 95% pure and the differences between Food grading and Pharm grading is that with food, the grading only really applies to the beginning products which go into the finished product. With Pharm grading all ingredients are tested both at the beginning and the end for purity, potency, safety and efficiency.

Unfortunately the place i got the grading info wasn't reffering to Glycerine in particular but dietary supplements.

The bold is from the below website
http://home.earthlink.net/~lynnebarb/id10.html

Another issue im really not sure about yet is that with Pharm grading being a purer product does this make it a more dangerous product. I don't know. On my bottle of Glycerine it does state that if taken in large doses it is harmful.

Also (and interestingly) possible side effects of Glycerine are Headaches, nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, diarrhoea, thirst, dizziness, mental confusion, irregular heartbeat and severe dehydration. Diabetics are advised to stear clear.



And from another site:http://www.panama-guide.com/article.php/20061014223042713

Several grades of glycerin are marketed, including high gravity, dynamite, yellow distilled, USP (U.S. Pharmacopoeia), and CP (chemically pure). USP grade is water-white and suitable for use in foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, or for any purpose where the product is designed for human consumption.

Im guessing then that BP is for British Pharmacopoeia.