Making my own and cost

[Way2Gone]

How much would it cost me to get started on making my own juice?
I know I will need a base, nic, and flavorings.

I also will add that I have never done this before and don't know what I am doing.

Please if you don't mind give me suggestions on what you would do if you were me just wanting to make like a 240 ml or maybe even 120's ml. I like dessert flavors, fruit flavors (Strawberry, Real Blueberry(not candy) ) and other types of fruit flavors as well. I do like some candy vapes it just depends on what it is and how it tastes.

Thank you so much if you bother giving me a helping hand, I couldn't thank you enough honestly.

 

[keelalagirl55]

You will find much more help and a boatload of information here: DIY E-Liquid

 

[uthinkofsomething]

Start looking at recipes. Do you want to make more complicated flavors or single flavor juices? The more different flavors in a liquid, the more it will cost, and you can't buy the tiny amount you need to make one bottle, but have to buy at least 8mls maybe 15 mls in a bottle of flavoring that costs from 1.39$ to 7$.
I very recently started diy and spent a little over 100 on everything including a scale to measure by weight for three flavors of eliquid, ended up with enough to make 1500mls of juice.

 

[Train2]

Find a couple SIMPLE RECIPES, and buy the ingredients based on those.
PG, VG, Nic, a few flavors, a way to measure (syringes or scale).
Find an e-juice calculator that you are comfortable with (they're free - I use "ejuicemeup" - it's a PC program, but a lot of people use an app or online tool).

You can get started literally for probably $50 if you're super choosey.
Then you can make juice that costs like $0.06/ml. Saving money in no time!!

How much would it cost me to get started on making my own juice?
I know I will need a base, nic, and flavorings.

I also will add that I have never done this before and don't know what I am doing.

Please if you don't mind give me suggestions on what you would do if you were me just wanting to make like a 240 ml or maybe even 120's ml. I like dessert flavors, fruit flavors (Strawberry, Real Blueberry(not candy) ) and other types of fruit flavors as well. I do like some candy vapes it just depends on what it is and how it tastes.

Thank you so much if you bother giving me a helping hand, I couldn't thank you enough honestly.

 

[Cobra Kai]

Good morning! Here are some links you can use as a reference to get you started down the mixing rabbit hole:

Scale: https://www.amazon.com/American-Weigh-Scales-LB-501-Digital/dp/B005UGBG20

Bottles
https://www.amazon.com/Boston-Round...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=GK8TFH5G0V1WDGR8R21D

VG
https://www.amazon.com/Vegetable-Glycerine-Kosher-99-7-Pure/dp/B000WR8TBI/ref=sr_1_6_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1537773202&sr=1-6&keywords=vegetable+glycerin&th=1
PG
https://www.amazon.com/Propylene-Gl...&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=propelyne+glycol&psc=1
Nic Base
https://www.nudenicotine.com/product/100mg-nicotine-base/

An E-liquid Calculator - to get you started
E-Liquid Calculator - Best DIY Vape eJuice Calculator

Flavors
Bull City Flavors - Best Prices on Flavoring

The thing about mixing is that spending more in the beginning will save you $ in the long run. So I'd suggest buying the vg by the gallon (same with the pg unless you want to mix 70/30 or max vg, otherwise I would buy it by the quart). For the nicotine, I'd buy at least 120ml @100mg/ml in a pg base. You'll want to store it in a freezer and cold pg flows much easier than vg when mixing with it. Nude Nicotine is the vendor I buy from but you can probably find it cheaper if you shop around. 100mg/ml is a strong concentration, which means you won't need as much per recipe.

Now, I linked the bottles at 120ml, but before you mix that much you should also get some 1/2oz(15ml) or 1oz(30ml) boston round bottles first. These should be used for new recipes you try to see if you like them before making them in bulk. For the scale, the key factors to look for are accuracy to .01 grams with at least a 500 gram max load.

For flavoring, I like to use bullcityflavors as the bottles the flavors come in have a needle tip so you can squirt them directly into the bottle without needing pipettes. Do you like strawberry banana? Here is a quick recipe you can make right away while you explore all the delicious options here on ECF:
Brand Flavor %
LorAnn Banana Cream 4
TFA Ripe Strawberry 4
Capella's Sweet Strawberry 3
Capella's Vanilla Custard 10

Have fun & happy hunting!

 

[tailland]

I do it the easy way.

• I order 1000ml bottles of nic base. A bottle of 3mg nic base costs 12.90 and a bottle of 6mg costs 15.90. I usually order 2 of them, p&p is 6€. So I come down at 15.90 or 18.90 per liter bottle of nic base.
• I have a battery of concentrated flavors here, each of which costs about 2.50-3.00€ per 10ml. The manufacturer usually recommends between 1-3% of flavor in your liquid, but I need a bit more, so I end up with 2.5-5%, resulting in between 6,25€ and 15€ in flavors per 1000ml base. I could cut the costs by buying larger bottles, but so far I haven't found any flavor that I love so much that I'd produce more than a 1000ml bottle of liquid with it at a time. That may or may not change.
  
• Mixing is easy. 10ml bottle = 1% of 1000mls. I need 5%, I pour 5 bottles into the base liquid. No equipment required. Those larger bottles leave enough room to fill them up good. Only when I mix flavors, or when I want to produce smaller (test) amounts of liquid, then I use a small plastic beaker cup to collect the flavor mixture I make before I pour it into the final liquid bottle. For that last step, I use a 10ml plastic pipette.
• Now I know that this method isn't entirely accurate because it doesn't take into account that the overall amount of liquid increases with the ml of flavors I add, but the difference in the end result is negligible. A simple calculation: If 50ml were part of 1000ml liquid, it would be a 5% mixture. But when I add the 50mls to an already existing 1000ml, I end up with 1050mls, and the 50ml then make up 4,76%. Boohoo.

=
Minimum cost for a liter bottle: 15.90+6,25 = 22,15 per 1000ml = 2,22 per 100ml
Maximum cost for a liter bottle: 18.90+15. = 33,90 per 1000ml = 3,39 per 100ml

However, you can make it cheaper, but then it becomes more difficult, and therefor more expensive when you start. Handling high% nic is dangerous, requiring lab-like equipment and some rather serious safety gear. That sh*t costs money. And you need lots of time to work in a proper manner. Maybe you can shave another $1 off the costs for 1000mls, but it will take a long time to break even.

Your choice.

 

[Letitia]

You might prefer to start simple. Premixed nic base at your preferred mg and 3-4 one shots would be a good into to diy. Or you try a recipe pack; they bundle the flavors and provide a recipe. Bonus with the packs is you can create other mixes using the flavors included in the bundle. Bull City Flavors has some good community recipe packs.

 

[papergoblin]

How much would it cost me to get started on making my own juice?
I know I will need a base, nic, and flavorings.

I also will add that I have never done this before and don't know what I am doing.

Please if you don't mind give me suggestions on what you would do if you were me just wanting to make like a 240 ml or maybe even 120's ml. I like dessert flavors, fruit flavors (Strawberry, Real Blueberry(not candy) ) and other types of fruit flavors as well. I do like some candy vapes it just depends on what it is and how it tastes.

Thank you so much if you bother giving me a helping hand, I couldn't thank you enough honestly.

Look into all the links, lots of great info. I'm thinking of getting back into trying DIY (quit because I'm lazy). There are places that sell starter kits for example nicotine river has a kit with 18 flavors (you pick) for $50. It may have things you won't need but if you have nothing, it's not a bad deal (I've seen worse). It also comes with all you need from one place and if you decide it isn't for you (mixing), you're not out a huge amount of money.

I'd suggest not worrying about mixing by weight just starting out, unless you have a scale already or unless you are 100% sure you're going to stick with mixing. There's loads of info in the diy section here and I do like the info given at diyordie.

One thing to remember is, small batches. Don't dump all your supplies into one mix when starting out. Small batches also steep faster than larger ones as well. Get some paper make a list of flavor you like and start comparing suppliers prices. Just take your time and don't rush, when figuring out what all you need.

 

[Letitia]

Recipe bundles at BCF
Community Recipe Packs - Full Recipe (Discounted) - Page 1 - Bull City Flavors

Examples of one shots at ECX
One Shot Concentrates - Flavor Concentrates - <p class="shopbydepartment"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Shop by</span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">Department</span></p>

 

[NicotineRush]

Personally, given the current political/regulatory environment, I think DIY is the ONLY way to go.
Also, mixing by weight is the only way to go. Easier and faster.
So you spend 40-50 on a decent scale. If you stop DIY you still have a good kitchen scale. I use mine for DIY and making my pizza dough! Win win!

 

[DaveP]

DIY is definitely cheaper than store bought juice. I mix juice about once a month and from start to finish it takes me about 2 hours to get everything out and set it up, run back and forth to and from the laptop printing the recipes, and finally mixing half a dozen bottles of juice. I take my time and enjoy the process. I could streamline it and get it done more quickly, but the enjoyment of DIY is worth the time it takes.

Start small ... 15ml to 30ml. You will likely create some juices you don't care for in the beginning. There's no way to know what you'll like until you've tried it. Half the fun is experimenting and trying new flavors. Here and there you'll get a winner. Even with store bought juice there's no way to know if you will like it until you try it. After a while you'll settle down with a list of favorite flavors and the confidence that you can mix up a bottle and know that it will be right.

Keep records of what works and your favorite recipe list will grow. Google Hic's Notes for Flavourart and you'll find a treasure trove of information. HIC has extensive reviews of flavors and how he likes to mix them.

HIC's My Notes on FlavourArt

 

[zoiDman]

How much would it cost me to get started on making my own juice?
I know I will need a base, nic, and flavorings.

I also will add that I have never done this before and don't know what I am doing.

Please if you don't mind give me suggestions on what you would do if you were me just wanting to make like a 240 ml or maybe even 120's ml. I like dessert flavors, fruit flavors (Strawberry, Real Blueberry(not candy) ) and other types of fruit flavors as well. I do like some candy vapes it just depends on what it is and how it tastes.

Thank you so much if you bother giving me a helping hand, I couldn't thank you enough honestly.

You're going to spend about a Hundred Bucks to get started doing DIY.

You'll need some stuff in the Beginning that you probably Don't have already. But the Nice thing is once you're Up and Running, your Expenditures go way down. And all you will really be buying in the Future is New Flavorings to try. And More Nicotine Base to put in your Freezer.

If I was just Starting out, I would see if I could buy Nicotine Base in the Same Nicotine Level and PG to VG Ratio as what I was Currently vaping. Then all I would Need to do is to Add Flavorings and a Sweetener.

 

[zoiDman]

Personally, given the current political/regulatory environment, I think DIY is the ONLY way to go.
Also, mixing by weight is the only way to go. Easier and faster.
So you spend 40-50 on a decent scale. If you stop DIY you still have a good kitchen scale. I use mine for DIY and making my pizza dough! Win win!

I remember putting Pizza Flavoring once in a batch of Cookies I got roped into taking to an Office Party.

LOL

 

[stols001]

DIY can be as simple and inexpensive or as complicated and expensive as you choose to make it. IN THEORY, you will save money, but the problem can be that the savings (depending on how deep you dive) will be on the back end. So, if you are unsure, starting small is the smart way to go. Measuring by weight may well involve a scale purchase, but on the flip side all your measuring equipment will drop to zero. It's really "by preference" though, so if using syringes an whatnot is appealing, mix by volume.

IMHO you don't NEED a kit to get started, some folks find it helpful. Start small in quantity and include some one shots for early success and ease, as well as a FEW simple recipes. I bought all of my first flavorings in trial sizes and honestly many of them are still in use (although I MTL vape, so my overall quantities are lower). Get smaller amounts of nic, PG, VG etc. and maybe do that a few times (if you are liking your results and want to continue) with different vendors and flavorers as you go.

If/When you are feeling as if, "Okay I would like to DIY for life," that is the time to hold out for sales and get enough nic in your freezer (stored properly) and flavors for a couple years or so, and at that point you will be saying "DIY is expensive," but if you love it and you want to continue doing it, well most DIYers I know who really enjoy the process are either building or finishing up their stashes, thanks to the status of vaping in the US right now.

It is kind of the "best" time to find out if you want the hassle/joy of mixing your own eliquid, because the status of eliquid and flavors is tenuous at the moment.. So don't panic, start small and in whatever way makes sense to you, figure out if you are truly a DIYer, and then go from there.

Good luck. I'm sure I have saved thousands of dollars IF I live to the end of my nicotine stash and for me the next best thing about DIY than "I enjoy it," is "I am truly self sufficient."

Good luck and happy vaping.

Anna

 

[DaveP]

Post Deleted by DaveP

 

[DaveP]

@Way2Gone, the link below has all the info you need.

DIY E-Liquid

 

[bnrkwest]

I started DIY by buying the plain mixed nic without flavor in my desired strength. I would suggest buying flavors you like that are already mixed and just play around with that first. Mix up a 5-7 ml with nic base and desired flavor and remember how many drops you used for right amount of flavor you like. Write it down. The way I do my DIY now is I just mix in a bottle 30 or 60 ml size and I have marked the flavor level with a marker. Then I add my mixed nic base to that and shake well. It is very easy. I don't need much for equipment. I use a mixing bottle for diluting my nic. Works great for me. Have fun!

 

[Letitia]

I just can't recommend mixing by drops for anything but ultra flavors, drops from bottles are too inconsistent from bottle type to bottle type.

 

[Beamslider]

DIY is a long range proposition. You are going to probably spend more mixing in the beginning just because it is going to take an initial investment and it will probably take considerable trial and error before you find some mixes that you like.

But long range it is very inexpensive. Usually costs me around $1 for a 60 ml bottle mix

 

[Baditude]

I probably spent upwards of $100 for my Pg, Vg, nic concentrate, about 20 flavor concentrates, and mixing utensils (50 ml beaker, different size syringes, 30 and 60 ml juice bottles for my finished product).

Find a few recipes that you want to try, and buy the appropriate flavoring agents. You'll probably want to buy the larger bottles (30 ml or 4 oz) of flavorings when the recipes ask for larger amount. You can get by with the smaller 10 ml bottles of the flavors when the recipes ask for smaller amounts.

If you use the graduated 1 ml syringes, you'll need about a dozen ($1 each) because e-liquid causes the markings to come off. Or, you could buy a 1 ml pyrex glass syringe for upwards of $30-50 whose markings are permanent.

I like ordering from Bull City Flavorings because they have a section where more experienced customers explain why they use one manufacture's flavors over another's. For example, one manufacturer's strawberry may taste more like the "fruit", where as another manufacturer's tastes more like strawberry "candy".