Need Help Tweaking My Cart - First Attempt @ DIY

[Blueser]

I'm ready to take the plunge and give DIY a shot. I don't have exotic taste, so at this point I'll just be working with one-two flavors. I have found very little juice that I could enjoy. Indigo tobacco's have been my mainstay but I've been gradually finding myself almost liking a few others. Creamy Mint from TPR was fantastic right off the mail truck, at least the small sample bottle was, I ordered the 20ml bottle and going on three weeks steeping it still isn't comparable to the sample ...At this point I haven't decided exactly what flavors/recipes I may like. I know I like the sweet cream, maybe a whipped cream and a nice minty flavor (not menthol)
For now I'm just trying to put the basics I need into a cart and looking for input on tweaking the supplies I'll need. I wanted to start small and try to order most everything from one vendor. Here's what I have loaded in My Freedom Smokes cart.

*UnFlavored Nicotine Smoke Juice E-Liquid Size: 60ml Stren​gth: 36mg PG/VG​ Mix: 100% ​PG
*USP Grade Propylene Glycol Size: 250ml
*USP Grade Vegetable Glycerin Size: 250ml
*1 Syringe with 18ga Needle Size: 3ml
*1 Syringe with 18ga Needle Size: 10ml
*30ml Syringe w/ 5pk of 1" Blunt Nose Needles
*3 15ml Amber Glass Bottle w/ Dropper Cap
*3 30ml Amber Glass Bottle Cap: Dropp​er Ca​p
*3 60ml Amber Glass Bottle Cap: Dropp​er Ca​p
*5 10ml Plastic Dropper Bottle

Is there anything else I need or should omit? I have quite a few 15 & 30ml bottles on hand. I'd like to order my flavors from the same place for now....and my other dilemma is I hate artificial sweetner, don't know what to get really. I've heard EM but dunno.

 

[Train2]

You do want to pick some flavors...
Other than that: I'd get a bunch of 1 ml syringes, and maybe drop the 30 ml syringe. When you get started, you might want to make 5 ml batches (some people do less, even) to see if it's good, before making anything in a big bottle. And then you NEED the 1 ml syringe to add say 0.4ml of a flavor...
You might try EM, or even try the other sweeteners in small amounts. It may not taste artificial vaping like it does when you drink it...
Do you have a calculator you plan to use? I like EJuiceMeUp a lot - it helps prevent math errors, when it CAN get a little tricky...

 

[ToweKnee]

Also try to get the lowest gauge size needle like 14g. Sucking up VG through anything smaller is going to give you fits of rage.

 

[Blueser]

Freedom Smokes doesn't list any 1ml syringes that I could find. I'll look elsewhere...tks

 

[cskent]

You don't mention what your target strength will be, but if you're going to be mixing to 24 mg I'd suggest you go with a higher mg content, 60 ml won't last long if you're going that high. Ditto on the 14 gauge needles, VG can be hard to get through a smaller needle especially when it's a bit cool. And, unless you're vaping unflavored juice or getting flavorings locally, you should buy at least a few flavorings with your order. As Train suggested, a 30 ml syringe is a bit larger than you need, get a couple more small ones to measure flavorings with.

 

[Blueser]

I already have 2 14ga needles, I'll drop the 30ml syringe. The juice I've been buying most always has been 50/50 @ 18mg nic.

 

[Spazzer]

I agree with cskent - That 60ml of 36mg/ml will only make 120ml of juice at 18mg/ml.
I would suggest getting a higher strength or larger quantity - or both.

Definitely get some 1ml syringes for measuring flavorings.

Oh, and lots of 5ml bottles to mix test batches. When I started out on ecigs and was buying vender pre-made juices I got a lot of sample packs of 5-6ml to see what I liked. I saved all the bottles. They work great for test batches.

Good luck, and have fun!

 

[Blueser]

I agree with cskent - That 60ml of 36mg/ml will only make 120ml of juice at 18mg/ml.
I would suggest getting a higher strength or larger quantity - or both.

Definitely get some 1ml syringes for measuring flavorings.

Oh, and lots of 5ml bottles to mix test batches. When I started out on ecigs and was buying vender pre-made juices I got a lot of sample packs of 5-6ml to see what I liked. I saved all the bottles. They work great for test batches.

Good luck, and have fun!

Yeah, I have about 20+ 5ml sample bottles...and eruh I didn't want to buy to much...just in case I really sucked at this.

 

[pamdis]

I already have 2 14ga needles, I'll drop the 30ml syringe. The juice I've been buying most always has been 50/50 @ 18mg nic.

Most of the flavors you find will be in PG. If your nic is PG and you use 36mg, then when you make your mix of 18mg, 1/2 your bottle will be nic. That means the other half will need to be all VG in order to keep a 50/50 mix.

You might want to consider changing your nic to VG. Or decide you are OK with a higher PG.

If you decide to go 36mg in VG, then you can drop your order of VG, because you will only be adding flavor and extra PG to make a 50/50 mix.

 

[Blueser]

Most of the flavors you find will be in PG. If your nic is PG and you use 36mg, then when you make your mix of 18mg, 1/2 your bottle will be nic. That means the other half will need to be all VG in order to keep a 50/50 mix.

You might want to consider changing your nic to VG. Or decide you are OK with a higher PG.

If you decide to go 36mg in VG, then you can drop your order of VG, because you will only be adding flavor and extra PG to make a 50/50 mix.

Boy do I have a lot to learn and probably the hard way. This never crossed my mind...tks

 

[Spazzer]

Boy do I have a lot to learn and probably the hard way. This never crossed my mind...tks

Read, read, read... And then read some more!

Read the Stickies at the top of this forum.

Then read Hoosiers blogs
Then read dannyv45s blogs

The read a bunch of threads.

I read for about three weeks before I ever ordered supplies or mixed any juice.
That way I ordered just what I needed and not what I didn't. I also had a good idea of the process before I started.
Research pays off in knowledge and $$.

 

[thatguy2]

and I just have to ask, why all the glass bottles with dropper caps?

 

[BigDaddio]

I seriously sucked at first. Of course I believe it's because I tried making some very complex recipes. You gotta walk before you can run. I think you'll do fine.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[cskent]

and I just have to ask, why all the glass bottles with dropper caps?

That isn't really very many bottles, besides you never seem to have enough of the right size when you want them.

 

[Falcon13]

yea if I went back I would have ordered my nic in vg instead of pg. Now that im making it I think i like 70%vg to a 30%pg. To me the sweetness of the VG helps out the mix to boot not using as much sweetener. granted I am still learning and. though I am pleased with my start up order couple of things I would have changed (i dont know how to link a post but i have a post of my start up I ordered) to my order is Nic to VG, more flavorings (im learning you can never have too much flavors or is it just my addiction taking over in DYI), about 10 5ml bottles (ill mix up about 3ml test batches to see what a flavor tastes like straight and then ill make a 5ml batch of what i want it to taste like and adjust. but remember when mixing it is a lot easier to add flavor than to dilute it), there was something else.... oh yea I remember larger quantities of at least VG and PG. I bought the 100mg/ml nic for a couple reasons 1 ease of double checking the calculator, and dont use as much. but extra caution is needed when working with it. but as for test batches i dont add any nic. when it comes time to adding the nic. i get all dressed up with safety glasses, gloves, chemical apron and a respirator. Bit over board maybe but Just what i need is to open my nic and have a cali earthquake hit and have the nic spill all over me. granted the odds of that are very very low but never know when an accident might occur


(edit fixing a couple typos)

 

[Blueser]

and I just have to ask, why all the glass bottles with dropper caps?

Because evidently I don't know what I'm doing...the reason I posted this. Is this your way of telling me I don't need those? Point noted

 

[thatguy2]

Because evidently I don't know what I'm doing...the reason I posted this. Is this your way of telling me I don't need those? Point noted

No, not at all.. I too am new at this.

But if I may make a suggestion, when you are on the bottle page you have options besides the dropper caps that can be selected. child proof cap for example. And it doesn't change the cost to make that selection.

I also ordered several of those amber bottles to break my Nic down and freeze it, but wondered about the rubber droppers in freezer.
They also have a pierceable cap that would let you draw out with a needle without removing the cap, but I read somewhere on here those soften after a while and lose the seal..

Don't know for sure, just something I read and as we all know: IT HAS TO BE TRUE - I READ IT ON THE INTERNET