new at mixing - a few questions

[axionix]

I finally decided to have a go at mixing - I'm sick of those high prices. I'd buy in larger quantities to save money, but I can never vape the same flavor for more than a week without moving onto something new and exciting. So, I recently spent hundreds of dollars on DIY supplies and various flavors - most of everything obtained from onestopdiyshop.

1) I have a nic base of 48mg in 100% PG. I Also have containers of straight PG and straight VG for dilution. None of the calculators I could find online allowed me to input my nic base as well as dillution liquids in order to get a target of PG/VG and nic level. The few I did find said that my mix was impossible, and I'd need more PG than I'd like. I am not using Windows, so that popular program everybody uses is out of the question (I forget the name). My question is, without downloading software, is there some calculation I can perform to get a target of 15-18mg nic from the above ingredients? I am not sure on a PG/VG ratio, but I prefer vapes with less throat hit while still being flavorful (so probably having more VG but not too much). All of my flavor concentrates are PG-based, nic is 48mg/ml PG, and I also have spare PG and spare VG.

2) I tried mixing a few simple blends (1-2 flavors), with all of 30/70, 50/50, and 70/30 PG/VG. All of them give a huge throat hit and are pretty unpleasant to vape. One even has a burnt taste after a few vapes and a new coil head. What would be the most likely cause of this?

3) I am getting pretty discouraged being unable to produce anything vapable. I thought this would be easy for me having a strong science background, but apparantly I'm not doing something correct. Even the worst vendor-bought juices are better than mine - and I haven't even begun to blend multiple flavors together. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated here.

Thanks in advance for any and all help

 

[Rat2chat2]

Here is a calculator that is not Windows based. DIY E-Liquid Calculator Ten Flavors With Nicotine Plus PG/VG Adjusting

I know it can be frustrating, so someone just needs to get you back where it is just fun.. I always suggest doing a small batch first. Then adjust on the next. Write down everything you use. (notes are important to me) And you may have to adjust the percentage of the flavorings you are using. Different flavorings have different recommended percentages. I find that I always start lower than what they recommend and build it to what I want.

One thing that I have gotten to enjoy is just adding flavor to my unflavored nic juice. I use the Vaping Zone super concentrated and gourmet flavorings so you use drops instead of mls. I have been very happy with doing this so you may even consider something as simple as what I am doing. I'm sure someone will come along and help you more than I can but I just wanted to say......don't give up. When you find a mix that makes your taste buds dance.............it is so worth it. Good luck to you.

 

[Boletus]

If you have a strong science background and good algebra skills, this might help. The mixing equation for final concentration of a single compound is:

Sum(C_iV_i) = C_fV_f

Where C = concentration, V = Volume, i = increment, f= final; rearrange and solve for V_f or C_f

For example, if I mix 20 ml of 48 mg/ml base to 40 ml of VG,
I have (20 ml)(48 mg/ml) + (40 ml)(0 mg/ml) = (C_f mg/ml)(V_f ml)
For this example, V_f is known at 20 + 40 = 60 ml, so
C_f = [(20 ml)(48 mg/ml) + (40 ml)(0 mg/ml)] / (60 ml) = 16 mg/ml

 

[muranternet]

With 48mg PG base and a target of say 16mg one-third of your mix is nic base in PG. Add 16 2/3 % flavoring and you're already at a 50-50 mix. This may be why you can't hit your target strength and solvent ratio.

 

[Spazmelda]

The reason the calculators aren't letting you make the mix you want is because it is impossible to do.

I played with your numbers a bit, and the highest VG % I could get with your numbers was 58%. That's using the minimum of 15 mg/ml for nicotine, and only 10% flavorings (which is kind of weak for most people).

Since the flavors and the nicotine are both in PG, increases In either of those two ingredients are going to lower the VG% that you can make.

To get a higher VG ratio without sacrificing flavor percentage or nicotine concentration, you will need to order some more nicotine. If you were to order the same strength nicotine in VG and mix it in equal amounts with your pg nicotine (mix really really well) that would give you 50/50 base, which would allow you to get a higher VG percentage in your final mixes.

Without buying new stuff, you are limited to lowering your target nic strength and/or lowering your flavorings.

 

[axionix]

Thank you all for the suggestions so far. I remade my orange/grapefruit juice and it tastes fabulous. I'm not even a fruity juice lover, but I can come back to this one for sure: 8% ruby red grapefruit (FW), 4% blood orange (FW), 4% tart & sour (LA), 1/64tsp EM