New Member with some questions about DIY E-Liquid

[Syxguns]

It seems that this is the only forum I can post in and I understand being a vB forum owner myself. I have a couple of questions and maybe someone could point me in the correct direction.

First let me give a big HELLO to all forum members!!

My first attempt at vape was with an E-Cigarette, which I found practically useless. It seemed to me that you would only get a few good hits off the thing and it caused me to cough after every drag. I'm a hard core smoker, that am trying my best to replace the cigarette with vapor.

Two weeks ago a kiosk where I purchase filters for the E-Cig for my girlfriend had a new product. The allowed me to sample it and I was thrilled with the outcome! Every single hit was as strong as the first hit, unlike the E-Cig. I ended up purchasing the VaporX XLT and two e-liquids of 2.4% Nicotine, tobacco flavored.

I recently returned to the place where I made the purchase and they did not have any in stock!! OMG!! I started to freak out because even though I have not stopped smoking, in a couple of weeks I have cut my smoking in half! So I got online and started doing a little research. In fact I ordered two more 10ml. bottles of liquid, and a 10 filters in the process. Today I received an e-mail from them saying that they were also out of stock and that as soon as they received the product that it would be sent to me!! Gosh darn it! (imagine more descriptive words if you like because that is not what I thought!!)

I did a little more searching on the net to find that I could make my own e-liquids, but I have to admit that purchasing the items is a little complicated especially when it comes to the purchasing the Unflavored Nicotine! You have the following choices: 25mg, 36mg, 48mg,60mg, and 100mg.

Now for myself I would think that 100mg would be the way to go, however, I also know that nicotine can be deadly! I've been searching recipes, and I have to say that some of the abbreviations throw me off track a little, but what I am searching for at this point is a set of precise instructions for a heavy smoker to get a good thought hit, and a nice nicotine level out of a vapor.

I'm not interested in flavors really at this point. However, I do smoke Swisher Sweets Little Cigars now because a pack of Marlboro reds is over $7 a pop!! I'm hoping that some of the veterans on this forum can help me out a little on this!

Many thanks!!

 

[Sovran]

I am by no means a veteran. I have been vaping for about a month but have lurked this forum learning for several months. Many but not all abbreviations are underlined and by scrolling over them it gives you a definition. Some like RBA(rebuildable atomizer) are not and take searching or asking to define.
The Eliquid forum has a sub forum called DIY liquid that has a lot of info on the subject including recipes and calculators. The common suggestion on nic is beginners should not mess with anything above 36mg/ml for safety reasons. You can cut it in 1/2 by adding an equal volume of PG giving you what is the common strength of most cigarettes(analogs). I have dealt wizard labs, high desert vapes and vapor crave with no out of stock issues.
I make my nic base 70/30 PG/VG at 18mg nic so all I have to do is add flavor, tobacco or other flavor depending on my mood and what is on hand. I get good throat hit and decent vapor production. This method keeps me from having to handle 100mg nic as frequently.

Hope that helps even though it comes from another noob.

 

[yzer]

I understand that you are curious about DIY liquids. I was, from the beginning. I DIY now.

I suggest you try pre-mixed and flavored e-liquids to begin with. 18-24 mg strength is not a bad choice for heavy ex-smokers to begin with. Cut down the nicotine in the future as you wish.

The DIY forum here at ECF is very useful. You can read it anytime and post there after you rack up 5 posts here on the beginners forum.

100 mg is too strong to vape safely, but it's far from being pure nicotine. It must be diluted first. Many DIY people (like myself) use less potent base nicotine and dilute it from there: a good idea as you learn the process. You will need accurate measuring vessels (like graduated cylinders, droppers and pipettes) to do the job. And you have to know what you are doing first and how to do it.

DIY saves money. Buying pre-mixed for now won't break the bank and will give you time to learn the ropes.

 

[Syxguns]

Thanks Sovran,
It helps a little, and I may check out the sites that you suggested. However, I'm primarily interested in making my own liquids. I think that in the long run it would be much more cost effective. I may take your advice on the 36mg/ml for the time being, or until someone can give me a DIY basics for strong smokes that I can understand.

The look of what you just said is that I need both PG and VG in the mix. This is good to know, however, I'm still stuck with the, "What do I need to begin?" question.

Do you have a basic instruction for a beginner or a site that will give me the information on what I need for my trial run?

 

[Sovran]

To begin you need
1. a recipe
2. nic solution which come in varying strengths
3. PG- a flavor carrier and dilutant for the nic
4. VG- a vapor producer and dilutant for the nic
5. flavoring if desired
6. personal protective equipment- gloves, safety glasses. I also use a long sleeve shirt to protect my arms from accidental spills when dealing with the strong nic.
7. bottles, accurate measuring equipment such as graduated cylinders or syringes. I use syringes because they are cheap, leave nothing sticking to the walls as waste and are more accurate because nothing is left on the walls. droppers, paper towels. Lastly a close sink to wash off in case of spillage.

As for instructions I mix my nic base as noted above in large quantities, using one of many online calculators such as this one E-Liquid Recipe Name . Then transfer some of it to a smaller bottle for flavoring as desired.
It is not rocket science but simple safety precautions should be followed.

 

[yzer]

I don't use any PG at all. Just VG, a little distilled water, and nicotine. I don't even use flavorings.

Graduated cylinders can be used without waste sticking to the walls. You need to know how to read the meniscus. Just warm the viscous liquids slightly prior to mixing or wait out the drip cycle on a consistent basis. Works great for making batches larger than 100 ml.

 

[DizGrizz]

Sovran, first, congratulations on the choice to work toward being tobacco free with the use of vaping. It's a great plan.
For insight into making your own e-liquid (a.k.a. "juice"), try Googling "making your own e cig liquid"; it will give you several sights with information (including this one) as well as at least one video.
I would, however, second yzer's suggestion that you get some pre-made juice for your immediate needs. That way you are not under pressure to get something going right away in your DIY. There are a number of very cost effective pre-made juices out there including (here I go again with the DeKang commercial), you guessed it, DeKang. They have quite a few tobacco choices and are quit inexpensive. If you're a fan of Swisher Sweets then the RY4 may be a viable option for you as it has a caramel and vanilla sweetness to it that a great many people find very satisfying (it is very popular). A good supplier of the DeKang liquid is valuevapor.com which has a fairly good selection, great prices, and lightning fast shipping.
Then, you can gather your DIY supplies at ease and perfect your home-brew juices without the I-have-no-juice Sword of Damocles hanging over your head.

Cheers and welcome to the forum!

 

[AttyPops]

I started out with DIY to keep myself busy and save $$. Purchased a few pre-mixed too.

There's a whole section for DIY info: DIY E-Liquid

Basically...start simply. One trick I liked (you'll have to think about this with your target ratios) is to order my nic in 50/50 PG/VG mix at double my target strength. Still saved $$$ and allowed me to only need PG for mixing to my 75 PG/ 25 VG target. I'd put the base in the bottle to the 1/2 way point, add flavorings and top off with PG. Shake. Easy. I end up with my target strength and 1/2 the bases' VG since most flavorings are PG based anyway.

Example: I want 24 mg juice at 75/25 PG/VG. So I order 48 mg 50/50 base and a jug of PG and flavorings.
You'd also need some 10 or 20 ml bottles. Don't do huge batches. Start simply with lime, grape, vanilla, etc. Get into complicated "recipes" later. You may also wish to have some EM and some distilled water.

The most savings are probably realized with the higher nic...but meh. Guess I'm too lazy. I do it the easy way. Still saves a lot. I'm aware I could also order 100 mg in PG and cut it in 1/2 with VG to make my starting base. But meh.

 

[Hoosier]

Syxguns, you've gotten some good advise here so I won't confuse it further.

I've been mixing my own for over 2 years. It's pretty straightforward.

Reply to some of the good folks here a few more times and then head over the the DIY sub as AttyPops pointed out. There's plenty of folks there who are willing to help out with anything you may need after wrapping your head around the previous posts.

 

[Cookster]

This is one of the best places to buy:

Wizard Labs

You can email John, the owner, or even call, and he will help you out.

 

[317Vapers]

I too am looking at getting into DIY seems a little overwhelming like all the mods/cartos/attys did but I'm sure as I read on it will become more familiar. I'm needing to save some $$$ lol

 

[pufmuf]

i thought will save money with vaping, but all the pv and mods already cost me more than analogs, but im more healthier, and thats what counts

first we started by premade liquids
but after the first month im doing my own liquids
- the good thing is that you can make the "perfect" one, some like more of PG and some more VG
- you can mix flavours; you vant more vanilla, ad more vanilla; uou can make ctazy combinatios, that you will never made premade
- with your own mixtures you can go slowly down in the nicotine strenght, each month use 1mg less, you cant do it with premades so easily to not change their flavour or the PG/VG ratio
- and the last but not least you will save money! making your own, atleast here in europe is 1/5 - 1/10 of the price of premades

 

[Syxguns]

I got some great info to start out with. Thanks for the links. I have some pre-made on the way, but would like to go ahead and purchase the items I need to start making my own e-juice.
Thanks for the welcome everyone. I'll post a list of what I'm going to purchase so you can let me know if I have everything that I need.

 

[Syxguns]

I received a visitor message from xb9rguy that asked what my forum was. Because I'm still new to the site and haven't posted 5 comments yet, I thought I would leave the answer here with a little description.

**Edited by classwife : removed link & site info - TOS**

I will post tomorrow about what I am thinking about purchasing for my DIY kit.

 

[lulu836]

One more thing about DIY...........take really good notes on everything you make so if you like it you can make it again. I've made lots of really good juice that were just experiments of adding flavorings together and will never be able to make them again 'cause I was too lazy to pick up a pencil. Also be sure to take note of the flavoring vendor.

If you are interested in keeping your recipes organized or using someone elses recipe take a look here. Notice that there are parenthesized letters after most ingredients. Those are the common references to the flavor vendor. In some, if not most, of the recipes there the vendor is the key to the amount of the flavoring in the mix.

CA = Capella
FW = Flavor West
TPA - The Perfumer's Apprentice <-----
TFA = The Flavor's Apprentice <----- these two are the same company
SI = Signature

and many, many more.

 

[-Mimi-]

I took the jump and ordered DIY supplies from Wizard. My package went out yesterday. I can't wait! I also have a candle/bath/body business so I had all the "equipment" and bottles necessary to do it myself which helps. There are many calculators available for recipes. I have spent days reading the diy posts. I don't think it will be "too" difficult. Just remember to steep after you make your own or you will think something is really wrong with your blends.

LorAnn is also another flavoring sold. Believe it or not, walmart sells LorAnn at a good price $3 for a pack of 2) if you just want a couple basic flavors to play with. Local craft stores like Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and AC moore also sell flavoring oils. Make sure its not extract but oil. One thing to keep in mind buying higher nic strengths is that it will take more of the pg/vg/flavoring to dilute it to the strength you want.

 

[fourthrok]

I took the jump and ordered DIY supplies from Wizard. My package went out yesterday. I can't wait! I also have a candle/bath/body business so I had all the "equipment" and bottles necessary to do it myself which helps. There are many calculators available for recipes. I have spent days reading the diy posts. I don't think it will be "too" difficult. Just remember to steep after you make your own or you will think something is really wrong with your blends.

LorAnn is also another flavoring sold. Believe it or not, walmart sells LorAnn at a good price $3 for a pack of 2) if you just want a couple basic flavors to play with. Local craft stores like Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and AC moore also sell flavoring oils. Make sure its not extract but oil. One thing to keep in mind buying higher nic strengths is that it will take more of the pg/vg/flavoring to dilute it to the strength you want.

OIL? Are you sure that's what you want? I also DIY, but my flavor is pretty simple...menthol with koolada and pappermint in a 85PG to 15VG base. Use 48mg. nic base and dilute to 4mg. I use TFA from One Stop DIY.. I like them and the price is good. Anyway, I was given to understand that you should NOT vape stuff with oil...that the oil can coat your lungs and it can make you very sick and even be deadly! Lorann isn't really made for vaping...it's made for cooking, or topical applications or whatever. I know people use it all the time, but I just question the bit about oil. Seems risky to me. But I admit I really am no expert on such things, and it doesn't effect the type juice I make. I just know some people I know are "veterans" were warning people about vaping oil based stuff several months ago. Thought I'd mention it.

 

[Hoosier]

Confusion on marketing and actual. Lorann's "Oils" are very very seldom actually oils. They use the word oil because it implies higher strength. Loranns also makes extracts, which are too weak for mixing and often contain gums and other stuff that would gunk up a coil. (The sticky's in the DIY sub-forum cover which is which in a color coded format.)

There is also a guy that goes by the name Roly...somethingorother on here, I think he used to be the forum manager or somesuch, that has stated that he vaped his own DIX mix where the flavoring was a mint oil for many months straight. So, if you don't want to take it just from me, there are some folks here that know that lumping all "oil" into the OMG-It's-Bad is not a great way to go. Mint oils only require a tiny percentage to give huge flavor, thus the reasoning behind Loranns marketing.

 

[fourthrok]

Confusion on marketing and actual. Lorann's "Oils" are very very seldom actually oils. They use the word oil because it implies higher strength. Loranns also makes extracts, which are too weak for mixing and often contain gums and other stuff that would gunk up a coil. (The sticky's in the DIY sub-forum cover which is which in a color coded format.)

There is also a guy that goes by the name Roly...somethingorother on here, I think he used to be the forum manager or somesuch, that has stated that he vaped his own DIX mix where the flavoring was a mint oil for many months straight. So, if you don't want to take it just from me, there are some folks here that know that lumping all "oil" into the OMG-It's-Bad is not a great way to go. Mint oils only require a tiny percentage to give huge flavor, thus the reasoning behind Loranns marketing.

Okay...that's cool. I used to be on another forum and it was discussed, but I admit I didn't pay that much attention as it wasn't on my radar at that point as a newbie. I do know LorAnn flavors are used all over the place, so they must be fine. And the extracts don't sound like something I want gunking my my atties or my lungs. Glad that is cleared up!

 

[AttyPops]

Good post Hoosier.

Yeah, in general it's best to get DIY flavors from vaping vendors IMO since they have checked that stuff out already. They are usually very inexpensive anyway.....

There is a list in the DIY section about general (candy?) flavorings that you can and can't use. But I just do like I said above.