New to DIY.

[BigFatDan]

Ok, I'm really REALLY new to DIY as in I haven't even started yet. I just want to make sure I have everything I need.

I'm going to be purchasing 1Gal of VG from eBay and 1Gal of PG from Tractor Supply Co. (I checked with multiple vendors and was told it's ok to vape) I'm also going to be purchasing some nic liquid in 54mg cutting it down to 6mg. I also a nice list of flavorings I want to purchase from LorAnn or Capella's not sure which.

Anyways, do I really need the sweeteners and that sort of stuff or does it just add to the taste of it? I'm not really looking for something of "immense" taste at the moment. I just want to get to know DIY stuff and maybe later on start adding some extra stuff.

I just want to be perfectly clear in asking that ALL I need is the PG/VG combo + 54mg Nicotine + Flavorings is ALL I essentially need to have a decent vape.

Thanks everyone,
-Big Dan

 

[Shilo]

Where are you getting 54 mg. nicotine from? Never heard of that exact percentage. DIY flavorings can be purchased from Capellas, ecigexpress, OneStopyDIY, High Desertecigs. There are lots of fans of Capellas here. I recommend yes you should be getting at least the Ethyl Maltol Sweeetener or some sucralose or stevia drops. You may find a sweetener very handy to have on hand as it can soften other flavors that may be too harsh on their own or make an unsweetened flavor pop that won't without some sort of sweetener. Use the ejuicemeup calculator it makes life really easy Good luck to you

 

[Scottinboca]

Welcome to DIY Big Dan. I hope to be joining you in the world of DIY soon.

 

[Bostonsnboxers]

Ok, I'm really REALLY new to DIY as in I haven't even started yet. I just want to make sure I have everything I need.

I'm going to be purchasing 1Gal of VG from eBay and 1Gal of PG from Tractor Supply Co. (I checked with multiple vendors and was told it's ok to vape) I'm also going to be purchasing some nic liquid in 54mg cutting it down to 6mg. I also a nice list of flavorings I want to purchase from LorAnn or Capella's not sure which.

Anyways, do I really need the sweeteners and that sort of stuff or does it just add to the taste of it? I'm not really looking for something of "immense" taste at the moment. I just want to get to know DIY stuff and maybe later on start adding some extra stuff.

I just want to be perfectly clear in asking that ALL I need is the PG/VG combo + 54mg Nicotine + Flavorings is ALL I essentially need to have a decent vape.

Thanks everyone,
-Big Dan

I personally don't use sweetener with the exception of EM (which also adds body) because I don't like really sweet stuff and both pg and vg (vg more so) are already plenty sweet to me. What you DO need though are bottles to put your mixes in, (you didn't mention them so I did) and if you're handling nic you need rubber gloves! Also measuring tools...syringes, beakers, whatever.

My advice to you is to READ the entire diy thread on this board, especially the stickies

 

[BigFatDan]

Thanks, I probably wont use EM at the start and if I need it sweeter I'll add a tiny bit of EM to the mix. Also, what do you mean by "body"?

and I have all the gloves and beakers and whatnot all worked out.

Also, I meant 50mg/ml, Shiloh and it's from CCV

 

[AzPlumber]

I would also recomend measuring instruments like syringes, pipettes, beakers, cylinders, droppers. Syringes work really well for most mixes but if you intend to mix up any large batches a beaker or two helps.

ETA, sorry i see you have that worked out already. Typed at the same time.

 

[BigFatDan]

That's ok, more input is helpful. I'm not sure if I want to make SUPER big batches right now. However later on, I plan on making like a couple gallons of pre-mixed base with my favorite ratio of PG/VG, just the right amount of EM. Then when I want to make a new juice all I have to do is extract some base out of the jug and put it in a bottle and then add my nic and flavoring and shake.

I will most likely end up getting some beakers later on.

 

[Bostonsnboxers]

That's ok, more input is helpful. I'm not sure if I want to make SUPER big batches right now. However later on, I plan on making like a couple gallons of pre-mixed base with my favorite ratio of PG/VG, just the right amount of EM. Then when I want to make a new juice all I have to do is extract some base out of the jug and put it in a bottle and then add my nic and flavoring and shake.

I will most likely end up getting some beakers later on.

I use a lot of Ball jars (canning) to mix everything but fial mixes in. They're cheap, come in tons of sizes, you can find them everywhere, they're glass, and you can throw them in the dishwasher. Doesn't get much better than that

 

[panachronic]

Ok, I'm really REALLY new to DIY as in I haven't even started yet. I just want to make sure I have everything I need.

I'm going to be purchasing 1Gal of VG from eBay and 1Gal of PG from Tractor Supply Co. (I checked with multiple vendors and was told it's ok to vape) I'm also going to be purchasing some nic liquid in 54mg cutting it down to 6mg. I also a nice list of flavorings I want to purchase from LorAnn or Capella's not sure which.

Anyways, do I really need the sweeteners and that sort of stuff or does it just add to the taste of it? I'm not really looking for something of "immense" taste at the moment. I just want to get to know DIY stuff and maybe later on start adding some extra stuff.

I just want to be perfectly clear in asking that ALL I need is the PG/VG combo + 54mg Nicotine + Flavorings is ALL I essentially need to have a decent vape.

Thanks everyone,
-Big Dan

Dude, that's more than 7500 ml of base liquid! If you vape 3 ml per day, that's almost a 7 year supply. Seems like an awful lot for personal use.

 

[BigFatDan]

Pana, I don't plan on actually vaping it. I want to make 10mL samples of all kinds of different flavorings and with different PG/VG ratios.

and plus, buying in bulk is a discount 7,500mL of base liquid for like 60 bucks. Which means every mil is worth .8 cents

Not to mention, I wouldn't have to worry about running out of PG/VG for a while. Also. I'm very clutsy and I can guarantee I'll probably spill a couple hundred mils somehow.


However as of late I've been gravitating more towards fruity flavors like Watermelon, apple, banana, etc. I might just pick up a bunch of fruity flavors from Capella's in small bottles and make 10mL samples of them.


Also - I do share a lot with my friends.

 

[Vchick]

That's ok, more input is helpful. I'm not sure if I want to make SUPER big batches right now. However later on, I plan on making like a couple gallons of pre-mixed base with my favorite ratio of PG/VG, just the right amount of EM. Then when I want to make a new juice all I have to do is extract some base out of the jug and put it in a bottle and then add my nic and flavoring and shake. I will most likely end up getting some beakers later on.

hmmm, I'd recommend making a smallish batch in your current nic level and ratio, no flavor say 120 ml to start. If you determine the ratio for the pg/vg doesn't work for you, with a large amount there's no going back to correct the ratio.

Pana, I don't plan on actually vaping it. I want to make 10mL samples of all kinds of different flavorings and with different PG/VG ratios.

and plus, buying in bulk is a discount 7,500mL of base liquid for like 60 bucks. Which means every mil is worth .8 cents

Not to mention, I wouldn't have to worry about running out of PG/VG for a while. Also. I'm very clutsy and I can guarantee I'll probably spill a couple hundred mils somehow.


However as of late I've been gravitating more towards fruity flavors like Watermelon, apple, banana, etc. I might just pick up a bunch of fruity flavors from Capella's in small bottles and make 10mL samples of them.

ok, say what?

 

[Bostonsnboxers]

....ok, say what?

Lol!!! I'm with YOU Vchick!

 

[BigFatDan]

ok, say what?

No, I'm just like really tired, I haven't been able to sleep in a couple days lol.

I didn't mean that I wanted to vape ALL of it. Well I do but I am aware that when I start DIY I will definitely be spilling, messing up, adding too much of and whatnot to a lot of my solutions. I'll probably end up with about 3,000-4,000mL of "vapeable" Nicquid that I actually like. I vape around 4mL a day so that's a nice, long lasting supply. I also took into account the fact that when I fill my tanks sometimes they flood and I lose a couple mils of liquid that way and that happens more often than not and considering I fill my tank up once a day I vape about 4mL of it and lose maybe 2mL once every 2 days so on average, instead of what I vape a day, I use approximately 5mL per day, sometimes more.

I don't even know where I'm going with this conversation. So I'm gunna try to sum it up:


SUMMARY: I want a ....load of PG/VG so basically if I spill/mess up on my e-Liquids I wont have to worry about ordering more base. I can just order flavors and Nicotine. That's basically all I wanted to say.

but now that I'm actually doing the math. It seems like I'm shooting a little... too high.. Maybe I should just get 1 liter of each...

 

[bluegrasslover]

Also measuring tools...syringes, beakers, whatever.

If you order from one stop she will include some measuring devices that will at least get you started.


Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[Bostonsnboxers]

No, I'm just like really tired, I haven't been able to sleep in a couple days lol.

I didn't mean that I wanted to vape ALL of it. Well I do but I am aware that when I start DIY I will definitely be spilling, messing up, adding too much of and whatnot to a lot of my solutions. I'll probably end up with about 3,000-4,000mL of "vapeable" Nicquid that I actually like. I vape around 4mL a day so that's a nice, long lasting supply. I also took into account the fact that when I fill my tanks sometimes they flood and I lose a couple mils of liquid that way and that happens more often than not and considering I fill my tank up once a day I vape about 4mL of it and lose maybe 2mL once every 2 days so on average, instead of what I vape a day, I use approximately 5mL per day, sometimes more.

I don't even know where I'm going with this conversation. So I'm gunna try to sum it up:


SUMMARY: I want a ....load of PG/VG so basically if I spill/mess up on my e-Liquids I wont have to worry about ordering more base. I can just order flavors and Nicotine. That's basically all I wanted to say.

but now that I'm actually doing the math. It seems like I'm shooting a little... too high.. Maybe I should just get 1 liter of each...

I buy my pg/vg by the gallon...essential depot sells a gallon of each for less than $50 w/free ship, and it's good quality usp, clear, etc. They ship fast too. Or...you can by 2 gal of pg, or 2 gal vg, but you have to buy 2 to get the free shipping. Because of the weight that saves mucho $$$$

http://www.essentialdepot.com/servlet/the-On-Special---dsh---FREE-SHIPPING/Categories

 

[Vchick]

Ok, now I understand, thanks for the clarification, just wanted to make sure you weren't mixing bug spray, lol

Mixing in small batches allows for the changes most of us usually have over time. If you want to change up the ratios, or nic level, mixing it in smaller batches makes managing that a little easier.

I've dropped from 24mg down to 6mg since starting in July 2010. My taste in flavors has also changed, so for me mixing anything over 60-120mls at a time would be a waste. I also make a batch of no nic in my preferred ratio to add to other liquids, it mutes the flavors, but if ever the Apocalypse hits..............hth!

 

[GoodDog]

You also need to consider the shelf life of PG and VG, 1-2 years is what they recommend. Nicotine will last for years with only a slight degradation in strength. Flavorings have a shelf life of 6-12 months.

 

[BigFatDan]

Ahhh, alright. So I'll most likely be buying 1 liter of each for my first purchase and find my "all-day" vape. I'm not one to fuss about flavors too much I'll probably end up trying the first flavor "ohh this is good" then vape like 80% of it and get bored and go onto the next one, lol.