Newb starting up - help, please

[elfstone]

Hi, all

I am trying to start up DYI-ing, and I am looking to have a decent set-up. I am not sure yet what kind of flavorings I will order, but I am looking for a "proof of concept" type of activity first - make sure I can mix up a safe and vapeable e-liquid, and then I can start ordering tons of flavors, I guess. But I really think I'll stick to it hence all the labware.

Here is my initial shopping list, that I need you guys to comment on:

250 ml of 100 mg Flavorless Nicotine Liquid - Propylene Glycol USP Grade
1000 ml of Propylene Glycol USP Grade
1000 ml Vegetable Glycerin USP Grade Kosher Certified
50 ml Low Beaker - Borosilicate Glass x2 (mostly for diluting the nic liquid before anything else
6mm X 250mm Glass Mixing Rod x2
5 ml Measuring Cylinder - Borosilicate Glass
25 ml Measuring Cylinder - Borosilicate Glass (I don't know why)
50 mm Funnel - Borosilicate Glass x2
50 Pack of 3 ml Dropette Disposable Transfer Pipettes
all of the above from RTS

3ml Natural LDPE Plastic Bottle with Dropper Tip x 10
15 ml Natural LDPE Plastic Bottle with Dropper Tip x 10
50ml Childproof Dropper Bottle LDPE x10
A few FlavourArt flavors
all of the above from ecigexpress

A few flavors from TPA

I have: a bunch of 3 ml and 5 ml syringes and 18 Ga needles, a face shield and nitrile gloves

Several questions:

- what do I use for sweetener? I have stevia extract in glycerine and water - will that work? are there better sweeteners? do I even need sweetener?

- what about menthol? what is the best way to get it as? if I get crystals, is it a hassle to dissolve them?

Is there anything that I should really get right now, or is this sufficient to start mixing?

Where (other than eBay) do I get a nicotine content test kit?

Thanks a lot in advance.

 

[icebob]

no need for the pipettes, use serynge. no need for mixing rods, i use erlenmeyer with the rubber cap and shake the bejesus out of it! for bottle, some amber glass to store your nic, and for your mix, double the amount you think you gonna need...

 

[djbishybish]

Looks good to me. I see you've already covered the topic of diluting the 100mg nicotine, one step ahead already!

As for sweetener, I generally don't use any. I find that a little EM or Marshmallow works perfectly. YMMV of course. A lot of people recommend EZ-Sweetz for the free sample for $2.95 if you find you do need sweetener.

I don't use menthol, but I'm a tad on the lazier side, so I would just buy it pre-diluted. Nothing wrong with buying the crystals and diluting it yourself though, works just as good.

It looks like you've covered just about everything you'll need. I don't use any glassware, but I could see where some might like using it more than just a syringe and a bottle.

I'm not sure about the nicotine content test kits, someone else will have to answer that.

Hope that helps! Oh, and make sure you read all the stickies and feel free to ask any questions that you're unsure about.

 

[panachronic]

It's not a bad list, but it's probably over-kill (unless you are planning to mix for 5-6 friends rather than just for yourself). Consider ordering less of either PG or VG (probably VG), unless you plan to make 50-50 juice. Don't horse around with flasks, beakers, pipettes and all of that - just use 1, 3 and 10 mL syringes, and mix right in the bottles. And get plastics instead of glass - plastics don't break and they cost a lot less.

 

[elfstone]

just use 1, 3 and 10 mL syringes, and mix right in the bottles.

Actually, I would love to do that, but how? How do I get stuff from a bottle bigger than ~30 ml into a syringe safely? It's not a rhetorical question.

 

[panachronic]

Actually, I would love to do that, but how? How do I get stuff from a bottle bigger than ~30 ml into a syringe safely? It's not a rhetorical question.

It's an excellent question.

Look for pediatric oral dosing syringes, available at Walmart or most major drug store chains. The stepped stopper fits almost any size bottle, and is secure enough to allow inverting the bottle as you suction out the liquid. Works with most Luer-lok syringes, besides just the 10 mL syringe that comes in the kit. They're inexpensive (~$2-3), so get one for each base liquid to avoid cross-contamination.

 

[zoiDman]

I think Syringes are a PITA. I’d use a Graduated Cylinder and do “Ladder” Recipes instead.

Also, I like Glass Bottles for Everything.

 

[Cookster]

Where (other than eBay) do I get a nicotine content test kit?

Thanks a lot in advance.

Discount Vapers has the nicotine kits, and plenty of DIY stuff...

 

[Iffy]

More help HERE.

 

[elfstone]

some amber glass to store your nic

OK, so I see these are popular, and I like them: Amber Boston Round Glass Bottles - Specialty Bottle

But where do I find larger amber glass bottles? (I can only find by the case)

 

[canoeist]

These people have 10 4 ounce bottles for $3.50. I got some but have not used them yet. Their 2 ounce amber dripper bottles are handy, that is what I am using to make 60ml batches into. just purge out the dripper several times during blending.

American Science & Surplus : Glass Bottles and Jars

 

[the ob]

OK, so I see these are popular, and I like them: Amber Boston Round Glass Bottles - Specialty Bottle

But where do I find larger amber glass bottles? (I can only find by the case)

they have larger amber bottles by the piece. I bought mine there.

 

[elfstone]

Appologies. For some reason, they didn't show up in my browser. I shift-refreshed and now they're there. Go figure!

 

[elfstone]

OK: one last dumb question!

I keep seeing people discussing about long term storage of VG nic. Is there a reason not to long term store PG nic? It doesn't keep as well?

 

[icebob]

It's the same, put your nic in amber/blue glass bottles, (filled to the rim) and keep in the freezer.

 

[AzPlumber]

what icebob said, they are the same.

 

[Newwell]

OK, so I see these are popular, and I like them: Amber Boston Round Glass Bottles - Specialty Bottle

But where do I find larger amber glass bottles? (I can only find by the case)

I went to my local pharmacy & bought 6 amber bottles (250 ml) for $6.00. Not bad considering I didn't have to go far & I didn't have to pay S & H. Check them out.

Ive only been DIYing a little over a month, so I'm a newbie too. Some things I did (or didn't do & should have) when I first started:
I bought 250 ml - 36 mg/ml nic juice because I wanted to gain confidence working with something toxic. I've since moved up to 60 mg/ml.

I bought way too many pipettes & not enough 1 & 3 ml syringes. I just received another order for more 1 & 3 ml syringes. I use 1 syringe for each component so that's a minimum of 3 for unflavored (PG, VG, Nic). The nic syringes are labeled & never touch anything else. I also have 5 & 10 ml syringes. I only use a few pipettes to add drops of EM or lemon juice.

Bought several of each 14 & 16 gauge needles. I use 1 needle for each component just like the syringes.

I bought 2 graduated cylinders - 25 & 50 ml. I haven't used them yet because I mix directly in the bottle that my juice will be in. I will use them to dilute my nic base someday.

I bought a bottle of 190 proof pure grain alcohol to clean equipment. After using it (not much) to clean stuff, I put it in a jar that I soak cartos in (thrown away after the carto soak).

As for getting the syringe into a 30 ml bottle....I'm not sure what you mean. I use syringes to get the nic/PG/VG/flavorings out of their bottles & squirt them into the 30 ml plastic ejuice bottles. I only use the glass for the nic base. It comes USPS in dark amber or cobalt blue plastic jars & I store in glass bottles in the fridge (WELL labeled).

I hope this helps...from one newbie to another

 

[elfstone]

I can't thank you enough!

I went ahead with my orders, and although I think I went a bit overboard with spending on this one, I have a good feeling that it's going to work

I took most of your advice - dropped some of the glassware and pipettes, added more bottles, added 20 1 ml syringes (I mostly have 5 ml at home), got one of those bottle adapter kits from Walgreens, but I kept graduated cylinders to try "ladder style" mixing. I'm in talks with someone to test my nicotine at an actual lab. Got about 20 flavors, EM, TA, menthol, tart&sour and MTS/VW.

My plan is to start in a stepwise fashion - I'll mix unflavored, see if it vapes, play around with one flavor at a time, then combine a couple, then try to tweak it step by step.

Once again, thanks for the help...

 

[wizard10000]

I personally mix small quantities - even my all-day vape, which is a tried-and-true recipe only gets made 50ml at a time. I rotate two bottles and vape from one while the other is steeping, and when one bottle gets empty I just make another one then open the one that's been sitting for ten days or so

It's possible to overthink this whole thing - I guess one could use a different syringe for everything but I prefer to keep a flask of hot water on my mixing table and just rinse out the syringe immediately after use and I've never had a problem with cross-contamination. I use a 1cc, 5 or 6cc and a 20cc syringe. Big syringes also work well as graduated cylinders - plug the hole (cut-down carto condoms work well for plugging Luer lock syringes), take the plunger out, fill the syringe as desired then put the plunger back in, flip it upside down and slap a needle on it - I use a 14 gauge needle for VG and 18 gauge blunts for flavoring.

Although I do own a 500ml graduated flask the only thing it gets used for is holding hot water to rinse syringes