Newbie DIY-er questions

[PITCHER]

Hey all, new to the forum. Im needing some assistance with DIY e juice as ive had some issues and even after reading some how-to's on making and steeping im still getting some harsh results.

I originally ordered a 70/30 12mg USP flavourless base from fusion flavours ( in Canada which is where im from ) and found it was a bit harsh but wasn't sure if it was just the high nicotine content in the juice so I ordered 20/80 12mg USP nic salts ( mixing the salts and USP base 50/50) to balance it out the throat hit as this was more or less what I was doing with pre-mixed commercial stuff for a smoother feel before I went to the DIY route and I still got the throat burn.
I then tested it with JUST the nic salt base and discovered the throat burn was less but still present and came to the conclusion maybe the alcohol was still present in the mix and that was what was causing the burn. Im using a magnetic stirrer ( with built in heating element ) to mix and agitate the mixtures for a few hours. I applied some heat to the first few mixtures while stirring as I was told this can speed up the process to steep and off-gas the alcohol but after reading a how-to this morning saying do not apply the heat I attempted another NIC SALT only attempt WITHOUT heat and am still getting the burn.
-is this the alcohol causing the burn?
- was my heat application creating a change in the nicotine composition to create this? everyone is saying heat is not good for nicotine but what is the result of heat exposure. does it just degrade its stength or will it completely change the taste/ increase this burning sensation.
- from what I understand the steeping will give it a better deeper flavour but my guess is if ive off-gassed the alcohol from the agitation of the stirrer I can at least test it to see if the burn is gone very soon after agitation before it does its steeping over night or over days.

ive used a number of different flavours from different companies so I don't think its just ONE flavour creating this sensation. any input would be great thanks.

 

[SupplyDaddy]

12mg freebase IS going to be harsh for the most part. The heat isn't doing you any favors and any alcohols would disperse with the mix just being in the open

But here's the thing, You only gave us a third of the story!

What alcohol? Is this from a flavoring? What flavoring, How much flavoring?

Next, what are you using this mix in? Type of device, style of coil and wick, ohms of the coil, what power are you using?

Help yourself by giving full information.

 

[PITCHER]

12mg freebase IS going to be harsh for the most part. The heat isn't doing you any favors and any alcohols would disperse with the mix just being in the open

But here's the thing, You only gave us a third of the story!

What alcohol? Is this from a flavoring? What flavoring, How much flavoring?

Next, what are you using this mix in? Type of device, style of coil and wick, ohms of the coil, what power are you using?

Help yourself by giving full information.

my apologies for the lack of info and thanks for the reply.
I guess I didn't share that info as those weren't variables I had changed. ( I have vaped hundreds of tanks prior with pre mixed juices. no problems using the same coil, device and power settings )

BUT, I am using a Vaporesso Gen Mod with a 0.32 Ohm single mesh coil 80-100w recommended, running at 100W power.

regarding the alcohol, yes the alcohol from the flavouring as I assumed there was a small amount in each. The most recent I tried was Chill Pink lemonade by Molinberry for example. or Hawaiian island punch by Flavor west. Ethanol is listed in the ingredients. I usually start with 5-10% volume and the flavour isn't really that potent at that strength either.

 

[retired1]

Moved to DIY E-Liquid

 

[Opinionated]

my apologies for the lack of info and thanks for the reply.
I guess I didn't share that info as those weren't variables I had changed. ( I have vaped hundreds of tanks prior with pre mixed juices. no problems using the same coil, device and power settings )

BUT, I am using a Vaporesso Gen Mod with a 0.32 Ohm single mesh coil 80-100w recommended, running at 100W power.

regarding the alcohol, yes the alcohol from the flavouring as I assumed there was a small amount in each. The most recent I tried was Chill Pink lemonade by Molinberry for example. or Hawaiian island punch by Flavor west. Ethanol is listed in the ingredients. I usually start with 5-10% volume and the flavour isn't really that potent at that strength either.

First, 12mg at 100 watts is going to be super harsh. Most people vape 3mg at that wattage.

Any alcohol in your flavorings should be evaporated off prior to vaping. This means leaving the cap off and sitting the bottle somewhere without shaking it for anywhere between 3 days and a week to give the alcohol time to evaporate. Any unevaporated alcohol will be harsh when vaping (and to me tastes like gasoline, but not everyone can taste it for some reason..)

I personally prefer flavoring that is not alcohol based, but rather suspended in PG. This may be something for you to consider.

Even using a magnetic stirrer you still need to allow steep time for your juice flavors to develop. For most juices that's going to be around 1-4 weeks after mixing. Stick the juice in a drawer somewhere and just let it set, and shake the bottle once or twice a day.

I never use heat to steep, so I can't make any heat steeping comment.

 

[rob33]

What if you went a simpler route using?
USP PG
USP VG
100 MG Nicotine
Flavor
Scale or syringe
Steam Engine mixing app- DIY E-liquid | Steam Engine | free vaping calculators

Do you have juice you can vape at 100w?

 

[Shadav]

yikes 100w.....I hack up a lung at 30w....
first I'd say try way lowering your watts down and see how that goes
are you used to vaping at 100w?
suggested wattage is just that, a suggestion...I use .15ohm at 20 - 25w

typically higher vg% = less harsh, higher pg % = more throat hit/harsher

if you were used to vaping nic salts and then switched to regular nic, I'd think that would cause some harshness as well
me, I do not like a throat hit at all so I use nic salts in vg and mix at max vg...I do not add any pg to my mixes except for what is in the flavorings
I also can't stand a hot vape so I vape around 15w, though with my profile rdas I do have to vape between 20 - 25w for them to work

you mentioned a flavor chill pink lemonade, do you know what they used for the "chill" in it
I can't stand koolada, to me it's very harsh and has a mint/menthol flavor to it...I prefer using ws-23 for a cooling effect (and only using one or two drops in a 50ml bottle of ejuice)

most flavorings do not have alcohol in them, but there are some that do and if you think that is the issue, you'll need to let the juice steep with the lid off of it for a day or so or with the lid on for a week or more (just really depends)

 

[vaper1960]

First thing... please use the letters VG/PG. Without them, 70/30 could mean 70VG/30PG or 70PG/30VG. Everyone lists them in different order. Obviously 50/50 doesn't matter either way. OK... let's move on.
I agree that 12 mg is too strong for your style vaping (and high watts) MTL vaping at 10-15 watts it would be fine. At that many watts (which I also agree may be too much for your mesh "coil") it makes a hot vapor. Try 3-6 mg and less watts. Too much PG bothers my throat (nothing major... just irritates it) 70VG/30PG works well for your style vaping (DL) Flavors with alcohol can be harsh (as others have said... just let the juice "air out" Other flavors like cinnamon and licorice can be harsh. Some citrus flavors can be a bit "acidic" Everyone is different about if these bother them. I once had a pre-made juice that bothered my throat (and it wasn't the PG) Never did figure what flavor in it was causing issues... just tossed it. If you get some VG and PG, you can dilute that 12 mg (and adjust the VG/PG ratio too) Last thought: airflow. You need it open enough too cool the coil and dilute the vapor (but I assume you know that from vaping pre-made juices)