starting DIY research

[bluecat]

I'm really interested in getting into what I'll call lightweight DIY. I'm currently exclusively using the SI Ice Menthol and really like it.....way too much!. At the rate I'm going, the bank will be broken pretty quickly if I don't at least try the DIY route. I'd be especially interested in where you found the 50/50 6mg mix? That's exactly what I've looking for. (total newb question the answer to which is probably "You can find it everywhere-just look" or "It's easy to mix your own-just look") I have to admit I've only done some VERY preliminary looking around at this point. Enough to convince myself of two things. 1) I can have full control over what I vape and 2) I can save a ton of money doing it. So, if it's ok, I hang out here, listen and learn. Hopefully, one of these days, I'll actually be able to contribute something useful.

Yes sir. That is what I did. I like menthol.. I ix about 10 drops to 5 ml.. I know I know everyone says to use mls. Oh well. I am stubborn and I just ain't gonna do it. A little more a little less.. I call it variety!

Anyway here is what I did. From ecigexpress. 250 mls 50/50 6 mg premix nicquid 10 bucks. Flavorart ry4 10 ml 5 bucks.. FA Menthol 10 mls 4 bucks 30 ml black cherry 8 bucks dk tobacco base 4 bucks 10 mls. 3 1 ml syringes 4 blunt tips (2 20 gauge 2 14 gauge---these are nice and long)

I use 5 ml because that is what all my samples came in and I drop. If you go by 20 drops per ml. 5 mls is 100 drops then % are easy. If you want 1 % flavoring 1 drop per 5 mls. Careful if you put to much flavoring in it sucks bad. Made me sick a bit.

I have ruined more than I have created I liked. One thing I would also pick up is the ethyl maltal crystal though.

Hey man I looked for 2 weeks everywhere. The only reason I choose this is because it was the only place that had the premix niquid 6 mg. I believe the go to 3 mg as well. I chose flavorart simply because they weren't an oil like loranns can be and are easily dissolved in pg/vg and if you look at the butter description is large red letters it has warning.. this item contains diacetyl. So they let you know if it has the stuff in it or not. Believe or not people do like vaping it.

 

[Trainguy059]

Anyway here is what I did. From ecigexpress. 250 mls 50/50 6 mg premix nicquid 10 bucks. Flavorart ry4 10 ml 5 bucks.. FA Menthol 10 mls 4 bucks 30 ml black cherry 8 bucks dk tobacco base 4 bucks 10 mls. 3 1 ml syringes 4 blunt tips (2 20 gauge 2 14 gauge---these are nice and long)

My head's spinning after sifting through the ecigexpress site I may be too old for this learning curve!

 

[bluecat]

My head's spinning after sifting through the ecigexpress site I may be too old for this learning curve!

Yeah it took me awhile. That sight has just about anything on it. I waited 2 weeks before I ordered anything and changed my order many times. You won't be perfect the first mix. Heck I vaped unflavored for a bit because my mix was so bad.

Lotsa flavor choice and nic choices. ( My issue was mixing down to 6 mg. They had it at 50/50. Almost got a 120 ml bottle of 50/50 6 mg and a 100% 120 ml bottle of 6 mg to mix together.. It was the start of my questing to Paddy)

You are never too old. I am nursing the blisters on my feet. The strain in my legs and a few bumps and bruises. I did a 8 miles Alzheimer walk the other day. They just take longer to get over as I get older.

Besides think of this way... now that you are vaping instead of smoking you are years on to you ticker. So now you are gonna have more time. Assuming mate.. you were a smoker.

btw.. It took like 2 days to get to Ohio from Washington. It was 5 bucks or so s/h. STill I think my total was 40 bucks for 250 mls.

 

[cindycated]

Yes sir. That is what I did. I like menthol.. I ix about 10 drops to 5 ml.. I know I know everyone says to use mls. Oh well. I am stubborn and I just ain't gonna do it. A little more a little less.. I call it variety!

Anyway here is what I did. From ecigexpress. 250 mls 50/50 6 mg premix nicquid 10 bucks. Flavorart ry4 10 ml 5 bucks.. FA Menthol 10 mls 4 bucks 30 ml black cherry 8 bucks dk tobacco base 4 bucks 10 mls. 3 1 ml syringes 4 blunt tips (2 20 gauge 2 14 gauge---these are nice and long)

I use 5 ml because that is what all my samples came in and I drop. If you go by 20 drops per ml. 5 mls is 100 drops then % are easy. If you want 1 % flavoring 1 drop per 5 mls. Careful if you put to much flavoring in it sucks bad. Made me sick a bit.

I have ruined more than I have created I liked. One thing I would also pick up is the ethyl maltal crystal though.

Hey man I looked for 2 weeks everywhere. The only reason I choose this is because it was the only place that had the premix niquid 6 mg. I believe the go to 3 mg as well. I chose flavorart simply because they weren't an oil like loranns can be and are easily dissolved in pg/vg and if you look at the butter description is large red letters it has warning.. this item contains diacetyl. So they let you know if it has the stuff in it or not. Believe or not people do like vaping it.

I didn't even see that. If I had, I might've gone that route this time around (but would've had to play a little bit with the nic/PG/VG thing). Then only premixed flavorless I could find was ecblend ($58 for 250 ml) and vapor renu ($40 for 8 ounces). Yeah, I heard FlavourArt is super concentrated, so it's a make or break thing with single drops in that small a quantity.

Here's the link, Trainguy: eCigExpress Flavorless Liquid ...in case you had trouble finding it.

Update to supply list: a funnel and a bigger bottle with a stopper to premix the base in (unless you wanna play scientist every time). My stuff just came and I'm scrounging a little bit right now...

 

[cindycated]

double post strikes again.

 

[Trainguy059]

Here's the link, Trainguy: eCigExpress Flavorless Liquid ...in case you had trouble finding it.

Thanks cindycated. Got it. I'm getting hung up on what gets mixed with what to achieve what I think is the desired end result.

 

[1st Officer]

Well Cindy beat me to it but here's the link to Freedom Smokes unflavored nic juice and the Link for Xtreme Vape my personal favorite for bulk juice, and last but not least Wizard Labs, my second favorite bulk supplier their prices are a little cheaper but with all of the people switching to DIY juice you need at least two places to buy from when one is out of stock. All three of these suppliers also sell flavor extracts but Xtreme and Wizard have all Made in the USA Flavors. Freedom Smoke may as well I just don't know. There are so many suppliers of Flavor extracts I wont even go into listing them but a quick google search will bring up more hits than you can research in a week. Just be sure to buy USA Flavor Extracts or spend a little time reading the DIY sub forum and learn to make your own, I make my own coffee extract and I've yet to find a better one at any supplier. Just remember if you decided to go the DIY route SAFETY FIRST, SAFETY FIRST, SAFETY FIRST!!! Do your research, wear your gloves and eye protection. Nicotine in it's pure form is more deadly than cyanide mg for mg. Not a lesson you want to learn the hard way!!! These links are for informational purposes only....

 

[cindycated]

Don't forget to account for the percentage of flavor when you calculate your dilution. I plugged everything into that app (eJuiceMeUp) until I came up with the right quantities for nic, PG and VG. Let me know if you need help.

 

[mudhill]

myfreedomsmokes.com has the cheapest unflavored nic-juice,,,that i buy at 500mils for 25.95,,that freedomsmokes don't look cheap at all or am i missing some thing in this conversation?

 

[cindycated]

I think we were going for "easy" too. Yeah, looks like eCigExpress prices were better for the premixed flavorless...

 

[paddymx]

I had a long winded discussion with myself about this and finally decided against it.

As with everything else in vaping, there is NO GOOD OR BAD WAY, just YOUR way!

 

[MidwestMom]

there is a balance somewhere between cheap and easy... I'm thinking mix up a base in a larger bottle and just use what I need as I need it to make my experiments... though to begin with getting premixed at the strength i want and just fiddling with flavors might be better to begin with... still in research phase for realz... I'm putting my next SI order together now hahaha

 

[Trainguy059]

there is a balance somewhere between cheap and easy... I'm thinking mix up a base in a larger bottle and just use what I need as I need it to make my experiments... though to begin with getting premixed at the strength i want and just fiddling with flavors might be better to begin with... still in research phase for realz... I'm putting my next SI order together now hahaha

I'm pretty sure that's the route I'm going to take to begin with though I'm having trouble finding a premix in the desired nic level and pg/vg ratio. To start, I'd rather have just one variable-flavor-to have to mess with. Later on, I'll go with the nic mixdown, pg/vg and flavors.

 

[paddymx]

there is a balance somewhere between cheap and easy... I'm thinking mix up a base in a larger bottle and just use what I need as I need it to make my experiments... though to begin with getting premixed at the strength i want and just fiddling with flavors might be better to begin with... still in research phase for realz... I'm putting my next SI order together now hahaha

I'm pretty sure that's the route I'm going to take to begin with though I'm having trouble finding a premix in the desired nic level and pg/vg ratio. To start, I'd rather have just one variable-flavor-to have to mess with. Later on, I'll go with the nic mixdown, pg/vg and flavors.

I've decided to do the same thing. I've been mixing for three months now and " Can't get no Satisfaction". No point getting into details. So I am working on a spreadsheet as we speak as a job aid. Not ready for prime time yet! So, get your nic juice at a level higher than you want to vape at, 18,24,36mg etc. and some PG and VG. Also get some smaller sample flavors you think you might like (3/4 ml). My spreadsheet has some inherent issues, but, at least it will give a KNOWN starting point. Mainly because when you add flavor to your "Base" [nic + PG + VG] you are also changing the PG : VG. Thats because most flavors are in PG. So if your "base" is 70/30, by the time you add the flavor you might actually wind up with 72/28. Not a big deal, but at least you will be working with a known quantity. Didn't mean to ramble on......

 

[paddymx]

there is a balance somewhere between cheap and easy... I'm thinking mix up a base in a larger bottle and just use what I need as I need it to make my experiments... though to begin with getting premixed at the strength i want and just fiddling with flavors might be better to begin with... still in research phase for realz... I'm putting my next SI order together now hahaha

If by premixed, do you mean nic juice or flavors like RY4. If your talking nic juice you will be vaping 100/0, 50/50 or 0/100. If your talking juices(RY4,etc) then your talking 80/20 or 20/80. If you get one of each in the same mg strength you then combine them for the desired PG/VG. Just happen to have a spreadsheet for that.

 

[MidwestMom]

paddy i was talking of getting a base nic juice no flavor at the stregth and mix pg/vg I desire

then adding flavors because I like different things...

just as a starting spot ... though I love SI flavors sometimes I desire more variety

 

[paddymx]

paddy i was talking of getting a base nic juice no flavor at the stregth and mix pg/vg I desire
then adding flavors because I like different things...
just as a starting spot ... though I love SI flavors sometimes I desire more variety

Here is the deal. All I've seen for nic juice is 100/0, 50/50, 0/100. So I don't think you will be able to get it at say 70/30 , 60/40. You will then need to mix it for your desired PG/VG. So you should by two nic juices. One 100/0 and another at 0/100 both at the same nic level(mg). That way you can get to whatever PG/VG you want.

 

[cindycated]

ecBlend and Vapor Renu will allow you to customize (nic, PG:VG) on their flavorless, but it'll cost more. They don't account for flavoring, so like you said, it would up your PG a bit by the time you're done.

I lucked out and found quantities that would work for me, so all I had to do was dump everything I got into a wine bottle (haha, had to drink it first. - sans flavoring) and decant that into smaller bottles for storage and convenience. But I have a pretty wide range of what works for me (<8mg nic, >70% PG), so I can get a little sloppy and lazy. But if I wanted it to be exact, I think I'm only about 10 ml off on the PG. Looking at the 430 mls of base I ended up with, and an empty 10ml bottle, nah, close enough. I'll go for perfect next time.

 

[Trainguy059]

ecBlend and Vapor Renu will allow you to customize (nic, PG:VG) on their flavorless, but it'll cost more. They don't account for flavoring, so like you said, it would up your PG a bit by the time you're done.

I lucked out and found quantities that would work for me, so all I had to do was dump everything I got into a wine bottle (haha, had to drink it first. - sans flavoring) and decant that into smaller bottles for storage and convenience. But I have a pretty wide range of what works for me (<8mg nic, >70% PG), so I can get a little sloppy and lazy. But if I wanted it to be exact, I think I'm only about 10 ml off on the PG. Looking at the 430 mls of base I ended up with, and an empty 10ml bottle, nah, close enough. I'll go for perfect next time.

Wow, I'm seeing prices all over the map for 6mg unflavored nic juice, 80/20 to 70/30 ranging from $10/250ml to $60/250ml. Surely I'm not comparing apples and apples? Zebras and goats?

 

[cindycated]

The more you wanna customize, the more you will have to pay...

With the $10 you only get 100% VG, 100% PG, or 50/50. If you were OK with 75/25, it would probably still be the most economical way to go. But you'd be paying more like $14, since you'd have to buy 2 120ml bottles instead of 1 250ml bottle, which is still way cheaper than the others. If you're looking for cheap base to add flavors to, that would definitely work.