the 24/36 mg/ml myth?

[miketrin]

I bought some 100 mg/ml pg base nicotine for mixing. The first batch I made was 36 mg/ml, because that's what I've been buying.

results: I couldn't vape it, 2 puffs and I knew immediately it was too strong. Has to take and advil to counter the headache from the nicotine overdose.

So I tried 24 mg/ml same thing, but not as strong. I'm down to 18 mg/ml now and it's pretty good.

Question is, what are these people selling that's advertised to be 36 mg/ml? It's pure profit if you ask me.

and advice when mixing: mix up, start at 18 mg/ml and work up.

 

[dormouse]

I started on 18mg,

 

[Stosh]

I've seen no differences in the 30-36mg I've bought pre-mixed and what I've DIY from high % base juice. Are you sure of the percentages of 100mg and PG - VG you mixed?

 

[WomanOfHeart]

If you aren't using a DIY calculator, then you should be. Guessing about the dilution of your nicotine, especially 100mg, is risky business.

 

[pyro12]

1st, recheck your math. Mistakes can be made by the best of us.
2nd, perhaps you were vaping Chinese juice? Somewhere on the forum (far too lazy to find it), there is an thread/article about nicotine in juices breaking down over time and there's no telling how old any Chinese juices are. Actually, I've never seen a 'born on date' on any juices, but it seems to me that the vats of juice that get passed around Asia for who knows how long before they even make it to (for us) the USA are the most likely culprit.

tl;dr Maybe the nic in you purchased juices is already breaking down?

 

[KeithB]

I'm a firm believer that what's right for me may not be what's right for you.

I vape 24mg all day, every day. I don't DIY (or would that be DIM?) but I trust my vendors.

Some people do vape 36mg all day, some just for those strong cravings. Some will also buy 36mg with extra flavor and dilute it down to a lower level to save a little money, though not as much as DIY.

36 mg is too much for me and, apparently, you as well, but I was a PAD smoker, not 3 or 4 packs a day as some were. 18mg was only enough for me to cut down on my analogues, not quit entirely which is why I went to 24mg.

Also, keep in mind all juices tend to separate with time, even nic bases, so you need to shake well to ensure you're getting the advertised nic level and not a hot spot or a weak spot in your liquid.

 

[Eddie.Willers]

Edited - and, with so much egg on my face I need a shovel (Thanks, Cool_Breeze)

I'll add to this and say - double check your math. and use a juice calculator. This one is good and simple... http://www.todmuller.com/ejuice/ejuice.php

(Examples of cruddy math deleted)

 

[Cool_Breeze]

Eddie.Wilders: Check your own math!

 

[miketrin]

i use the calculators, i downloaded 1 and there's about a ton of them online.

i make small 5-6 ml batches and i use a 5 ml syringe, i don't do drops.

I'm just saying, 36 mg/ml from where i get juice is vape-able, 36 mg/ml made from 100 mg/ml base is not vape-able.

But thank you for making sure i use a calculator. I really have only bought pre-mixed from one place. Maybe I should contact that company and ask them. There is a post on this site where someone mentioned the stated nicotine level on pre-mixed juice isn't always as high as stated. I was just curious if anyone else noticed what I do.

 

[Maxine]

Just wondering outloud, but do you steep the liquid you make? Any liquid you buy is at least as many days old as it takes to get to you through the mail. Would waiting a week before you vape your DIY stuff make any difference in how strong it seems? I DIY but I don't mess with steeping to answer that question myself.

As an aside, I calculated 1.8ml of 100mg/ml base per 5ml batch gets 36mg/ml.

 

[studio52]

Theres some really good advice in these answers. Use a good recipe...thats important, follow the mixing recipe of dilluting the nicotine to a satisfactory level for you, then mix your flavors..it takes some experimenting to become adecent DIY e-juice maker..IMHO

 

[MasonD]

OP: I found the same thing. I used a calculator, and double checked the calculator itself, for errors (the spread-sheet based one doesn't work correctly for the nicotine base, if you put in an odd end-value like 21 or 15...)

I used syringes, not drops; double-checked all calculations (60mg pg nic, plain pg, plain vg, flavor), measured slow and precise. I found that the batch of 24 mg I made (60 mils worth: 10 of each flavor-- the 60 mils worth shows that it couldn't've been just a few drops off in one direction or another-- too much nic, or too little pg, or what have you, which seems would be more likely with a smaller batch.) this batch was as strong or stronger than some pre-fab liquid I had which is (was-- vaped it all up! ) rated at 30-36 mg. Nic-hiccups and TH are the hallmark, for me, of high nic, and so the 24 I made was definitely rated at 24, according to calculation and slow, calm, precise measure-- and stronger than the 30-36 that I had.

So, not bad advice: peg a level lower than what you vape pre-fab when you start DIY; you can always make it stronger next time.

Also, some advice from a newbie diy'er (on my third batch, and lovin' it): Start with small batches! Also: a tank system is a great diy tool