want to get started in diy ejuice

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sapper12b84

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Nov 16, 2014
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I have been vaping for awhile and have found quite a few RY4 juices that are very good, thanks to Bill H Big RY4 Roundup.

I want to try making my own ejuice,, but don't know where to start.

I would like to start with a unflavored vg/pg base that already has nicotine in it.

Any suggestions to guide me in the right direction?

I really appreciate this forum and all help it has provided me.
 

Thrasher

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Oct 28, 2012
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The two big nic sellers are wizard labs and my freedom smokes. I prefer wiz.

A smaller bottle of higher% will actually come out cheaper as you break it down, it makes no sense to buy like 24 mg and pay for all that extra pg
I always buy 100mg

Many people get bulk v/pg from essential depot.

I only use 3 now but I get all my flavoring from the flavoring apprentice ( love the ry4 double) flavor art is another big one.

And I got all my lab supplies- cylinders, syringes, bottles etc from amazon.


Download something like ejuicemeup mixing calculator

I'm sure more suggestions incoming
 
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Jugband

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Apr 10, 2013
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I just got another liter of nic from My Freedom Smokes yesterday. Excellent product, lighting fast shipping. I'm always happy with them. As stated I buy my PG/VG from essential depot, can't beat there price by the gallon. And also, all flavors I buy are from The Flavor Apprentice, expecting a big order from them tomorrow.
Best of luck as you enter DIY! You'll love it!
 
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Completely Average

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Jan 21, 2014
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A couple of suggestions....

A lot of people buy in huge quantities. Be careful about doing so yourself. Figure out how much you actually vape. 30ml bottle per week = 1560ml per year. This is important because PG and VG do have a limited shelf life, as does the nicotine solution. Buying a full liter of nic solution plus a gallon each of PG and VG is enough to make over 11,000ml of juice once you add in flavorings. If you're only vaping 1560ml per year that's 7 years worth of juice, but the PG and VG only have a 2 year shelf life. You could end up pouring half to 2/3rds of it down the drain because it's gone bad before you got a chance to use it.

So my first suggestion would be to buy in smaller sizes until you've got a better idea of just how much you need and how much you can store. Start with around 500ml of 100mg nicotine solution and a quart each of VG and PG. That will be enough to make right about 1200ml of juice once you add the flavorings, with around two thirds of the nicotine solution left over. From there you can judge how much you'll actually use and how long it will take you to use it all. It's also a low enough amount that you can be certain you'll use it all long before it starts to degrade. In the mean time learn more about the different methods and requirements for long term storage so if you do buy a much larger quantity in the future you'll know how to make it last as long as possible.

I know several people who have a half dozen 1 liter bottles of nic solution that think simply shoving the bottle in the freezer will keep it good indefinitely. They're in for a heck of a surprise when they find out that nicotine solution oxidizes and degrades in the freezer. It will be at a slower rate, but it's still going to happen.


My second suggestions is to head over to the DYI section here and do a LOT of research on flavorings and potential health hazards, particularly with flavorings with a butter flavor added. Be wary of flavoring companies that don't disclose what's in their flavors, avoid artificial colors, and always watch out for the hidden cost of shipping. I was tempted to buy a few Capbella flavors until I got to the final stages of checking out and found that they were going to charge $13 in shipping on a $12 purchase that weighed less than a half pound. Also it helps to know what flavorings you like and buy those in larger quantities. Some flavorings can be mixed as high as 20%, so if you're buying a little 15ml bottle that's only going to make around 75ml of juice. It's fine if you're wanting to experiment with a new flavor, but when you're talking about $3-6 (plus shipping) in flavoring per 75ml that can add up to another $100+ in flavoring for that initial nic/pg/vg purchase really fast.
 

hiram13pm

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May 4, 2010
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Merced, CA
eCig Express has been my go-to for flavors, bottles, and mixing supplies since I started DIY'ing 4 1/2 years ago. The flavor selection is... ridiculous. 11 different manufacturers, including Flavourart. Never had a problem with them.

All of the advice above is excellent. If you can do math, you can do this :).

p.s. When you're buying your nic, pay attention to the base liquid it's in (PG/VG)... you'll have to take it into account in figuring out your final percentages. Same for your flavors. If you're using 100mg nic in a VG base with 8% flavoring in a VG base to create a juice at 20mg, the LOWEST percentage of VG you can possibly make will be 28%.
 
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Callipleura

Senior Member
Apr 21, 2015
219
1,043
ON, Canada
A couple of suggestions....

A lot of people buy in huge quantities. Be careful about doing so yourself. Figure out how much you actually vape. 30ml bottle per week = 1560ml per year. This is important because PG and VG do have a limited shelf life, as does the nicotine solution. Buying a full liter of nic solution plus a gallon each of PG and VG is enough to make over 11,000ml of juice once you add in flavorings. If you're only vaping 1560ml per year that's 7 years worth of juice, but the PG and VG only have a 2 year shelf life. You could end up pouring half to 2/3rds of it down the drain because it's gone bad before you got a chance to use it.

So my first suggestion would be to buy in smaller sizes until you've got a better idea of just how much you need and how much you can store. Start with around 500ml of 100mg nicotine solution and a quart each of VG and PG. That will be enough to make right about 1200ml of juice once you add the flavorings, with around two thirds of the nicotine solution left over. From there you can judge how much you'll actually use and how long it will take you to use it all. It's also a low enough amount that you can be certain you'll use it all long before it starts to degrade. In the mean time learn more about the different methods and requirements for long term storage so if you do buy a much larger quantity in the future you'll know how to make it last as long as possible.

I know several people who have a half dozen 1 liter bottles of nic solution that think simply shoving the bottle in the freezer will keep it good indefinitely. They're in for a heck of a surprise when they find out that nicotine solution oxidizes and degrades in the freezer. It will be at a slower rate, but it's still going to happen.


My second suggestions is to head over to the DYI section here and do a LOT of research on flavorings and potential health hazards, particularly with flavorings with a butter flavor added. Be wary of flavoring companies that don't disclose what's in their flavors, avoid artificial colors, and always watch out for the hidden cost of shipping. I was tempted to buy a few Capbella flavors until I got to the final stages of checking out and found that they were going to charge $13 in shipping on a $12 purchase that weighed less than a half pound. Also it helps to know what flavorings you like and buy those in larger quantities. Some flavorings can be mixed as high as 20%, so if you're buying a little 15ml bottle that's only going to make around 75ml of juice. It's fine if you're wanting to experiment with a new flavor, but when you're talking about $3-6 (plus shipping) in flavoring per 75ml that can add up to another $100+ in flavoring for that initial nic/pg/vg purchase really fast.

All practical and good advice.

You can also go to an eliquid calculator site and plug in 1560ml as a batch size (if you use a 30ml bottle a week) at the nic strength you desire and you will get an idea of the amounts of PG/VG/Base you will need for a years supply.

DIY e-juice | Steam Engine | free vaping calculators
 
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crunchie812

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May 15, 2014
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DIY is the way to go! You can start off pretty simple. I originally bought 36mg all PG base, filled a 30ml bottle up one third of the way, filled it up to almost half with cherry flavor, dropped in some menthol crystals, topped it off with VG, and shook it up. Voila! Smith Bros Cherry Cough Drops, 12mg nic, 40/60 PG/VG(roughly). Totally cringe worthy technique, but I was gassed with the results. Yeah, I've refined my technique since then, but I still keep it pretty simple.
 
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