Where/What to buy to start DIY mixing?

[JCinFLA]

Anyone who says they are pulling vg with a 14 gauge needle is fighting it the entire time and still never get what they need.

Well...I do use a 10 or 20mL syringe and a 14ga blunt tip needle for the plain VG and my nic base in 100% VG, for my DIY up to 30mL. But, I don't "pull" the VG up into the syringe, so there's no fighting with it. I always get the exact amount I need, too.

Instead, I let it load itself. For example, if I need 14mL of plain VG, I'd use the 20mL syringe and poke the needle tip down into the VG, then just quickly pull the plunger up to the 7mL mark. There's very little to no resistance when doing that. Because of the vacuum created in the syringe...the VG simply rises up in it, to the rubber bottom of the plunger. I then quickly pull the plunger up to the 14mL mark...and let the VG rise up to it again. Squirt that into my mix bottle, and then use that same syringe & needle tip to load the amount of my nic base in 100% VG that I need. Then I measure out and add my flavorings in PG and the plain PG.

For my mixes that are 50mL and above...I have my 50mL, 100mL, and 120mL bottles already marked according to my 60VG/40PG finished ratio. The only things I need to measure using syringes then...are the flavorings and my nic base. I measure out and add the flavorings in PG first into the mix bottle. Then squirt in the plain PG (kept in a condiment bottle) up to the 40% PG line. Next, measure out and add my nic base in 100% VG into the mix bottle. Finally, squirt the plain VG in (also kept in a condiment bottle) until it reaches the top line, which represents the 60% VG of my finished ratio. That's it! Easy-peasy!

 

[Fidola13]

I'd like to start making my own juice. Is it worth getting a start kit from a vendor or just buy what I need separately?

What's the best place to buy them? If you got a specific kit in mind, please share. Thanks

Hi there! I just started mixing my own juices. I bought a starter kit from nicotine river. Great price for everything included. A lot cheaper than if you bought singly. I don’t use all the items yet but once I start making larger batches I will. Plus it comes with 15 flavors from top flavor makers
more than any other starter set that I researched.

I would suggest a small digital scale that can do .00 grams. I got one on Amazon for about $10. It’s an HYYidealism High Precision Pocket scale. It takes 2 AAA batteries that don’t come with it. Only down side. It has a take set and also doesn’t time out for 2 minutes.

I definitely think the cost which was about $50 was well worth it since it comes with everything you need to get going.

Good luck and have fun!!

sara

 

[dc99]

I mix in bottle for 15ml, but mixing in a 30ml chubby can be challenging, they tip pretty easily. I have some beakers to mix in on the scale. Hopefully I will be mixing 120-240ml glass bottles soon. I find the testers tedious, just not experienced enough yet to have developed any confidence.

The small ones can be a pain. I hate the tall 30ml bottles. I got a bunch of short 30ml gorilla bottles. There a lot easier. I have tipped quite a few in my day. Recipe development can be a pain. I dont really enjoy the mixing part but its a great feeling when you finally get one right. When Im working on one I might have 5-6 different blends of the same juice steeping and sometimes I can go through that cycle quite a few times before its finalized. That part gets to much like a job. Be careful how many friends you let find out that you mix. Haha.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Well...I do use a 10 or 20mL syringe and a 14ga blunt tip needle for the plain VG and my nic base in 100% VG, for my DIY up to 30mL. But, I don't "pull" the VG up into the syringe, so there's no fighting with it. I always get the exact amount I need, too.

Instead, I let it load itself. For example, if I need 14mL of plain VG, I'd use the 20mL syringe and poke the needle tip down into the VG, then just quickly pull the plunger up to the 7mL mark. There's very little to no resistance when doing that. Because of the vacuum created in the syringe...the VG simply rises up in it, to the rubber bottom of the plunger. I then quickly pull the plunger up to the 14mL mark...and let the VG rise up to it again. Squirt that into my mix bottle, and then use that same syringe & needle tip to load the amount of my nic base in 100% VG that I need. Then I measure out and add my flavorings in PG and the plain PG.

For my mixes that are 50mL and above...I have my 50mL, 100mL, and 120mL bottles already marked according to my 60VG/40PG finished ratio. The only things I need to measure using syringes then...are the flavorings and my nic base. I measure out and add the flavorings in PG first into the mix bottle. Then squirt in the plain PG (kept in a condiment bottle) up to the 40% PG line. Next, measure out and add my nic base in 100% VG into the mix bottle. Finally, squirt the plain VG in (also kept in a condiment bottle) until it reaches the top line, which represents the 60% VG of my finished ratio. That's it! Easy-peasy!

I have tried doing that also and it just did not work for me. I couldn't get more than a few ml in the syringe so for me it was not useful. I also was not comfortable trying to do that with 100mg either. It was like I was fighting to get so few ml that is just wasn't worth it. Glad it works for you. Maybe I just needed more patience but since I had alternatives, I just preferred the way I posted in a previous thread.

 

[mrphilip]

I didn't read all of the responses in this thread so forgive me if this has been offered already.

I started by finding a highly rated clone recipe of one of my favorite juices and bought just the flavors needed to mix that. I mixed up 100mls when the supplies arrived, and fortunately it's become part of my daily rotation.

So - I buy flavors as needed for specific recipes rather than trying to randomly come up with stuff that is vapable. It has worked wonderfully for me up till now, and as my collection of flavors grows I have a great selection if I do feel creative or experimental.

Besides the flavors, all I have are some syringes, bottles, 100mg nic base and VG on hand.

Love to hear about your flavor likes...

 

[dennism]

If you want easy peasy, check out some one shot concentrates.

 

[Humnar]

Check out this calculator. E juice me up eJuice Me Up - Best eJuice Calculator its what i use and i love very easy to use. I recomend using 30ml glass boston round bottles.

 

[dc99]

Check out this calculator. E juice me up eJuice Me Up - Best eJuice Calculator its what i use and i love very easy to use. I recomend using 30ml glass boston round bottles.

Ive used BreakTru's ejuicemeup since the beginning. Its hard to squeeze those glass bottles to get your juice into your tanks.

 

[go_player]

With the caveat that this is just my opinion, I’m team weight. As long as your flavors are in bottles with drip caps it’s just drop drop drop, tare, drop, drop, tare, etc. Pretty accurate and precise, and no clean-up.

My only frustration is that I need a better bottle for dispensing PG- the one I have now starts to drop before I squeeze it, so some manual dexterity is required to avoid a mess. This is entirely the fault of my laziness in not getting a better dispenser for it though.

Measuring by weight does break down a bit when making very small or very large batches. If you want to make gallons of juice at a time you’re going to do it by volume. I tend to make batches in the 10 mil to 120 mil range, and in that range I just think weight is the right choice.

That said, not everyone agrees with me about this, so try both and see what suits you. Both approaches work. It’s a matter of which you find more congenial.

 

[dc99]

With the caveat that this is just my opinion, I’m team weight. As long as your flavors are in bottles with drip caps it’s just drop drop drop, tare, drop, drop, tare, etc. Pretty accurate and precise, and no clean-up.

My only frustration is that I need a better bottle for dispensing PG- the one I have now starts to drop before I squeeze it, so some manual dexterity is required to avoid a mess. This is entirely the fault of my laziness in not getting a better dispenser for it though.

Measuring by weight does break down a bit when making very small or very large batches. If you want to make gallons of juice at a time you’re going to do it by volume. I tend to make batches in the 10 mil to 120 mil range, and in that range I just think weight is the right choice.

That said, not everyone agrees with me about this, so try both and see what suits you. Both approaches work. It’s a matter of which you find more congenial.

I use one of these for PG and one for VG. Cylinder Just be easy about how far you open the tip. I like the 16oz size but they have them in 4,8,16 and 32

 

[Marc411]

Here's a little more information, it downloads as a PDF.

 

[DaveP]

We all have our preferences for mixing style. I like weight because I can put nic into all my bottles from a pipette using the scale and then close up the big nic bottle and set it aside. Then, I put them back on the scale one at a time and add flavor, PG, and VG, shake and cap.

Of course, you can do that with weight or volume. I just like the scale because I find it easier to add to the mix from a pipette, condiment bottle, or flavor bottle while I watch the display. I'm also making 50ml flavored or 100ml unflavored at a time in one bottle. When I'm done I can trash the pipettes and refill the condiment bottle with PG or VG for the next session.

 

[DaveP]

Ive used BreakTru's ejuicemeup since the beginning. Its hard to squeeze those glass bottles to get your juice into your tanks.

I'm stuck on glass for mixing and steeping. It's hard to see clarity and color in LDPE during steeping. I like syringes for testing while it's in glass. When it's ready after steeping it goes into LDPE thin tip bottles.

 

[dc99]

I'm stuck on glass for mixing and steeping. It's hard to see clarity and color in LDPE during steeping. I like syringes for testing while it's in glass. When it's ready after steeping it goes into LDPE thin tip bottles.

I totally agree that glass is probably the best all around Im not going to lie, Im just to lazy to remove from glass and put in plastic. I use PET bottles thou. They are clear as glass.

 

[DaveP]

I totally agree that glass is probably the best all around Im not going to lie, Im just to lazy to remove from glass and put in plastic. I use PET bottles thou. They are clear as glass.

I bought a case of Boston rounds in 60ml and 120ml when I first started DIY. I fill them to 50ml and 100ml to leave some shake space. I've just used them ongoing because they are there and they are clear and have polycone cap seals. For filling after steeping I like thin tip LDPE.

I like the PET bottles and would probably change over from LDPE if they weren't so stiff. Are yours good for use in filling an atomizer or do you just use them for DIY mixing?

 

[stols001]

I prefer plastic amber bottles, but they do have their issues when measuring directly into. I like weight as well for most mixes, but either approach will do the job. Best of luck,

Anna

 

[DaveP]

I prefer plastic amber bottles, but they do have their issues when measuring directly into. I like weight as well for most mixes, but either approach will do the job. Best of luck,

Anna

I like clear just because I can see color change as the juice steeps and the froth level when I use the battery powered stirrer. That, and I can see the levels of my additions during DIY.

 

[dc99]

I bought a case of Boston rounds in 60ml and 120ml when I first started DIY. I fill them to 50ml and 100ml to leave some shake space. I've just used them ongoing because they are there and they are clear and have polycone cap seals. For filling after steeping I like thin tip LDPE.

I like the PET bottles and would probably change over from LDPE if they weren't so stiff. Are yours good for use in filling an atomizer or do you just use them for DIY mixing?

The ones I have are stiffer than LDPE but fairly easy to squeeze. I got a case of 100ml gorilla bottles a co-op while back but I have gotten some great one from FT but they aren't as cheap. $5.49 PET Empty Dropper Bottle for E-liquid (5-Pack) 5-pack - 100ml at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping These are the 30ml bottles I like. Short and nice sized mouth. $2.60 PET Empty Dropper Bottle for E-liquid (5-Pack) 5-pack - 30ml at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

 

[IDJoel]

If you are wanting PET bottles; Dropperbottles.com offers boston rounds (10-30mL), wide-mouthed unicorns (50-120mL), and black PET unicorns (60 &100mL) for cheap. They only sell in lots of 100; but they are willing to mix and match to make up the 100 count. Price will be the highest of those making up the mix. Just shoot them an email of what you want.

 

[dannieboiz]

I received my late xmas presents I got mainly TFA as you can see, doesn't say if they're PG or VG on the bottle but on the site it says they're PG. Are flavors generally PG?

Also noticed most calculators provide measurements in drops, nothing in weight. Or is it because I'm only making 10ml at a time so it's too little to process?