Super-Noobish question about DIY

[justiniawa]

Okay so, I've been reading up on mixing my own juice. From What I understand, I need to buy some VG, some Nicotine, flavoring, and possibly distilled water. But then I was looking on this one site and I see "Unflavored nicotine base" (here's the link: http://www.ecigexpress.com/e-liquid-e-juice/unflavored-eliquid.html) Okay so my question is this: This says it's __mg strength nicotine base then you pick pg, vg, or 50/50. Do you just buy this and some flavoring and you're good to go? Or do you need VG separately? Does anyone have an easy way of explaining this? I know there are calculators and all but idk what to buy. Thank you!

 

[Phantom Diablo]

ok in simple terms nic base is normally 72mg or 54mg pg or VG base
then you add your desired level of pg and vg to the mix to get to the level of nictone you want ( say 18mg or 12mg nic juice)
this link is basically premixed with the vg already in it or a 50/50 mix of pg and VG/ so the only thing needed to add to it is flavouring

however you ahve to be aware that flacouring ( which is PG based in most cases ) will lower the nic content.
so if you got say a 12mg base on that site , then you add say 20% flavour to 1 100% vg mix you would end up with around an 80vg 20 pg mix at 9mg nic

you are actually better off getting 72mg or 54 mg nic ( in pg or vg base ) and buying your own pg and vg and mixing from scratch to get down to your desired nic level .

 

[Phantom Diablo]

i see you have different strengths in the US as to what is allowed here so i would suggest the best option would be the 60mg base ( in either VG or PG the choice is yours
then purchase some vg, some PG and some flavourings plus all the neccesary syringes and the like
then use a nic calculator based on your 60mg strength base nic to work out how much flavour pg and vg you need to add to get down to your desired strength liquid

 

[justiniawa]

ok in simple terms nic base is normally 72mg or 54mg pg or VG base
then you add your desired level of pg and vg to the mix to get to the level of nictone you want ( say 18mg or 12mg nic juice)
this link is basically premixed with the vg already in it or a 50/50 mix of pg and VG/ so the only thing needed to add to it is flavouring

however you ahve to be aware that flacouring ( which is PG based in most cases ) will lower the nic content.
so if you got say a 12mg base on that site , then you add say 20% flavour to 1 100% vg mix you would end up with around an 80vg 20 pg mix at 9mg nic

you are actually better off getting 72mg or 54 mg nic ( in pg or vg base ) and buying your own pg and vg and mixing from scratch to get down to your desired nic level .

thank you! I know you can buy vg from just about anywhere. What about pg?

 

[Ian91]

You normally do not purchase nicotine at the strength you want to vape. To make your juice, you need unflavored nicotine, VG, PG and your flavoring. Unflavored nicotine is cut with either PG, VG or both. I purchase NIC 60mg in a 50/50 mix. The juice I make is 12mg in a 60/40 mix. To make 50ml, I add 10ml of the NIC. That will make total at a 12mg strength. To get 40% VG, I need a total of 20ml VG in the mix. I added 5ml when I added the NIC so I need to add another 15ml. I am now at 25ml. Lets say I want flavor to be 10%. I will need 5ml of flavor. Flavor is normally in a PG base. That leaves 20ml left to add so this will all be PG. So 10ml NIC, 15ml VG, 20ml PG and 5ml flavor gives me 50ml 12mg in whatever flavor you picked.

 

[robteifi]

Some flavourings are used at lower concentrations because they're stronger e.g. Inawera which you'd typically use at 3-5%, but even so, you'd be better off getting a higher concentration of nicotine base than you'd be vaping at.

As has already been said, if you use 54 or 72 mg nic (I think you can even buy 100mg nic in the US) the you have more flexibility. You may want to buy some PG as well as VG, depending on the ratio you want to vape at. 50/50 is a good start - more PG means better flavour and more throat hit, more VG means more vapour.

Take a look at the mixing page in the Wiki here, and please feel free to ask if you have more questions.

 

[justiniawa]

thank you all! Why aren't more people mixing their own? It's a no brainer (unless you have no brain haha) But seriously it's SO MUCH CHEAPER than going to a shop and spending $20-$25 on a 30ml bottle.

 

[robteifi]

thank you all! Why aren't more people mixing their own? It's a no brainer (unless you have no brain haha) But seriously it's SO MUCH CHEAPER than going to a shop and spending $20-$25 on a 30ml bottle.

That's certainly true for the simple flavours, but when it comes to more complex juices like Snake Oil, I'm happy to spend money on what must have taken several months of development (including steeping time). Mind you, once you have a recipe that you like then it's definitely a lot cheaper to mix your own.

 

[Ian91]

I worked it out to be under $3US per 50ml if you buy NIC in liters. I am from the US and can buy 100mg but it is actually more expensive than 60ml when you do the math. You also need to be really careful working with that strength. 60mg is bad enough. I agree about using the flavoring sparingly. I used 10% because it is easy to do the math!!! Although, my adv is FA Shade and I make that at 8-9% as it is very mild. Something like Vanilla or Caramel, you need to start low and work up to what you like.

 

[Phantom Diablo]

as for why arent more people doing it. you would be surprised the amount of diyers on here.
started myself this week and have already made several juices and flavours from a nic 54mg base. the key is to be patient and take your time and be very very aware when using nic base.