what exactly is needed to get started

[MrPT]

I am really keen to get started in mixing my own liquids as an extension of variety available but after having a look around at the equipment etc i am a little bemused as to what exactly is needed to be effective at mixing equipment wise.

I am looking at starting with a straight forward 50/50 mix of pg/vg then shifting 10% up or down as i go til i got the right balance, woul di be right in getting vg nic base and a pg liquid then mixing these to gain the right 50/50 balance? or does this overcomplicate things and would i be better off getting vg nic+vg liquid aswel as pg nic+pg liquid then mixing them to a 50/50 balance?
I was planning on mixing the core liquid in large bactches ahead of adding flavors.

As for equipment what really is needed to make the job simple, instead of essentials to get going
I was looking at getting 30ml and 10ml bottles for adding final flavor too.
50ml bottles for mixing the nic and base liquids in.
But what is best for getting the right measurements, droppers, syringes, cylinders?

And i am sure there is other equipment i am missing.

Any advice greatly appreciated

 

[Chris]

For mixing supplies I personally used @lesiureliquids you can find them on the discount codes area along with other suppliers.

For an in-depth read on mixing checkout the POTV wiki mixing section

http://wiki.planetofthevapes.co.uk/wiki/Guide_To_Mixing

 

[Purplefowler]

There isn't much more that you will need that isn't already in most starter kits. Personally syringes are the more accurate for measuring and you can get some pretty big ones for bulk mixing. If you want maximum accuracy then mixing by weight is the way to go (@leisureliquids stock some that will do just fine). Mixing is only as complicated as you want to make it

 

[Alan]

Nicotine comes already diluted (at different strengths) with either PG or VG. You also need to add flavour but some liquids might need more than others. This make an easy explanation difficult, but I'll try. Say you used PG based nicotine, you want a 50/50 PG/VG base mix, final quantity 10ml, final strength 18mg, and you were allowing for 10% flavour. You'd need...
3.46ml of 52mg strength nicotine, plus
0.54ml of PG
But, if you used 75mg strength nicotine instead, you'd need
2.40ml of 75mg strength PG based nicotine, plus
1.60 ml of PG
Notice both of these make up the same 4.00ml.
Then you'd need your 10% flavour, so add 1.00ml of flavour.
And the remaining 50% is VG, so add the 5ml of VG.


This is all good until you want, for example, 40/60 PG/VG. Using 52mg strength nicotine, you'd need...
3.46mg of 52mg strength nicotine, but then you'd need to
REMOVE 0.46mg of PG, theoretically making the total 3.00ml.
Obviously you can't remove PG, this is why I'm illustrating it this way.
Making 40/60 using 75mg strength nicotine you'd need...
2.40ml of 75mg strength PG based nicotine, plus
0.60ml of PG, making the total 3.00ml.
Then you'd need the same 1.00ml of flavour as above
And the remaining 60% is VG, so 6.00ml of VG.
All of these sums contain the same amount of nicotine. ie 180mg over your total 10ml quantity, so 18mg final strength.
But, if it turned out that you actually needed 20% flavour (an extra 1.00ml), then the ratios would change. So you'd end up with 180mg of nicotine over 11ml quantity, so 16.36mg final strength.


So, to answer your original question, choose nicotine diluted with one or the other, and be prepared to "only be able to dilute so far", depending on how strong it is to begin with, or choose a bottle of both and be able to dilute "to the max". Either way you'll need PG and VG to adjust your dilution to suit your final strength. Make your base liquid if you like, but be prepared for the final nicotine strength to vary according to your % of flavour.

For mixing you can go accurately using syringes. I find this particularly good when mixing small quantities, like 5ml etc. Or you can use a measuring cylinder if making larger quantities, like 20ml etc. You're better to use gloves when mixing the nicotine as it's poisonous, especially in it's stronger format.
I find drippers to be inconsistent. Maybe it's just me but 25 drops of one thing is a completely different quantity to 25 drops of something else (ie thicker, or thinner).


As mentioned, it can be as difficult as you want or as easy as you want, depending on how accurate you want everything to be. I find it doesn't matter too much - if you make something and find it flavourless, add more flavour. If you find it's not satisfying you, add more nicotine. As long as it's not rank you'll smoke your way through it anyway, by adding something else as necessary.

 

[Mikton]

Hi mrPT, i'm the same as you and I'm wanting to start making my own e-juice and I came across this video last night which has taken away a lot of the 'fear of the unknown' for me and makes it look very simple...hope this helps and here's the link for the calculator http://ejuice.breaktru.com/

 

[Ssscrudddy]

PG from this guy on ebay (although he's away atm & not selling anything) This is half the price of Boots for twice as much. 1 litre cost me £4.05 including P&P

VG from Boots, 200ml for £1.29 (this only cloudy cuz it just came out of the freezer) needs diluting with distilled water (10%) or vodka (5-10%, nearer 5%)

A Bryans needle if you're using VG (assuming you are going to use a syringe)

I tend to get my nicotine from Vapertrain because I can avoid delivery charges which makes him the cheaper option, nic is expensive & I havent tried a 'bulk buy'
Although this would seem to be the best price I've seen myself if paying P&P anyway
http://www.postmodernsmoking.com/index.php/liquid-crystal-nicotine-liquid-pg-100ml.html