Im looking for a good site to DIY my liquids, and also need advice with mixing

[Mikenet]

To update, I have found something that should help with the accuracy of my DIY liquids. It wont do anything for assuring my PG/VG ratios are where I want them, but it will give me an Idea of the nicotine levels which was my biggest concern.


PG VG Nicotine Test Kit Bromothymol Blue .12N Sulfuric Acid | eBay

This kit should help, any thoughts on it? I know these types of Nic test have been done by some of the members here.

I just ordered this tonight so that I have it before I get my e-liquids. I'll keep everyone posted on it when I receive my order.

 

[orachel]

Forgive me if some of this has been mentioned by other people, but I didn't read thru all the responses. I'm just getting started DIY liquids, as well. Someone referred me to VaporRenew. Looks like a very high quality of VG, plus you can specify nic content, degree of throat hit, and even add in vitamins like B12 (which i'm excited about because B12 is fab for energy, but almost impossible to absorb in a pill... aerosol in a vape would be a great delivery method for it). Its CHEEEEEAAAP! The more you buy at once, the cheaper, but I'm gonna grab a pint (16 whole oz), and it'll be about $79. $80 for 16 oz! Can't beat that! Plus this place has a truckload of flavors you can buy to add. I love the fact that you buy the VG liquid with nic and stuff already in it. That means you don't have to work with straight nicotine, which is INCREDIBLY toxic, even if you get it on your skin. This just strikes me as much safer than using the plain VG and adding nicotine.

http://www.vaporrenew.com/

Personally, i'm going to try to get my hands on some organic flavors, I think, but if you don't care about that, these flavors look really cool. There's also this place called... um.. I think its called Capella Drops. Its drops for food flavoring, ton of options, lots of people use it for ejuice, and right now they have a buy 3 get 2 free thing, so its like $18 for 5 flavors. Whew! Sorry this is so long.

Oh, and did want to mention, its very possible that what you're reacting to is the PG. I've been vaping it for a year and a half, but just recently have started to have some very negative physical side effects, so i'm going to all VG. But not all VG juice is created equal. There's this woman Annette who has a shop Virgin Vapors. All of hers are 100% VG (unless you ask for some pg in there), made with 100% organic flavors, and no chemicals or artificial colors or flavors at all. Her stuff is getting crazy rave reviews..seriously, people are going nuts over it... because even those with tanks are able to use her VG. She does some stuff to the consistency of it to make it really nice. When i ordered my juices, i asked her to make them similar to consistency of 80/20 blend. So... Yes, tons of VG is hard on cartos and near impossible for tanks, but NOT all VG is that way. When I start DIYing, I'm planning to play a bit with the consistency. WISH i knew Annette's secrets, though! lol But anyway, give hers a try if you want to see whats possible in a good VG. But don't rule out VG just cause of your cartos or tanks, though...esp if you're having bad reaction. BTW, its possible your reaction is not to vg, but to some of the artificial flavors or sweeteners in your liquid. Also, there's this stuff.... um... can't remember.. Diatyl? Something like that. But its nasty stuff and is in some eliquids. If that's in yours, than its safe to say that's the culprit. Its Dia something, anyway. lol Here's the link to that thread where people are talking about Virgin Vapors and how it works great with their tanks/cartos. There is about 20 pages of rave reviews here, so you can feel confident this won't mess with your stuff. Oh, and almost all of her flavors are perfectly clear, as well. Those colored liquids are hard on your hardware, as well. How I wish i knew what she does to get that awesome consistency, though! lol

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...gin-vapor-organically-flavored-e-liquids.html

 

[Mikenet]

Thanks for the links orachel, Its interesting that vaperrenew has vitamin additives you can add.

You could be right about the flavors being a cause to my irritation. It's certainly a possibility, but I will find out the cause for sure when I get my supplies soon. One of the first things I'm going to do when I get my PG and VG, is vape both of them straight without nicotine or flavors. I'll buy a couple extra cartos strictly for testing and try the straight PG with no nicotine first. Then I'll test the VG I get after I dilute it by 10-20 % with distilled water.

Im thinking I'll find that the VG will be easier to vape, but I'll have to wait and see. If neither the PG or VG makes me cough, then I'll know the problem is either the nicotine or flavorings.

 

[TinyTimberGal]

I love the fact that you buy the VG liquid with nic and stuff already in it. That means you don't have to work with straight nicotine, which is INCREDIBLY toxic, even if you get it on your skin. This just strikes me as much safer than using the plain VG and adding nicotine.
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The nicotine we (DIYers) buy is not straight nicotine. 100mg/ml is NOT 100% (or straight) nicotine. 100mg is 10% nicotine, or 100mg/ml. This concentration (and ALL nicotine) still needs to be handled with great care.

 

[Mikenet]

Ive got my Ebay testing kit in the mail yesterday. I haven't tried it yet because I need to get distilled water, but I can say that the kit delivered fast, it was well packaged, nothing is missing, and everything looks to be in good shape.

I also decided to order my nicotine base, my PG, and my VG from RTS Vapes.

I ordered 250 ML of PG, 250 ML of VG, and 60 ML of their 100mg nicotine.

I was going to go with a 120 ML bottle of the 100mg nicotine but it was out of stock in PG, so I settled for 60ml.

Hopefully this will last me a couple months.

The RTS order was made yesterday so I'm thinking I'll get it by the end of the week.

All that's left to get is my DIY flavors, a couple bottles of premixed flavored liquids for convenient vaping, and gloves for handling the nicotine, Oh and some empty bottles.

I think one stop DIY shop will be where I go for everything else but the premixed liquids. I may go to Gourmet Vapor for those.

Anymore tips on mixing or distributors are welcome. One lingering question I had was about whether or not most DIYers shake or stir their nicotine base into the PG or VG. Is it better to get a string rod and stir the liquid outside the bottle, or do most people mix in the same bottle they vape from? Sounds like the latter would be easier, and Ive heard one member here say they do it, anyone else?

Also does anyone know what is best to add to the bottle first? the PG, VG, Nicotine base, or flavor? Does it really matter?

 

[rkayw]

I don't add nic in a test of flavors. Only pg/vg. If I like it, then I will make some with nic. I believe that's pretty much how most others do it as well. Nic is the most expensive ingredient. Why waste it until you know if you will like how a mix turns out. Just my opinion of course.

I shake..then shake some more. Shake & vape.

Flavor vendors can be found all over the DIY threads. ecigexpress, TPA, onestopDIYshop, DIYFlavorShack...the list goes on.

Good Luck. and have fun!

 

[VaporChef]

Also, there's this stuff.... um... can't remember.. Diatyl? Something like that. But its nasty stuff and is in some eliquids. If that's in yours, than its safe to say that's the culprit. Its Dia something, anyway.

Diacetyl is the word you are looking for, and I wouldn't flat-out declare it's the culprit of your coughing, which could well be due to some other reason (dehydration) or a combination of factors. But, diacetyl is a reported carcinogen found in buttery or custardy flavorings, which are trace ingredients in a lot more juices than you might think. Due to customer concerns, several vendors began eliminating it from their juice or flavoring lines some time ago, but if you are concerned you must either research a lot, or simply ask whether it's an ingredient. Another substance in some flavorings is acrolein, which apparently breaks down into diacetyl when heated. Some people are very worried about consuming these even in tiny amounts, but others (I'm one) don't stress over it particularly. I don't use much of it anyway.

Please, be very careful with 100mg nic base. I have been DIYing for well over a year and the strongest I've used is 60mg. I started off with 36mg base until I got the hang of using measuring equipment, etc. If you are new to mixing your own liquids, I promise - sooner or later you WILL spill something! Accidents can happen no matter how careful you are. As for the ebay testing kit, people who know more than I do have posted recently that they're not necessarily accurate. (I don't test myself, I just use one of the excellent e-juice calculators to mix the nic level I want.)

I suspect you haven't yet found the DIY section of the forum, where there is a TON more information. Do check it out, here's a link: DIY E-Liquid - there are lots of other DIY threads on ECF also (just search the forum for "DIY"). You will gain a lot of learning and insights if you do a lot of reading. (Caution though, such reading is likely to make you want to order more and more stuff! LOL)

One Stop DIY Shop is great (as are others), but I have particularly enjoyed the Flavor Store. I was very excited when they opened shop because I wanted a large variety of flavorings to try, instead of the much-larger size bottles that most vendors sell. A little flavoring goes a long way, especially if you are still learning what you like (or on a budget). They sell 1-dram bottles from several different manufacturers and Chris is helpful and responsive, if there is a flavor you want in larger size, just email him to discuss. Here's their forum link: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...174159-flavor-store-new-flavors-requests.html

I mix right into dropper bottles. Leave some airspace at the top and then shake very well, warm it in some hot water (I now set the bottle over the pilot light of my gas stove for about 5 minutes), shake well again. Some flavors are good immediately, others benefit from a few days, or even a month, of steeping in a cool dark place to let the ingredients blend.

One more thing - WRITE DOWN your recipes! I use 3x5 cards and make a lot of notes. There's nothing worse than coming up with a great mix and not being able to reproduce it again.

Although time-consuming, it's really a lot of fun to mix your own e-juice, I have enjoyed the learning experience (and playing mad scientist!). There are SO many recipes and experiments to try, good luck with it!

 

[Mikenet]

Diacetyl is the word you are looking for, and I wouldn't flat-out declare it's the culprit of your coughing, which could well be due to some other reason (dehydration) or a combination of factors. But, diacetyl is a reported carcinogen found in buttery or custardy flavorings, which are trace ingredients in a lot more juices than you might think. Due to customer concerns, several vendors began eliminating it from their juice or flavoring lines some time ago, but if you are concerned you must either research a lot, or simply ask whether it's an ingredient. Another substance in some flavorings is acrolein, which apparently breaks down into diacetyl when heated. Some people are very worried about consuming these even in tiny amounts, but others (I'm one) don't stress over it particularly. I don't use much of it anyway.

Please, be very careful with 100mg nic base. I have been DIYing for well over a year and the strongest I've used is 60mg. I started off with 36mg base until I got the hang of using measuring equipment, etc. If you are new to mixing your own liquids, I promise - sooner or later you WILL spill something! Accidents can happen no matter how careful you are. As for the ebay testing kit, people who know more than I do have posted recently that they're not necessarily accurate. (I don't test myself, I just use one of the excellent e-juice calculators to mix the nic level I want.)

I suspect you haven't yet found the DIY section of the forum, where there is a TON more information. Do check it out, here's a link: DIY E-Liquid - there are lots of other DIY threads on ECF also (just search the forum for "DIY"). You will gain a lot of learning and insights if you do a lot of reading. (Caution though, such reading is likely to make you want to order more and more stuff! LOL)

One Stop DIY Shop is great (as are others), but I have particularly enjoyed the Flavor Store. I was very excited when they opened shop because I wanted a large variety of flavorings to try, instead of the much-larger size bottles that most vendors sell. A little flavoring goes a long way, especially if you are still learning what you like (or on a budget). They sell 1-dram bottles from several different manufacturers and Chris is helpful and responsive, if there is a flavor you want in larger size, just email him to discuss. Here's their forum link: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...174159-flavor-store-new-flavors-requests.html

I mix right into dropper bottles. Leave some airspace at the top and then shake very well, warm it in some hot water (I now set the bottle over the pilot light of my gas stove for about 5 minutes), shake well again. Some flavors are good immediately, others benefit from a few days, or even a month, of steeping in a cool dark place to let the ingredients blend.

One more thing - WRITE DOWN your recipes! I use 3x5 cards and make a lot of notes. There's nothing worse than coming up with a great mix and not being able to reproduce it again.

Although time-consuming, it's really a lot of fun to mix your own e-juice, I have enjoyed the learning experience (and playing mad scientist!). There are SO many recipes and experiments to try, good luck with it!

Cool, you answered one of the big questions I had as far as the mixing process. Most commonly a liquid will blend better with another liquid, if it is heated. Boiling helps liquids blend even more, but I ruled that one out on my own because I didn't want any steam leading to a loss in liquid or nicotine. Microwaving the mixed liquid or putting it in the oven would probably crack or melt the bottle, so I wouldn't trust that either. I was actually planning on using water like you mentioned.

My idea was to get all the liquids, in the right proportions, into a the bottle I would vape from, shake for a couple minutes, then close the bottle and put it in a pot of hot water. I may put the pot on the stove top and put it on the lowest setting for 10 to 20 minutes. My idea was to get the liquid inside warm to slightly hot without boiling it, then shaking it again from their. I don't know if this was similar to what you were doing but I'm thinking that heating the liquids will help ensure they blend well.

About the 100Mg content I got, I did already receive this from RTS Vapes as well as a bottle of PG and VG. The reason I went with 100Mg for my first Nic base is that I wanted something that I could add in smaller amounts to each bottle. This will make it easier for me to customize my liquid with any PG/VG ratio I want. In other words if I had gotten 48mg PG nicotine and wanted a 24mg liquid, then half the bottle I mix would have to be the Nic base, which means Id be stuck with a liquid that is at least 50PG. I suppose I could get a mixed Nic base at 50pg/50vg but I'm hearing that nicotine holds up better in PG.

I have considered that I could spill this and get it on my skin so I'll be wearing gloves whenever the nicotine bottle is open or I am mixing. I'll be getting a pair of gloves when I go to buy my flavors, bottles, and other mixing supplies. That's the last of what I need to complete the DIY order. Thats made me a little anxious though because I have my testing kit, and base liquids just waiting to be used.

The accuracy of the Nic testing kit I knew about before I bought it. I read up on it in Dvaps forum and a couple others.
My expectations are that it will be accurate within 10% if I do everything right based on what I'm reading. So the 100Mg nicotine I got should test out to be between 90 - 110 MG. I have some premixed stuff I can also test to check the test itself for consistency. It wont be a 100% accurate Nic test but I'm thinking it will be good enough to warn me if a liquid is considerably higher or lower than what it should be.

There isn't anything I should read that would suggest that the test I bought is not dependable at all is their? I'm ok with it being off by a few percent as long as it works and gives me a close to accurate result.

 

[Mikenet]

I don't add nic in a test of flavors. Only pg/vg. If I like it, then I will make some with nic. I believe that's pretty much how most others do it as well. Nic is the most expensive ingredient. Why waste it until you know if you will like how a mix turns out. Just my opinion of course.

I shake..then shake some more. Shake & vape.

Flavor vendors can be found all over the DIY threads. ecigexpress, TPA, onestopDIYshop, DIYFlavorShack...the list goes on.

Good Luck. and have fun!

I hear ya, but im also thinking cartomizers and time. If i test too many liquids without the nicotine then I'll have too many cartomizers that will either need to be cleaned or tossed.

I know that dripping on attys is the preferred method for testing liquids but I've been so busy getting all this other stuff figured out that I haven't had the time to find out what atty and drip tip combo would be good for my Maxi Roughstack at 3.7v. Come to think of it, that will probably be something I need then. Darn it

 

[rkayw]

Definitely attys. Easy to clean and last a long time for DIY testing. My cartos are saved for vapes that I know I like. lol.

I've seen others post that they use cartos to test flavors. What ever works best for you.

IDK anything about the Maxi Roughstack or the cartos for it, but there are videos on youtube about making attys out of carto's. They won't last long, but you could possibly try it. I've done it with 808's and it worked fine in a pinch. Just an idea.

 

[wizard10000]

...I know that dripping on attys is the preferred method for testing liquids but I've been so busy getting all this other stuff figured out that I haven't had the time to find out what atty and drip tip combo would be good for my Maxi Roughstack at 3.7v. Come to think of it, that will probably be something I need then. Darn it

I'd recommend ~2.5 ohm 306 attys and drip tips. I don't care for LR attys for dripping as for me anyway the flavor goes from great to horrendous in about one hit. If you debridge your attys a 306 is a lot easier to use to sample flavors as the coil is easier to hit with that one drop of a test flavor.

 

[Paradisevap]

Questions for you guys about diluting vg and mixes. i plan on ordering VG right now im using the stuff from walmart.

1 does vg thickness vary

2 In the past i was mixing with 50mg pg with end nig at 20 and 35mg addin 20% water or alcohol and it seemed to thin, so with this I went with no water or alcohol and it worked ok

3 now I have 100mg pg mixing with straight VG to make it 50mg - then adding more vg to get to 20 and 35mg (in both #2 and #3 10 - 20% flavor ) should I should I thin all or some of the VG and how much ??


I understand you might not be able to give me a absolute # but if I can get close then tweak from there it would help tons thanks

 

[murphydoodle]

2 In the past i was mixing with 50mg pg with end nig at 20 and 35mg addin 20% water or alcohol and it seemed to thin, so with this I went with no water or alcohol and it worked ok

3 now I have 100mg pg mixing with straight VG to make it 50mg - then adding more vg to get to 20 and 35mg (in both #2 and #3 10 - 20% flavor ) should I should I thin all or some of the VG and how much ??

Were you originally cutting the 50mg PG (#2) with PG or VG to get to 35mg?

The juice in #3 would be thicker, so thinning it with water or alcohol would only be if you wanted it thinner. Are you sure you want it thinner?

 

[murphydoodle]

Forgot to add- I usually make 70PG/30VG juice, but that's just my preference. I add nic, flavoring, and 30%VG. Then I calulate how much more plain PG I need to fill for the correct volume.

 

[orachel]

I didn't read thru all the responses, so this might be a double post, but just wanted to give ya the supplier I found. Its USA Made Vapor Renu : Electronic Cigarettes Refill Cartridges : Candy Flavorings : E Cig Liquid Nicotine : Cartomizer Refills : Menthol E-Liquid : Flavoring Oils : E Cigarette Refills . I haven't actually TRIED this yet, but the prices are fabulous, and this is where I plan to get my bulk liquid. Plus, the dangerous thing about DIY is handling the pure nicotine, and at this supplier you can get Bulk VG, specify your nic content, degree of throat hit etc in unflavored for DIY, so you don't have to mess with anything but adding flavors, which they've got a killer selection of. The Bulk VG eliquid is about $75 for a pint... 16 whole ounces.

 

[Paradisevap]

Were you originally cutting the 50mg PG (#2) with PG or VG to get to 35mg?

The juice in #3 would be thicker, so thinning it with water or alcohol would only be if you wanted it thinner. Are you sure you want it thinner?

Yes always been cutting with VG and yes its thicker then ive been making and buying made .... found you really can tell when you watch the bubble in a clear T tank


---- pretty sure everything I had bought and most of my previous mixes where close to the 70/30 mix

side note has anyone used the flavors from BE ?? they seem like strong ones ?

 

[Mikenet]

I'd recommend ~2.5 ohm 306 attys and drip tips. I don't care for LR attys for dripping as for me anyway the flavor goes from great to horrendous in about one hit. If you debridge your attys a 306 is a lot easier to use to sample flavors as the coil is easier to hit with that one drop of a test flavor.

I probably should have posted this before but here are the details about my PV, and the site I bought it from........

Maxi Roughstack V2

Its 510 threaded so I'll need a 510 atty, or a 510 to 306 adapter. The 2.5 ohms sounds like a good idea, I could go with a 510 2.5 ohm atty, but again I don't know which one would be good for testing liquids.

Im guessing these attys have a wick that you drip on which makes me wonder if Id get a mixed taste if I tried dripping a new liquid onto the atty after having just tried another liquid.

I guess I just have a lot of questions about attys in general.

i don't know what it means to debridge an atty for example, or how to know if their is a primer on the atty that needs to be burned off. That's why Ive been avoiding them because I know little about them, lol.

Here's a 2.0 ohm 510 atty that is bridgeless.. Bridgeless 510 Atomizer, 2 ohms

This one is bridged (I think) and it's 2.5 ohms...

Bauway 510 Atomizer, 2.5 ohms

Im reading reviews that there are some firing problems with some of these attys when used with the Roughstack, but I think the shorty extensions I have should fix that, still makes me nervous about buying though.

 

[Prettycat191]

The only atties that I've used are Riva 510's from Liberty Flights. They're marketed as LR at 2.0ohms

I haven't had any problems with them and I've been dripping on them for 2 months so far.

Geez, I keep forgetting to add something lol. I do the dry burn cleaning that I've read about on here if they get some juice that just won't come out or if the performance drops off.

 

[VShe]

I've just rediscovered some small CE2's for testing flavours. I pulled the two black rubber bits out of the inside & drip down the side about 4-6 drops of so. I tried dripping straight onto the coil in the center cup, but it runs straight out. You have to keep them upright but when you want to change juice, just tip it up and shake it out, run some PG or VG through them and start again.

Cheaper and easier than atomizers for me. I didn't like them at all until now! I got the short ones in stainless steel from here:

5pc CE2 Ceramic Cartomizer for 510 in 3 colors (Edition 5,Short & XL) [CE2] - $5.60 : Healthcabin Electronic Cigarettes - Wholesale and Retail--

 

[wizard10000]

...Its 510 threaded so I'll need a 510 atty, or a 510 to 306 adapter. The 2.5 ohms sounds like a good idea, I could go with a 510 2.5 ohm atty, but again I don't know which one would be good for testing liquids.

You don't need an adapter to use a 306 atty on a 510 connector - they have the same threads. I use them on eGo-style batteries all the time