Bottles for DIY

[VapnJake]

So I'm looking to get into DIY ejuice... I've begun to do a great deal of research and one question that I had, which I'm sure I could just order several and if I had too many then fine, but wanted to see what you all are using...

I'm planning to buy glass bottles with glass droppers... I know I'll need some for freezing my nic so 4 30 ml bottles with caps instead of droppers, for nic (120ml). and was planning to purchase about 10 more bottles for juices.

something that I was throwing around for ideas was the idea of getting a larger bottle maybe 60ml or larger for doing a larger supply of pg/vg and nic and then put that in smaller bottles for flavoring to test that way I'm not having to mix up the pg/vg/nic with every flavor... What's your experience with this?

Also does this sound like a good number for starting out DIY? (4 30ml glass bottles with caps for nic and 10 glass bottles with glass droppers for final product and a larger bottle for larger supply of pg/vg/nic) or am I complicating this too much? lol

 

[soulshine]

It's very conservative. It depends on how "adventurous" you are and how many recipes..flavors..etc that you want to try. You really don't need glass for PG or VG. I always just keep them in the jugs they are shipped in. Glass is mandatory for nic...especially if you are going to store it. Glass bottles to keep your finished juice in is nice. But it's such a pain using droppers to fill up tanks (takes forever). If you're a dripper, I'm sure that would be great, but if you are a "tank on the go" person, you might want to look into getting some LDPE dropper bottles. They are pretty cheap.

 

[Foggz]

Sounds like you put a lot of thought into it! Also sounds like a good starting point .. one thing tho.. might want to research mixing up the pg/vg/nic all at once. The NIC is very reactive to oxygen for one, so can lose potency quicker being mixed up ahead like that. Color and taste change will occur much quicker as well. Some people even go so far as to mix recipes without any NIC .. and then only if they like them do they add it in (so as not to waste the nic if the mix isn't good) - everyone is different in what they need and the level they mix at ...

Also should think about how much did you smoke? pack a day? more / less ? what % of NIC will you be adding and how much juice will you use in a day? This will determine how much NIC you can expect to go through in what amount of time, and then how much will you need to thaw.
For me, 30 ML @ 100mg has lasted me about 2 months making 10ml mixes at 12mg or sometimes 6mg and I vape about 3 to 4 ml of juice a day.
so if that is on par then you should be good with the NIC and bottles just the way you are looking at.

(btw re the NIC and keeping it.. little trick i figured out with the 30ml once I realized how long it was lasting.. once I got to about the half way point .. I added
some vg to my nic/pg mix to top off the bottle (now it's @ 50mg's instead of 100mg) Figured it would keep the air in the bottle from reacting too much)

as for the rest.. I started out with 10 bottles for mixing.. but once you start thinking "ok - lets try that recipe THIS way" then you start letting stuff steep a week or 2 .. it's very easy to run out of bottles lol .. but 10 is definitely reasonable to start with.. then see how fast you go through them.

Are you planning on using pipettes/ syringes / scale ? another determining factor.. I started with syringes and quickly moved to using weight.. by far the easiest method I think and the least cleanup.. using the scale method makes it easy to pick up plastic bottles with york tops for PG & VG .. then use a dropper or syringe/pipette for the NIC ... quick easy minimal clean up hope some of this is helpful

 

[VapnJake]

Thanks for both of your informative replies!

@soulshine- I'll keep that in mind. I do use atomizers so I may pick up a few of the dropper bottles.

@Foggz - I tend to over research some things but when it comes time to purchase and actually do I usually know more about what I'm doing lol... I did consider the idea of the nic being subjected to oxidation... I may reserve this for possibly sample days (when I expect to do a few different recipes). Also I'm glad you mentioned about adding the NIC last... it makes a great deal of sense to not waste the nic on a bad batch!

I used to smoke about a pack and a half a day and dipped about a half can a day as well... I've come off of 18mg to 12 mg and now 18mg makes me feel shitty. I'm about to upgrade my equipment considerably to the temp controlled istick 40 w and a ijust 2 atomizer. I'm expecting to go through more juice and will probably experiment with even smaller nic amounts... possibly 6mg or so. Also right now I'm vaping around 5-6ml daily.

As for the measuring devices, I've actually planned to go with syringes a few 10ml or 5ml and a couple of 1ml (1 specifically for nic only) I like the idea of the scale method but have a hard time trusting it for some reason. I think I'll stick with the syringes atleast until I get the hang of everything before I upgrade further.

thanks for your input it's been very helpful

 

[AmandaD]

I buy my nic by the liter and break it down into 4 ounce glass packing bottles (with wide mouths) for the freezer. I keep a working supply in the fridge of unmixed nic, and then I make up a base that I keep in plastic squeezy bottles with yorker tops with the rest of my mixing stuff. Of that I usually make a couple of 6 ounce bottles so I always have some on hand. (I probably go through a lot more juice than you do a day). My base is around 4mg because I vape around 3mg.

 

[VapnJake]

It'd probably be best to purchase mine by the liter I just can't justify it very easily with the wife just getting started... I realize it would be cheaper in the long term but for now I'll have to stick with the 120mg and sneak some in later lol

 

[zaroba]

You could mix base ahead of times, but keep in mind that most flavors are PG based and depending on the recipes your using, would change the final ratio of whatever your mixing. Some could have a few % flavor, others over 15% flavor. Same goes for nicotine, it will depend on whether you get PG or VG based nicotine. I always add nicotine last. This allows me to sample, steep, and fine tune any recipes without worrying about nicotine overdose or nicotine oxidation.

As for bottles, for just starting out, you could just clean out and reuse any empty bottles from store bought liquid (if you saved any). Then worry about buying some when you get more into it and want to make more flavors or bigger batches.

If your only vaping 4-6ml a day, a liter of nic could last you years.
A liter of 120mg nicotine would be enough to make 9000 ml of 12mg liquid. Over 4 years worth of liquid at 6ml a day.

 

[VapnJake]

You make very good points... I hadn't considered the pg included in the flavors. also the nic calculations really put it into perspective... I knew it'd last awhile just hadn't calculated it out nor thought it'd last or make that much! lol! Thanks for that!

 

[zaroba]

Actually, my calc was off a little. lol
You'd have to add 9000 ml to the nicotine to dilute it to 12mg. So overall it would make 10,000 ml.

 

[Foggz]

As for the measuring devices, I've actually planned to go with syringes a few 10ml or 5ml and a couple of 1ml (1 specifically for nic only) I like the idea of the scale method but have a hard time trusting it for some reason. I think I'll stick with the syringes atleast until I get the hang of everything before I upgrade further.

Smart! I completely agree .. also think that after a bit your gonna go, 'damn'.. I'm gonna get a scale. I was exactly the same way when I started just 2 short months ago.. (btw have to say .. that I think that the scale is way more accurate, especially if you decide to follow the FA recipes. Know it doesn't seem so.. but the discrepancy of the syringe (needle) itself's volume plus reading the markings accurately etc etc. ) I felt that my OCD alone would be enuff to insure the accuracy... what a pain in the tush hahaha.. PLUS !! How COOL are syringes!? I use em for oil / epoxy / thermal compound / hydraulics etc.. just way cool to be the 'mad mixing maestro' with a syringe... yeahhhhh buddy ... love it!! lol
once i got over that .. and got a scale for like 14 bux (accurate to .01) .... no turning back !!
(yeah yeah .. ok .. I still pull out the syringes from time time I admit haha) just wanted to opine re the accuracy bit
either way... DIY be a lot of fun!.. not important how .. just that you do! Glad to help now and anytime in future!!

 

[Foggz]

New
It'd probably be best to purchase mine by the liter I just can't justify it very easily with the wife just getting started... I realize it would be cheaper in the long term but for now I'll have to stick with the 120mg and sneak some in later lol

happy wife ....... happy life .......... word

 

[VapnJake]

@Foggz I do have another question that came to me earlier regarding adding nic after completing and testing the juice.. If I'm planning to steep the mixture the lack of nic wouldn't effect that process alternatively to having the nic in it already would it? I figure if it doesn't effect the steeping process to be left out until after I'll leave it out to save the nic if it turns out to be hot garbage flavored but if not the nic hasn't been oxidizing during the steeping process.

My lack of experience in this hinders me from knowing if the nic will change anything at all in the steeping process or not...

 

[Swerved]

I got lucky. A buddy of mine just donated all of his old glass dropper bottles he's held on to. I told him I'd make him some juice in exchange, but I got a box with like fifty 30ml bottles in it for the favor. That's a score in my book. Just need to clean them out.

 

[Foggz]

@Foggz I do have another question that came to me earlier regarding adding nic after completing and testing the juice.. If I'm planning to steep the mixture the lack of nic wouldn't effect that process alternatively to having the nic in it already would it? I figure if it doesn't effect the steeping process to be left out until after I'll leave it out to save the nic if it turns out to be hot garbage flavored but if not the nic hasn't been oxidizing during the steeping process.

hmm unfortunately... from what i've gleaned so far I think that this may be a key point... for one thing, steeping is affected by NIC vs no NIC and flavoring can/will change depending on the NIC you use or if you do. SO many variables here, if you make a mix and don't add NIC - then let it steep = two results.
But adding NIC (brand / type /amount) can change the taste of both results and in different ways. Some flavors and recipes (@HeadInClouds for example) are made for immediate use ie - 'shake n vape' but will also change over time/temp etc. Tobacco type vapes are especially mutable and many (most?) actually recommend steeping for a week or more - likewise different flavor companies will give very varying results... as well as different flavor combinations.. This is part of the art of DIY ...... bottom line?

Best answer I can give: Probably a definite maybe with random results.

 

[VapnJake]

Lol! I have heard about several flavors being the shake n vape type (I think many fruit flavors are this way) and have read that many, like custards, do well from a steep... One of my main concerns or sources of confusion comes from how do you know if a flavor needs steeping or not? Is it a circumstance of tasting it immediately after mixing and thinking... "This flavor needs a good locking up in a cool dark place for a few days" or is it more or less "Lets lock this mess up and see what happens."?

I realize now that this thread has gotten completely off topic... but what do ya do? lol

 

[Foggz]

haha.. OFF TOPIC ALERT!!!!!!! <<<<<<<<<<<<<<

yep yep .. happens.. 'all good!'

well I dont' think that there is any one rule or even a set of them re this .. strawberry (for one(FA at least) for me requires some steeping but others may be good to go.. even tho any juice will probably change at least some after time. one rule: shake everything b4 mixing .. nic and flavors. shake again b4 vaping.
I try everything immediately.. try to make some notes.. then if can keep from finishing it too quickly .. check it again in a day or 3 .. week or two .. if it lasts that long... IF it's good to you right away... vape on!!

 

[HeadInClouds]

@FoggzIf I'm planning to steep the mixture the lack of nic wouldn't effect that process alternatively to having the nic in it already would it?

Sounds like time for an experiment, that does.
Don't be surprised if different recipes/flavorings give you conflicting results.