I'm obviously (very) new to DIY. I haven't actually even received my order yet, but I want to make sure I'm ready when it gets here.
So.. how do I make my starting base? My nicotine base is 36mg/ml with 50/50 VG/PG. I'd like my end result to be 12mg 50/50 VG/PG. I'm sure I can easily figure that out with the calculator, but don't I need to account for flavorings that will be added? I should have done even more research before ordering, I feel ill-prepared.
I've also seen a recipe that I would like to try. The recipe only includes the flavoring percentages. How would I figure out how much of each flavor to add in based off of that? And what about recipes that go by the amount of drops rather than percentages?
What about when I want to experiment? Should I mix my base and then add flavorings to taste?
Should I always stick to 20% or less total flavoring?
...
Oh god help.
Here you go! A DIY juice CALCULATOR
I do exactly as you said: I mix my base first, then add flavors. I don't account for the flavors in my base because you're not using enough to throw off your PG/VG ratio or nic level any significant amount.
For your base you described, I imagine you have 1 bottle of 36mg/ml in 50/50, 1 bottle of plain PG, and 1 bottle of plain VG, correct? If so, you can simply use equal parts of each. Let's say you want 9ml of base at 50/50 and 12mg/ml: you'll just use 3 ml from each bottle I described above. The PG/VG will stay at 50/50, and the 36mg/ml will be diluted to 12mg/ml.
I would avoid having a blanket percentage of flavoring to shoot for. Some flavors are stronger than others. A couple of very strong flavors that come to mind are Mocha, Banana, and Mint. these flavors only need 5% or less. I've also heard of flavors that only need a drop or two for a 10ml bottle, but I've not experienced anything like that. If the flavor you're using isn't one of the notoriously strong ones, you're probably ok to start at 10% and work up or down from there.
For fine-tuning your recipes, mix up a bottle of your base and leave it unflavored. That way you can dilute the flavor you're working on if you need to. And always write down and keep a record of your mixes, whether it was good or not.
I hope this helps!
I disagree. The amount of flavor added in most of the juices I make is between 10-20%. This makes a huge difference in nicotine content and pg/vg ratio. Having the unflavored base ready to dilute the mix is a must when testing. Once you get the recipe right you won't need this unflavored base anymore.
> Here you go! A DIY juice CALCULATOR
Use the calculator shamson linked to. Record everything you do and take notes so you can tailor the recipe to your specific taste. This calculator doesn't take the pg content of the flavoring into account. Once you get the basics down you will be able to add that factor into the equation.
> The amount of flavor added in most of the juices I make is between 10-20%. This makes a huge difference in nicotine content and pg/vg ratio
It makes 10-20% difference. 8 or 9 inhales versus 10 per vaping session.
The most flavoring in any juice I make is around 10% (this is why I love F'Art so much; highly concentrated). The difference between 18mg and 16.2mg isn't terribly noticeable.
But there's safety in keeping it simple. I buy 75mg base, take 25ml of that base, add 75ml VG then 10ml vodka. Then flavor as appropriate, and just get on with it. Vape until I don't want any more.
When I first started DIY'ing juices I cared about everything being precise. As I continued though, I was happy to sacrifice preciseness for simplicity and less chance of catastrophic error.
I most all the basics have been covered by others here. Only thing I would add is start out by making yourself a batch of unflavored with nicotine. Start vaping that about half a day before you start working on a new flavor or blend. And keep vaping the unflavored between tests. This is so you can fully taste the flavorings while you craft your recipe.
Here is a calculator that is the best of all I have tried, and it allows for simple addition of percentages. Most flavorings will need to be between the 10 to 20 percent range, when you unzip this calculator "breaktru" has been kind enough to include several text files on how to make good diy juices and how to make small test batches.
http://breaktru.com/ejuicemeup.zip
This is why we make test batches ;-)
I make 5ml test batches in 6ml bottles so I have a little room to add flavoring if I need to. The way to keep nic levels consistent is to remember that if you need 1/3 50/50 nic base to get to 12mg then your flavoring gets subtracted from the 2/3 of your mix that's not nic base.
I personally work in percentages as I find counting drops to be an inconsistent (and irritating) way to measure flavoring. If you ask me the easiest way to calculate percentages is to multiply total volume by your desired percentage and move the decimal point two places to the left. For example, if you needed 8% flavoring in a 50ml batch, you'd do
50 * 8 = 400.00
Moving the decimal point two places to the left would give you 4.00 ml.
I don't use a calculator because the calculations aren't all that difficult and I think it's important to learn the math so you can tell if you've got a data entry problem with your calculator. If you have a working knowledge of the math you can tell when something doesn't look right in your calculations. But - that's just my opinion.
As I mentioned in another thread the reason I don't count drops is that the number of drops per ml is dependent on viscosity, surface tension and the size of the orifice from which you're dropping. You could test your dropper with water, PG and/or VG to learn how many drops per ml you get - it wouldn't always be accurate but it'd get you in the ballpark ;-)
Good luck -