So I'm ordering supplies from Wizard Labs. When it comes to purchasing the nicotine, what mg/ml should I get? If I want to make a 10ml bottle of 18mg liquid. Should I purchase for instance the 100mg / 250 ml bottle of nicotine? I see other variations available such as 12mg / 250 ml and 18mg /250 ml 24 mg, 36 mg etc etc up to the 100 mg / 250ml.
Also, what "Carrier Base Liquid" is best? PG or VG?
Thanks in advance.
It really doesn't matter what concentration of nicotine you use, you can hit most any mg/ml with any concentration base. The only thing is, if you have 48mg/ml base you're going to have to make your juice 50% nicotine if you want 24mg/ml end product. Most people opt for the highest concentration of nicotine because its the most cost effective (In terms of how much nicotine you get per dollar).
But I have to ask what terrifies you about it? The math behind it? I'm sure there's a lot of calculators online to measure that sort of thing.
You use this formula:
mL of juice * final nicotine concentration / nicotine base concentration.
Example if I want 10mls of 12mg/ml juice and I have 100mg/ml nicotine base, I use 10*12/100 or 1.2 ml of my nicotine base.
Also most people say PG nicoti e base is easier to work with cause its thinner and easier to suck up in syringes.
You are awesome. This really clears it up for me.
Regarding what terrifies me with the nicotine. I don't have any experience working with concentrated nicotine. So really just making sure I don't poison myself by not fully understanding the nicotine aspect of DIY e Liquid.
You mentioned a calculator, can you provide a link to a nicotine calculator? I've seen this one. Are there better/other calculators that you would recommend?
Your comment helps a lot. Thank you!
No I actually don't know if any calculators offhand I just do the calcs in my head. :(
But in my opinion, as far as safety goes, as long as you keep gloves and absorbent cloth on hand for a spill and are cautious when measuring there's absolutely nothing wrong with handling it. Eyewear maybe if you're super nervous - nicotine in the eye is no fun.
I've been mixing for almost 2 years and have made almost 2 gallons juice total for my friends and I. And I never use gloves or eyewear or aprons or anything.
I also have been trained in a research setting in a lab so I understand a lot of the dos and donts.
You also don't have to worry about wearing a respirator mask with simple 100mg/ml.
I like this one because you can save your recipe, so you can just write the name + date on your bottle.
I have gone through 2x 120ml 60mg bottles from MFS since I started DIY about 3-4 months ago... 50/50 blends, pretty easy to work with, as I like the 50/50 blends to vape on.
This time around, im ordering 250ml of 100mg nic from WL, I think im going to go with the PG, as someone else mentioned, its thinner and easier to work with. But honestly I would just prefer a 50/50 mix instead of 100% of either.
If you are terrified of spilling nicotine on yourself, order 36mg. When I started about two years ago that was all that I ordered. Learn how to handle it first. I have gotten a bit on me from time to time(drops/spillage here and there) and have had no reaction. With that being said, you should always take precautionary measures when handling this substance. Use nitrile gloves, some eye protection, etc. Always keep your nicotine out of the reach of children and pets. Even if nicotine is in low concentrations, it can be very hazardous. Treat it like it's poison, because it is. Look up some safety guides on handling it as well if you are that freaked out by it. Always be careful. Once again, KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN AND PETS!
Thanks for underlining the safety aspect of the nicotine. When I say I'm terrified, I guess I mean I REALLY RESPECT this stuff I shall take all necessary precautions.
Thanks again!
I just started mixing as well. I was a little nervous but like you said, respect the ingredients!! I mix on a 1/4 sheet pan that has the raised lip, so that if I have a spill its somewhat contained.
Yea no prob. I might have gone a bit overboard, but always better to be safe, especially if you have kids around. I usually don't wear gloves when I mix with 48mg, but I would be if I was mixing with anything higher than that amount. I'm also very careful and mix right next to a big tub sink in the basement. If anything gets on my hands, it is immediately washed off. Just keep these safety tips in mind while mixing and you should be fine. Also, watch out on some of the bottles of nicotine that you get. Make sure that the caps are always on securely and that they are not leaking. Sometimes there can be a bit of nic on the caps themselves when you put the cap back on, which will therefore leak a bit on sides, then down the bottle. Wipe off the bottles and always be sure to clean the area thoroughly when finished mixing. Like I said, always think about kids and pets. Protect and clean the area as if you are mixing on the floor of a pre-school. I know it sounds a bit overboard, but safety first! Happy mixing. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Enjoy!
IMO, if the posion aspect is the issue, the best thing you can do is get yourself down to a lower nic juice. I make 3mg at home, and I buy a 24mg base (50/50). For me that's still a decent value and pretty safe, even with small pets.
You'd be surprised how much throat hit is left even at 3mg when you slowly work your way down.
My first bottle was 12 mg/ml. with the VG base. I didn't think about it, but wanted to make 12 nic juice with 50/50 pg/vg - so that wouldn't work! So I made some 6 mg/ml nic juice and it was good. At first I was scared to open it.
The second bottle I got more brave and ordered 48 mg/ml nic. I'm still scared to get 100 mg nic - maybe next time.
When working with nicotine, that shit is no joke. Please be safe and wear nitrile gloves, glasses, and possibly a lab coat or apron. God forbid you spill or have any accidentlal contact. The LD50 dose for a human is only 50-60mg. When you are using 100mg/ml you can see the danger there. Not trying to scare you but please keep it safe and you will be much happier.
> The LD50 dose for a human is only 50-60mg.
This is really misleading and should read 50-60 mg/kg. LD50 is measured relative to the mass of the animal. So ingesting a 50-60 mg dose of nicotine is dangerous if you weigh 1 kg or less. You should definitely take suitable precautions, but it isn't THAT dangerous.
From wikipedia, "30–60 mg (0.5–1.0 mg/kg) can be a lethal dosage for adult humans.[5][62] However the widely used human LD50 estimate of 0.5–1.0 mg/kg was questioned in a 2013 review, in light of several documented cases of humans surviving much higher doses; the 2013 review suggests that the lower limit causing fatal out-comes is 500–1000 mg of ingested nicotine, corresponding to an oral lD50 of 6.5–13 mg/kg .[7] Nevertheless nicotine has a relatively high toxicity in comparison to many other alkaloids such as cocaine, which has an LD50of 95.1 mg/kg when administered to mice."
It's still not worth risking your health if you can avoid it.
I keep my nic, pg & vg in my humidity controlled gun safe. As far as the nic I vape 12mg so I buy the 50/50 24mg and cut it in half.
So I don't have to use the big bottle of nic every time I fill two 50ml bottles up and use them and refill when needed.
So what carrier base is your 24mg?
I get the base 50% pg and 50% vg. I then use the calculator to make it about 13 -15 mg nic in my small bottles. That way when I make a bottle all I need to do is add my plain pg, vg and flavor to get to 12 mg or a little less. I always make 14ml batches since my glass bottles are 15ml. This leaves me 1ml of space to add water, sweetener or whatever it may need and the 1-3mg nic loss is not noticeable at all.
So far it has worked out really well. I also use a digital scale to measure so the amounts are right on the mark.
Nicotine is poison, whether it's 10% in PG (100mg/ml) or 3.6% in PG (36mg/ml).
But if you are worried about stuffing up, with calculations or whatever, then the math is easier if it's 100mg/ml. Then whatever you vape at (eg. 12mg), that's the % you put in the bottle.... 10ml bottle, 12% of 100mg/ml, or 1.2ml. Easy peasy. Less to count, too... it's one and a bit 1ml syringe-fulls, not 5 or 10 or whatever of some lesser strength nic base.
Plus the bottle of nic lasts longer, and it gives you more flexibility in PG/VG ratio.