How to nic up a juice

Silver

Flavour and throat hit seeker
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With the increasing popularity of MTL and not that many stronger nic juices available, one often finds oneself in a situation where you want to "nic up" a juice.

I.e. add something to make it a bit stronger on the nic front. Say from 6mg to 9mg or even to 12mg.

But how do you do it? How much nic must you add?

It's really simple.
  • Get yourself some nic additive - most DIY vendors sell it. Either in 36mg or even 48mg concentration.
  • Start with a small batch - say 10ml - just in case you make a mistake and ruin the juice - or dont like the result.
  • Follow the formula below to work out what ratio of nic you need to add depending on the strength of the nic additive you have, the strength of the juice and the target nic level you want.
  • Multiply that ratio by the volume you are making. So if the answer is say 10% and you are making 10ml, then you need 1ml of the nic additive - and obviously 9ml of the juice you have.

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TARGET is the final target strength you want
START is the strength of the juice you have
NIC STRENGTH is the strength of the nic additive you are going to add (eg 36 or 48)

Let's do a quick example
Say you have a 6mg juice and you want to nic it up to 9mg. Say your nic additive is 36mg.
The formula says the Ratio of nic to add is as follows:
(9-6)/(36-6)
= 3/30
= 0.1 (or 10%)

So, if you are making a 10ml juice size, then you would add 1ml (0.1 x 10) of the nic additive and the rest (9ml) is your 6mg juice. Give it a good shake and the final juice will be 9mg.

Some additional comments and tips:
  • It's usually best to have the desired nic strength you want from the manufacturer, so if this is available, that is your best choice. Otherwise, you can consider niccing it up yourself.
  • The more nic you add, the more you will dilute the flavour. So ideally, you want to add as little nic as possible. In the example above, adding 1ml of nic in a 10ml bottle is not going to dilute the flavour much so it will probably be acceptable. But if say you want to go from a 3mg juice up to 18mg - then you would add about 50% of the mix as the nic additive and that would halve the original flavour. The result is probably not going to taste very good. Better then to get the original juice in a higher nic strength.
  • You may want to consider trying to get stronger nic - like 48mg - then you add less of it to get the same result - with less flavour dilution
  • Another tip - if you like menthol and you want a bit more throat hit - add some menthol, it sometimes helps to enhance the throat hit.
  • My preference is for using a PG Nic additive because if I am niccing up for a restrictive draw device (like MTL) they usually have smaller coils and the resultant PG/VG ratio will have a bit more PG in it - which is good for wicking.
  • It doesn't have to be 100% accurate. If you have a little 10ml plastic bottle and you want to work out how much 1ml is, then just measure it with a ruler and say the bottle is 40mm tall, then make a mark with a koki at 4mm. Pour in the nic until the mark. Then fill the rest with your original juice. Easy.
 
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@Silver what brand of Nic would you recommend?

So far all high nic does is give me the throat hit I want. Here and there I have had some MTL juice that is peppery and burns my nose, I’m trying to avoid that but not to the extent of say going to Nic Salts.

Want a smooth Nic if there is such a brand out there.
 
@Silver what brand of Nic would you recommend?

So far all high nic does is give me the throat hit I want. Here and there I have had some MTL juice that is peppery and burns my nose, I’m trying to avoid that but not to the extent of say going to Nic Salts.

Want a smooth Nic if there is such a brand out there.

That's a good question @CaliGuy
There is a thread where a lot of the DIYers have discussed various brands of Nic and whether some impart a particular taste
I haven't tried them all

But I have used Prime Nic (PG 36mg) and Gold Nic (PG 48mg) and both have been fine for me.
I have not picked up anything untoward on these nic additives
 
Every 5ml of 36mg nic that you add to a 60ml juice bottle will up the nic with 3mg. But you also diluting your juice flavour, as you are not adding concentrate
 
Just remember gloves should always be worn when handling diluted nicotine.

Diluted nicotine can be absorbed through the skin. This is especially important with higher nicotine strengths, which can be fatal.
 
Just remember gloves should always be worn when handling diluted nicotine.

Diluted nicotine can be absorbed through the skin. This is especially important with higher nicotine strengths, which can be fatal.

Thanks @MrGSmokeFree for the reminder

I am no expert in mixing and making DIY juices - but have been working with 36mg nic for a few years and lately 48mg nic for about a year.
When I decant the nic into my little bottles (with a funnel) I sometimes get a few spills on my hands
I dont wear gloves
I just wash my hands immediately
I havent had a problem in that sense

I suppose when working with concentrations higher than 48mg (for example 100mg) then it can become a problem, especially if you dont know that some has spilt on your skin.
 
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