So, I'm Taking the DIY Plunge...

[sos2001]

And I was wondering if you veterans had used Liquid Barn??? It seems that I can get everything there including flavoring (starting with single flavors) and just pay one shipping charge as I'm trying to be frugal (not cheap). I'm hoping their vg/pg is good quality and that their nic and flavors are not harsh.

I've got all the hardware..scale, bottles, gloves, etc. coming from Amazon.

 

[retired1]

Quite a few members use the company. Haven't seen much in the way of negative reviews about 'em.

 

[Jugband]

I've never used Liquid Barn, can't really speak of them one way or another. I have placed several orders with RTS Vapes for the same reason you are ordering for "frugal" you can pick up PG, VG, flavors, nic and save on shipping from one place. Just a thought if you wanna shop around.

Best of luck to you! You'll love DIY.

 

[BrotherBob]

Could check out Wizard Labs and free shipping.

 

[DaveP]

WWW.MyFreedomSmokes,com is another big DIY supplier. $50 for a liter of house brand 100mg Nic and just about every accessory, flavor, and PG or VG liquid you need. Just another option that's available.

 

[sos2001]

Appreciate the input. Kinda got that old excitement back just like when I nailed my first coil build. Hoping the DIY thing goes the same way.

 

[Eskie]

IMO, DIY is way easier than building a coil and wicking it.

 

[sofarsogood]

Appreciate the input. Kinda got that old excitement back just like when I nailed my first coil build. Hoping the DIY thing goes the same way.

When people have trouble with DIY it's because they make it too complicated. To get started dilute your favorite pre mix 2 or 3 to one. You might find the taste is improved. There are a lot of excellent stand alone flavors. I mix either once every two weeks or once a month. Total time is 20-30 minutes. A gallon each of PG and VG and a liter of 100 mg nic will last most people 4-8 years and cost about $100. The nic I'm vaping at the moment came from myfreedomsmokes.com

 

[dobroeutro]

And I was wondering if you veterans had used Liquid Barn??? It seems that I can get everything there including flavoring (starting with single flavors) and just pay one shipping charge as I'm trying to be frugal (not cheap). I'm hoping their vg/pg is good quality and that their nic and flavors are not harsh.

I've got all the hardware..scale, bottles, gloves, etc. coming from Amazon.

Looks like a good plan. Go for it...

 

[JCinFLA]

Before you order any flavorings though...it's a good idea to FIRST find some recipes you're sure you want to make. Then buy the flavorings to make those. Otherwise, if you just pick flavorings because you like those flavors in candy, or desserts, or fruits...you may end up with only a bunch of primary flavorings, but none of the secondary (or blender) flavorings, no accent flavorings, no sweeteners, etc.

Many newbies to DIY unfortunately don't find recipes first though. They buy flavorings that just "sounded good" to them. Then they post a list of the flavorings they've bought, and ask, "OK, what can I make with these? Anyone got any good recipes?" When no one can give them any, they're disappointed then.

It would be like going to the grocery store and buying just a variety of meats. Then asking someone for a good recipe to make some beef stew with it! But, you have no potatoes, no carrots, no celery maybe, nothing to make the gravy part of the stew, no spices for it, etc.

It's the same thing with eliquid. Probably 90% of recipes require a variety of the types of flavorings (primary ones, secondary or blenders, accents, sweetener, etc.).

You might want to do some reading about mixing, the flavorings types, and definitely find some recipes to base your first flavorings purchase on to ensure better success with DIY from the get-go.

 

[sos2001]

Before you order any flavorings though...it's a good idea to FIRST find some recipes you're sure you want to make. Then buy the flavorings to make those. Otherwise, if you just pick flavorings because you like those flavors in candy, or desserts, or fruits...you may end up with only a bunch of primary flavorings, but none of the secondary (or blender) flavorings, no accent flavorings, no sweeteners, etc.

Many newbies to DIY unfortunately don't find recipes first though. They buy flavorings that just "sounded good" to them. Then they post a list of the flavorings they've bought, and ask, "OK, what can I make with these? Anyone got any good recipes?" When no one can give them any, they're disappointed then.

It would be like going to the grocery store and buying just a variety of meats. Then asking someone for a good recipe to make some beef stew with it! But, you have no potatoes, no carrots, no celery maybe, nothing to make the gravy part of the stew, no spices for it, etc.

It's the same thing with eliquid. Probably 90% of recipes require a variety of the types of flavorings (primary ones, secondary or blenders, accents, sweetener, etc.).

You might want to do some reading about mixing, the flavorings types, and definitely find some recipes to base your first flavorings purchase on to ensure better success with DIY from the get-go.

Thanks so much for the guidance. My two fav ADVs are a pineapple with a "splash" of cream. And a Blueberry Greek Yogurt. Found a recipe for the yogurt and will kind of wing it with pineapple. The vendor recommends an 8% for the pineapple...plan is to try 4% with the cream and go from there...small batches of course.

 

[Eskie]

Before you order any flavorings though...it's a good idea to FIRST find some recipes you're sure you want to make. Then buy the flavorings to make those. Otherwise, if you just pick flavorings because you like those flavors in candy, or desserts, or fruits...you may end up with only a bunch of primary flavorings, but none of the secondary (or blender) flavorings, no accent flavorings, no sweeteners, etc.

Many newbies to DIY unfortunately don't find recipes first though. They buy flavorings that just "sounded good" to them. Then they post a list of the flavorings they've bought, and ask, "OK, what can I make with these? Anyone got any good recipes?" When no one can give them any, they're disappointed then.

It would be like going to the grocery store and buying just a variety of meats. Then asking someone for a good recipe to make some beef stew with it! But, you have no potatoes, no carrots, no celery maybe, nothing to make the gravy part of the stew, no spices for it, etc.

It's the same thing with eliquid. Probably 90% of recipes require a variety of the types of flavorings (primary ones, secondary or blenders, accents, sweetener, etc.).

You might want to do some reading about mixing, the flavorings types, and definitely find some recipes to base your first flavorings purchase on to ensure better success with DIY from the get-go.

I think this is very accurate. Being new to DIY I didn't get too nailed on this as I stick to tobacco flavors, so many of the primary flavorings vape well as a single ingredient. As I've branched out I have filled in based on recipes without ending up with dozens of flavorings I will never use (OK, a few, which isn't bad considering). My flavoring collection is starting to spill out of the main container I use to hold them, and getting stuffed into spaces in my desk drawers. Looks like I'll need a bigger container.

One hint I can add, check what you have before you place an order. I have discovered on two occasions I ordered a flavoring I already had but didn't realize it. Could be worse, at least it was stuff I will use.

 

[dannyv45]

One hint I can add, check what you have before you place an order. I have discovered on two occasions I ordered a flavoring I already had but didn't realize it. Could be worse, at least it was stuff I will use.

I can not tell you how many times I've done that Or could not find a flavor I've misplaced and reordered only to find it a week later.

 

[Bonskibon]

Blueberry Greek Yogurt.

You happen to have a recipe for that?

 

[JCinFLA]

Thanks so much for the guidance. My two fav ADVs are a pineapple with a "splash" of cream. And a Blueberry Greek Yogurt. Found a recipe for the yogurt and will kind of wing it with pineapple. The vendor recommends an 8% for the pineapple...plan is to try 4% with the cream and go from there...small batches of course.

You're very welcome! Glad some of it is useful to you.

Depending upon which company's pineapple flavoring you buy...you may want to start even lower than the 4% you're thinking of. I use mostly TFA flavorings, and their pineapple is spot-on good pineapple, but it's also pretty strong. I use it in a 4-flavoring, tropical, fruity eliquid, that I make for myself and for a neighbor. The recipe suggested 6% for the pineapple. However, we both found out while testing some little 3-4mL sample batches of the recipe...that it was way too strong, and it also overpowered the other flavorings. We ended up cutting it all the way down to just 2.5% before it was really good in that recipe.

You might want to also start making any recipes you find, by doing a tiny sample first. That way you can "tweak" it to your own liking (and making sure to take notes on changes you make to it)...before making a larger amount. There's a really neat method called the 100DT (100 drop test), that was developed by a longtime, very experienced, juice maker here on the ECF. He even used to make juice commercially. Here's a link below, to his Blogs, which contain lots of tips, hints, recipes, etc., including how to do the 100DT. I do that test every time I try out a new recipe, and haven't had anything "flushable" instead of vapable, yet!

Bill's Magic Vapor's blog | E-Cigarette Forum