Brand newbie looking for tips on DIY kit.

[runout_mick]

My saga begins:

It all started yesterday when chatting with a friend on msn, he casually mentioned he had started smoking e-cigs. I knew nothing about them, and was feeling a compelling need to make fun of him for it, so I fired the googlemachine up looking to get some ammunition. This kind of backfired...

ECF was one of my first stops, and I spent the better part of the day here researching the subject. I quickly came to the realization that mocking my friend wasn't going to be on the agenda as I knew I was going to give it a whirl. My girlfriend and I are jumping in whole-hog.

I'm a DIY kind of guy everywhere else, so the DIY aspect of e-cigs really appeals to me. Looking from tips from everyone, but especially the hardcore DIYers.

Here is where I stand roughly $500 later:

1. Two complete LEO Royal kits from electro-vapors.com. This way me and my girlfriend can each have an e-cig, and full spare parts for each. I went with the LEO because I can find nothing but rave reviews on it, and I like the slightly higher voltage and bigger mah. I'm just into the brute force of it. I know it's not as moddable as a 510, but I just wanted a workhorse to get me into the game. I'll get into mods with my next round of purchases if needed. I also like that it's a passthrough and manual batt. I'm slightly worried about parts availability, but I'll cross that bridge once that ship has sailed... or something like that.

We also got 10x blank cartridges and a couple cheapo USB car chargers. I know I'll need more atomizers sooner rather than later, but couldn't pull the trigger on replacements yet. Once one burns out I'll order 2 or 3 more. Just trying to defer some cost to next month.

2. Now for the juicy bits.

From electro-vapors.com I ordered:

8 x 30 ml Unflavored PG (36 mg)
1 x Blue Foam
1 x TIMMYS DBL DBL (15 ml)

From happyvaper.com I ordered:

• 2 of : 10ml Clear Plastic Dropper Bottle with Childproof Cap (Pack of 3)

• 3 of : 10ml Syringe (Pack of 3)

• 6 of : 30ml Clear Plastic Dropper Bottle with Childproof Cap

• 2 of : 3ml Graduated Pipette/Dropper (Pack of 4)

• 2 of : 3ml Syringe (Pack of 4)

• 2 of : 5ml Clear Plastic Dropper Bottle with Childproof Cap (Pack of 3)

• 1 of : FlavourArt - Cherry 3ml

• 1 of : FlavourArt - Lime - Cold Pressed 3ml

• 1 of : FlavourArt - Mandarin 3ml

• 1 of : FlavourArt - Peach 3ml

• 1 of : LorAnn Cinnamon Roll 1 Dram

• 1 of : LorAnn Coffee 1 Dram

• 1 of : Perfumer's Apprentice - Black Cherry 3ml

• 1 of : Perfumer's Apprentice - Cinnamon 3ml

• 1 of : Perfumer's Apprentice - Clove 3ml

• 1 of : Perfumer's Apprentice - Coffee 3ml

• 1 of : Perfumer's Apprentice - Cola 3ml

• 1 of : Perfumer's Apprentice - Creme de Menthe 3ml

• 1 of : Perfumer's Apprentice - Double Chocolate 3ml

• 1 of : Perfumer's Apprentice - Earl Grey 3ml

• 1 of : Perfumer's Apprentice - Green Apple 3ml

• 1 of : Perfumer's Apprentice - Honey 3ml

• 1 of : Perfumer's Apprentice - Key Lime 3ml

• 1 of : Perfumer's Apprentice - Maraschino Cherry 3ml

• 1 of : Perfumer's Apprentice - Peach 3ml

• 1 of : Perfumer's Apprentice - Wintergreen 3ml

• 3 of : Propylene Glycol USP 120ml

So, that's where I stand now. I think the 240ml PG (36mg) should last us about 6 months after flavouring and cutting it. Once I get low I intend to order higher concentration nicotine. I was scared to do that for my first order because I don't want to get held in customs, so I stuck with Canadian suppliers.

PG should be no problem as I can get industrial amounts at the local farm store that I am a member of. VG in industrial quantities should also be no problems.

I am intending to build a mad-scientist lab in my basement to mix. This will be complete with a lockable cabinet to keep little fingers and paws out. This will be especially important once I start dealing in higher concentrations.


So... Anyone see any flies in my ointment so far? Comments and tips are VERY welcome. I'll be updating this thread as I progress from a New Canadian DIYer's perspective. I'm a forum hound from way back, so I'm sure I'll be here a lot.

 

[Rosa]

Welcome to the forum

Sounds ok to me! I mix stuff on my dining room table, it's fun. I usually stick with easy flavors (single flavor or mint/chocolate) but with that arsenal the sky's the limit!

Have fun!

 

[Liv2Ski]

Looks like you covered most bases. Only suggestion I would have is to add about a dozen 3ml bottles. I find them to be very useful since you can mix small batches and if the recipe sucks then you have lost very little. They are also great for carrying around a bunch of flavors when you are out and about. Get yourself a DIY calculator and take good notes when making sauce. I use Breaktrus calculator and when I get a recipe right I just add it to the database.

eJuice Me Up - e-Juice e-Liquid Recipe Calculator

 

[WomanOfHeart]

My suggestions would be to get some Sweetener and maybe some Caramel flavors to round out your kit. It's been my experience that Peach and Apple flavors have a little harshness to them that benefits from the flavors I suggested.

Don't give up if your mixes don't turn out right. Sometimes the way to get to the right flavor is to mix up some of the wrong ones. It really is a lot of fun and it's certainly much cheaper than buying juice! I'm glad to hear that the potential mockery of your friend has brought you here and introduced you to a better, safer way of getting your nic fix!

 

[Stosh]

+1 on a little sweetener, I've found flavors like lime and wintergreen are just that, the flavor without any sweet tones that are familiar when you taste the flavor in other baked or prepared products.

You could also add in some vanilla, it works well in very small additions to add a little complexity in many flavors, same as it's used in cooking and baking recipes.

Otherwise you're prepared a well stocked vaping bomb shelter, should last months.

 

[Rosa]

LOL! I don't know what kind of e=cig your friend has, but perhaps you can mock his wimpy e-cig? Just trying to be helpful.

 

[antfuzz]

Read this forum if you haven't already. Much info to absorb. There are also several other threads that would be a good idea to read.

DIY e-liquid

Here are some links to other suppliers for DIY supplies.

One Stop DIY Shop

Here's a video for DIY newbies.

YouTube - One Stop DIY Shop's Artisan's Master Kit

http://www.diyflavorshack.com/default.asp

I just found this interesting thread, and its recent.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/pay-forward-pif/162405-diy-questions-answers.html#post2679051

You also may want to educate yourself about steeping.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/polls/141269-steeping-urban-legend.html

I'd like to wish you good luck on your new adventure, I would love to experiment with mixing my own but sadly lack the funds to do so.

 

[antfuzz]

Here are a couple other calculators.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AmDimbiZZBAsdGdrcGFPZGN5VnF4QmhndXdFcVAzLXc&hl=en#gid=0

eJuice Recipe Calculator

 

[runout_mick]

Looks like you covered most bases. Only suggestion I would have is to add about a dozen 3ml bottles. I find them to be very useful since you can mix small batches and if the recipe sucks then you have lost very little. They are also great for carrying around a bunch of flavors when you are out and about. Get yourself a DIY calculator and take good notes when making sauce. I use Breaktrus calculator and when I get a recipe right I just add it to the database.

eJuice Me Up - e-Juice e-Liquid Recipe Calculator

Yeah, I was thinking I was light on bottles. I'm hoping I can source something colour coded locally. What do you guys wash bottles with?

My suggestions would be to get some Sweetener and maybe some Caramel flavors to round out your kit. It's been my experience that Peach and Apple flavors have a little harshness to them that benefits from the flavors I suggested.

Don't give up if your mixes don't turn out right. Sometimes the way to get to the right flavor is to mix up some of the wrong ones. It really is a lot of fun and it's certainly much cheaper than buying juice! I'm glad to hear that the potential mockery of your friend has brought you here and introduced you to a better, safer way of getting your nic fix!

Hm. What do you use for sweetener? I never really thought about that. I'm planning on mixing without nic to find flavours and pg/vg ratios and keeping good notes. When I hit something good I'll make a "real" batch.

+1 on a little sweetener, I've found flavors like lime and wintergreen are just that, the flavor without any sweet tones that are familiar when you taste the flavor in other baked or prepared products.

You could also add in some vanilla, it works well in very small additions to add a little complexity in many flavors, same as it's used in cooking and baking recipes.

Otherwise you're prepared a well stocked vaping bomb shelter, should last months.

Vanilla as in vanilla extract, or one from somewhere like lorrann?

LOL! I don't know what kind of e=cig your friend has, but perhaps you can mock his wimpy e-cig? Just trying to be helpful.

That was the plan, but just found out it's a 510. No hope there.

 

[Rosa]

You can totally mock him if he's using the wimpy little 510.

510 = 280mah
leo = 800mah

 

[runout_mick]

Here are a couple other calculators.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AmDimbiZZBAsdGdrcGFPZGN5VnF4QmhndXdFcVAzLXc&hl=en#gid=0

eJuice Recipe Calculator

Excellent. Thanks for the links. I was looking at some of the calculators, and also doing my own test runs of my own math on the side, and it looks like my understanding of the math is spot on. I'll try to figure it out myself, and use the calcs as a double check. I like the mental exercise, it's good for us dumb guys.

 

[julieann]

Hey Rosa, I love my "wimply little 510". I like the slimness of it, I felt like I was smoking a cigar with my ego. The battery life isn't great, but I use the mega length with mega attys and I get a full 16 hours with one battery change.

 

[antfuzz]

I'm not exactly sure but I think there is an iPhone app.

 

[Stosh]

...Vanilla as in vanilla extract, or one from somewhere like lorrann?.....

vanilla extract is too dilute for juice flavoring, most DIY suppliers will have a vanilla available.

 

[Rosa]

Hey Rosa, I love my "wimply little 510". I like the slimness of it, I felt like I was smoking a cigar with my ego. The battery life isn't great, but I use the mega length with mega attys and I get a full 16 hours with one battery change.

16 HOURS ON A MEGA 510 (380mah)??? Yikes! I get barely 7 hours on an eGo battery (650mah)!

 

[runout_mick]

vanilla extract is too dilute for juice flavoring, most DIY suppliers will have a vanilla available.

Ok, cool. I actually had vanilla in my cart (along with 1000 other things) but it went out in the culling. Think my original wish list was over $800... a little much to start, so it went on a diet. I was just hoping there was a grocery store alternative. I live rural and all my packages get delivered to a friend in town. Makes online ordering a bit of a hassle.

Anyone know of anywhere in the Edmonton area to source flavourings, bottles, paraphernalia, etc?

 

[dormouse]

My first suggestion is get 5 posts/replies an wait about an hour so you will be able to post everywhere like in the Canada forum, the DIY ELiquid forum and the Mods forum (and Tip & Tricks where DIY and some simple mods are)

Hardware mods - all I know is blue foam for carts - works great (in the US it is Marineland Rite-size U Foam Sleeve for aquariums)

DIY - I am just starting but my core flavors start with vanillas - and BTW I heard the Capella's Vanilla Custard (no diacetyl), this flavor exclusively from Happy Vaper in Canada, is supposed to be strong and excellent. I ordered some myself. I also order Vanilla Bourbon from Perfumer's Apprentice (Happy Vaper may have) and Flavourart Vanilla. And chocolates - FA Cocoa, PA Double chocolates. Caramels - see the ratings of popular flavors and the Hall of Fame (of whatever they called it) in the DIY Guide in the DIY section of ECF - I got the PA Caramel Candy. BTW PA has good descriptions and reviews/recipes of their flavors on their own site - if a review link is bad just go to the root of the reviews directory to find it (chop the link short). Other than that I got a few tobacco flavors, berry flavors, a few fruit flavors like PA Granny Smith Apple, Gingerbread (I plan to mix up an apple gingergread cake vape), a couple of liquor flavors (I really want to make cocoa rum truffle type flavor).

Sweeteners - Cotton Candy aka 10% Ethyl Maltol which is the most caramelly sweetener. 10% Splendex/Sucralose which is a sugar-taste sweetener. Honey flavoring which may be a more suitable sweetener for non-RY4 tobaccos and some food flavors.

 

[runout_mick]

Post 5!

I was originally going to post this in the DIY forum, but the 5 posts thing stopped me. The beginner forum might be a better place anyway, I can post up my mistakes for others that are just starting out.

10% Splendex/Sucralose which is a sugar-taste sweetener

By this, do you mean you home-mix your own sweetener?

Edit: I just googled it and this was the 3rd link down:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/37147-sweet-juice-finally.html

 

[julieann]

16 HOURS ON A MEGA 510 (380mah)??? Yikes! I get barely 7 hours on an eGo battery (650mah)!

No, sorry, guess I wasn't very clear. I meant one battery change, meaning two batteries. I may not be a heavy vaper, either, I use about 3 ml/day.

 

[Blueberry]

Just one suggestion when you start DIY, start with small quantities of PG only, if the mix is right then you can make your proper juice with your precious nicotine mix.