DIY Juice; Staying home for this question...

[zmauls]

... lest I be ridiculed by the masses. I'd like an answer from a fellow Reonaut.

I finally bought DIY supplies. If my math is correct, bottle for bottle, I'll be saving around $2,000.

Seeing that in writing makes my stomach drop.

Anyway, for those of you who use LorAnn's, about how many drops of the "extra-strength" flavors do you use in a 30mL bottle?

Just curious.

Thanks in advance.

 

[pennysmalls]

If it were me I'd try doing 10 ml's at a time while you're learning, saves you a lot in wasted supplies when you're juice doesn't turn out right. I have some of LorAnn's extra strength but haven't tried it yet, but as a general rule for me, I start out small, flavor percentage wise, then up the percentage of flavor if it's to weak. Maybe try .5 ml's of the extra strength per 10 ml's as a start.

 

[Rickajho]

IMO drops are just too hard to work with. Depending on how hard you squeeze, every dropper is slightly different and can produce different size drops, how thin or thick the liquid is affects the amount you actually end up with... It's too inaccurate and too hard to replicate. If I were me I would be measuring flavorings with very small syringes.

See the very first post in this thread, and others in it, for some ideas about what percentages to start with for LorAnn flavorings:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/74109-guide-diy-flavoring.html

This spreadsheet, albeit in German, may help too:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spr...hQ6Fu8HdEwwR2dLRUJlVjlabEN1NG1ucktuUVE&gid=17

When in doubt, undershoot. You can fix an under flavored mix but adding too much flavor is a lot harder to recover from - if at all.

Have you sought out a calculator yet? http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...e-calculator-added-quantity-calculations.html

 

[zmauls]

IMO drops are just too hard to work with. Depending on how hard you squeeze, every dropper is slightly different and can produce different size drops, how thin or thick the liquid is affects the amount you actually end up with... It's too inaccurate and too hard to replicate. If I were me I would be measuring flavorings with very small syringes.

See the very first post in this thread, and others in it, for some ideas about what percentages to start with for LorAnn flavorings:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/74109-guide-diy-flavoring.html

This spreadsheet, albeit in German, may help too:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spr...hQ6Fu8HdEwwR2dLRUJlVjlabEN1NG1ucktuUVE&gid=17

When in doubt, undershoot. You can fix an under flavored mix but adding too much flavor is a lot harder to recover from - if at all.

Have you sought out a calculator yet? http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...e-calculator-added-quantity-calculations.html

Yep, love the one on Steam-Engine, albeit lacking a flavor function.

I read that post from start to finish, but I guess it just didn't register that I actually went with LorAnn flavorings.

Most of them seem to say between 20% and 30%, which is outrageous in my opinion because I usually vape between 90/10 and 80/20. Thankfully I got VG based nicotine, but that means my mixes will be just VG and flavor... which in turn means I wasted $25 on PG.

Oh well. I guess I'll just have to do some testing for myself. Thankfully, I generally like light flavoring. The guys over at my B&M put around 60 drops in a 30mL bottle, but I prefer around 40 drops. With that in mind, 60 drops is around 3mL (give or take), making it 10% of the entire bottle, which, as I said, is a bit much for me.

At this point I'm just writing down what's on my mind. Guess I'll just have to see for myself.

 

[vlodato]

Ironically I used to use syringes but it became to much to keep up with how many flavors I began to aquire. Besides I found my perfect mix and I like using drops for the sheer fact sometimes I taste different things from different batches. But maybe that's just me. I only use the syringes for the vg pg and nicotine.

Sent from my LG-D959 using Tapatalk

 

[pennysmalls]

I use a 10 ml glass graduated cylinder at times. It's easy. Pour in 1 ml of flavor, 4 ml's of pg, 1.2 ml's of vg nic and 3.8 ml's of vg for a 50/50 mix. I have my pg, vg and nic in these...

Amazon.com - Arrow Plastic Mfg Co # Plas Ketchup Dispenser Containers Food Storage - Ketchup Bottle

makes for easy pouring into the cylinder.

 

[zmauls]

Ironically I used to use syringes but it became to much to keep up with how many flavors I began to aquire. Besides I found my perfect mix and I like using drops for the sheer fact sometimes I taste different things from different batches. But maybe that's just me

Sent from my LG-D959 using Tapatalk

Great! I bought a few 20mL syringes and a few 3mL syringes. I thought that would be fine to start. The guys at my B&M only use 20's and 100's, but their nicotine is premixed. The calculator I mentioned says I'll need 1mL of the nicotine I bought (60mg, 200mL to avoid another purchase in the near future) in a 30mL bottle. As for flavors, I know what I like, and picked up 5 bottles that should be fairly easy to mix and match with. After looking closely at that DIY thread, they all have a rating of 4/5 or higher. I can't effing wait!

 

[zmauls]

I use a 10 ml glass graduated cylinder at times. It's easy. Pour in 1 ml of flavor, 4 ml's of pg, 1.2 ml's of vg nic and 3.8 ml's of vg for a 50/50 mix. I have my pg, vg and nic in these...

Amazon.com - Arrow Plastic Mfg Co # Plas Ketchup Dispenser Containers Food Storage - Ketchup Bottle

makes for easy pouring into the cylinder.

Yep, I also bought a couple of graduated cylinders. Basically just replicated everything I've seen them working with at my B&M.

 

[mackman]

This is the calculator I use. DIY E-Liquid Calculator Ten Flavors Plus PG/VG Adjusting. You can compensate for your nic pg/vg % etc.

 

[pennysmalls]

^^^That is the calculator I use. Good one.

 

[Steamer861]

I have bin DIY'n for a wile now. it's great I would have had to sell the farm in juice costs by now if not for DIY.
I make small 4 mil batches and drip them for testing, if I like them I make larger 30 mil batches
I use an online calculator It is so easy and there are a lot of user recipes on the site too
DIY E-Liquid Calculator Ten Flavors With Nicotine Plus PG/VG Adjusting
I am dropping my nic levels in 2mg increments I hardly notice any difference when dropping nic levels
Anyone who Vapes a lot like I do and isn't all ready DIY'ing should start

 

[pennysmalls]

Made some Coconut/Toffee and Lemon-Lime/Vanilla today. Pretty darned good. Coming up with new flavor combo's is fab!

 

[mackman]

There are a ton of recipes out there (Google is your friend) and lots on ECF. The DIY forum is invaluable for information, tips and tricks for someone starting out or experienced mixers. Lots of shared info and experiences, many of which can save you big $$. Here is one site:
| Homemade E-juice Recipes

 

[zmauls]

There are a ton of recipes out there (Google is your friend) and lots on ECF. The DIY forum is invaluable for information, tips and tricks for someone starting out or experienced mixers. Lots of shared info and experiences, many of which can save you big $$. Here is one site:
| Homemade E-juice Recipes

Definitely don't need assistance with flavor ideas. I have tried many different flavors over the past couple years and was really able to gather a concept of the kinds of mixes I like.

With this initial purchase, I bought:

Cream Cheese Icing
Cinnamon Roll
Bavarian Cream
Lemonade
Blueberry
Blackberry

With these flavors I can do blueberry cinnamon roll (a long time go-to for me), blueberry lemonade (an old favorite), blackberry custard (a more recent go-to), lemon frosted cinnamon rolls, lemon custard, cinnamon custard, cinnamon blueberry custard, blackberry lemonade, blackberry frosted cinnamon rolls, black and blue lemonade... You get the point.

 

[MsLoud]

I may be very unconventional but I approached DIY like this...I can not be bothered with flask, measuring cups, beakers, syringes (though I do use and have labeled for nic only a 10ml syringe). I had to find out what all the hoopla was concerning unflavored PG/VG/NIC base..O M Gawd...I never knew! It's very tasty to me - clean actually.

Anyways, so now I have my "base" pg/vg - I have about 5 bottles 50ml ones with just that in them. When I get up in the morning I grab a 50ml, fill my 6ml square bottles (usually 2 or 3 to carry to work for my mini reo) and leave enough room to drop flavor into it!

That's it! No messing with large bottles of premix! I just take my little bottles I'm going to use that day and that's it. I don't have a ton of room to stockpile 100 bottles of juice so this works for me and if I don't like how something taste - throwing out 6ml beats 30 or 50!

Hope this helps. I have been reading a ton on DIY over the last month and just boiled it down to what I enjoy and what works for me!

 

[FACE MEAT]

Zmauls: the golden rule of DIY:

Know how each flavor tastes by itself before getting too complicated.

I can't even count how many mL of e-liquid went down the drain after I tried to get too fancy without knowing what each individual flavor brings to the party.

 

[Big Hitter]

I may be very unconventional but I approached DIY like this...I can not be bothered with flask, measuring cups, beakers, syringes (though I do use and have labeled for nic only a 10ml syringe). I had to find out what all the hoopla was concerning unflavored PG/VG/NIC base..O M Gawd...I never knew! It's very tasty to me - clean actually.

Anyways, so now I have my "base" pg/vg - I have about 5 bottles 50ml ones with just that in them. When I get up in the morning I grab a 50ml, fill my 6ml square bottles (usually 2 or 3 to carry to work for my mini reo) and leave enough room to drop flavor into it!

That's it! No messing with large bottles of premix! I just take my little bottles I'm going to use that day and that's it. I don't have a ton of room to stockpile 100 bottles of juice so this works for me and if I don't like how something taste - throwing out 6ml beats 30 or 50!

Hope this helps. I have been reading a ton on DIY over the last month and just boiled it down to what I enjoy and what works for me!

Exactly ...... my take. I mix up my base in a 100ml grad cylinder and keep a couple hundred ml of it on hand in 100 ml squirt bottles. I do all my mixing right in the 6ml.

I vape a fair amount of un-flavored but sometimes I ad a few drops of flavoring .....
Most often lately I've been adding like 10% of other pre made juices .... (Five Pawns stuff)
There stuff has plenty of flavor that 10% still is a great vape .... and instead of 30 bucks for 30 ml I can do 300 ml for like 35 bucks

 

[zmauls]

Wow guys, great advice all around. I'll be sure to follow all of your suggestions.

 

[Vapeaholic]

I have been DIY'ing for several months now and have found the graduated cylinders to be a PITA. If you use them for VG it takes forever for them to empty when pouring, and there will still be some left in the cylinder.
I use syringes only. I have several 1ml,3ml, 5ml, and some really big ones (can't remember the sizes off hand) and a whole Baggie of different gauge blunt tip needles. They are easy to clean also.

 

[pennysmalls]

It helps if you warm up the vg just a tad before mixing. Pours out much easier.