First Mix - Need Advice

[IronsideSamurai]

Hey folks. I quit smoking 4/3/14 and haven't looked back since. I have recently decided to switch to DIY and have ordered TW's Gold Standard 10pk of 10ml concentrates to go with an additional order of 250ml PG, 250ml VG, 125ml of 100% base nicotine at a 50/50 PG/VG mix, 6 10ml bottles, 2 joyetech 510 atomizers for testing small mixes, and a Nemesis clone with a Patriot rda! My concentrates came today but I am still waiting for the bulk of my supplies (should be tomorrow). I only have about 6ml's of some Peach Smoothy left and got anxious to try some of these flavors so added 5 drops of Columbian Coffee and 4 drops of Banana to it.... It now tastes like Banana Coffee! I just wish that I had some sucralose to sweeten it a little.... My question to anyone who's been doing DIY for a while is if you have any advice or tips for mixing small batches? I know that you shouls steep for at least 24 hrs. if you can be patient.

 

[dice57]

I am hoping you meant 100 mg nic base (10% nic by volume) and not 100% nic base (CUASTIC VERY DANGEROUS WILL ROBBINSON!!!)

 

[Susan~S]

As soon as you get in 5 posts you can go over to the DIY forum and post there.

 

[IronsideSamurai]

I am hoping you meant 100 mg nic base (10% nic by volume) and not 100% nic base (CUASTIC VERY DANGEROUS WILL ROBBINSON!!!)

I bought this: 1 x UnFlavored Nicotine Smoke Juice e-liquid
(Size: 125ml, Strength: 100mg, PG/VG Mix: 50% PG / 50% VG) $24.95

 

[IronsideSamurai]

Thank you Susan. I just realized that and am doing that as we speak!

 

[dice57]

I've been mixing for a ~8 months now. Order my 100mg nic base in a PG carrier, thinner and easier to draw to measure. I mix at 12 mg nic, 70-80% VG, and 8-15% flavor extract, depending on recipe used.

Supplies use glass flasks for mixing, glass rods for stirring, various size syringes for measuring. Once first mixed up, will run flask under hot water while stirring, this thins down the vg and makes emulsifying all ingredients easier, while speeding up the flavor development.

I use the e-juice me up calculator to get my volumes for each batch I make. Be sure to check out the DIY Juice sub forum, to find trips, tricks, recipes, and recommended suppliers.

I use Wizard Labs for most all my DIY supplies and needs. Great prices and fast service.

 

[InTheShade]

Welcome to the forum ISS,

EDIT - Forgive the long post, wow, I talk a lot...

In my experience, when making small batches, it's important to measure everything accurately and not use drops as a form of measurement. Just a .25ml in a 10ml solution can make a huge difference so accurate measurement is important when trying to duplicate successes or improve on recipes.
Also, write everything you do down - using a juice mixing calculator like eJuice Me Up - Best eJuice Calculator makes this easy as you can save each recipe. There is nothing more frustrating than making a killer e-juice and then not remembering what you did to create it.

As you said already, after mixing, you'll have to let juice steep. It's tempting to try it immediately (and of course you can) but the full flavor won't develop for a good few days. There are ways to speed this up with hot water baths (crockpot method works very well) and ultrasonic cleaners and such.

Getting to know your flavorings is a good thing too. I test all mine individually before mixing so I can get a feel for them and how they will turn out. Of course, do this without nicotine so you don't waste it. I know the flavoring will change when mixed with nic, but to me this has helped me figure out what flavoring will play well with others.

As others have said, you'll need 15 posts to be able to post on the DIY forum, but it's well worth a look. There are some excellent threads all about sweeteners over there (from people much more experience than I) and some great recipe ideas.

But the best thing is you've already taken the first step and mixed up a batch already that tasted good - so continue to experiment and have fun.

 

[drinksomething]

I bought this: 1 x UnFlavored Nicotine Smoke Juice E-Liquid
(Size: 125ml, Strength: 100mg, PG/VG Mix: 50% PG / 50% VG) $24.95

The "100mg" should mean 100mg/mL which is approximately 10% nicotine.

If you're still playing around with different flavors at varying percentages, I would recommend mixing about 8 mL batches into 10 mL bottles. This leaves you enough room to add flavorings without over-filling the bottles.

 

[dice57]

I bought this: 1 x UnFlavored Nicotine Smoke Juice E-Liquid
(Size: 125ml, Strength: 100mg, PG/VG Mix: 50% PG / 50% VG) $24.95

Sighs in Relief!! kewl, pure nic is tough to get without the proper permits and licensing, so figured it was mg not %. 100 mg nic base is 10% by volume, 12 ml added to 86 ml of VG/PG + extract will give you 12 mg nic juice.

 

[IronsideSamurai]

Thanks - I plan on mixing at 12mg nic with the ejuice me up calculator. That way I can add to it if needed rather than have added to much. I will try the hot water trick.