First time DIY juice questions

[Joseph Carney]

Just made my first batch of juice and it's in the closet steeping. Before I fill my tank with it I'd like to verify I did everything right.

Target:
100 ml juice
6 ml/mg nic
20% flavor

Used:
17 ml of 36mg/ml nic in PG base
20 ml flavor
63 ml 70/30 pg/by pre blend

Additionally, I have seen a lot of discussion about adding water to your juice. If I did this what would it do for my juice and do I need dw or just tap like some suggest.

Lastly, 20% flavor seems fairly high compared to a lot of recipes I've seen. Could somebody recommend flavors that would be stronger with a lower quantity of flavors?

I purchased all of my product from ecigexpress. Not sure if they're a good site or if there's better. Thanks for any help in advance.

Note: Running a tfv8 with the t8 atomizer on a snow wolf 200w if that makes any difference.

 

[JMC17]

Additionally, I have seen a lot of discussion about adding water to your juice. If I did this what would it do for my juice and do I need dw or just tap like some suggest.

While I haven't added water to my juices, I've been told that it might turn your ejuices black.
Someone that did add water to his juices said that it adds moisture to the exhale.

Lastly, 20% flavor seems fairly high compared to a lot of recipes I've seen. Could somebody recommend flavors that would be stronger with a lower quantity of flavors?

Mixing your own ejuices takes a lot of trial and error. I made over a hundred 5ml tests so far and most of it was garbage, all single flavors. I've had a lot of trouble finding a concentrated flavor that tastes a lot.
I recently bought 43 different flavors from ecigexpress and i'm currently testing some of them (5%,10%,15%).
Some of them like Capella's Sweet Tangerine tastes more than any of my previous tests even at 5%, although I haven't found a big difference between 5% and 15%.

You'll find that most flavors are suggested between 5% and 15% which is a good place to start testing.
While I used to disagree about flavors muting themselves, I experienced that with FlavorWest's Banana flavor.
At 10% and 12%, I could definitely taste it but at 15%, 20% and 25% it was really hard to taste anything, the flavor wasn't there anymore.

I would love to recommend flavors but I feel like I haven't tasted enough flavors yet to make a good suggestion.
So far, in terms of taste strength (and not preferences) FlavorWest's Banana and Capella's Sweet Tangerine are the ones that taste the most but like I said, I haven't had time to test enough flavors.

I purchased all of my product from ecigexpress. Not sure if they're a good site or if there's better. Thanks for any help in advance.

Ecigexpress is just fine. I had a bit of trouble with them but overall they came through and didn't make one single mistake on my large order. They have the largest selection I've seen so far.
Most of their bottles comes with a tiny dripper tip and once removed, they still have very little space to introduce any instruments in it, so even my tiny droppers creates pressure in the bottle when inserted and it fits in just barely.
If you remove the dripper tips like I did, everytime you shake the bottle, the cap fills with the liquid and once opened, that liquid spills. Quite a mess!

Just made my first batch of juice and it's in the closet steeping. Before I fill my tank with it I'd like to verify I did everything right.

I'd validate your method but I don't use nicotine so I haven't looked into the maths for that.
All I can say is that if you make small batches like I do (5ml) then use a really good calculator like eJuice Me Up - Best eJuice Calculator. The program is for Windows only but I used Steam's streaming ability to use it on my mac laptop when I make ejuices.
I tried many calculators and at some point had to use two different calculators because they were messing up for different reasons. The maths are quite simple but these online calculators are not precise at all for small quantities. The calculator I linked would be perfect if it didn't ask to be installed and was just a standalone program but it still does the job and is very precise.

I haven't quite found the perfect solution to making 23 bottles of 5ml tests.
Mixing by weight is a lot more complicated than the tutorial videos lets you know.
You have to weight the PG and the VG with your own instruments. Basically weighting a 1ml dropper empty, then zeroing out and weighting it again with 1ml of PG then using another dropped to do the same with VG.

After that, you have to weight each flavors too because some flavors are heavier than others.
And as I recently noticed, not all instruments are created equal. Some of my 1ml droppers drips 51 drops per ml and others 43 drops. They're not very precise tools.

Sorry about ranting, I tend to do that a lot..

 

[skiball]

I have to agree 20% is very high. What flavoring did you use? There's a lot of flavoring out there that are great at 1-2%. Fa raspberry, hangsen peach, tfa ripe banana just to name a few. Your mix is also very high in pg it'll have throat hit like crazy. Ecigexpress is a legit vendor its def my go to.

Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk

 

[JMC17]

Your mix is also very high in pg it'll have throat hit like crazy.

Actually his mix is 70VG/30PG which is quite low in PG. Personally, I tried all sorts of ratios and none gave me any kind of throat hit but that might just be me (Well except dry hits, those just destroys your throat). My favorite ratio so far is 70PG/30VG for maximum flavor but 100VG is also quite interesting if you can nail it. Some of the best purchased ejuices I had were pure VG.

As for the percentage, like skiball said, it really depends on the flavoring you use.
I made (FA)Melon and (FA)Strawberry tests from 1% to 60% and none of them tasted anything although these were flavors I purchased from another reseller which I don't trust anymore. So take my last statement with a grain of salt. I've only recently started doing tests again with the flavors I got from EcigExpress.

 

[skiball]

Actually his mix is 70VG/30PG which is quite low in PG. Personally, I tried all sorts of ratios and none gave me any kind of throat hit but that might just be me (Well except dry hits, those just destroys your throat). My favorite ratio so far is 70PG/30VG for maximum flavor but 100VG is also quite interesting if you can nail it. Some of the best purchased ejuices I had were pure VG.

As for the percentage, like skiball said, it really depends on the flavoring you use.
I made (FA)Melon and (FA)Strawberry tests from 1% to 60% and none of them tasted anything although these were flavors I purchased from another reseller which I don't trust anymore. So take my last statement with a grain of salt. I've only recently started doing tests again with the flavors I got from EcigExpress.

70/30 vg/pg how you figure that? He used 20% flavoring (pg) 17% nic (pg) that alone is 37% pg. Than used a pre mixed 70/30 blend vg/pg for the other 63ml. That equals to about another 19 ml of pg, 19+37=56% pg that's high imo.

Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk

 

[JMC17]

You're right, my mistake.

 

[classwife]

Moved this to DIY E-Liquid from Simple Solutions

Simple Solutions is to assist the Beginning Vaper with getting started.

 

[BrotherBob]

Just made my first batch of juice and it's in the closet steeping. Before I fill my tank with it I'd like to verify I did everything right.
Target:
100 ml juice
6 ml/mg nic
20% flavor
Used:
17 ml of 36mg/ml nic in PG base
20 ml flavor
63 ml 70/30 pg/by pre blend
Additionally, I have seen a lot of discussion about adding water to your juice. If I did this what would it do for my juice and do I need dw or just tap like some suggest.
Lastly, 20% flavor seems fairly high compared to a lot of recipes I've seen. Could somebody recommend flavors that would be stronger with a lower quantity of flavors?
I purchased all of my product from ecigexpress. Not sure if they're a good site or if there's better. Thanks for any help in advance.
Note: Running a tfv8 with the t8 atomizer on a snow wolf 200w if that makes any difference.

Welcome and glad you joined. How,how much, what, and where are subjective decisions. All your decisions look good to me if you like them. Did not do the math, will assume you used a e liquid calculator.
For "do I need dw or just tap like some suggest." you might find an answer below:
diy_beginners_guide - DIY_eJuice
dannyv45's blog | E-Cigarette Forum
Hoosier's blog | E-Cigarette Forum
http://www.thevaperstable.com/diy/

 

[JCinFLA]

Lastly, 20% flavor seems fairly high compared to a lot of recipes I've seen. Could somebody recommend flavors that would be stronger with a lower quantity of flavors?

You might want to try some of One Stop DIY Shop's own proprietary flavorings called "One Stop Blends" and "One Stop Flavors". They have a variety of both of those. Beauty of making eliquids with them, besides their being wonderful tasting...is that all you do is add about 8-12% of just any 1 of them (to suit your own tastes) to your own PG, VG, and Nic Base, and you're finished!

Quite a few people on the ECF use them and really like them. Some favorites of other members seem to be the Strawberry Milk and the Blue Raspberry Slushie. My own personal favorites are Lucky Shot, Baked Cinnamon Roll, and Lotta Latte. You can also combine a couple at 1/2 and 1/2 still totalling 8-12% flavoring, too. Their Lucky Shot + Lotta Latte done like that results in like a Caramel Latte! It's a terrific mixture that's the ADV of one of the owners of OSDIY!

I started ordering their OS Flavors and Blends in the sample size to try many of them. Now that I've found several favorites, I order those in the 4oz. size or larger...they're that good!

You might want to give them a try for easy-peasy mixing and lower flavoring %, that results in great eliquids! You can also use the codes ECF or JFK to receive a discount at Checkout. It's usually about 15%, but sometimes higher during special sales.

Your One Stop Shop for Flavorings, Best Prices and Best Customer Service

Link is to their main page. To find OS Flavors and OS Blends...hover over FLAVORS at the top left and you'll see their categories. They also carry flavorings from TFA, CAP, FA, FW, etc.

 

[sofarsogood]

Just made my first batch of juice and it's in the closet steeping. Before I fill my tank with it I'd like to verify I did everything right.

Target:
100 ml juice
6 ml/mg nic
20% flavor

Used:
17 ml of 36mg/ml nic in PG base
20 ml flavor
63 ml 70/30 pg/by pre blend

Additionally, I have seen a lot of discussion about adding water to your juice. If I did this what would it do for my juice and do I need dw or just tap like some suggest.

Lastly, 20% flavor seems fairly high compared to a lot of recipes I've seen. Could somebody recommend flavors that would be stronger with a lower quantity of flavors?

I purchased all of my product from ecigexpress. Not sure if they're a good site or if there's better. Thanks for any help in advance.

Note: Running a tfv8 with the t8 atomizer on a snow wolf 200w if that makes any difference.

I do DIY but I'm no chef vape. I use 1% of an all in one flavoring, just enough to cover the flavors of the other ingredients. I think the most common mistake is using too much flavoring. A safe way to start and build confidence is make some unflavored base then use your favorite premix to flavor it. Since most of the pre mix stuff is over flavored you can dilute it heavily, how about 3 parts to one part, and after you adjust to the muted flavoring it might even be improved. Most of the discussion in the forum gives the impression that mixing is hard and prone to mistakes. The mistake is using too much flavoring.

 

[Eskie]

A question on those OSDIY blends. I decided to pick a few up to experiment, a R4 and Strawberry milk blend. Does anyone know what the usual concentration for these blends are? I imagine 5-10%, but wondering if someone knew if it were the high or low end of that range (or outside it for that matter) before I have to mix multiple test runs? OK, yes, I'll still need test runs, but it's always nice when it's just a few rather than a collection.

 

[Fozzy71]

A question on those OSDIY blends. I decided to pick a few up to experiment, a R4 and Strawberry milk blend. Does anyone know what the usual concentration for these blends are? I imagine 5-10%, but wondering if someone knew if it were the high or low end of that range (or outside it for that matter) before I have to mix multiple test runs? OK, yes, I'll still need test runs, but it's always nice when it's just a few rather than a collection.

I did the RJ4 at 9% based on what I found on the popular recipe site for single flavor recommendation percent and it was quite tasty. Much nicer than the RY4 Asian I tried at the same time at similar percentage.

 

[Eskie]

I did the RJ4 at 9% based on what I found on the popular recipe site for single flavor recommendation percent and it was quite tasty. Much nicer than the RY4 Asian I tried at the same time at similar percentage.

Ah, thank you! I figured it had to be around that, and now I'll start on the higher end and work down if I have to (always easier to dilute ). Hoping it will be tasty. It would be nice to have a simple one step mix and vape juice available.

 

[Eskie]

@Fozzy71 , I went with a 10% start on the Strawberry milk. I'm not a big fruit/drink type but this was delicious. Probably a tiny bit strong and 8 or 9% would be more than enough, but still perfectly usable. I'm now looking forward to that RJ4 as well.

 

[JCinFLA]

Does anyone know what the usual concentration for these blends are? I imagine 5-10%, but wondering if someone knew if it were the high or low end of that range (or outside it for that matter) before I have to mix multiple test runs?

Kimberly (owner of OSDIY) gave me the recommendation of 8-10% for the OS Flavors and OS Blends, with my usual vaping at 1.5-1.8 ohms, and 5% if subohming. As always though, it's your own taste that will determine where you end up.

I've found in my own mixes with some of those, that if I make just a Lucky Shot bottle or a Baked Cinnamon Roll one or a Lotta Latte one...I use 9-12%. When I make her personal favorite ADV (which is Lucky Shot + Lotta Latte), I use 6% of each in the mix, always. I love it! I've been vaping it now regularly, too...even right now! She mixes her own much higher though...think she said 10% of each!!

 

[Eskie]

Kimberly (owner of OSDIY) gave me the recommendation of 8-10% for the OS Flavors and OS Blends, with my usual vaping at 1.5-1.8 ohms, and 5% if subohming. As always though, it's your own taste that will determine where you end up.

I've found in my own mixes with some of those, that if I make just a Lucky Shot bottle or a Baked Cinnamon Roll one or a Lotta Latte one...I use 9-12%. When I make her personal favorite ADV (which is Lucky Shot + Lotta Latte), I use 6% of each in the mix, always. I love it! I've been vaping it now regularly, too...even right now! She mixes her own much higher though...think she said 10% of each!!

I have to say I really like this Strawberry Milk at 10% and it is in a subohm tank. I have several recipes I was going to try with some Strawberry Ripe I had on hand, but this makes fiddling around seem unnecessary. I do not find the need to set up a complicated mix for myself if there's a yummy shake and vape like this available.

I'll still play around with diluting down a bit to see what's the best fit for me, but this is certainly tasty enough to make me look at their other one stop blends and flavors.

 

[JCinFLA]

@Eskie - It IS nice to find something that's so simple to use...and yet makes great eliquid, isn't it? I've bought 8 of their OS Flavors and their OS Blends, and I honestly haven't found a single one yet that I don't like.

Besides the Lucky Shot + Lotta Latte mixture, that makes like a Caramel Latte...Kimberly also told me another good mix to make. She uses 10% Lucky Shot + 5% TFA Key Lime to make a great Key Lime Pie eliquid! I keep some of it onhand all the time now, too. Makes me want to ask her about other combos she's maybe discovered, too.

 

[Eskie]

@Eskie - It IS nice to find something that's so simple to use...and yet makes great eliquid, isn't it? I've bought 8 of their OS Flavors and their OS Blends, and I honestly haven't found a single one yet that I don't like.

Besides the Lucky Shot + Lotta Latte mixture, that makes like a Caramel Latte...Kimberly also told me another good mix to make. She uses 10% Lucky Shot + 5% TFA Key Lime to make a great Key Lime Pie eliquid! I keep some of it onhand all the time now, too. Makes me want to ask her about other combos she's maybe discovered, too.

It's really nice! I'm not too proud to use an easy but tasty mix. I'll certainly pick up a few more to try. Not every recipe has to have 5 different ingredients and steep for a month. I almost didn't get it, thinking "Eh, these blends can't be all that good". I'm glad I was so wrong.

 

[IDJoel]

I'd like to verify I did everything right.

Target:
100 ml juice
6 ml/mg nic
20% flavor

Used:
17 ml of 36mg/ml nic in PG base
20 ml flavor
63 ml 70/30 pg/by pre blend

Your math is reasonably close: .17 X 36mg/mL = 6.12 mg/mL. .16667 (16.667mL for a 100mL batch) would get you a little closer to your desired 6mg/mL (.16667 x 36 mg/mL = 6.00012mg/mL)

Additionally, I have seen a lot of discussion about adding water to your juice. If I did this what would it do for my juice and do I need dw or just tap like some suggest.

The only real benefit/need to add water is to thin the thickness (or viscosity) of the mix to avoid dry hits. Add too much and you will get unwanted spitting and popping. I would only recommend adding if you have problems with your equipment not wicking fast enough.
As for tap vs. distilled; doesn't really matter unless you have particularly hard water; in which case you may have shorter coil life due to excess mineral deposits. The other thing to consider is if you are mixing large quantities, AND using unprocessed water such as well water, then you might have to think about bacterial contamination.
Personally I would just increase the PG and lower the VG ratio. Skip water.

Lastly, 20% flavor seems fairly high compared to a lot of recipes I've seen. Could somebody recommend flavors that would be stronger with a lower quantity of flavors?

This question all boils down to what tastes best to you. I have seen recipes at 33% and higher. Everyone's taste buds are different. Start with lower percentages and work up until you find your sweet spot. No two people are the same.
Personally, the longer I have been away from smoking, the less flavoring I prefer. Commercially available juices tend to be higher percentages.

I purchased all of my product from ecigexpress. Not sure if they're a good site or if there's better. Thanks for any help in advance.

They are certainly reputable (I would trust them with my personal info). However, I have found them kind of "hit and miss" for specific flavors I am in search of. That said; they do offer the complete "kits" from the author of DIY OR DIE (enyawreklaw/Wayne Walker backwards) which are very highly reviewed.
Bull City Flavor(/Vapor) seems to be closer to all-inclusive. I like the "mom & pop" nature of One Stop DIY Shop and start there. What I can't fill there I usually find at Bull City. Wizard Labs has also been very good for me and one of the few places I can find my Sea Buckthorn (a less-sweet pineapple alternative).

Note: Running a tfv8 with the t8 atomizer on a snow wolf 200w if that makes any difference.

Nice rig but it is going to be a "juice grinder" (you're gonna burn through a lot of juice). Just remember that More Clouds does not equal More Flavor. Nothing wrong with it; it just means you will go through more liquid in a day.