Help necessary for someone who just cannot grasp the DIY thing

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vicsan

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thanks!

I did not use any sweetener in the first batches. I could add it to the future ones if you all think I should. How much? I mean percentage wise?

I have the cotton candy from PA, I think. I can list all I have later when I get home. Of course some of the flavor additions I will need, I might not have.

Do you like sweet vapes? What I would do is add one drop at a time to a finished test bottle. Add a drop, shake, vape. If it's not sweet enough, add one more drop and vape....do this until you get to a sweetness you like.
 

Foggy

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umm. Not quite. I messed up the entire first batch and had to dump it. I am going to spend the whole day tomorrow trying again.

Question. would lemon juice give my razzberry that throaty kick? I like the almost peppery TH I get from some.

If you don't like your next mix, do not dump it!

MIX
TASTE
TWEAK!!!!

By tweak, I mean figure what you don't like and make adjustments.

Too sour? - Add sweetener
Too one note? - What flavor might complement it?
Too strong? - Add base.

It's possible you just needed to add some sweetener to what you made.

Write down the changes you make.

thanks!

I did not use any sweetener in the first batches. I could add it to the future ones if you all think I should. How much? I mean percentage wise?

I have the cotton candy from PA, I think. I can list all I have later when I get home. Of course some of the flavor additions I will need, I might not have.

Razzberry Recipe Suggestion: 3ml

.8ml unflavored 36mg nicotine base
.9ml plain PG
.9ml plain VG
.15 ml Raspberry
.2ml cotton candy
.05ml lemon

This should give you 3ml of 9mg juice 70/30 PG/VG with approximately 15% flavoring. I used about 6-7% sweetener. It's a total guess on my part, but about 30% of flavoring to be the sweet component sounds like a good place to start.

When you try it, if it's not right, tweak it! Too sour? Too weak? Etc.

Edit: Looking at this recipe again, the cotton candy is half of the flavoring. You could start with .1ml cotton candy if you are concerned it might be too sweet.
 
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Foggy

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Corrected Link:

eliquidcalculator.com

I just made my first 30ml batch of DIY because I'll be traveling next week. Not exactly a tested recipe :facepalm:, but I've been working on a cinnamon roll type mix since I got my supplies. The first recipes I made, I wrote on a piece of paper, then scotch taped to the bottles.....and something leaked, and the ink ran....:oops:

So, I started my DIY recipe notebook tonight. My first 30ml is probably the first recipe that I'll have real documentation for.:ohmy: Wish me luck!

Just to get an idea of the flavor I dipped a toothpick in and tasted it. It can't tell me how it will change as it melds together, but it did give me an idea that it was in the general flavor profile that I want.
 
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the ob

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OK.

Checking in before I start up again today. I just want to check and see if the method I am going to use is the best one.

I plan on trying to make three different razzberry flavors from three vendors and two waffle.

I think this is how I am going to go about it.

make 3ml batches with 5%, 10% 15% and 20%. use the calculator so that each is accurate. Of course this means I will be making 18 batches total.

Although I would like to avoid using so much potentially to waste, I just cannot grasp the drop, try and add more drop thing. If there is a VERY simple way to mix a batch and keep adding drops so I know the percentages accurately please let me know. I have not yet understood any of the methods that have been advised.

I figure the way I am doing it should yield the best results. Also, I like some kick to my razzberry's. My favorite is the Copper Creek black razzberry and I would like it to be similar to that. I have thought about using lemon juice as it seems to make sense.

also, I have needles that are not blunt edge. I would like to use a dremmel and sand them down. anyone have a preferred method for this?

let me know your thoughts please. thanks!
 

Foggy

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OK.

Checking in before I start up again today. I just want to check and see if the method I am going to use is the best one.

I plan on trying to make three different razzberry flavors from three vendors and two waffle.

I think this is how I am going to go about it.

make 3ml batches with 5%, 10% 15% and 20%. use the calculator so that each is accurate. Of course this means I will be making 18 batches total.

I'd never keep 18 batches straight. More power to you if you can.

Although I would like to avoid using so much potentially to waste, I just cannot grasp the drop, try and add more drop thing. If there is a VERY simple way to mix a batch and keep adding drops so I know the percentages accurately please let me know. I have not yet understood any of the methods that have been advised.

When you mix 3ml, you will know accurately what percentage you used of each flavor, right?

Let's say you start with 10% flavor total, divided into 5% raspberry, 2.5% lemon, 2.5% sweetener. Mix it up and try it. Maybe a little taste on a toothpick, and a few drops in your atomizer.

- Is the flavor too strong or too weak? Too strong, you know you want to use less than 10% flavoring next time. Maybe try 7-8%. Too weak, the next time you make a batch try 15% flavor.

- Too sweet or not sweet enough? Make the same decision, to lower or increase the sweetener in the next batch.

- Same with raspberry or lemon.

It's true that after making, tasting, and adjusting the original 3ml by adding drops you won't have an exact recipe. But, you'll be much closer without making four different batches to begin with because you know what needs to be changed.

Say it's too weak, and a little to sweet. The next batch you make at 15% flavor, with 7% raspberry 5% lemon, and 3% sweetener.

Instead of having 4 batches, and three of them have to be recalculated, you've tweaked your first batch to what you like, and your second recipe will be much closer to the results that you want.

That's why I choose to make one thing first and tweak it. If making four mixes of all your flavors works better for you, I guess there's no reason not to do it that way. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
 

Foggy

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It might be as simple as a difference in styles, a Mars versus Venus kind of thing. I'd be interested to hear from DIY veterans how they go about trying to make a new juice / test new flavors.

Also, has anyone had Copper Creek Black Raspberry? If so, any thoughts about what might be in there? I've never had it myself.
 

the ob

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I'd never keep 18 batches straight. More power to you if you can.



When you mix 3ml, you will know accurately what percentage you used of each flavor, right?

Let's say you start with 10% flavor total, divided into 5% raspberry, 2.5% lemon, 2.5% sweetener. Mix it up and try it. Maybe a little taste on a toothpick, and a few drops in your atomizer.

- Is the flavor too strong or too weak? Too strong, you know you want to use less than 10% flavoring next time. Maybe try 7-8%. Too weak, the next time you make a batch try 15% flavor.

- Too sweet or not sweet enough? Make the same decision, to lower or increase the sweetener in the next batch.

- Same with raspberry or lemon.

It's true that after making, tasting, and adjusting the original 3ml by adding drops you won't have an exact recipe. But, you'll be much closer without making four different batches to begin with because you know what needs to be changed.

Say it's too weak, and a little to sweet. The next batch you make at 15% flavor, with 7% raspberry 5% lemon, and 3% sweetener.

Instead of having 4 batches, and three of them have to be recalculated, you've tweaked your first batch to what you like, and your second recipe will be much closer to the results that you want.

That's why I choose to make one thing first and tweak it. If making four mixes of all your flavors works better for you, I guess there's no reason not to do it that way. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

I cannot follow this. You are probably right, I am making too many.

I need a super simple try method. I warned all of you that I would frustrate you. %'s and numbers are super confusing when trying to read them. I have to visually see what to do in order to learn.

what is the easiest "make one batch method" I cannot do the drip three drops and then add more of something method.

Also, I am guessing I am better off not using nic as I will get more annoyed that I was wasting it. I know it will change the flavor later, but I have way more PG/VG and will not be as annoyed wasting it.
 

the ob

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It might be as simple as a difference in styles, a Mars versus Venus kind of thing. I'd be interested to hear from DIY veterans how they go about trying to make a new juice / test new flavors.

Also, has anyone had Copper Creek Black Raspberry? If so, any thoughts about what might be in there? I've never had it myself.

would love to know this too. It is amazing!
 

the ob

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Dremel sand the needles-check
Clean bottles-check
Mixing 18 experiments with syringe accuracy-check
Cap and then shake each bottle-check
Drip in atty-check
Vape experiment-check
Report back-__________________________

btw, I read the blogs, but where are the videos? I would like to see those.
 

Hoosier

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It might be as simple as a difference in styles, a Mars versus Venus kind of thing. I'd be interested to hear from DIY veterans how they go about trying to make a new juice / test new flavors.

Easy. Start with a selection of bottles and a Brother labeller. Bottles hold 6ml and I put a 5ml mix in each. Labels will be something like, "Flavoring X-5", "Flavoring X-10", "Flavoring X-15", "Flavoring X-20". (Where X is the name of the flavoring under test and the -number is the percentage of flavoring.) On initial looks at the flavors, I just mix the flavor alone to get a "feel" for it.

Let's say that I find X-10 to be a bit light and X-15 to be a bit too much, I will mix 1ml of each into another bottle for X-12.5 and try that. If that is still just a "nudge" off I can add another 1ml of X-15 to the 2ml of X-12.5 and have X-13.3. If that does it for me I know that the flavoring under test works at about 13% for me. Then I can start to add things that I think it lacks...
 

LibertariaNate

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Easy. Start with a selection of bottles and a Brother labeller. Bottles hold 6ml and I put a 5ml mix in each. Labels will be something like, "Flavoring X-5", "Flavoring X-10", "Flavoring X-15", "Flavoring X-20". (Where X is the name of the flavoring under test and the -number is the percentage of flavoring.) On initial looks at the flavors, I just mix the flavor alone to get a "feel" for it.

Let's say that I find X-10 to be a bit light and X-15 to be a bit too much, I will mix 1ml of each into another bottle for X-12.5 and try that. If that is still just a "nudge" off I can add another 1ml of X-15 to the 2ml of X-12.5 and have X-13.3. If that does it for me I know that the flavoring under test works at about 13% for me. Then I can start to add things that I think it lacks...

Excellent advice... This is what I do.
 

Foggy

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Hoosier and LibertariaNate,

Very interesting. Your approach is very similar to what the-ob plans to do. Why did you guys let me continue to jabber on?:oops: Did you not see me ask for someone with more experience to come along and correct me?:facepalm:

Yours is certainly a logical method, but it also sounds boring!;)

Technically, I'm sure it's correct. But me, you know, I'm creating, I'ma cooking my juice! I'm making cinnamon buns with icing out of liquid in a jar! No cook tests only her flour to make buns!

grumble..grumble...I'll try to shut up now and learn something.....:nun:

Edit: I neglected to say that I very much appreciate the replies! I will endeavor one day to have enough discipline to try this.
 
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the ob

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Hoosier and LibertariaNate,

Very interesting. Your approach is very similar to what the-ob plans to do. Why did you guys let me continue to jabber on?:oops: Did you not see me ask for someone with more experience to come along and correct me?:facepalm:

Yours is certainly a logical method, but it also sounds boring!;)

Technically, I'm sure it's correct. But me, you know, I'm creating, I'ma cooking my juice! I'm making cinnamon buns with icing out of liquid in a jar! No cook tests only her flour to make buns!

grumble..grumble...I'll try to shut up now and learn something.....:nun:

you work differently. You are obviously a cook. I cannot cook. I think I need to keep things so separate and simple that I literally know what is in each bottle.

As for the second "mixing" part, I know I will not be able to do that. That is where their simple methods lose me.
 
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