Is there a DIY 101 thread somewhere?

[BreilaRose]

Or perhaps even a remedial DIY thread for us real dummies?

I looked through the first few pages, but couldn't find anything. I did see the DIY flavoring guide thread, but even that was overwhelming to me, someone who is only just considering DIY.

Is there a starter kit available somewhere for a reasonable price? I don't want to sink a ton of money into something I don't end up enjoying.

Thanks!

 

[MsLoud]

Have a look here Bill's Magic Vapor's blog | E-Cigarette Forum

Come say Hi to us here The Flavor Apprentice Flavoring Thread

This is where I started and everyone around here will help you out whatever you need

Welcome to the most fun part of vaping!

 

[bwh79]

Is there a starter kit available somewhere for a reasonable price? I don't want to sink a ton of money into something I don't end up enjoying.

First step, skip the starter kit and just buy what you need individually. The kits you will find are overpriced and padded with useless junk you will never use. All you need to get started are some nic base, pg/vg, and a few different sizes of syringes with blunt-tip needles for measuring and dispensing. You can add some flavors to the list if you want, but you should give unflavored liquid a try, too, many of us find the mildly sweet taste of unflavored very enjoyable. You won't need extra bottles if you start saving the leftover ones from other juices you've bought, and you don't need beakers or anything because you can mix your juice right there in the bottle.

 

[Karen Powell]

There are some really good videos on you tube. I don't make my own juice but I have watched some of them just to get a better understanding of how it works.

 

[Susan~S]

Check out Dannyv45's blogs
=> E-Cigarette Forum - dannyv45 - Blogs

Here are some threads you may like to read through for different flavoring companies. Many of the posts include recipes and comments about a specific flavor.

Nicotine Comparisons <= They don't all taste the same.

• Flavor Arts (FA) - Flavour Art Thread
  
• Flavor Arts (FA) DIY Flavor Descriptions (also follow links to HIC's Recipes/Notes)
• The Flavor Apprentice (TFA) - The Flavor Apprentice Flavoring Thread => Also see Bill's Magic Vapor's Blog (Lots of Recipes)
• Inawera (IW) - Inawera - a few reviews
• Capella (CAP) - DIY Capella's Recipe Thread v2.0
• Hangsen (HS) - The Hangsen Thread
• Flavor West (FW) - Flavor West DIY flavor review
• VapingZone (VZ) - New Super Concentrated Flavors & New Super Concentrated Flavors - Part 2

DIY Recipe Sites

• E-Liquid Recipes <= Feel free to post your recipes here for all members to enjoy and comment on.
• TPA/TFA Recipes only! <= ECF Thread
• FlavourArt.uk Recipes &
  
• Le DIY Pour Les Nuls - Great French site (in English)
• Reddit Recipes - Read the Sidebar
• EcigExpress Archive Cookbook
• EcigVape
• UK E-Liquid Recipes
• kritikalmass - E-Liquid Recipes
• One Stop DIY Shop - Recipes

 

[Sir2fyablyNutz]

Hi @BreilaRose DIY is very enjoyable. The first thing I suggest to newbies is to find a few clone recipes you might enjoy and write down the specific (manufacturer and flavor) ingredients as different companies use different strengths. This will be the shopping list. Watch a few you tubes to actually see someone make a juice (it's easy). I don't wear rubber gloves, I do wear eye protection (cheater glasses), and I use 100mg nic as it's easy to work with and I have no small children or pets to worry over. If I get some on my skin I just wash it off, it's less dangerous than drain cleaner, but should be handled with that degree of caution.

Here are some good sites to look for recipes :

"e-liquid-recipes" <---you'll have to google for this site as I can't link to it
my second favorite, it's in english too
Le DIY pour les Nuls - Recettes DIY - Trucs et Astuces.
Clone Recipes | Homemade E-juice Recipes
Reddit...read the sidebar on right for more specific vendor info.
Mega TFA / TPA Recipe Thread • /r/DIY_eJuice (TFA/TPA)
Solid list of DIY clones! • /r/DIY_eJuice
hic • /r/cerealkillaclone (FlavorArt)

Where I order most of my flavoring from:
Bull City Vapor - Best Prices on DIY e-liquid Supplies (Capella, Flavour Art, Flavor West, Hangsen, Inawera, Flavor Apprentice)
Wizard Labs (Capella, LorAnn, Seedman, Flavor Apprentice, )
DIY E-Liquid, Electronic Cigarettes and Wholesale Nicotine & E-Cig Juice | EcigExpress (Flavour Art, Flavor West, LorAnn, Flavors Express, Natures Flavors,
Signature (TFA), Jungle Flavors, Hangsen, Tasty Puff, Inawera, Capella)
(also look for manufacturer sites)

PG/VG I've used both... essential runs specials often.
Essential Depot: Sodium Hydroxide, Lye, Potassium Hydroxide, Argan Oil, Shea Butter, Essential Oil, Fragrance Oil, Vegetable Oils, Food Grade
DudaDiesel - Biodiesel, Chemical & Solar Supplies, Alternative Energy Store
Tractor Supply has a gallon of USP grade PG in the livestock section PLUS all sizes of Syringes there too.

Calculator <---very important
eJuice Me Up - Best eJuice Calculator <--download I use - very easy to mix with and it keeps recipes
DIY E-Liquid Calculator Ten Flavors Plus PG/VG Adjusting <---online

Read
Dannyv45 - dannyv45's blog | E-Cigarette Forum <---has more links and starter info too
Hoosier - Hoosier's blog | E-Cigarette Forum

Know what you want to make BEFORE you shop for flavors. I've bought quite a few that looked good but didn't turn out so well. You'll have plenty of time down the road in DIY to experiment and buy flavors that aren't in a recipe. It's my shineyitis, and very rewarding.

 

[dannyv45]

Or perhaps even a remedial DIY thread for us real dummies?

I looked through the first few pages, but couldn't find anything. I did see the DIY flavoring guide thread, but even that was overwhelming to me, someone who is only just considering DIY.

Is there a starter kit available somewhere for a reasonable price? I don't want to sink a ton of money into something I don't end up enjoying.

Thanks!

Here's some useful info that should help.

My blogs will give insight into all aspects of DYI, from steeping to what supplies to have on hand to a basic walk through mixing your first E-juice.

E-Cigarette Forum - dannyv45 - Blogs

Then read hoosier's blogs. These blogs concentrate on fine tuning your mix and give insight on additives.

E-Cigarette Forum - Hoosier - Blogs

Then read Boletus's blog's. These blogs concentrate on formulation of nicotine bases regarding proper calculations methods for figuring Nicotine concentration as well as safety.

E-Cigarette Forum - Boletus - Blogs

Then read Ginger's book "E-Cigarettes 102: DIY E-Liquid". It is a book which I've contributed to that delivers an in depth easy to follow guide in the art of DYI.

E-Cigarettes 102: DIY E-Liquid

I recommend viewing VPLive Vape Team Episode #82: DIY Safety and bookmark it for future reference. It explains safety in all aspects of DYI.

VPLive Vape Team Episode #82: DIY Safety

List of suppliers and other useful links courtesy of ECF Member Sir2fyablyNutz

List of suppliers and other useful links | E-Cigarette Forum

then read the stickies at the top of the page.

this will explain a lot of the how's and why's.

 

[MsLoud]

Wow! More info I didnt now about! LOL See what I said about LOTS of help here

/heads off to read

 

[Hans Wermhat]

I mix up about 300 - 350 ml of juice every 2 weeks or so. It takes me about 2 hours and I make a dozen or so flavors. This is my entire set-up:

Tri Pour Beakers
100 ml x2 (you can skip these until you nail down a couple of recipes you like enough to make in 100 ml batches)

Graduated Cylinder - Polypropylene - 50ml
50 ml x1 ; 10 ml x2


Syringe with 18ga Needle
3 ml x2 - and I bought some larger gauge luer lock tips to make handling VG based nic easier.

I have a couple dozen bottles from when I bought pre-made juices, and I bought a few 250 ml & 125 ml amber glass bottles to break down 1L bottles of nic for storage. And some of these for the recipes that are nailed down and I make in 100 ml batches:
4oz Natural LDPE (Soft) Boston Round w/ Black Twist Top Cap

I have a few pipettes that came free with flavor orders, but I almost never use them.

I started off making 5 - 10 ml batches, but quickly found 2 recipes that I liked. I made a couple of 30 ml batches, then a 50 ml batch. Then I jumped to 100 ml in those 4oz bottles. When mixing, especially in larger batches, leave some headroom in the bottle. I mix 100 ml in those 4 oz (120 ml) bottles so there is room to shake them. If you fill a bottle all the way to the top, it's harder to get it mixed well. I use one syringe for nic, and the other for flavors that I need to measure in less than 1 ml increments. If I can use a whole ml of it, the graduated cylinders work fine.

Fruits steep faster and are more forgiving if you get the % wrong. Vanillas, tobaccos, bakery flavor need long steep times. Sometimes up to a month. When you get a new flavor, mix it up by itself the first time so you know how strong it is and what it tastes like. Take copious notes, even when you make something terrible. (This will happen!)

The best advice I can give you is to try not to over-complicate the process. Some folks want to make it into some kind of mad science experiment. Think of it more like bartending. A dash from this bottle... a few splashes from that one... pour it in the bottle, shake it, vape it. The only thing you can really do wrong is to put too much nic in it, so double check your math on that. When trying something new, make it 0 nic first. Nic is the most expensive component so don't waste it. Otherwise, have fun with it.