Mix #1

[stols001]

I made my first flavor... It was pretty insanely easy actually, just a matter of the right juice calculator, (for me) and keeping track of mls, etc. It's 18% nic salts, custard flavor from Nicotine River, 30 ml mix!, max VG I can't believe how easy it was compared to how I thought it would be.... I imagine things get a lot more complicated when not using prebought flavors... But it felt great!

I guess gene sequencing pregnant prepared me for it, that was way more complicated and the acrylomide gels we had to use to get our base pairs ready for sequencing was a lot more complicated, and very much a mutagen, I pretty much had to wear a hazmat suit the 9 mo I was pregnant and working.... So this was WAY easy I want to taste it but I'm going to let it sit for a bit and shake it periodically. It certainly smells like custard, though.

Anna

 

[Bonskibon]

Always a good feeling when you get that first one under your belt.

 

[Izan]

Hi Anna,
IMO, You must taste it after 24 hours.
It will give you a base line for comparison going forward and it satisfies your curiosity.
Take notes as needed.

Cheers
I

 

[stols001]

Yes, I think vaping is gonna fall into the category of "Oh, no idea I could do this," kind of thing, so I'm glad I got the coil kit and some SS wire and cotton, and a couple rebuildable tanks Thanks Bonskiban! Izan, I didn't see your notification, and just refilled a new tank. It tastes great, but I think that I agree the flavor will intensify as I go... Those nic salts are... something. I'm glad I got a gallon of it . I appear not to have poisoned myself

Anna

 

[somdcomputerguy]

Welcome to DIY juice world @stols001. I hope and I'm sure that you will enjoy it. This is an amazing place, for sure.

 

[classwife]

Moved this to DIY E-Liquid from General E-Liquid Discussion

 

[dobroeutro]

Congratz on making a winner!

 

[stols001]

Thanks, dobroetro, I let it sit overnight and filled up another tank this a.m., it tastes even better. Izan, you were correct.

I am pretty shocked that it's so flavorful with the amount of flavor I used (25 drops... I was like, I can add more if I need to) but I actually really like it as it is! It's custardy, but not too sweet, if you know what I'm saying.

So glad my first DIY turned out well! Couldn't have done it without you guys and everyone who contributed to all those pinned threads!

Anna

 

[Capt.shay]

Congrats on your first success. It really isn't that difficult. It can get a little more complicated as you start to expand but it's not rocket surgery. If you have a science background, you might find mixing by weight a lot more comfortable. I have a link stickied up top here on weight mixing. Mixing By Weight: Basics 101

 

[Alter]

Oh, no idea I could do this," kind of thing

I spent almost a year umming and awwing researching and deciding on if I should go into making my own juice. I was getting tired of commercial juices and having more mail order failures than successes along with the customs beginning to hammer down on juices going over the border. Tasting your first creation has the same warm fuzzy feeling as your first coil build. Making juice is the same as building coils...stick to the K.I.S.S. method, find your nitch then you can expand your horizons.

 

[Kprthevapr]

Congrats on your first batch
For flavors check out
Perfumer's Apprentice
Buying in bulk makes it easier when you find the flavors you really like

 

[stols001]

Do flavors keep and do we know how long? If I'm going to be finding flavors I can use 25 drops in per 30 mls, I'm not sure I'd want to buy in bulk unless I knew they'd keep for a long time, especially since (I am assuming) I can make my own flavorings down the line. If I knew I could keep flavorings a few years, I might do it for favorite flavors... Right now I have 10 10 ml flavors to go through.... I'm assuming one refrigerates VG once opened.... And that nic can be refrigerated.

Anna

 

[Rossum]

Right now I have 10 10 ml flavors to go through.... I'm assuming one refrigerates VG once opened.... And that nic can be refrigerated.

I don't think there's any reason to refrigerate VG. It's a very stable compound. I've mixed with VG that's been sitting on a shelf for 3 years in a bottle that was repeatedly opened and have never detected any degradation.

Nic should be stored at the lowest temperature possible. For most people that means the freezer. See here.

There's no single answer for flavorings. Their chemical makeup is too complicated to make any blanket statement on how they should be stored or how long they will last.

 

[stols001]

Thanks for the info, Rossum! Very helpful. I do have my gallon of nic stored frozen, and a much smaller bottle in the refrigerator as I assume I'll use it fairly quickly. I guess with the flavors.... I'll stick to small amounts for now, I'm sure I can vape unflavored if I need to, and there's always the option of *really* flavoring with real stuff, which, as a cook, I'm sure I'll enjoy if I get to it. Thanks

Anna

 

[Alter]

You should transfer the nic into glass, preferably portion sized so your not thawing then refreezing, depending on the base your using for the nic. VG does get super thick when cold, PG not as bad and you should shake the nic before you scale it out, some say it could separate and it don't shake very well being frozen. I put all my concentrates into glass bottles and put them into the freezer also and again in portion sizes so your not refreezing. I researched and found nothing negative about freezing concentrates but I mostly froze tobacco concentrates so I don't think other concentrates it should matter.
The problem with using a fridge is that your constantly in and out with the concentrate or nic and it could condensate then in time could ruin it. Like the freezer you can store in the fridge as long as your not repeatedly putting the same concentrate in and out.
It may be a bit of investment in glass bottles but IMO cutting all your stock into portions so all you do is pull out 1, use it up then grab another.
I got several gallons of both VG and PG, they get stored in a cold room I have downstairs and I cut a quart out as I need it.

 

[stols001]

That's an excellent idea I will look into getting smaller portions to avoid refreezing, and find some glass bottles in which to do it. I only use VG so I imagine it has gotten pretty solidified. Thanks! Ann

 

[englishmick]

You should transfer the nic into glass, preferably portion sized so your not thawing then refreezing, depending on the base your using for the nic. VG does get super thick when cold, PG not as bad and you should shake the nic before you scale it out, some say it could separate and it don't shake very well being frozen. I put all my concentrates into glass bottles and put them into the freezer also and again in portion sizes so your not refreezing. I researched and found nothing negative about freezing concentrates but I mostly froze tobacco concentrates so I don't think other concentrates it should matter.
The problem with using a fridge is that your constantly in and out with the concentrate or nic and it could condensate then in time could ruin it. Like the freezer you can store in the fridge as long as your not repeatedly putting the same concentrate in and out.
It may be a bit of investment in glass bottles but IMO cutting all your stock into portions so all you do is pull out 1, use it up then grab another.
I got several gallons of both VG and PG, they get stored in a cold room I have downstairs and I cut a quart out as I need it.

I've heard some comments about freezing flavorings not being a good idea. I'm not a chemist and I don't remember the details. I think it was about some components of the flavoring possibly coming out of solution, which could result in chemical changes. There was some doubt that it would be completely reversible on rewarming. Some vendors recommend not freezing them, just keeping them at room temp.

 

[Alter]

I've heard some comments about freezing flavorings not being a good idea

I spent a afternoon researching the freezing of concentrates and found nothing negative. I am curious to where you could have found something to say otherwise.
I bought large amounts of Hangsen tobacco concentrates last summer, somewhere around 1.5 liters in the 50ml plastic jugs. Getting them out of the plastic bottle and putting into glass was mandatory but I have many years supply for my wife and I that I don't think should sit on a shelf no matter how dark and cool it is. I'm not much of a other flavors vaper so all my non tobac are sitting in a closet and can still be bought from vendors, its the HS tobaccos and could be other tobacco concentrates that are disappearing from retailers and not being reordered.

 

[Alter]

That's an excellent idea I will look into getting smaller portions

I took my liters of 100nic, cut into 500ml wire top cobalt(blue)beer bottles(by weight) I found at a brew store. I have 10 50ml amber bottles I portioned 500mls into. Pull a 50 out of the freezer then cut it into 100mls of 48nic and that I use to scale my mixes with....repeat the process when I run out of 50's in the freezer.
I like mixing with the 48nic cause with 100nic getting a rouge drop or two into a smaller mix can drastically change the nic content, the 48 is more forgiving so you don't have to be exactly precise with the measuring or scaling.

 

[englishmick]

I spent a afternoon researching the freezing of concentrates and found nothing negative. I am curious to where you could have found something to say otherwise.
I bought large amounts of Hangsen tobacco concentrates last summer, somewhere around 1.5 liters in the 50ml plastic jugs. Getting them out of the plastic bottle and putting into glass was mandatory but I have many years supply for my wife and I that I don't think should sit on a shelf no matter how dark and cool it is. I'm not much of a other flavors vaper so all my non tobac are sitting in a closet and can still be bought from vendors, its the HS tobaccos and could be other tobacco concentrates that are disappearing from retailers and not being reordered.

I really wish I could be more specific but I don't remember. I've seen more than one post here from people who have emailed vendors and got replies advising not freezing flavorings. Pretty sure I've seen the same advice on vendor sites.

I remember some discussion about it on ECF where the idea of chemicals separating out with bad consequences at lower temps was discussed.

I just did a search on ECF using "freeze flavorings". Got pages of hits. This topic has been discussed a lot. I glanced at a few of them. Lots of opinions but I don't know if there are any definitive answers.