My DIY Mixing Experiences, Rather "Meh"

[flexy123]

Some months ago I got me all the stuff for mixing my own liquids, PG/VG Nic juices, a ton of different flavors from TFP, Atmos Labs, Inawera etc., Menthol, "Molecules", syringes...the works.

I also "studied" lots of recipes on various sites and forums and I have a bunch of tools like calculators that help with mixing, nic percentages etc.

With the exception of "easy" liquids, like mixing fruit flavors and menthol for my wife which is always very easy "mix and vape", I am less than overwhelmed with the results when it comes to my own favorite flavors which is normally custard, coffee, RY4, vanilla etc. flavors.

Example would be that I mixed things like Tribeca, RY4, some of them I had steeping for 2-3 weeks.
Many I mixed still had some undesired tastes to it, and it seems I really don't like many custard flavors at all. A lot of the flavors and mixes have some odd "butter" taste which I don't like or there is some hint of "burnt popcorn" or "soy sauce taste" or other undesired flavors. Overall I am not sure whether all that DIY mixing is really worth the time/mess. I started again to get pre-made liquids for myself, my fav (don't laugh) is still Hangsen VG Coffee and I might possibly do DIY just for the fruity/menthol liquids.

Just my $0.02

 

[Hoosier]

I'm not cut out to be a gymnast or an artistic illustrator.

It takes someone with a special knack to do those things and enjoy them.

Looking at every craptastic juice as a fantastic discovery of how not to do a specific flavor takes a special kind of crazy. I'm special that way.

Do what makes ya' happy and keep doing what keeps ya' vaping. It's all good.

 

[mcclintock]

I think when my favorite pre-mades run out, I'll have to buy more. I haven't been using them as fast though, or experimentively buying stuff I vape a few days and then avoid. Have had to make another little bottle of unflavored because I used a lot more than I expected even of that. So it's still kind of working out, and I haven't even been doing it long.

I can see a view of just wanting to enjoy some things, you don't have to dig deeper in everything you do. I realized I've been mixing in some way as long as I've been vaping, though.

 

[suburbiansam]

From what I'm hearing, you are steeping this in a drawer, or without heat. I would strongly recommend investing in a croc pot, or if you have ~$85, a ultrasonic cleaner from harbor freight tools.
This will likely boost your flavors and speed up your steeping time immensely.
Good luck

 

[satchvai]

Some months ago I got me all the stuff for mixing my own liquids, PG/VG Nic juices, a ton of different flavors from TFP, Atmos Labs, Inawera etc., Menthol, "Molecules", syringes...the works.

I also "studied" lots of recipes on various sites and forums and I have a bunch of tools like calculators that help with mixing, nic percentages etc.

With the exception of "easy" liquids, like mixing fruit flavors and menthol for my wife which is always very easy "mix and vape", I am less than overwhelmed with the results when it comes to my own favorite flavors which is normally custard, coffee, RY4, vanilla etc. flavors.

Example would be that I mixed things like Tribeca, RY4, some of them I had steeping for 2-3 weeks.
Many I mixed still had some undesired tastes to it, and it seems I really don't like many custard flavors at all. A lot of the flavors and mixes have some odd "butter" taste which I don't like or there is some hint of "burnt popcorn" or "soy sauce taste" or other undesired flavors. Overall I am not sure whether all that DIY mixing is really worth the time/mess. I started again to get pre-made liquids for myself, my fav (don't laugh) is still Hangsen VG Coffee and I might possibly do DIY just for the fruity/menthol liquids.

Just my $0.02

Check your base ingredients unflavored and see if that's the issue. I just had my nic turn on me and got some funky results. Opened a new bottle and all is well again in my DIY world.

 

[dannyv45]

Example would be that I mixed things like Tribeca, RY4, some of them I had steeping for 2-3 weeks.
Many I mixed still had some undesired tastes to it, and it seems I really don't like many custard flavors at all. A lot of the flavors and mixes have some odd "butter" taste which I don't like or there is some hint of "burnt popcorn" or "soy sauce taste" or other undesired flavors. Overall I am not sure whether all that DIY mixing is really worth the time/mess. I started again to get pre-made liquids for myself, my fav (don't laugh) is still Hangsen VG Coffee and I might possibly do DIY just for the fruity/menthol liquids.

Just my $0.02

I've had a few of those expecially the buttery tastes that were susposed to be Hangsen butterscotch or vanilla from ECX. Burnt popcorn is usually the effect of adding to much AP trying to acheve a nutty tobacco. Usually undesired tastes are from poor flavoring concentrates or over flavoring. It takes time and lots of experimentation to get this right. I would choose better flavor manufactures such as Hangsen or inawera from dependable vendors such as bullcity. Better quality flavors are far easier to work with and get right the first time. TPA flavors are the worst for people just starting out. You can get great results with TFA but it's hard to get the percentages right. It's important to get your base tasting right even before adding flavoring. Poor NIC, cheap or off brand PG/VG also play a roll in the quality of the vape. So you need to experiment with mixing and vaping unflavored base until you get that right. It all takes a lot of trial and error. The only way you'll arrived at a quality vape is to get this all sorted out. Here's some material to help you with this.

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

then read the stickies at the top of the page.

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