New to DIY

[theDukeofTank]

Well, I decided to make another step in my vaping evolution and I ordered supplies for DIY. I have been mixing pre-mixed flavors for a while now in an effort to create different flavors or to even reduce the nic content in the juice but there are some tastes that I still have not been able to achieve.

I have read many articles and posts about safe handling of high nic concentrations. To be on the safe side, I decided to order 36mg juice in PG & VG variants plus PG & VG base liquids to cut the strength down if needed.

I also ordered a few flavors from FlavorArt, BlueMist, Lorann & Tastypuff as well as Ethyl Maltol to cover the bases. Add that all to a 20 pack of syringes, pipettes, and numerous 5,10,30 & 50mL bottles and that completes my orders.

Now, I still feel like I am missing something... Maybe it is my lack of mixing from scratch? Maybe it is actually something that I forgot to purchase?

Any thing missing here guys? Also, do you have any tips for me?

 

[Bostonsnboxers]

Sounds like you've got a great start...my advice is have fun, and READ everything you can in this forum, starting with the stickies...you'll learn lots

added: I would also suggest you pick up a 5 pack of Capella flavors from their website while they're on sale. Great success can be had easily when starting out w/o a lot of tweaking. There's a capellas thread here somewhere you might want to take a peek at..

 

[Hoosier]

Yep, a few tips. Blog has some. The rest will come to me sometime...

Keep Notes! (That one sounded so silly to me when I started and had to learn it the hard way.)

 

[hiram13pm]

Nah, you're good. From a cost perspective, as well as ease of use, I've been mixing with 100mg base for a year and a half now, with no problems. Cost wise, 500ml of 100mg base will make 2 liters of 25mg juice, for a NOT-on-sale price of about $170. Averaging 3ml a day, that's almost 2 years worth of nic, more if you vape at a lower strength.

Safety isn't a worry as long as you're careful. A clean, stable working area, something to catch or wipe up spills quickly, and gloves if you're a klutz or paranoid. I've never had an issue.

I also find 100mg base nice because it makes the math easier. If I want 20mg juice, it's 2mg of base per 10ml of end product. Easy-peasey, no calculator required.

 

[AzPlumber]

The one thing I didn't consider at first was labels. I use full sheet printer labels and just cut to size.

 

[panachronic]

The one thing I didn't consider at first was labels. I use full sheet printer labels and just cut to size.

Avery labels work great, and they just peel and stick without cutting. I use the gold foil kind, and they look awesome.

 

[theDukeofTank]

Avery labels work great, and they just peel and stick without cutting. I use the gold foil kind, and they look awesome.

I was thinking about going that route but I'm leaning more towards the Dymo labeler. If I remember correctly, the ink is thermally applied so it doesn't smudge as bad.

 

[sh_]

Great start!
I am on DIY for a few weeks now and I learned a lot with the info I got here in the forum. People here usually really like to share their expertise.

Plain and simple, I follow the rules bellow:
- Always take note of your recipes (before or while you're mixing if its a new combination of flavors)
- Always add to your recipes exactly (how many drops or %) or added to your already mixed juices
- Always take not of the date of mixing (date and hour are really useful for steeping). Labels and stickers are your friends!
- Start by mixing smaller batches (3ml is a good batch for new flavors)
- Only use NIC base when you find a recipe that works for you, this way you will avoid to waste your nic base on flavors that you dislike or was not just right for you.
- (tip from forum): Mix 1 drop of flavor with 1 few MLs of water and try them out to see how strong they are in flavor or how perfume they are. Know your flavors (I learned this one by doing in a different way and it was terrible, this tip cuts the time and learning curve in half...)
- (tip from forum): Give the juice at least 24 hours steep (all juices). For tabacco I have 1 week steep process and usually works and the flavor just gets better and better overtime.

Hope it works for you and welcome to the family!
Looking forward to see your recipes!