Alrighty I am on day 36 of vaping. Have since picked up 250mls of 100mg/ml nic. 250mls of pg&vg, and various flavorings. I have made several test batches 40/60 pg/vg at 5% flavoring. Letting steep at the moment. I take extreme caution handling this stuff as I do not want to be 6 ft under and give the fda another story to back up their regulations with. Can anyone give me some pointers to making anything what they have had good luck with? Any advice, warnings, successes, failures would be appreciated.
New to DIY
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I've had great luck with TFA RY4 Double at 8% with 1 drop of AP per 5ml for nuttyness. You can also add 2-3% Caramel and 2% Vanilla Swirl (or Bavarian Cream if you prefer) for a sweeter mix. Good luck with your DIY Adventure!
Cheers,
Steve
Edit If you tell us what flavors you have (and what company) we might be able to be more helpful.
Cheers,
Steve
Edit If you tell us what flavors you have (and what company) we might be able to be more helpful.
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Personally, I don't steep until I've tried it. Not everything needs it, and you won't be able to tell if it's improved the mix.
To the OP. take good notes. Get familiar with single flavors. Knowing how single flavors taste or what % you like them at should give you an idea on how to use them in multiple flavor mixes.
I use a little Atty to taste. I mix shake taste. Multiple flavor mixes will blend better after a few days and usually have more depth.
Have fun!
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I use a little Atty to taste. I mix shake taste. Multiple flavor mixes will blend better after a few days and usually have more depth.
Have fun!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Yes, this will help us to help you better.
My experience so far with DIY is limited and so my advice is still green, but I would start by asking if you have read the sticky notes yet in the DIY forum? These are great guides to getting started as far as supplies, safety precautions, tips and tricks, and recipes.
Also check out Hoosier's blog for more detail: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/blogs/hoosier/2264-hoosiers-rules-mixing.html
People have different ideas on mixing, steeping, and flavoring preferences, so you will have to read of those and determine what is right for you. I find that what ClaireW said is true, that until you get to know flavors individually, you can't know how to mix them, nor at what %, nor what they will pair well with in a good recipe. I also started by making 5% mixed without nicotine so as not to waste it and have begun slowly changing the % to see where each flavor shines. I take a lot of notes as I go along, and also copy/paste what I read here onto a document to refer to later.
Another member, HeadInClouds or HIC, has a great blog of recipes and tips that you may also find helpful as you start mixing: E-Cigarette Forum - HeadInClouds - Blogs
I think the key is having the right flavors to start with, ones you like and provide the taste you are looking for. Try these links for ideas of the best flavors of each manufacturer:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/347885-2012-best-best-diy-flavorings-each-flavor-manufacture.html
There is a great amount of information here, it's just hard to weed through all the threads to glean the important details among the various conversations. Several have complied documents for easy reference and can be found in different threads.
Good luck!
In some ways DIY isn't that much different than chasing premix. Some people love a juice and others hate it. I broke down and bought some nicoticket's CLS, CB, and H1N1. I honestly hated all three and gave them away. But somewhere around a billion people love them.
My first mistake with DIY was trying too much and too hard at the beginning. It's overwhelming. I followed some popular DIY recipes to a T and didn't like them at all. Then I experimented on my own and kept missing the mark. Then I changed gears to the KISS method. Worked like a charm.
First goal for any new DIY person is to get 1-2 recipes they can ADV as soon as possible. If you like tobaccos then I highly recommend the hangsen line. Thanks to this forum (Danny in particular) I nailed a bunch of ADVs really quick. Haven't looked back. It gets easy, fun, and satisfying once you get comfortable with the basics.
Good luck!
My first mistake with DIY was trying too much and too hard at the beginning. It's overwhelming. I followed some popular DIY recipes to a T and didn't like them at all. Then I experimented on my own and kept missing the mark. Then I changed gears to the KISS method. Worked like a charm.
First goal for any new DIY person is to get 1-2 recipes they can ADV as soon as possible. If you like tobaccos then I highly recommend the hangsen line. Thanks to this forum (Danny in particular) I nailed a bunch of ADVs really quick. Haven't looked back. It gets easy, fun, and satisfying once you get comfortable with the basics.
Good luck!
KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid (or silly if you want to be more politically correct
)Cheers,
Steve
That's the best advice you'll find, right there.
I'd guide you to your favorite simple flavors at first, like mints or light fruit flavors. That will give you something you like that's easy to mix. You can vape that while experimenting with more complicated flavors, like tobaccos, coffees, chocolate, or bakery flavors.
My first mixes were mints. Peppermint, spearmint, creme de menthe, and wintergreen were all quick and easy to mix. I puffed on a lot of mint while DIY-ing more complicated flavors. In fact, I still do.
So what are your favorite simple food/drink flavors?
KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid (or silly if you want to be more politically correct
Cheers,
Steve
Stupid is fine. lol. Everyone feels that way the first time at the mixing table.
Simplicity is the best advice I can give. Trying to make pineapple upside down browie pie with vanilla ice cream and a cherry on top is a terrible way to start.
Single flavors and 2 tops is the best way to go and it's not hard to get a decent vape right out of the box. Capella's is good for desserts. Hangsen is good for tobaccos (and good for fruits I hear but I don't vape those). You don't have to over think those. You can get a good vape with just one ingredient at the right %.
I had a really hard time with TFA flavors in the beginning and still do. The only one I can nail is caramel cappuccino. 3 drops in 15mls is perfect. I know some folks love TFA but I can never get them right and I don't have a lot of time to experiment. TFA (imo) isn't good for beginners.
I've been DIYing about 4-5 months now. My advice is to get as many little flavor samples as your budget allows. Try things you might not think you're going to like, because you might be surprised. I thought I'd love coffee flavors, but blech. I never thought bakery would be my fave. Don't over-think it. It's like playing the drums - anyone can do it, but it takes practice to get good at it.
Well I made 5 samples. Sweet tart, apple, grape, black honey tobacco, and a sweet cream & vanilla mix. All are at 5% except the mix which is 2.5% each. I will probably start to branch out. I probably shouldn't have used nic in them but they are 5 mls each so I didn't use to much (.6mls) each. It's been two days since I've mixed em and some are already starting to change colors and come to life. Oh it makes me wanna try em. I just want to make sure they are decent. I'll probably break them open tomorrow. Or some time over the weekend. I have plenty of juice to vape in the mean time I bought before. I am a fruity flavor person and to be honest I haven't even begun to start trying a bunch of flavors. Right at the moment I'm vaping a buttery tobacco. At first I couldn't stand them but my new taste buds are insatiable now!! So to be honest I have nothing to lose trying different kinds of flavors. I've found that I don't judge the taste of the flavor off the bat. I vape it for a couple hours then I know whether or not I'll keep it. At first I thought the buttery tobacco was terrible but I kept vaping it and my taste came around and I love it lol. Weird. Thanks for the advice!
First of All. Congratulations on Day 36. Hopefully today is Day 37.
My Best Advise is Very Simple. But Sometimes Over Looked. And that is to Keep Detailed and Accurate Records of EVERYTHING you do when doing DIY.
Don't add a Few Drops of This or a Dash of That and say that you will Remember. Or Write it Down on a Scrap Piece of Paper. Get Yourself a Small Log Book and Date and Time Everything you do. When you Do It.
Other than That...
Don't Adjust a Mix until it has Sat for 3~4 Days.
Don't Mix Less than 10 or 15ml at a Time.
Don't get Super Hung Up on Measurement Accuracy. Consistency is More Important.
Don't Forget about using a Sweetener for Sweet E-Liquids.
and It is Easier to make a Weak Tasting e-Liquid Stronger than a Strong Tasting e-Liquid Weaker.
I've only Left out about 2 Dozen things but You'll Figure it Out as you go.
Alrighty I have tried some of the flavors, the sweet cream mix was delish! I've heard that creams take a while to steep but this one is already a bright pink color and tastes awesome. I'm tempted to throw it in the kayfun! The honey tobacco is alright but I think that one will take more time to fully ripen, same with the belgian waffle. The sweet tart could prolly use 2.5% more, it's not really strong enough for me but does taste good. Same with the grape another 2.5%. Then I'll try again. Buzzin a little bit after trying the flavors lol. These are my current findings after a 3 day steep.
Sounds like you're off to a Great Start.
Be sure to Update your Records when you Make those Changes. And let Us know it Turns out.
BTW - I have Read that Tobacco Flavors can take the Longest to Steep. Don't be Too Quick to Change that One.
Black Honey Tobacco takes a long time to get right. At least 4 weeks. I seed steep with that one now. When I get down to 10mls or so I mix 20mls on top of it. Takes less than a week to get right but a fresh blend is best left in a closet for a month and forgotten about.
I agree with everything you wrote except what I put in bold. I am not sure how you achieve consistency without measurement accuracy. I get what you are saying, what I feel as though measurement and accuracy is high on the list. God for bid I make a juice that is a WOW and not know how I made it.
The not making less then 10-15ml at a time is a great tip. Larger quantities allow more room for error in measurement. Wish I new that earlier on. Make a mix I don't like, there is always a way to make it work or just dump the 0nic.
Do you Understand how Accuracy and Precision can Differ?
If I Measure for 1ml but my Measuring Device is Off by 10%, does it Matter? As long as it is Off by 10% the same way Every Time.
And at what Point does Accuracy (and Precision!) loose their Meaning?
Can a Person Tell the Difference between 12mg/ml e-Liquid and a 11.5mg/ml e-Liquid? 12mg/ml and 11.75mg/ml? 12mg/ml and 11.99mg/ml?
I saw a Thread once when a person wanted to know where to get .01ml +/- .005ml Pipettes. Say What?
Just saying that For a New Person, it can be Easy to get Lost in Smaller and Smaller Numbers to the Point where People just Spin trying to Achieve Numerical Perfection.
I'm very new to DIY but can certainly relate with the start-with-less-flavour recomendation. Something that hasn't been pointed out (as far as I can see) is that different flavouring companies have very different strength flavours. Some require as much as 15%, others only 1-2%. Make sure that you know what the manufacturer recommends, and don't go for the all too common blind advice of 15%. I primarily use Inawera flavours, and those are 1-2%. It would've been a catastrophe if I hadn't read the company's recommendations beforehand, and I've learnt that with some flavours I'll even want to go for less than 1% flavour.
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