Not Gonna Buy Any More Premixed E-juice. EVER.

[karmakatie]

But you dont go out to eat dinner every night, so you still need to have food at home ( juice ) so like I do and have for some time now I buy a bottle of good juice from a very good vendor once in a while as a treat, but I still have tons of DIY and mostly mix all my own, the purchased juice is like a treat ( Ave & kvb )

Also it is best to have flavorings from not just flavourart.it but from Capellas, NF, TPA, LorAnn, so you can get a feel for the difference and be able to mix and match to the Recipes you either create or use from others.


It's also good to have some quality glass pipit's, flask, and glass bottles instead of plastic, I started using all glass to not only store everything in, but to also keep my DIY juice I'm using in, and I'm noticing my juice seems to be doing better then storing and using plastics. YMMV but my juice sure seems better to me since switching.

Also I dont agree with making up that huge batch of lower MG Base but instead keeping it in the 100mg and using a smaller bottle of the 100 and having to use less ml's or drops in each bottle you make or DIY, yes this isnt as safe and you have to mark your bottle well and know your using the 100mg and be careful but I like using this method better, just me and how I like doing it and have been for well over 2yrs now. Also I make up my liquids by adding all my flavorings/vg/pg/and any other additives first then test out my flavoring and how my recipe is before adding my Nic. This allows me to adjust until I have my DIY mix exactly as I want my ( Flavor Base ) and then I let that ( Flavor Base ) mend together for a bit, then add my Nic base. ( not as long of a steep required ) Just my version and works well for me

Also have been experimenting with some other stuff like the Lemon juice, vinegar, and some other food grade types of flavoring stuff that you would never think to add to juice that has been working considerably well, it's fun to think outside of the box, get a little creative with these other things and its pretty amazing just how good some juices can turn out


For me it's more about making my flavor base, I call it mixing the "soup" and getting my soup where I want it, adding my NIC base is the easy part

I use glass for everything for the very reasons you stated, it is much more flavor friendly and can be sanitized and reused without leaching odor or flavors in another juice

 

[Chasbo]

This is what I am mixing, I am using 6% EM @ 80%vg. Time to order more EM, where do you get yours?

I cannot remember where I bought the last batch - it's been awhile. It was one of the DYI suppliers. Haven't searched too hard to compare prices or if there are multiple producers.

For cartos I up the percent to 6 - 7. In the HH 357, 5 - 6.

I use to keep Malty on hand for a break from favors. This mix accomplishes the same result.

 

[Emris]

This is what I am mixing, I am using 6% EM @ 80%vg. Time to order more EM, where do you get yours?

What exactly is EM and what does it taste like? I have heard of people talking about this before but havent a clue what it is.

 

[davelog]

I believe the 'cotton candy' flavor is straight EM. I seem to recall reading that somewhere.

 

[the ob]

Hello and good morning, the ob,

sorry, had to sleep a tad =) So, you're back at the confused stage, are you.

My last post was this:


You then asked:


PG and VG are cheap. Buy a liter of both and be done with it.
Yes, flavorings are usually PG based. But we will ignore that fact for now, we just add them on top of your personal base. That's possible because we use strong flavorings from Flavour Arts which need under 5%. So, instead of 9mg juice you might end up with 8,6mg juice, and you might have a 75PG/25VG ratio instead of 70/30.

After that question there was a lot of numbers posted and calculators - and then there was confusion again.

That's all not needed for a start.

I'll try it the other way around for you - I will post a complete list of things to buy with links and I will tell you what to do with it to get 9mg/ml nic base.

250 ml PG based 36mg nicotine base: 250 ml of 36 mg Flavorless Nicotine Liquid (In the drop down menu "First, Select Mixer Base" select "Propylene Glycol USP grade") Cost: US$20,92
1 liter PG: 1000 ml of Propylene Glycol USP Cost: US$16,25
1 liter VG: 1000 ml of Vegetable Glycerin USP Grade Kosher Certified Cost: US$18,75

3x Syringe 10ml: 10cc Luer Slip Syringe w/ cap
10x Syringe 1ml: 1cc Luer Slip Syringe w/ cap
13x Needle: 18ga x 1½" Hypodermic Needle

Flavorings: OneStopDIYShop Partners with Flavour Art

So that's roughly 60 american talers for a liter of 9mg juice - and you'll have some PG and VG left over for the next round. You should be able to find better deals for PG and VG if you really need to squeeze the purse.

Now here is all the math you need: You have 36mg base and want 9mg juice. 36 divided by 9 is 4. One fourth of your result will be nic base. The rest is non-nic PG and VG.

To create 10ml of 70PG/30VG base with 9mg/ml use:
2.5 ml of the above 36mg/ml nicotine base
4.5 ml PG
3 ml VG
Then, add flavorings as discussed.

If you really must have straight numbers, multiply everything by two:
To create 20ml of 70PG/30VG base with 9mg/ml use:
5 ml of the above 36mg/ml nicotine base
9 ml PG
6 ml VG
Then, add flavorings as discussed.

If you are sure about the nic strength of your liquid, go ahead and mix the whole stuff in one go:
Get a one liter glass bottle
Add the 250 ml from your nic bottle
Add 450 ml PG
Add 300 ml VG
That's a whole liter of 9mg juice right there. Use 10ml at a time and add flavoring.

For a start ignore the calculators - they will confuse you until you understand the details. When you buy a different strength of nicotine, go ahead and ask again or start using the calculator. THEN you will have mixed 1 liter of juice already.

Don't worry too much about possible mistakes in this setup - the worst thing that could happen is that you somehow manage to vape the pure nicotine base. You will notice it, but it won't hurt you. Worst could be 36mg/ml and that's not dangerous.

Sorry It took me so long to respond. I am out of town and am really busy during the day.
I really appreciate this post. It definitely made it easier and I am finally starting to get a grasp on this.

I placed a order this am for 500 ml of 36mg nic juice, plain PG and plain VG. I ordered syringes, gloves and needles.
I now need to order flavors, and find some glass containers to put everything in.
anyone have a place to buy those?

also, it would help if someone could talk about safety and cleaning methods for the things you use to make the juice.

Once again, thanks a ton for the info. I appreciate how long it took to post this response and I appreciate it.

 

[canoeist]

These people have glass bottles at a very good price American Science & Surplus : Containers

These people have plastic bottles Home | Plastic Tanks | Plastic Buckets | Plastic Bottles | Labware | Plastic Tubing | PVC Pipe | U.S. Plastic Corp.

You will build a bottle supply as you buy nic, the wizard labs glass bottles are nice.

For cleaning, I just rinse stuff out with hot water. I have not spilled a drop so I have not bothered with the gloves.

I read in the DIY forum where someone was doing their mixing in something like an old TV tray (see who remembers them). It was to contain any accidental spill, etc. Seemed like a real good idea.

I would suggest you get some graduated cylinders with one of your other orders. I have a 10 & 50 ml and plan on ordering a 25 & 100 ml soon.

 

[Emris]

Just got my flavors in today. Made a batch of caramel cappuccino 5 mils, now I am vaping the savings. Reminds me of the geico commercials. "Hey, we're trying to save here"

 

[Emris]

Note to self, take it easy on the cappuccino flavor. A little goes a long, long, long way.

 

[the ob]

These people have glass bottles at a very good price American Science & Surplus : Containers

These people have plastic bottles Home | Plastic Tanks | Plastic Buckets | Plastic Bottles | Labware | Plastic Tubing | PVC Pipe | U.S. Plastic Corp.

You will build a bottle supply as you buy nic, the wizard labs glass bottles are nice.

For cleaning, I just rinse stuff out with hot water. I have not spilled a drop so I have not bothered with the gloves.

I read in the DIY forum where someone was doing their mixing in something like an old TV tray (see who remembers them). It was to contain any accidental spill, etc. Seemed like a real good idea.

I would suggest you get some graduated cylinders with one of your other orders. I have a 10 & 50 ml and plan on ordering a 25 & 100 ml soon.

I like the idea of getting flavors from some different vendors.

Where does one get the best sweetener (I have heard it describes as cotton candy too) that people add to their mixes?

 

[karmakatie]

I like the idea of getting flavors from some different vendors.

Where does one get the best sweetener (I have heard it describes as cotton candy too) that people add to their mixes?

This where I get mine Perfumers Apprentice - Cotton Candy Flavor

 

[canoeist]

I got this, it is already dissolved in pg. It can also be purchased in crystal form & mixed. Probably best to get it in liquid first.

Perfumers Apprentice - Ethyl Maltol Liquid (10% PG)

 

[davelog]

I don't use it - if I want to sweeten a juice up I use a bit of bavarian creme or marshmallow. I'm not that fond of the flavor of cotton candy anyway, so I've always avoided it in my juices.

 

[the ob]

Ok. As per usual I jumped in with both feet.

Ordered nic juice, PG, VG, and flavors from PA, cavellas and two other flavor vendors.

We will see how this goes. I bought too much to go back now.

 

[jakerock]

I have been reading so many threads on DIY lately my head is spinning, so I apologize if this has been covered here...

Does anyone use Splendex as a sweetner?
Thanks, Jake

 

[ChrisEU]

@the ob - good to see you decided to start - now please do yourself a favour and start with a batch of no nic juice, for two reasons:
1) You save money because you will only use PG, VG and flavoring for your testing phase
2) You WILL make things you don't want to vape. If it's just no nic stuff you can simply flush it, if there's nic in there you might be tempted to vape it anyway and, following that, get fed up with DIY.

Sweetener: Well, I think you American folk are used to different flavors and different levels of sweet, compared to us Europeans. But the vaping base has an inherent sweetness to it (It's part Propylene Glycol, glykos meaning "sweet" in greek) and the problem is usually to get the sweetness out of the juice, or mask it.

So, be careful with the sweeteners.
People often mistake sweetness for flavor, too. Watch out for that trap.

I don't use any sweetener myself at the moment, but I do have some in case a new juice needs it. Here's a list of ways to sweeten juice:

Good:
- Ethyl maltol: I never used that myself, but it's said to work fine and it's harmless as far as I can tell. Gunks up atties, but not as bad as real sugar.
- Adding sweet flavorings like Marshmellow, Bavarian Cream, ...: That's the best way to do it
- Pure Stevia: Works ok but is extremely strong - measure it by drops per 10ml. One bottle will last until the sky falls. Works well in coffee or tea, though.

Not so good:
- Anything with actual sugar in it: Will gunk up your atty in no time, tiny amounts build up an indestructable wall of caramel on your coil. It's not even sweet in juice, more like bitter and roasty
- Artificial sweeteners: Things like Aspartam, Saccharin, ... They are reported to taste very bad in juice, but they are allowed in baked goods, so they COULD be used
- Acesulfam-K: don't use it. It's not even allowed for baking goods here because it's been reported to be unstable in high temperatures.
- Mixtures of sweeteners for the table top: Stay away.

So, to summarize: Try ethyl maltol, marshmellow or bavarian cream flavoring, if that's not shweeeeet enough, try good stevia.

---Edit: BTW, I'd love for experienced DIY Reonauts to chime in here and give feedback, maybe you have made different experiences? I am trying to help fellow vapers to start with DIY, but I am living on another continent, maybe my findings don't apply to you at all?

 

[hairball]

To Mudflap...I'm right there with you. After 1 1/2 years, I'm tired of buying juices that just flat suck. I have a handful of favorites from certain vendors and that's what I am sticking too. My days of buying everything new to hit the market has ended...except for mods. I know what I love and what I hate. I never thought I would be saying this because, even to this day, I still can't stick to just one flavor. I still have tons of pre-mixed..once gone...I'm going back to DIY'ing.

Sadly, if the FDA gets their way, vendor prices are going to shoot through the sky just to cover the taxing part. It's bad enough now...I hate to think what will happen then.

 

[kenetix]

This is absolutely amazing that this one post created an avalanche of approval. What is this telling you vendors? Seems some of you are really dropping the ball. I bet mudflap when you posted this rant you never intended to snowball into this.

 

[Mudflap]

This is absolutely amazing that this one post created an avalanche of approval. What is this telling you vendors? Seems some of you are really dropping the ball. I bet mudflap when you posted this rant you never intended to snowball into this.

No sir. I expected, at best, a few of the kind souls here would humor me and say "There, there, Tripp... simmer down." and then the thread would drop to page eleventeen.

I like this unexpected turnout. There is a wealth of info posted in this thread that I will use. I'm very grateful to this community.

 

[canoeist]

I have been reading so many threads on DIY lately my head is spinning, so I apologize if this has been covered here...

Does anyone use Splendex as a sweetner?
Thanks, Jake

I have used EZsweet which is sucralose. It is super sweet, too sweet. I may try mixing 3-4 parts pg with 1 part EZsweet to use a drop to sweeten with and see how that works. Seems to clog up cartos in my limited testing.

 

[Technonut]

I have used EZsweet which is sucralose. It is super sweet, too sweet. I may try mixing 3-4 parts pg with 1 part EZsweet to use a drop to sweeten with and see how that works. Seems to clog up cartos in my limited testing.

I used Flavor Apprentice Sweetener until I ran out recently. Their ingredients are:

water, propylene glycol,sucralose

Tasty Vapor Uses:

Sucralose-Based Sweetener, 15ml

15ml of Sucralose based sweetener. 1ml (about 20 drops) will sweeten (quite well) a 1 ounce bottle of e-liquid. For those mixing in our 1/2 ounce (15ml) bottles, and aren't concerned about technicalities, ONE GOOD SQUIRT will adequately sweeten a 1/2 ounce bottle.

I vape many types of my DIY sweetened e-liquid, as well as Tasty Vapor Sweetened Doublers I mix with nic, and it doesn't seem to clog my cartos & attys more than my non-sweetened. I have a bottle of EZsweet on the way to mix myself, but in the meantime, I have been using a mix of stevia & generic sucralose packets mixed in a 120ml bottle of PG. It's been working quite well.