Poor (wise?) man’s DIY

[dannyv45]

Would this be a good thread to ask really basic DIY questions or would you recommend another thread for that? I know nothing about DIY. I am a relatively new vaper who barely understands the basics of vaping much less of DIY. It's all a bit overwhelming to me, but I would like to try and learn about it. Are there basic articles on DIY that are appropriate for newbies like me that you would recommend?

Thank you in advance.

J.W.

I recommend starting your own thread and doing some research. With your own thread it would be about you and the thread won't be cluttered with other topics or comments that may not pertain to your particular questions. To help you start in your research let me recommend:

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.

 

[Frenchfry1942]

I only have four bottles of vendor juice left. Grant it that they are in the 150ml range. But, I have been DIYing for about 2+ months now. I start with 5ml recipe samples, adjust for another 5ml or a 10ml if the change seems small. After the 10ml as a kind of final check, I go to 30ml. I think I have four 30ml bottles steeping. A slew of 5 and 10ml bottles steeping, too.

Gotta say, I just tried my Yogurt and Wild Cherry and I don't think it will get top the 10ml level. I think it needs a lot of work. Life goes on.

Speaking of size; my flavorings are on five carousels in two kitchen cabinets. The rest is in three cabinets, four drawers and some desk space in the study. I got 100mg/PG nic in a bottle, 100% VG in a bottle and the same for PG. I can change PG/VG ratios a little quicker.

My recipe database is formally at 26, but I have a bunch of 2.5ml tinkering going on. DIY costs at first, but my recipes will grow and the bottles sizes will slowly get bigger.

 

[mhertz]

I started also in a crazy simple way... I don't like deserts and creams etc as they are way to sickly and not good as ADVs for me personally and instead much more like natural tasting fruit-flavors and e.g. with inawera, then most fruits are great standalone and usually at 2-3% perfect.

This then meant that I only once needed to use a syringe for drawing up 3% flavor and squirting it into my mixing bottle and then making a line on it where the liquid went up to and then pouring premixed base from a big 1L bottle into the rest of the bottle. Actually at the very start I just bought premixed base already at my preferred PG/VG ratio and nic-level which made it even faster. Later on for premix, I again made a line for nic and then afterwards could eyeball filling rest of with half PG and half VG(50/50 PG/VG also made it easier, but still I could have made lines for other variations easily)

Im not a stickler for accuracy in any way, as small variations mostly can not be tasted/felt(nic) anyway, but I've since changed to using scales. Not because of accuracy at all, but because it's just so much easier and faster and resembles my bottles with lines on, except it doesn't matter which bottle is used and which ratios you want or mix size, and you just simply pour each ingredient until the value on the scale roughly corrolates with what your mixing app tells you is correct and without cleanup afterwards...

 

[Yiorgo]

I will just sit back with my 3 gallons of PG 3 gallons of VG 5 ltrs of 100mg NIC and 300 or so flavorings and just take it all in And thats just what I've accumulated over the past 3 years.
I've got enough MODs, tanks and spare parts to last me a life time and within the next 2 years that will likely double. I'm not done stock piling just yet.

I was diy'n 3 years ago then stopped after I found an adv I couldn't clone. I plan to resume and have accumulated a **** ton of concentrates.... I've used some of but most are unopened and sealed, never used..... what do you think the shelf life is for these flavorings opened and unopened....I've collected them for 3 years and purchased 20 or so in the past month.

 

[sofarsogood]

Would this be a good thread to ask really basic DIY questions or would you recommend another thread for that? I know nothing about DIY. I am a relatively new vaper who barely understands the basics of vaping much less of DIY. It's all a bit overwhelming to me, but I would like to try and learn about it. Are there basic articles on DIY that are appropriate for newbies like me that you would recommend?

Thank you in advance.

J.W.

One of the annoying things about this forum is mixing is made out to be hard and complicated when it's not. But if you are new to vaping there are a lot of things worth learning about. It's a shame you have the added pressrue of the Federal Drug Administration beating their chests.

Put a couple liters of 100 mg nic in the freezer, well packaged, and leave DIY for later. My nic came from myfreedomsmokes. Along with that came a 1 liter amber glass bottle for storage in the freezer. Transfer the liquid to the glass bottle. Label the bottle with date and contents. Put it in a sturdy zip lock bag, wrap that in thin bubble wrap and store in the freezer. At a minimum you have a few months to get that done and may be a few years. If this was a Star Wars movie the FDA is the Death Star. Zeller is Darth Vadar.

May the force be with you.

 

[Yiorgo]

Would this be a good thread to ask really basic DIY questions or would you recommend another thread for that? I know nothing about DIY. I am a relatively new vaper who barely understands the basics of vaping much less of DIY. It's all a bit overwhelming to me, but I would like to try and learn about it. Are there basic articles on DIY that are appropriate for newbies like me that you would recommend?

Thank you in advance.

J.W.

Try youtube there's a guy that goes by "diy or die" his name is Wayne and is very good!!
"Amsterdam" is also very good..... Diy or die/Wayne has a website in the mix magazine also ... So depending on how you prefer to learn visually or reading he's got both Covered.... Not to mention he has some very good juices that he just puts out there!! ELiquid recipes. Com .... Is another site but you just share and rate recipes there.....

 

[Huehugh]

Is it really necessary to put a bag or bubble wrap on/around the amber bottles of nic? I guess another layer of protection wouldn't hurt. Also I was thinking of duct taping the caps of my bottles. Over kill or good idea?

But..

 

[BackDoc]

GOOD QUESTION YIORGO< does anyone have any good information on the long term storage solution for concentrated flavorings, the Flavor Vendors I've contacted basically said to store in room temp but nothing on the long term?

 

[b.m.]

what do you think the shelf life is for these flavorings opened and unopened....I've collected them for 3 years and purchased 20 or so in the past month.

I can't speak to all flavors,but i have several that are well over 2 years old,and they are still exactly the same as the day i got them.I'm sure there are some that can go bad,but i get alot direct from Tfa,and none have even had an expiration date,so who knows,they could potentially last a very long time.

 

[mightymen]

 

[kross8]

Little case not work for me. What is the biggest suitcase on wheels they make? LOL

i love his little suitcase for 2 reasons,, my grandma left me one full of goodies and my current vape case is an old cigar box for my 'stuff' and another box very similar to his just for flavors.

in the event of a avapocalypse...??? i have small toolkits and supplies tucked away in luggage and both cars.

 

[sofarsogood]

Is it really necessary to put a bag or bubble wrap on/around the amber bottles of nic? I guess another layer of protection wouldn't hurt. Also I was thinking of duct taping the caps of my bottles. Over kill or good idea?

But..

The threat to the bottles is breaking. They are going too be knocking around for years. The glass needs some protecting. May be there is a better way.

 

[kross8]

how many flavors of completed ejuice do you guys keep in rotation? 1,2,15....

i see people saying they vape the same juice for years......seriously? 1 juice all of the time?

 

[Falconeer]

how many flavors of completed ejuice do you guys keep in rotation? 1,2,15....

i see people saying they vape the same juice for years......seriously? 1 juice all of the time?

I suppose it depends on the person. Me, I might be a bit of a stick in the mud, but the first tobacco I ever smoked in a pipe was St Bruno Flake back in 1974...and I was still smoking the stuff as my mainstay up until October last year - yes I experimented but kept coming back to St B...because I liked it.

I'm kinda the same with e liquid - I actually like unflavoured at 16 to 18 strength!

 

[wheelie]

how many flavors of completed ejuice do you guys keep in rotation? 1,2,15....

i see people saying they vape the same juice for years......seriously? 1 juice all of the time?

Got over 100- 30ml bottles on my kitchen table to test yet. Companies drop them off with hopes our local store in my town will carry the line. I open a bottle I try to finish a bottle. Everyone thinks they are the greatest juice maker. Wife vaped nothing but MBV Carmel Coffee for three years. Discontinued the juice now and she works in the local vape store so she had to broaden her horizon's lately. I have about 8 of my own flavors but three main ones I vape. I do not sell any of my DIY juice. It is just for the wife and I. CHEERS!