Pretty fed up with DIY

[neauxanalogs]

So, I have made several attempts at various DIY recipes and have created some incredibly disgusting vapes so far. I started right before Thanksgiving with what I thought would be a simple recipe - just add TFA 555 Type DK tobacco to 70/30, 24mg base. I let it it steep for a month, gave it several baths in a heated ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, let it sit for several days with the cap off, and what I have ended up with is a delightful, "Old Wet Hay" vape.

Next I tried a TFA Maraschino Cherry at a 2% ratio in 30ml of the same 70/30 24mg base. I let it sit for a week, shook it several times a day, let it sit overnight with the cap off and it appears that I have created the world's first "kinda cherry flavored nuclear waste/paint remover". As appealing as the idea of vaping 40 grit sandpaper may sound, my throat just cannot take it. I'm talking about a "brings tears to my eyes" concoction here. This is the first truly unvapable mix I have ever come across and will probably end up being used to either kill fire ants or unclog drains.

So, my next attempt was TFA Caramel Cappuccino. I read the various threads concerning this particular flavor and CAREFULLY added just ONE drop of flavor to 10mil of the 70/30 24mg base. Yep, let it sit for a week, daily shaking, let it sit overnight with the cap off. This one REALLY got me excited because it tasted EXACTLY like what is produced when you let the last quarter cup of coffee cook in the pot until it has scorched, burnt and solidified for hours in the pot and then added a little bit of water to it to return it to a semi-liquid state. That was NAS-TAAAY.

So I am starting to think this whole DIY business is a load of malarkey. I see posts where the OP states that they, "...nailed it on their first attempt..." Uh Huh.

Now, I can vape the same 70/30 24mg base without any flavor added with no problems, but that gets pretty boring rather quickly.
All I wanted was to create a vape that was enjoyable and cost-effective. I am beginning to think that notion is a total analog pipe dream.

 

[graybuck]

Couple issues that may affect your vape. Type of delivery devise, voltage, ohms, carto, clearo. The 24 mg base is pretty harsh for throat hit. Have you tried to measure all your juices and flavorings in mg versys using the drop method? I have found that not to be real acurate in measureing just counting drops. Also try a simple fruit flavor as tobaccos are extreemly difficult to get right. I personally think TFA 555 is very nutty and needs to be used in small amounts. Coffee flavors are also tricky. Fruit flavors are the simplest to start. Just try 10 - 15% Watermellon with your base. once you master that try another flavor.

As you read these threads you will see very quick that there is an art and some time needed to get through the learning curve and perfect your juice making skills.

 

[Aurora-Oblivion]

Try some lighter fruits, like watermelon or dragon fruit!

Those are easy, and forgiving on the percentages to a degree, so you should be OK with something like that and it will definitely be vapeable until you can create something better. And to branch out simple fruits like that you can add a little champagne, koolada, or menthol and they will still easily turn out vapable.

I've never looked into tobacco DIY, and wasn't impressed with the pre-mixed ones I've tasted either, but it sounds like you've picked some of the toughest and least forgiving flavors for to DIY. On the tobacco comments, I'm a menthol guy (Newports/Kools), and I've not tried many tobacco juices so that may just be my limited experience with those.

I do think you'll have a much easier time and a better flavor experience if you start with lighter fruits. Hope that helps get you somewhere vapeable in DIY!

 

[kabonk]

it took me a while before I got to the point with DIY that I thought wow this is good. I don't know about the cherry but the other 2 flavors you're working with are very pungent and a little goes a long way. I would suggest trying a few different flavoring vendors like capella's or FA or even different TPA flavors it takes a while to find what you like and to figure out how much to use. if you stick with it your DIY skills will get better.

 

[purelyscientific]

Stick with it man. Don't give up!
Tobaccos are especially tough to get right.

You can't expect to get it right the first time.
Set yourself a template % and mix a bunch of test batches and adjust from their.

Once you find your sweetspot you'll be all giddy from the excitement of being able to vape a juice you made yourself.

What other flavors do you have?

Try vaping them before you steep. Some flavors taste like crap after steeping. IMO coffee flavors especially.

 

[t.d]

If I can chime in and tell you my DIY experience...

I've made two WL orders so far, 5 flavors each time, I've had about a month of trial and error as well. I've dumped maybe 60ml on getting some flavors no where, vaping another 60 or so along the way, and waiting on another 60 to steep. Right now I have about 40ml of juice that I consider good enough to keep. So far my favorite is a mix of dragon fruit + strawberry+ various fruits and creams... and after a few shakes and some heat it smells and tastes like some sort of delicious bubblegum. it definitely gets better with age. Anyway my orders combined allow me to make 320ml of juice @ %20 flavorings totaling $40 with leftovers. i just spent $10 for 12ml at a store . Don't be afraid to experiment and don't forget you can move on. You'll be glad the one day you discover a recipe worth spending a 120ml bottle for

 

[Shilo]

You may just not like TFA flavors--- there are other brands out there---look at ecigexpress they are running a ten percent off sale right now listed in the deals and steals thread---just a suggestion. I started out with TFA and quickly left for other brands. You also did not mention the percentages you used or the base you used---all that matters as well. If you don't have EM and tart n sour on hand i would get it and add some to smooth a base out and particularly good for fruits and tobaccos.

 

[yardbyrd]

I've been DIYing about 5 months now and have only lost 15ml of e-liquid because it just wasn't vapeable and 10ml of that was due to rancid cinnamon flavoring. Your post made me want to ask several questions.

You mixed your cherry flavored e-liquid and used .6ml of flavoring in 30ml? Sounds low to me. I usually shoot for between 12-20% total flavoring depending on the flavor itself. I am by no means as expert as many, many, other posters.

Have you tried to mix a 5ml bottle of e-liquid from scratch, including mixing the PG and VG for that one bottle only? I suggest this to test the accuracy of your base 70PG/30VG e-liquid. It's also easier to do the math and you lose less if you don't like the result.

Are you using a freeware e-liquid mixing program like e-juice me up? Mine has shown me, many times, basic math errors I was making before I ever mixed a mistake.

I assume you've read all the stickies in the DIY forum. I checked out several blogs that proved invaluable especially Hoosier's blog.

I believe that there is a basic math assumption used in the creation of your base mix or other mixes that is causing most of your problems.

I say rethink your basic math and double check it, plug recipes into an e-juice calculator before you mix, and examine the methodology of how you mix. I always plug my recipes into an e-liquid calculator and create a text file with all recipes I am mixing and print it out and have it right in front of me when I mix.

I found the first major error I avoided was by getting my PG/VG ratios screwed up by not taking into account that my Nic was in PG.
I think this points up my own experience of examing basic math and my own methodology to avoid error.

Don't quit yet; I think that some small basic thing has thrown off your mixing attempts and if you can zero in on it you'll enjoy success.

 

[Bosco]

I've only made 2 batches so far - both were simple, like yours - just mix the base and add 1 flavor. Both flavors were Lorann's - Watermelon and Mint Chocolate Chip. The watermelon I did at 20% flavoring + 1 drop per ml Koolada. This one came out good and compares favorably with many juices that I've bought. The mint chocolate chip I did at 10% and it's awful. I don't know what it tastes like but definitely not mint chocolate chips. I will still vape it, though, because I'm stubborn, lol.

Maybe try watermelon - as others have said it's easy to use. I didn't know what when I mixed it but my experience seems to bear this out.

 

[Dothan]

I agree with everything said!!! I started mixing about the same time as you, and by luck followed the recommendations here, mostly. My first batch was a tobacco mix that, in my 15 months of vaping, for the first time my wife ask me not to use in the house, it smelled so bad... there was little chance because it tasted worse than it smelled I also mixed simple grape, and raspberry, both bottles of flavor were gone supper fast because they tasted so good! (I found that 20% mix of fruits works well for my taste) I have mixed several batches, expanding into other fruits and I mixed a cinnamon tobacco last night that is to die for! I've bought about 50 different TFA flavors and haven't considered any premixed since starting to DYI! The tobacco mix that was so terrible, I added other flavors and enjoyed it even. I've yet to toss any of the mixes I've done, and have enjoyed them all. I use the eJuice Me Up calculator and save all of my mixes, go back and tweak it when I have to adjust my mix. For me, I always mix 10 ml at a time, and vape it right away. I usually do 3 or 4 flavors at a time because I like a variety of flavors.

 

[neauxanalogs]

I forgot to mention in my original rant/post (it was late and I was fairly frustrated):

I am using Wizard Labs 70/30 nic base at 24MG. I went with 24mg because that is what I have been vaping for the last 6 months in pre-made juices.

I am using the eJuice Me Up application

In the recipes where I listed a ratio of drops / ml, this was per recommendations I ran across in various posts here.

For the 555 Tobacco, I mixed it at a 5% ratio per WL's recommended beginning level. I just don't know if it is too strong or too weak, all I know is it tastes like old wet hay. Not that I make a habit out of eating a lot of old wet hay, I happen to have several bales that I use as an archery backstop, and this stuff pretty much tastes like the bales smell.

My primary devices are a new VAMO running in RMS Power mode at anywhere from 7 - 8.5 watts and an older Lavatube 1.5t at about 4.8v. On either unit I use a Vivi Nova with a 2.8 ohm head in it. I also use a new Innokin iTaste for out-and-about vaping. I believe the atty in the iTaste is a 2.3 ohm and have been running the iTaste at 4.2v.

I have several other flavors that I got from Wizard Labs, all TFA. I have Apple, Watermelon, Vanilla Swirl, Raspberry, Coconut, Double Chocolate (clear) and Hazelnut Praline. I have been reluctant to try any more because all I can seem to make is Draino.

Thank You to all the respondents.

 

[neauxanalogs]

I've only made 2 batches so far - both were simple, like yours - just mix the base and add 1 flavor. Both flavors were Lorann's - Watermelon and Mint Chocolate Chip. The watermelon I did at 20% flavoring + 1 drop per ml Koolada. This one came out good and compares favorably with many juices that I've bought. The mint chocolate chip I did at 10% and it's awful. I don't know what it tastes like but definitely not mint chocolate chips. I will still vape it, though, because I'm stubborn, lol.

Maybe try watermelon - as others have said it's easy to use. I didn't know what when I mixed it but my experience seems to bear this out.

Is Watermelon something I can mix and vape or does it require a steep time and if so, what do you recommend?

 

[Vchick]

When I first started diy I was using percentages, it went bad very early on.

I've since learned to do 2-3ml batches starting w/1 drop of flavoring per ml, (single flavors only to start) I was surprised that TPA flavorings usually only require 1 drop per ml, in some cases 1 per 2-3ml, just depends on what it is.

If it needs adjusting up I can do that without ruining a batch, once it's where I like it, I write it on the bottle, ie 1/1, 1/3 etc. This especially helps if I decide to start blending flavors, because I know what level each tastes like on it's own. So far it's worked with my tpa, fw, hc and capellas. I just mixed a bottle of what I'll call baby gorilla juice, pretty tasty!

hth!

 

[uxojoe]

If you are using drops as a measurement, don't forget to check how many drops from what is a ml. My dropper bottles are 35 drops per ml not the default 20 in the ejuicemeup calculator.

 

[Blackbeard]

Your experiences sound very much like what I've been through. I think I've finally mixed something I'd like to continue mixing and vaping. A few of the things I've decided are pertinent to my mixing follows.

Don't try to determine what a juice should taste like based on the name of the flavor. Some of those fruit flavors bring to mind a great tasting juice, but in reality, my mixes just become a weak, watered down version of some cheap fruit drink. Adding more flavor seems to make the fruity stuff worse. Some of those "cream" flavors are terrible alone. I'm hoping they might make tobacco more mild.

Tobacco seems to be my favorite types of juices. They are, after all, what I was smoking before becoming a vaper. Sure, I smoked some of those Swisher Sweets and the like, but I've come to realize that tobacco was the dominant flavor in those as well. Tobacco will become my basic flavor with everything else being a secondary. You need to decide for yourself what you're really wanting to taste and stick with it until you find the proper device, flavor maker (this matters, I'm finding), juice pg/vg ratio and nic level, and probably a ton of other stuff. I'm sure those premix companies didn't come up with a great juice the first time.

Making a small amount of a test juice is the best way to go, but making too small of a batch is hard to mix and get right. One percent of 2 or 3 milliliters is difficult to measure. A 30 milliliter test is easier but you run the risk of a whole lot of "nasty". Other than adding more flavor to a single flavor juice, I found I was making a mess of a multi-flavor concoction when I tried to adjust a new juice. I found that 5 or 6 ml was about right for me. Once I liked what I had invented, I'd go to 10ml and then 30ml. I haven't vaped long enough to know how long a juice can sit in a bottle.

I'm not suggesting you stick with DIY, since if you can justify the cost of premix, and like what you buy, it's still cheaper than analogs. I will still buy premixed juices even if I formulate the best DIY ever invented. I'll just make my DIY my every day vape once that happens.

 

[glassmanoak]

You picked some of the toughest flavors to try for your first efforts! Mix your trials in 5 ml batches. Your pipettes are probably 38-40 drops per ml. I never use nicotine in trial batches. It is easy to add nicotine afterwards.
Steeping and Ultrasounding are very good. It helps, particularly with tobacco and bakery-coffee flavorings.
Try this recipe:
Apple-10%
Raspberry-3%
Shake well and steep. Don't try it until it is steeped because the raspberry is perfumy until strrped.
Where is Louisiana are you?

 

[kabonk]

I think 5% of 555 Tobacco is to strong I haven't found the right ratio of that yet but I haven't got around to playing with it yet it's sitting in my DIY pantry thinking one day I'll get around to it because I used to like BWB 555, I would start with 1 drop in a 3 or 5ml bottle of PG or VG and go from there

 

[glassmanoak]

I forgot to mention that using too much flavoring is more likely to give you nasty juice rather than too little. So start low and increase slowly. Also, juices with too much flavoring sometimes taste like there is NO flavoring.

 

[Levitas]

There is some really excellent advice in this thread, OP. As many of said, I will reiterate, do not give up!

When I first started vaping, I went through literally hundreds of flavors (vendor bought) to try and find an all day. Once that flavor became somewhat of a nuisance to get a hold of, I started making my own. Even now, after almost 3 months, I have difficulty with mixing (finding what I'm looking for). It takes time, and patience, my friend

What I can recommend, are a couple of very simple, and delicious stand alone flavors.

-(TFA) Blueberry Extra @ ~10% - Very tasty blueberry, and needs no additional sweetener. Mix, shake, and vape!
-(TFA) Double RY4 @ 5% (or less) - Excellent caramel, sweet tobacco. So simple, and another mix, shake, and vape!

Don't give up! You'll find your niche. It can take time, it might come to you tomorrow. In the end, I find it to be worth it, you may as well.

 

[Bob57]

If you are using drops as a measurement, don't forget to check how many drops from what is a ml. My dropper bottles are 35 drops per ml not the default 20 in the ejuicemeup calculator.

This was my biggest mistake when I first started DIY, depending on the needle size or dropper bottles drops varied a lot per ml.
I was suprised how much when I got a 1ml syringe and done a "drop per ml" count with different needle sizes.