Success on my FIRST DIY!

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jchamb2

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Wow, after vaping for 2 1/2 years, and going through several brands of "tobacco flavor" eliquid, I'm very happy with my first, very simple, DIY juice. I wish I had done this about a year ago...

Got my stuff, and with nerves rattling, I dove in. I decided to just make a 5ml bottle, so as not to waste anything. I used the very nice "ejuice me up" calculator to come up with a simple recipe for 60pg/40VG 18 nic tobacco blend (using tips here and typical recipes provided with the calculator.

2.5 ml 36mg nicotine
1.1 ml PG
1.4 ml VG
2 drops of TFA Tobacco
1 drop of sweetener (don't know what type, my local "Vixen Vapors" sells it.

I steeped it for almost a whole 5 minutes (using hot water in my ultrasonic cleaner) hahahaha

Anyway, after having paid $30 a bottle (30ml) for well over a year (they changed their recipe and I couldn't stand it any more), then finally finding local vape stores and getting it for about $14 a bottle, I figure that this might cost about $5 a bottle if I broke it down.

Anyway, I actually LOVE it! It's a nice smooth tobacco flavor with no wierd flavors that I can detect. Hopefully my next experiments (I want to try RY4, various coffee flavors and some fruity flavors) will go even half as well. I can vape this all day...
 

MiamiMom63

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Congratulations! It's funny how all of us probably were scared as heck the first time we mixed juice and later we look back and wonder why the heck we were so scared. lol. It's such a rewarding feeling when you can make a juice you really enjoy. I'm so happy for you. It's so much cheaper and makes you feel good knowing you have plenty in the cubbard for later without having to worry about ordering stuff all the time. Don't get dissappointed though if you make a juice that isn't so great or is downright terrible. lol. It's only a matter of time before that will happen, but it will happen! ha!
 

Chas_L

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One of my favorite DIY's is TFA Black Honey which used to be called Black Honey Tobacco. I mix 60PG / 40VG 10% flavoring. This one really needs 4 weeks or more steeping but I have read that a few hours in a UC will get it 80% there.

I also enjoy TFA 555 and RY4 . I purchase in bulk so my DIY juice is between 5 and 10 cents per ml depending on the flaoving(s) used.
 

DasBluCig

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After one week of steeping my very first DIY (Plain Vanilla) and getting no flavor.....I was about ready to pitch it.....
So glad I didn't!!!!:D
Just tried it in my drip atty - after 3 weeks' steeping - and it's a whole new "animal"!!!
Like Diana Nyad says: "NEVER GIVE UP!!!";)
Happy (vaping ) Trails!
 

Spydro

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When I first started doing DIY I got the battery acid deal done with the first two I did in 5ml batches. I had picked hard to do flavors, didn't know about the maximum percentage of them to use yet. They were vapable... if you like to vape cologne. After that it has all been positive with all of them vapeable, some enjoyed more than others that became ADV's. None were throw aways, some I like enough that I will eventually get to ADV with a little more tweeking.
 

dannyv45

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One of my favorite DIY's is TFA Black Honey which used to be called Black Honey Tobacco. I mix 60PG / 40VG 10% flavoring. This one really needs 4 weeks or more steeping but I have read that a few hours in a UC will get it 80% there.

I also enjoy TFA 555 and RY4 . I purchase in bulk so my DIY juice is between 5 and 10 cents per ml depending on the flaoving(s) used.

Unfortunitly I haven't had any luck steeping TFA's black honey in the UC. It's one of the only flavors I found that won't steep in the UC. It needs a good 4 - 5 weeks natural steep.
 

dannyv45

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Wow, after vaping for 2 1/2 years, and going through several brands of "tobacco flavor" eliquid, I'm very happy with my first, very simple, DIY juice. I wish I had done this about a year ago...

Congrats on your first success. It's very self satisfying having success so early in your DYI experience. I would highly recommend the hangsen flavors for the DYI starter. They are very good and easy to use.

Hangsen e-Liquid Flavoring | ecigExpress
 

MiamiMom63

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It is definitely encouraging to make something vapable first try. I am also new to DIY and this forum is an oustanding resource of information provided by people who are very willing to help. MiamiMom you hit it on the head with the scared part that was what kept me from DIY earlier.

I was the same way. I vaped about a year before I made my own juice and was so scared. I got my friend to start vaping and she kept coming over asking for juice that I would make her so I told her okay, but she was going to have to make it herself. I sat her at my dining room table and gave her the recipe. Her hands were shaking and she freaked out. LOL! After that she thanked me and has been making juices for alot of others. I wish I had known someone that would have nudged me sooner to DIY because it's super easy :)
 

Iffy

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Success on my FIRST DIY!

First off, congrats on your fortunate first venture!

Lastly, do ya realize how many of us here are green with envy and are...
banghead.gif
 

JD1

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.................Anyway, I actually LOVE it! It's a nice smooth tobacco flavor with no wierd flavors that I can detect. Hopefully my next experiments (I want to try RY4, various coffee flavors and some fruity flavors) will go even half as well. I can vape this all day...

Yea!!! I love success stories. :vapor:

Congratulations and welcome to the diy world. If you liked it fresh, just wait until you get your hands on a well steeped tobacco flavor that you like.

For the ry4 type flavor I recommend trying the TFA RY4 Double at 10% and steeped 4 weeks. If you search the forum there's a lot of threads on that type flavor. Here's one of the threads on the TFA DRY4 if you haven't seen it. http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/466243-my-first-go-dry4.html
 

Chas_L

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Your results may and most likely will be different from mine however my TFA Black Honey at 10% can be steeped much faster if heated to between 130 and 140 F for 8 hours. Now many say that over 125F is to much, some say 122F is max. and some advise against even a short out of the faucet hot water bath. Others swear that a couple of hot water baths is plenty enough. One thing we can never seem to agree on is best steeping practices.

I have 60 PG / 40VG 10 mg. Black Honey Tobacco which is three months old and it was aired for 2 days and then steeped in a closest and I sampled it every 3 to 5 days IMO it was better than many ejuices I had purchased after the frst two days and kept getting better for a few weeks.

The same blend which I made 3 weeks ago and heated to 130-140F for 8 hours was very good after 3 days and after a week I had a hard time telling the diffeence between the 11 week old and the 1 week old batches. Now that the heat speed steeped batch is 3 weeks old they look identical and taste identical to me.

If you do not want to use heat then use bottles much larger than needed such as 30ml.ones for a 10-15ml. batch. This leaves a lot of air space which helps and the smaller the amount the faster it steeps. WIth a less than 1/2 full bottle youcan squeeze the air out daily to speed up the process. If you are careful handlig the bottle and squeeze before shaking any alcohol that has risen to the top will be expelled better.

Once you get a batch steeped do not use all of it but instead mix a new batch and add 10% or more of the old steeped batch and it will steep much faster. Many of my flavors I can add 10 to 15 ml to a remaing 10ml. batch and it is decent the next day after airing out and most are great after a few days.
 
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dylan199

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Oct 3, 2013
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CA
Wow, after vaping for 2 1/2 years, and going through several brands of "tobacco flavor" eliquid, I'm very happy with my first, very simple, DIY juice. I wish I had done this about a year ago...

Got my stuff, and with nerves rattling, I dove in. I decided to just make a 5ml bottle, so as not to waste anything. I used the very nice "ejuice me up" calculator to come up with a simple recipe for 60pg/40VG 18 nic tobacco blend (using tips here and typical recipes provided with the calculator.

2.5 ml 36mg nicotine
1.1 ml PG
1.4 ml VG
2 drops of TFA Tobacco
1 drop of sweetener (don't know what type, my local "Vixen Vapors" sells it.

I steeped it for almost a whole 5 minutes (using hot water in my ultrasonic cleaner) hahahaha

Anyway, after having paid $30 a bottle (30ml) for well over a year (they changed their recipe and I couldn't stand it any more), then finally finding local vape stores and getting it for about $14 a bottle, I figure that this might cost about $5 a bottle if I broke it down.

Anyway, I actually LOVE it! It's a nice smooth tobacco flavor with no wierd flavors that I can detect. Hopefully my next experiments (I want to try RY4, various coffee flavors and some fruity flavors) will go even half as well. I can vape this all day...

Congrats!!
 

HeadInClouds

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If you do not want to use heat then use bottles much larger than needed such as 30ml.ones for a 10-15ml. batch. This leaves a lot of air space which helps and the smaller the amount the faster it steeps.

Once you get a batch steeped do not use all of it but instead mix a new batch and add 10% or more of the old steeped batch and it will steep much faster.

These two great tips deserve repeating. I discovered them myself "accidentally". Steeping in a too-big bottle, my juices darken faster. I didn't want to run out of my favorites and make a new batch in the old bottle with some juice remaining - I thought it was my imagination that it steeped faster - good to see I'm not the only one to notice that.
 

MiamiMom63

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Feb 17, 2012
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I'd really love to get into making my own juices.
I'm the main vaper and have gotten 3 others to vape yet I'm the one supplying the juice for all and it's becoming too costly.
i just don't know where to start.

What helped me the most in getting started to DIY is watching alot of Youtubes on it, and also Youtubes that show how to use the EjuiceMeUp Calculator app. So many people are nervous to try it, but we had a vape meet DIY class and everyone had to make a small batch for themself during the class, and so many of them were so happy they did it and said how they couldn't believe they were so scared over something so simple. There's no need to be fearful of DIY, especially if you start out by using 48 mg nic base. Yes, you need to be careful with the nic, but using 48 mg nic base takes most of the worries away. I highly recommend that level nic to start out with and I still use it for myself when DIY'ing.
 
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