Super easy DIY method #tape 2

[red_m1ke]

Welcome to the dark side of the forum.

Post here any uncommon, simple, easy, weird, complicated etc. method that u may have for mixing, diluting, creating your own e-liquids. As some of u may notice the "first part" of this thread is gone, so I`m bringing part 2 so we can continue our discussions.

Quick recap.:

1. Don-t use any percentaceg when first mixing liquids
2. Use your nose, smell and mayba taste the mixture. If it smells/tastes good look no more
3. Feel free to try anything in combination with everything. You never know what expect around the corner
4. Be prepared to fail and fail and then fail some more. Don`t get discouraged, you`ll get it, just keep going.
5. Test test test test
6. If u hit the jackpot reverse engineer it, find the percentages and replicate it.
7. vape at least 5ML then see how it changes, if u still like it then we have a winner

Edit: Used to many "so" in sentences

 

[fabricator4]

The main thing with the original 'easy DIY' idea is to buy nicotine base that is close to what you normally vape. For example, if you want to vape 15 or 16 mg/ml then buy 18mg base and add your flavours directly to it (in small batches of course).

Yes, you can buy higher nicotine concentrations and cut it, but the attraction here is that it's super easy, no math, foolproof. People doing DIY for the first time might find this method less daunting, and even the seasoned mixer might find this method adds a sponteneity to the process.

 

[Over_Stimulation]

wow...LoL DH

 

[red_m1ke]

For example, if you want to vape 15 or 16 mg/ml then buy 18mg base and add your flavours directly to it (in small batches of course).

I also did that first time I tried DIY, it`s the simplest way without getting stuff spilled everywhere or having to clean after u made a mix. I hate cleaning

 

[red_m1ke]

Also when u want to calculate percentages and u don`t want to make a large test batch simply divide the amount by 10 to get to 10% or by 20 to get to 5%.

For example: 1 drop of flavour and 19 drops of unflavoured base equals 5% of total flavouring (1+19=20, so 1/20 = 0.05 or 5%)
1 drop of flavour and 9 drops of unflavoured base equals 10% of total flavouring (1+9=10, so 1/10 = 0.1 or 10%)

U can go even further and get into ratios. To calculate ratios substract the result, wich in our case is 10% from total of 100% then divide the result by the initial substraction.

In the above example: 100% - 10% = 90%. to determine the ratio : 90 / 10 = 9. So now we know that the ratio is 9:1 (to be read 9 to 1) or 1 part flavour and 9 parts other things.
Now the next time u want to do a mix with 10% total flavouring u can add 1 part x and 9 parts y and know you-re doing the right thing


Also using this formula is not a bad ideea ) : (x/y) * 100

x = amount of flavour
y = total amount of liquid

Lets take the above example: 1 drop of flavour and 19 drops of base equals 20 drops of e-liquid so then we would have
(1/20)*100 or 0.05*100 wich is 5%.

The above aplies to any amount of flavour and to any amount of liquid.

 

[Shilo]

The super easiest way to DIY your own juice is to use the calculators and let them do the math for you as was mentioned many times on the first version of this thread.

 

[red_m1ke]

The super easiest way to DIY your own juice is to use the calculators and let them do the math for you as was mentioned many times on the first version of this thread.

Dat too. U can download one of them right here http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...e-calculator-added-quantity-calculations.html or direct download it here I find it to be the most complete DIY calculator u can find.

Many thanks to scubabatdan for doing this.

 

[pizza2me]

What happened to the first thread? I was just starting to read it day before yesterday and referred it to a friend that wanted to jump in easy. It was very similar to how I told him to start just to show him how simple it was and that he could do it.

 

[red_m1ke]

I believe it was deleted. I made an account just to post there but... we can do it here now.

 

[red_m1ke]

Here-s another good thing to know when mixing liquids together. In most of the recipes you will see that some percentages of the flavour are measured in drops, but actually how big is a small drop ?! Fabricator4 in an older post of this thread gave an accurate (as far as is gets) solution to straighten things up.

Take a 2ML syringe, pull the needle out and the piston, cover the exit hole with your finger and start dripping into it counting how many drops it took to get to 2ML then divide that number by 2.

It`s really simple and effective when you want to know how much % a drop really mean. So, say you counted 66 drops per 2ML that would make it 33 drops / 1ML wich further makes one drop = 3.3% of 1ML.

If u have a larger quantity of let`s say.. 10ML that would be 330 drops and then 1 drop of flavour would mean exactly 0.3%

Best of luck.

 

[Kabooma]

I followed the original Easy DIY post. A lot of trial and error. I use the calculator, but only to mix large batches.. I know I'm still a noob, but I'm doing this almost daily and I've hit every bump in the road when it comes to mistakes, vendors, and just about everything else. I'd like to save some of you the wasted product, money, and time that I wasted.

First, the original thread pointed to the pre-mixed nic juice sold by ecigexpress. Well, their concentrates are watered down and taste like crap. The calculator becomes useless when you have to mix 100-120% flavor to the base to get any flavor at all... enough said on that.

I've ended up ordering PG/nic base and VG base, and all flavors from wizard labs, and I will attest that the product is AWESOME. The flavor concentrates are exquisite and strong as any on the market. I've found that mixing the PG/VG is pretty easy, just 50/50 it, or whatever your personal choice is, but note the nic is pre-mixed into the PG only. I believe they sell PG/VG/NIC all premixed, but it gets costlier that way. Even still, they are far cheaper than anyone else on the net, another plus.

I also found that some flavors are more powerful than others. For instance licorice blends extremely well at 8 drops per ml of base (for me), but watermelon took about 12 drops to be at my level. Tobacco flavors tend to be more robust for me at 10 drops per.. so note that the calculators mix by percent only, but your flavors dramatically affect that, which is why I say not to bother with them until you get a 1-5ml recipe DOWN to a science first.. then use the calc to mix your 15-30-60 ml batches.

gotta go hit a meeting, will add more later!

 

[red_m1ke]

gotta go hit a meeting, will add more later!

Great advice. Thank you for sharing and feel free to post follow-up

Best of luck.

 

[Kabooma]

Ok after re-reading what I wrote before, I think I went into lecture mode a little bit lol.. Let me try to put it in noob language:

SUPER EASIEST DIY METHOD:

Buy premixed PG/VG/NIC solution. Most people start with 18mg (medium to regular smoker level). The only sites I know of that sell the mixes with the nic already in them are ecigexpress (not recommended) and here:
Our Unflavored Smoke Juice (Nic. Juice, Nicotine Juice) - My Freedom Smokes

I have not ever ordered from myfreedomsmokes, but I've heard good things.

Next, you need flavor. You can buy flavor concentrates from 1000 different vendors and get 1000 different results. I recommend these:
Flavor Lab

They are the MOST powerful and utterly tasty flavors I've tasted to date. Your mileage may vary.

Start mixing!

SUPER ALMOST-AS-EASY DIY METHOD

Same as above, but you have far more ordering options (more vendors) if you are willing to split your base, by ordering your PG/NIC base and VG separately. I do this now because that's what wizard sells and I wanted to stick with them for the most possible product. It's just as easy as the super easy DIY, only 1 extra step. When you order, instead of 18mg nic, you order 36mg (or adjust accordingly), because the nic mix is 100%PG. then you order 100% VG in equal amounts. Mix 50/50 and MIX WELL. Then add flavors, etc.. yes, it's THAT easy.

-----

Now, there's variables: Many flavors are PG based, so they can throw off your pg/vg ratio, and they WILL throw off your nic concentration. For instance, if you:

Mix 50/50/18mg base - 80%
Flavors - 20%

So now your base is 60%PG, 40%VG, and your nic content is Roughly 15-16%. I personally don't let that affect my mixing methods, and still mix to taste until I get it right using those guidelines. I also mix closer to 25% flavor, so again, your mileage may vary. Buying the nic base as 100% PG can make it easy enough to calculate your base back to 50/50 after mixing. This is where these calculators gain more value, of course. The best one I know is: eJuice Me Up - Best eJuice Calculator NOTE: Please read the how-to FAQ's before using it.. it only takes a minute and will save you tons of frustration and product.

Also, some dessert and fruit flavors may come out "sharp". They also sell Ethyl Maltol liquids that are basically sweetners to smooth out the especially sharp flavors that should be sweet. I found adding 1 drop per 1ml on my licorice blend took it from "really frigging good" to "friggin perfect". It's cheap and easy. Again, it will offset your calculations by a fraction because of the dilution of the base, but really.. who cares if the end product is tasty? I don't!

Important enough to mention: ... Until you work out your favorite recipes, you will NOT always get a good final product. This is DIY 101.. it's experimentation, and not all flavors will work well together, and some you just won't like much or at all. I've mixed every possible flavor with several tobacco bases.. For instance, I found clove worked well for me mixed with 555 tobacco, but the same clove tasted like a soiled .... when mixed with a different tobacco base. all things are subjective.

Steeping: Steeping is simply the post-mixing process, usually best with tobacco flavors in the mixes. It's just letting the mix sit, "air out" (I leave the caps off), and mature a bit. As said in the original DIY topic, if you have a bad mix, NO amount of steeping will make it better. A good mix is a good mix right off the bat, steeping really only makes a good batch even better. I found after 5 days, it's nearly as good as it's going to get.. although long-term 30-60 day steeping can be rewarding for making it even 5% (or whatever) better than that, sometimes.

 

[cherrycakes]

second method (?)

ya best way to do it if u want is to start by making 5ml bottles, write down the # of drops and if it turns out rly good just multiply to make a 30ml size or whatever. if u wanna make a huge batch then jst figure out how many drops = 1ml and do it that way.

 

[cherrycakes]

personally I start with a small bottle, add like 5 drops, add like 5 ml of nic base, shake and taste.
if it needs add more flavor if it doesn't you're done

 

[cherrycakes]

I'm not adding links but w/ the darkhood method u just buy premixed nic base, add flavor, shake
for example I vape 12 mg nic 100% vg
so I buy 12 mg 100% vg base.
no calculation required

 

[Butters78]

I've been using the super easy method using super concentrates from vaping zone. Makes it even easier cause you use less.

 

[red_m1ke]

I've been using the super easy method using super concentrates from vaping zone. Makes it even easier cause you use less.

Less is more

 

[red_m1ke]

Steeping: Steeping is simply the post-mixing process, usually best with tobacco flavors in the mixes. It's just letting the mix sit, "air out" (I leave the caps off), and mature a bit. As said in the original DIY topic, if you have a bad mix, NO amount of steeping will make it better. A good mix is a good mix right off the bat, steeping really only makes a good batch even better. I found after 5 days, it's nearly as good as it's going to get.. although long-term 30-60 day steeping can be rewarding for making it even 5% (or whatever) better than that, sometimes.

Steeping is a ..... ) True words there "steeping really only makes a good batch even better", but remember if the juice does not taste or smell fine right when u mixed it there will be little chance of it beeing magically transformed into a princess.

Sometimes it may happen with some tobacco juices but 90% pecent of the time it doesn`t. BUT I still recommend not throwing out your bad juices coz u never now. Taste is so subjective that you may not like your e-liquid just beacouse your know what you put in there and is no mistery to it.

So I suggest to let yourself forget what you put in there and then try it one more time. If it`s still bad then toss it and curse around the room

 

[Kabooma]

Steeping is a ..... ) True words there "steeping really only makes a good batch even better", but remember if the juice does not taste or smell fine right when u mixed it there will be little chance of it beeing magically transformed into a princess.

Sometimes it may happen with some tobacco juices but 90% pecent of the time it doesn`t. BUT I still recommend not throwing out your bad juices coz u never now. Taste is so subjective that you may not like your e-liquid just beacouse your know what you put in there and is no mistery to it.

So I suggest to let yourself forget what you put in there and then try it one more time. If it`s still bad then toss it and curse around the room

I rarely toss blends.. I have two tobacco blends that are just sitting and steeping.. a 555 blend and an american red that both came out not tasting right/good. I did this before where one of my first mixes was pretty terrible, tried it a week later, then two weeks after that. It was still terrible, so I finally dumped it. We're talking 5-10ml batches here at most when I'm experimenting.. I don't mind so much about wasting base, but it kills me to lose flavor concentrates that way

Anyways, the two recent ones I plan to get back to, I think I can improve them, and the flavor ratios on them are low, so they will allow some more experimentation.. My only problem now is something having nothing to do with DIY.. I'm planning to vent pretty hardcore in the main section at some point today.. stay tuned