Taking DIY to Next Level

[BobInSD]

Hi,

I've been DIYing for a couple months now, and my friends at my local pub are really liking my juices. The problem is the amount of time it's now taking me to fulfill their requests.

I'm getting a dozen or so different juice requests a week, and that number seems likely to increase, as I "turn" the gang of smokers, who now realize they can vape inside the bar.

Currently, I only have a handful of syringes, and a 10ml graduated cylinder; and I tend to make 10ml batches, even though I have 15ml bottles. It's easier for me to mix the percentages directly into the cylinder. I use a recipe calculator, but do each batch from scratch.

In juices with multiple flavorings, I guess it would make sense to pre-mix those, and then just add the base/nic. I DO already pre-mix my tobacco and fruit "kickers". These are things like acetyl pyrizine, vodka, vinegar, EM, and (oddly) peanut butter.

Anyone have any tips and tricks to speed up my production? I've been looking into glass pipettes and pipette pumps, but have never used them.

Any operational advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Bosco]

Not that you're a business . . but you're talking about "ramping up production" so you would do it the same as you would with any manufacturing business.

Think about your "product line" . .how many flavors are you making, how many different pg/vg blends, nic strengths, etc. Consider limiting these and making bigger batches. Not only will it be easier but you'll get more steeping time and your juices will probably improve.

Consider having 2 "production streams" . .one for "standard flavors" + some options (menthol or not, sweetener or not, etc) and another for "custom blends". Ie . .1 day per month, you make a months worth of your regular flavors, pre-mix your modifiers, etc. And perhaps 1x per week you do a custom blending session. If your buddies want a custom blend, they know they will need to wait a little longer. Once you've gotten more custom requests than you can fill in, say, 2 hours of mixing, then stop taking custom requests until the next week . .they can still get some of your regular stock if they're out of juice.

Also consider standardizing your nic bases (mg/ml and vg/pg). You can save a lot of time if you can pre-mix your nic-bases.

Read The Toyota Production System by Taiichi Ohno . .just kidding about that last part, lol.

 

[Lopaka79]

One would think if you got larger tools and tools that make production quicker, it would ramp production. Keeping it cheap and accurate would be the challenge. The nice thing is that the juice you run would be uniformed in flavor in each batch. I like to make 90-100ml of juice at a time because #1 Im lazy and 2# each bottle taste the same

 

[Iffy]

If you only have a few demanded recipes, try making up 90 - 100ml batches, then divide into 30ml bottles. That way you won't be mixing as often and it's sooooo much easier to measure/add the ingredients!

I premix my nic/PG/VG base 100 ml at a time in a 100ml cylinder. If I need a single 30ml bottle, I'll mix my recipe in a 50ml cylinder.

Ergo, I highly recommend a 50ml and 100ml glass cylinder. I can't live (aka mix) without 'em!

 

[k3vin]

I mix 200ml mixes with standardized pg/vg ratios and flavoring all in a half pint canning jar. Then When I find out how much nic they want I add the nic then just pull from my pre mix. It slightly offsets the "actual" pg % but not by much. And it is so much easier for me this way.
I just use ejuice me up calc for 200 ml including flavoring without the nic included. And I have 200 ml of pre made flavoring. I advise getting the one piece plastic canning lids, the 2 part lids just don't work that well for what I am doing..

 

[skoot]

Now you know why all the good juice vendors are behind on orders!

 

[rdix33]

You know what would be great, if someone designed a "pump action" liquid dispenser. I know they already have some out there, but I'm talking about something that would screw into our flavor bottle, adjust a dial, then pump out an exact .1 ML of flavor. It can't be that hard to do. Think about the was a soap dispenser works with a treaded pump on it.

I guess I got a little off topic.

Sorry.

 

[skoot]

Or like the dram measurements on bottles of alcohol.

 

[adws]

You know what would be great, if someone designed a "pump action" liquid dispenser. I know they already have some out there, but I'm talking about something that would screw into our flavor bottle, adjust a dial, then pump out an exact .1 ML of flavor. It can't be that hard to do. Think about the was a soap dispenser works with a treaded pump on it.

I guess I got a little off topic.

Sorry.

They do make something like that http://eshop.eppendorfna.com/products/Eppendorf_Research_plus_adjustable-volume_pipettes

 

[skoot]

$350 though.

 

[rdix33]

Use something like a perfume pump. That would cost a couple buck. Sounds like a fun project.

 

[adws]

$350 though.

Yes but it is worth it if you do any amount of measuring over and over again. I use a couple of a different sizes at work everyday. Haven't broke down and bought one yet. I will as soon as a buy a couple of things first. I think my next purchase will be http://www.hometrainingtools.com/deluxe-distallation-apparatus-kit/p/CE-DIKIT2B/ to make my own extractions for flavors. But then not sure if that will work to do it.

 

[BobInSD]

These things look like they'd work, and are around $10. Along with a few Pipettes, in varying sizes; I'm looking at $100 or so, for 2ml, 10, ml, 1nd 25ml.

Then there's the issue of bottles. Best domestic price I can find for 10/15ml is about $.36 each (for 100). Anyone know of better deal? I like PET, because labels stick better.

 

[skoot]

Yes but it is worth it if you do any amount of measuring over and over again. I use a couple of a different sizes at work everyday. Haven't broke down and bought one yet. I will as soon as a buy a couple of things first. I think my next purchase will be Deluxe Distillation Apparatus Kit to make my own extractions for flavors. But then not sure if that will work to do it.

Likely it will. I have a friend who's an herbalist, I know she has some kind of still. I think it's bigger though, she says it's in her garage permanently set up.

I've been eyeing them too, but on a larger scale and for more nefarious purposes. I've been brewing beer for 23 years and wonder about that "next" step.

 

[adws]

View attachment 198722

These things look like they'd work, and are around $10. Along with a few Pipettes, in varying sizes; I'm looking at $100 or so, for 2ml, 10, ml, 1nd 25ml.

Then there's the issue of bottles. Best domestic price I can find for 10/15ml is about $.36 each (for 100). Anyone know of better deal? I like PET, because labels stick better.

This is what I currently use, well not this one exactly but one very similar. It takes a little but to learn how to use it, but once you do it works great. Just not as super easy to use than the one I posted, but the one I posted is not for the average DIYer. I use it at work because I didn't have to buy it LoL.

 

[adws]

Likely it will.

I'm thinking it will work. Just use some PGA on a low heat to get fruits or whatever else in fused and then strain filter yada yada yada, then distill the liquid. I'm thinking that will make a good concentrate. But then again I've had lots of good ideas over the years that didn't go so well in practice.

I've been eyeing them too, but on a larger scale and for more nefarious purposes. I've been brewing beer for 23 years and wonder about that "next" step.

I'm also looking for that "next" step so I know what that is like

 

[NGAHaze]

Many essential oils are extracted via steam distillation (there are other methods as well but they aren't relevent in this context) and are then used as flavoring agents in various products. However, you might be surprised to find out how much product is needed just to extract a few drops of essential oil. That, of course, varies with the material being used for extraction but the process can be tedious and ultimately disappointing when the actual yield is realized.

I'm not saying this to discourage you from trying this yourself however I'm just not certain that any benefits you might be able to achieve would outweigh the simplicity of purchasing flavoring from existing sources. Alcohol is a different subject altogether although the process is essentially the same.

Anyway, just wanted to put that out there. No doubt it would be fun to make your own flavorings but from an economic perspective, probably not so much.

Vape On!