The best way to start?

[tracilynnie]

OK I'm pretty new to the vaping world and have yet to try the DIY stuff.. I've searched around here and can't really find the right answer to what I'm wondering.

I'd like to start making my own liquid but I'm thinking that the best way to start would be to try it with 0 nic? I guess it's because I've made oils for candles and when filtering them I'm used to getting my hands in there and squeezing out the extra goodness from the filter.. Now I guess you could do that with gloves on with nic liquid but would it be bad to try it 0 nic first to get the best flavor balance?

Second, would it work to do the steeping method with say food grade cloves and cinnamon sticks? I saw someone post about the crock pot method and that seems to be the easiest and safest mode of doing it..

Anywho.. Just wondering if this would be the best way to start considering there is less risk when not working with a dangerous material..

 

[Jim Bob]

IMO the "best way " (though obviously open for debate) is to read , read and read some more on nicotine safety , mixing, recipes etc. Nothing wrong with making 0 nic joose, but depending on what nicotine level you vape now, you "can" buy 36mg nicotine to mix and there is very little danger involved (until you get more confidence ) It is really not too complicated (other than making a really good joose - which can be "hit or miss") It can be a great deal of enjoyment YMMV

 

[Levitas]

As Jim said, a lower concentrated nic-base might be good for starters. Personally, I started with a 60mg base, but, I use gloves every time I handle that bottle.

Also, you can definitely mix 0mg nic blends to try out before adding nicotine. I don't, personally, because the nicotine will alter the taste of the juice, and I want to taste the juice as it will be in the finished stage. Though, I don't think it would be a ground shaking difference in taste.

The best part of it all is, it's completely up to you. There really is no best way to begin, however, on your first order, I would maybe include:

-bottles
-syringes (with tips)
-stick with flavors you think you'll like for sure (in the beginning)
-eye droppers (or pipettes, they're not as accurate as syringes, but, they're disposable and cheap)
-safety gear (gloves)
-VG/PG (unless you only plan on using one or the other, I like having both, just in case)

...and, just as Jim said, read read read. A member here, by the name of Hoosier, has a very informative blog that is worth checking out as well. Allow me to find the link for you. E-Cigarette Forum - Hoosier - Blogs

Best of luck.

 

[Hoosier]

...I guess it's because I've made oils for candles and when filtering them I'm used to getting my hands in there and squeezing out the extra goodness from the filter.. Now I guess you could do that with gloves on with nic liquid but would it be bad to try it 0 nic first to get the best flavor balance?

Second, would it work to do the steeping method with say food grade cloves and cinnamon sticks? I saw someone post about the crock pot method and that seems to be the easiest and safest mode of doing it....

Extracting your own flavoring is a sub-set of DIY juice mixing. There is even a sub-forum in this sub-forum for some flavor extraction techniques. Since nicotine oxidizes rapidly when exposed to air, it makes no sense to use any nicotine when doing flavoring extractions. Note, I've been making my own juice for years and have never done my own extractions.

Next, steeping is done with a complete mix and while it is kinda' like the soaking time used with extractions, it isn't quite the same idea. Soaking and/or heating substances in PG and/or VG is to get the flavoring to come out of the substance and get suspended in the PG/VG. Steeping a mix is giving it a better chance for entropy to happen. It can look like the same thing to an outside observer, but slightly different goals and there is no need to filter after steeping, but usually a filter is needed after a soaking.

I know quite a few that have played with their own extractions, but I say play because they usually come around to using flavorings or commercially prepaired extractions. Sugars are coil killers along with any large molecules. Extractions are grabbing the flavor containing oils/fats out of the substance and a number of these can be coil killers, if not by themselves, then by the particulates that cling to them. (One that you mentioned, clove, is usually one of the least likely to kill coils.) If you have time, track the folks that are doing vanilla bean extractions and you'll see what I mean. (If they stay active on the forums, it takes a few months before you find out all the results. It could be that I've been here too long and am cynical too...)

 

[glassmanoak]

I'd recommend that you click on the "3" under Hoosier's picture and that you read the blogs and take them seriously. These are a great way to start into DIY.

 

[tracilynnie]

Thank you all so much for the input!

I haven't really decided if I want to play around with this yet but wanted to start asking questions now so I have a basis to start with.. I really wanted to know how to use things I already have, for example: my fiance likes the RY4 I think it's called and both of us think it tastes a lot like patchouli and since I have lots of patchouli laying around I figured its worth a shot (plus I've made patchouli tea with honey and it was good ) and of course everyone wants to have their own version of Pluid due to its rarity LOL

Anywho, I will continue to read everything I can find and may finally dip into this game in the next few months.. Who knows

 

[ajventi]

I began playing with making my own extractions, basically in my second week of vaping. But I have a lab and spare glassware and whatnot at work, so for me it was an wasy way to get into DIY before I bought any flavorings.

That being said, I made extracts of coffee, tea and Tobacco, the coffee and tea were basically crappy, I did find them palatable if I diluted them enough, but it wasn't worth the hassle. I'll probably throw them out when I need the bottles. The Tobacco was tasty, I haven't tweaked it too much and actually blended it to something that I want to vape, but the flavor is there. I may eventually try more tobacco extractions. I think my attempts at extraction will be held to unique things which I don't have access to in a prepared flavoring. For example I'm currently steeping Toasted French Oak chips in PG, I have seen some oak flavorings, but I have these chips on hand which are basically the "Cream of the crop" when it comes to toasted oak, so I doubt that a flavoring I'd purchase would come close to what I could possibly get from making this myself.

The term "Steep" that you'll see in the DIY forum is a misnomer of sorts. I've always known steep in terms of extraction, such as tea. The way it's defined in the e-cig DIY world has to do with letting the solution/mixture/suspension reach entropy (as hoosier said), basically since the fluids are thick it takes some time for them to properly blend. We're working in such small quantities that physically stirring or mixing is generally not done since you'd lose a large portion of your liquid with whatever tool you use to blend.

 

[Jim Bob]

FWIW, "RY4" is "normally" tobacco, caramel and vanilla (in varying degrees) I say "normally" because there are now so many you may find maple flavors etc. also included, that being said The Flavoring Apprentice (TFA) has IMO a very good RY4 "Double" that is hard to beat for a DIY mix.
Some PG+ VG and Nicotine, mix @ 5-10% (or so to start) it is good mixed and will greatly improve for a month or so (maybe longer? I've never kept any for longer and I mix about 80 -90 ml at a time) LOL

 

[BakuPeg]

Extracting your own flavoring is a sub-set of DIY juice mixing. *snip*

I know quite a few that have played with their own extractions, but I say play because they usually come around to using flavorings or commercially prepaired extractions. Sugars are coil killers along with any large molecules. Extractions are grabbing the flavor containing oils/fats out of the substance and a number of these can be coil killers, if not by themselves, then by the particulates that cling to them. *snip*

Oh no I'm going to be committing coil murder too? .. but I worked so hard on my 10 half jelly jars of tobacco extraction using an approved method.. I did everything perfectly, the 10 jars are all fixed, tweeked. I even sang as I wrung the tiny tobacco leaf pieces into perfect little crumpled buds. They look even happy as the tobacco goodness seeeeps through the leaves and turns the eliquid a happy golden and dark amber color.

Well, coil murder it will be. Just hope it tastes good b4 my cartos die

 

[Hoosier]

Sometimes you just need to kill a coil.

I've got a Bearclaw recipe that is a known coil killer, but sometimes the coil has to die.