The Experimenting and Advice Thread

[PapawBrett]

Don't worry, this thread will die quickly as MOST people don't like to admit failure.
But I ain't most people

So I see a recipe for Upside Pineapple Cake on another thread, and I think "that looks good". But I don't have the ingredients listed, so using the 100 drop method I substituted. Not good.
Second attempt I started over. Again, using the 100 drop method, I tried 7% Golden Pineapple (CAP), 7% Yellow Cake (FW), and 2% Cotton Candy (TFA). A delicious sweet cake flavor, but not much pineapple. So I add 2 drops of Golden Pineapple and... a definite reduction in overall flavor. I've heard of such a thing, but not like this.
So, back to another 100 drop test. Maybe 9/5/1 on my ratios...

Are you strong enough to admit mistakes and accept advice ? If so, join in. Maybe someone else in the DIY community can help you find that flavor that you are searching for. Or maybe you can share your own experiences with someone who is trying.
Or maybe just wait a few weeks and watch this thread slowly fade away....

 

[jambi]

Hey, I won't count how many pull-ups you make at the TA, if you don't count how many mls of eliquid I've dumped down the drain.

Seriously though, most of my initial attempts are failures, though not necessarily the "down the drain" kind, although I don't think "failure" is the right word. Failure implies giving up. Adjusting ratios and such is just par for the course. I think my biggest, repetitive mistake is I tend to start with too high a % rather than too low, which leaves me no room to maneuver. Easy to add, impossible to subtract. I really need to work on that.

I haven't done anything with pineapple other than try out INW Pineapple single flavor to see if I liked it. I did not like it. I'm not qualified to give advice on that element, but were I you, I would just restart with much lower yellow cake, 2%, and add Pineapple to it till it's in balance. FW Yellow Cake is good stuff, but it can be a pain as it's definitely not a shake and vape type flavor.

Maybe Capella's yellow cake would be better? Haven't tried it. Or one of the Vanilla Cupcakes? Probably worth messing around with those as well if you have them.

And while you're at it, you can advise me on substituting FA fruit flavors for CAP/ TFA. For example, for a recipe that uses 8% TFA Cantaloupe, I want to sub FA Cantaloupe, what's the magic number? I've yet to find a steady median, always end up with either too much or not enough.

 

[PapawBrett]

Hey, I won't count how many pull-ups you make at the TA, if you don't count how many mls of eliquid I've dumped down the drain.

A little Trucker Humor is always welcome !

Seriously though, most of my initial attempts are failures, though not necessarily the "down the drain" kind, although I don't think "failure" is the right word. Failure implies giving up. Adjusting ratios and such is just par for the course. I think my biggest, repetitive mistake is I tend to start with too high a % rather than too low, which leaves me no room to maneuver. Easy to add, impossible to subtract. I really need to work on that.

Guilty as charged.
I am afraid I cannot be of much help with cantaloupe flavors. Never worked with those. But I do appreciate the advice. Thanks for your post. Maybe I should start lower and work up with my flavors.

 

[dannyv45]

I have made so many mistakes it could fill a volume of war and peace. The worst was a mis calculation of nicotine way back when I first started DYI. I mistook the instruction I got here on the forum and wound up with 36mg that I vaped for a week. I wondered why it was so harsh which I did disclose to the forum when seeking help but did not disclose what a head rush it was giving me. So we went around in circles for a while before reaching the conclusion that I screwed up the ratios.

So the moral of the story is to give all details when seeking help. Trust me the only one that will feel foolish here is yourself if you don't.

 

[PapawBrett]

I have made so many mistakes it could fill a volume of war and peace. The worst was a mis calculation of nicotine way back when I first started DYI. I mistook the instruction I got here on the form and wound up with 36mg that I vaped for a week. I wondered why it was so harsh which I did disclose to the forum when seeking help but did not disclose what a head rush it was giving me. So we went around in circles for a while before reaching the conclusion that I screwed up the ratios.

So the moral of the story is to give all details when seeking help. Trust me the only one there that will feel foolish here is yourself if you don't.

Thanks dannyv45, your advice is always welcome !
I use 100mg nicotine in VG @ 10% in my mixtures to arrive at 10mg nicotine. I think that's right..
Then I add 60% VG to get to the 70% VG that I usually vape at.
Since all of the flavorings I buy are in PG, I count these up then add PG to get to 30%.
Example: 10 drops of 100mg nic in VG.
60 drops of VG.
This is what I call my 'Base' for nic and VG. Then I added,
7 drops of Golden Pineapple (CAP)
7 drops of Yellow Cake (FW)
2 drops of Cotton Candy (TFA) (actually 10% EM in PG)
14 drops of PG.

As I stated in the OP, it came out a sweet cake flavor without the pineapple taste I was looking for. I am thinking next trial do my 'Base' nic and VG, then add 2 drops Yellow Cake, 3 drops Golden Pineapple, and 25 drops of PG. Maybe shake and age for a week then see what happens.

 

[DaveP]

I learned the hard way to start low in flavor and work my way up. That's easier than diluting the mix after the fact with unflavored nic base.

I have 4 bottles sitting and steeping that I sampled after 2 weeks. 2 of them were coming along fine and the other two were weak or virtually tasteless. Small additions of flavor usually get it right if you wait another couple of weeks before adding more.

 

[DaveP]

Second attempt I started over. Again, using the 100 drop method, I tried 7% Golden Pineapple (CAP), 7% Yellow Cake (FW), and 2% Cotton Candy (TFA). A delicious sweet cake flavor, but not much pineapple. So I add 2 drops of Golden Pineapple and... a definite reduction in overall flavor. I've heard of such a thing, but not like this.
So, back to another 100 drop test. Maybe 9/5/1 on my ratios...

Been there, done that! I've had great robust taste from a particular diy flavor, only to never be able to repeat that one again. Adding flavor resulted in nothing like the more flavor I expected. I guess we hit top stop on some and anything after that is a takeaway in flavor.

I've had flavors that were good, but needed a little more kick. More was less. Subsequent tries out of the same bottle were weak. I finally decided that I didn't shake the flavoring bottle enough the first time and it was top heavy on flavoring the first time and needed to be mixed. After the good (strong) part had gone in the first DIY mix the rest was weak. Maybe time killed it. Go figure.