DIY NEWB!!

[Vapin-Dave]

Hello all ... I've been vaping for about a year and a half and in that time have dropped from 6mg to 3mg nic. strength. I started making my own coils about 8 months ago and am ready to move on to making ejuice. I've been researching the forums and youtube for the last couple weeks and finally have my supplies coming in the next couple of days.

I already have a box of disposable nitrile gloves but won't be getting my scale for another week. So along with my liquids and bottles I've also ordered several syringe sizes so I can try a few recipes until the scale gets here. I just need to go out and grab a few of the smaller glass bottles to split the nicotine into. I have some mini SS funnels coming with the scale as well.

So here is a list of the ingredients I have coming ...

Nicotine 48mg/ml - 120ml NicSelect
Propylene Glycol - 200ml
Vegetable Glycerine - 1000ml

(I like my ejuice at roughly 80VG / 20PG)

ALL FLAVORS ARE 30ml.

Acai (TFA)
Banana (TFA)
Blackberry (TFA)
Blue Raspberry (TFA)
Blueberry - Wild (TFA)
Concord Grape (FA)
Double Apple (CAP)
Dragonfruit (TFA)
Fuji Apple (FA)
Grape (FW)
Honeydew II (TFA)
Kiwi (FA)
Kiwi - Double (TFA)
Lime (FA)
Lime Tahity - Distilled (FA)
Lychee (TFA)
Marshmallow (TFA)
Pear (TFA)
Pink Lemonade (CAP)
Polarblast (FA)
Pomegranate (TFA)
Raspberry - Sweet (TFA)
Strawberry (TFA)
Strawberry Ripe (TFA)
Watermelon (TFA)
Watermelon Candy (TFA)

As you can tell from the list I'm mostly into fruit type vapes. I have some recipes in mind but I'm sure it will take me a while to tweak them. I have several flavors that are the same as I'd read on a few forums that each similar flavor adds something to make the final flavor better. I have in mind a mixture of Pink Lemonade & Lime with Polarblast and another with Grape, Apple, Pear. Lots of ideas but will also be researching more and more recipes to try and nail down percentages. I'm thinking that perhaps one of the Sour additives would be a good idea as well.

So any advice, suggestions or good starter recipes that you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

 

[nightshard]

Since you're into fruit, some sweetener would be a good idea.
Sucralose, Stevia, EM or a combination.

 

[Vapin-Dave]

Hey thanks for the reply and suggestion. I was looking into those but had read that many people use the Marshmallow instead. Apparently it will round out harsh notes and bring out a somewhat fuller vape. But I had thought of actually getting some of the sweetener as well. Nothing worse than realizing I need it and not having it. I was also thinking of perhaps some vanilla custard and whipping cream flavors in the future. I'd like to get some mixing experience first though. Maybe on my next order.

 

[Teresa P]

Pear is a good sweetener as well.

 

[nightshard]

That store bought juice you're used to is most likely packed with sweetener, so it will take some getting used to for you to drop to reasonable amounts.

A lot of flavors are slightly sweet because they contain EM, but it's usually not enough to make for a sweet juice.

 

[Vapin-Dave]

Also ... not sure how all of you started out mixing but this is my plan. I am going to start by making a 10ml mixture with a couple of flavors WITHOUT nicotine. (No sense wasting it.) Once I get the percentages where I like them I was thinking of taking 5ml of that and slowly adding another flavor to see if it works. I thought this may be a better process than just throwing a bunch of flavors together and hoping for the best.

I've read quite a few posts where people try each flavor to get a sense of it. For certain flavors this is probably a good idea but also seems a bit time consuming. And percentages would need adjusting depending on the amount of flavors no?

 

[Vapin-Dave]

Pear is a good sweetener as well.

Good to know. I would imagine that a couple of the other flavors may be as well. Like the Raspberry - Sweet and the Watermelon Candy.

That store bought juice you're used to is most likely packed with sweetener, so it will take some getting used to for you to drop to reasonable amounts.

A lot of flavors are slightly sweet because they contain EM, but it's usually not enough to make for a sweet juice.

Yeah I had wondered about that as well. When I researched which was the best sweetener there were many varying opinions. I saw the marshmallow flavor pop up a lot so decided to go with that one for now. I figured in small amounts it may be enough and I guess I'll find out soon anyways. Which sweetener do you prefer?

 

[Rin Vapes]

Definitely mix single flavors first. Percentages (esp TFA) are all over the place... So you will not know where your tastes lie without mixing the single flavor batches first. I know it's annoying and time consuming but it's better than mixing a bunch of stuff and then wasting your product when they turn out like garbage.
Whipped cream is definitely a good thing to have. I mainly vape fruits myself and love adding whipped cream to them. TFA Whipped cream is excellent and IMO doesn't require steeping.
Sweetener I honestly rarely use... but Marshmallow is different than using an actual sweetener. If you're going to get one, I'd recommend Sucralose. (CAP Super sweet, etc) Using Marshmallow will alter the flavor, even though I think it works well in most applications. My favorite is FA

 

[Vapin-Dave]

Definitely mix single flavors first. Percentages (esp TFA) are all over the place... So you will not know where your tastes lie without mixing the single flavor batches first. I know it's annoying and time consuming but it's better than mixing a bunch of stuff and then wasting your product when they turn out like garbage.
Whipped cream is definitely a good thing to have. I mainly vape fruits myself and love adding whipped cream to them. TFA Whipped cream is excellent and IMO doesn't require steeping.
Sweetener I honestly rarely use... but Marshmallow is different than using an actual sweetener. If you're going to get one, I'd recommend Sucralose. (CAP Super sweet, etc) Using Marshmallow will alter the flavor, even though I think it works well in most applications. My favorite is FA

Thanks for the suggestions. I did bookmark a forum that has starting percentages (many with comments) for a ton of the TFA flavors. I was planning on using those guidelines and starting at the lower end of the percentage suggestion. Far easier to add more flavor than try to dilute it. I wasn't planning on going crazy on the flavors just starting with two in most cases and move on from there. I'm sure that after I make a sample or two that taste like crap I'll start trying all the flavors individually. Is there much correlation between the smell and taste of a flavoring or can they often be quite different?

I was originally going to get the Super Sweet but as I mentioned there are so many varying opinions on sweeteners. Some people loved the Super Sweet and others not so much. Most of what I've read so far suggested that the marshmallow in low percentages won't generally add much flavor and just a hint of sweetness. But taste is so subjective I guess I'm not going to know until I try some of these.

 

[Heabob]

Is there much correlation between the smell and taste of a flavoring or can they often be quite different?

Some are quite strong in smell, like Strawberries.
But others might take a real good sniffer to notice any smell.

Don't forget adding some TFA Vanilla Bean Ice Cream + TFA Dairy Milk = Fruit Ice Cream.
I haven't really found that FA Marshmallow alters the taste in a bad way...

 

[Vapin-Dave]

HA - I was just looking at a bunch of the creamy flavors available. Whipped Cream, Bavarian Cream, Sweet Cream, Vanilla Bean, Vanilla Custard, French Vanilla ... it's never ending really. I was also thinking about some of the TFA Sour for a slightly sour candy taste. The marshmallow flavor that I have coming is the TFA Marshmallow not the FA one. Hopefully they're comparable.

 

[nightshard]

TFA Sour is just Malic acid in PG.
You can get by with the TFA Lime that you already have for sour.

 

[Vapin-Dave]

TFA Sour is just Malic acid in PG.
You can get by with the TFA Lime that you already have for sour.

Oh OK thanks. In small amounts will the sour come through without the lime flavor? BTW - I got the FA Lime and the FA Lime Tahity.

And I just got my first smaller shipment. (I ordered items from two different vendors as neither had everything I wanted.) So today the syringes, bottles and 3 flavors arrived. The remaining flavors and liquids will apparently be showing up tomorrow. The 3 flavors that came today are FA Kiwi, FA Concord Grape and FA Lime. Oddly enough I can smell the Kiwi the most.

So I happen to have approx. 5ml left of a Watermelon Rancher flavor juice that I bought from a local shop. Could I add several drops of the Kiwi to that and shake it up to see what it tastes like? Or actually I have a Blue Slushy flavor from the same vendor that I can't taste much of. Maybe it would be better to try in that.

 

[Rin Vapes]

Thanks for the suggestions. I did bookmark a forum that has starting percentages (many with comments) for a ton of the TFA flavors. I was planning on using those guidelines and starting at the lower end of the percentage suggestion. Far easier to add more flavor than try to dilute it. I wasn't planning on going crazy on the flavors just starting with two in most cases and move on from there. I'm sure that after I make a sample or two that taste like crap I'll start trying all the flavors individually. Is there much correlation between the smell and taste of a flavoring or can they often be quite different?

I was originally going to get the Super Sweet but as I mentioned there are so many varying opinions on sweeteners. Some people loved the Super Sweet and others not so much. Most of what I've read so far suggested that the marshmallow in low percentages won't generally add much flavor and just a hint of sweetness. But taste is so subjective I guess I'm not going to know until I try some of these.

Yes. Going low on what is recommended is a good idea. As far as smell vs. flavor... yes. There is a difference. Not always... but especially with things like creams/etc, I have found the flavor to very greatly. For example, TFA Greek Yogurt legit smells like Elmer's Glue... However, if mixed at the right percentage, it can be lovely. Then you have some things that smell ok and taste terrible...

 

[Rin Vapes]

Oh OK thanks. In small amounts will the sour come through without the lime flavor? BTW - I got the FA Lime and the FA Lime Tahity.

And I just got my first smaller shipment. (I ordered items from two different vendors as neither had everything I wanted.) So today the syringes, bottles and 3 flavors arrived. The remaining flavors and liquids will apparently be showing up tomorrow. The 3 flavors that came today are FA Kiwi, FA Concord Grape and FA Lime. Oddly enough I can smell the Kiwi the most.

So I happen to have approx. 5ml left of a Watermelon Rancher flavor juice that I bought from a local shop. Could I add several drops of the Kiwi to that and shake it up to see what it tastes like? Or actually I have a Blue Slushy flavor from the same vendor that I can't taste much of. Maybe it would be better to try in that.

Blue slushy with lime would be interesting... if you choose to do that go low.
FA Kiwi, in my experience needs steeping...

 

[Vapin-Dave]

OK ... thanks for the advice. I likely won't be getting into too many creamy type vapes. Maybe some whipped cream or vanilla custard. I don't really like much except for the fruit/candy flavors. I've tried a few coffee flavors that weren't bad. I can't stand anything that's bread or muffin-like at all generally. Some of the dessert flavors I've tried are OK but I'm not a fan of vaping cinnamon either.

I was reading that FW Blueberry Cotton Candy adds a nice sweet taste along with a hint of fruit. I may give that a try if I need a sweetener.

 

[Vapin-Dave]

Blue slushy with lime would be interesting... if you choose to do that go low.
FA Kiwi, in my experience needs steeping...

AH ... that might be why. I only had a few mils of the Blue Slushy left. I put a few drops in and shook it up but couldn't taste much. So I added a few more drops and shook it again. It seemed slightly perfumy but not overly. I could taste the Kiwi a bit but not very much. I thought that most fruit flavors were shake 'n' vape. Although I have read that a day or two steeping seems to help sometimes as well.

 

[Rin Vapes]

AH ... that might be why. I only had a few mils of the Blue Slushy left. I put a few drops in and shook it up but couldn't taste much. So I added a few more drops and shook it again. It seemed slightly perfumy but not overly. I could taste the Kiwi a bit but not very much. I thought that most fruit flavors were shake 'n' vape. Although I have read that a day or two steeping seems to help sometimes as well.

Yes... Most fruits are ready right away but there are exceptions. Admittedly, I haven't worked with FA Kiwi much because I don't care for it. But the one recipe I used it in was a Frankensteep clone (I think that was the name??) It was essentially a Kiwis and cream and it took a month to be decent. Right away it tasted kind of like rotten fruit.
My favorite Kiwi so far is Flavor West. (not the natural one!!)

 

[Vapin-Dave]

Yeah I'm sure after I try these flavors I'll be looking at replacement brands for a few of them. After researching some of the creams etc. I'm leaning towards TFA Whipped Cream and TFA Vanilla Swirl. These both sound like light flavors that I would enjoy and apparently they both mix well with fruit flavors.

I've also been reading good things about the Inawera Cactus flavor. Sounds like in small amounts it helps fruit flavors to pop and gives a juicy feel to the vape. Any experience with that flavor?

 

[Teresa P]

Mmmm, love vanilla swirl....favorite whipped cream is Capella.

 

[wllmc]

i tend to lean on caps whipped cream these days as well between the 2. vanilla swirl is a must have ingredient. i like it solely for smoothing out rough edges. I hate the flavor alone but it seems to find its way into about 50% of the stuff i make. seems to just polish it up and make it shinny. cactus also is a must have. does lots of neat thing for different flavors and really good by itself.

 

[Vapin-Dave]

Mmmm, love vanilla swirl....favorite whipped cream is Capella.

HMMM ... I noticed that the one from Capella is called Vanilla Whipped Cream. I wonder if it just has more of a vanilla flavor than the TFA one? I couldn't find anything about the TFA one having vanilla flavoring. I suppose some Vanilla Swirl could be added to it.

 

[Teresa P]

I don't taste the vanilla as a high note, but it is richer than TFA. Kinda like the difference between homemade whipped cream and Cool Whip....lol!

 

[wllmc]

agreed.

 

[wllmc]

get both lol

 

[wllmc]

like FA marshmallow and TFA marshmallow. got to have both for 2 different effects

 

[Teresa P]

Yeah, I was just gonna say there are gonna be mixes that need to be "light and fluffy" and others that will be "rich and creamy," so get both.
Did I mention that some of us are enablers? LOL!

 

[Vapin-Dave]

i tend to lean on caps whipped cream these days as well between the 2. vanilla swirl is a must have ingredient. i like it solely for smoothing out rough edges. I hate the flavor alone but it seems to find its way into about 50% of the stuff i make. seems to just polish it up and make it shinny. cactus also is a must have. does lots of neat thing for different flavors and really good by itself.

Yeah that's what I've been reading about the Cactus as well. I think it's going to be a definite item on my next flavor purchase. HA ... NEXT! I haven't even gotten the entire FIRST purchase yet.

I don't taste the vanilla as a high note, but it is richer than TFA. Kinda like the difference between homemade whipped cream and Cool Whip....lol!

That's what I figured from the reviews I've read as well. Although to be honest I think the Cool Whip version would work better for my tastes. Although I'm sure within a few months I will have tried them both!

 

[Vapin-Dave]

Yeah, I was just gonna say there are gonna be mixes that need to be "light and fluffy" and others that will be "rich and creamy," so get both.
Did I mention that some of us are enablers? LOL!

Yes I can see that! LOL I'm going to have to try some of these things at a later date though. Or get a second job. But then I won't have time to make juice!!

 

[wllmc]

Yeah, I was just gonna say there are gonna be mixes that need to be "light and fluffy" and others that will be "rich and creamy," so get both.
Did I mention that some of us are enablers? LOL!

hahaha very much so cant even deny it

 

[Teresa P]

I've just got a vision of poor Vapin-Dave at his computer with five different tabs open for five different vendors and a sweat covered credit card in his hand....tee hee!

 

[wllmc]

lol

 

[Vapin-Dave]

I've just got a vision of poor Vapin-Dave at his computer with five different tabs open for five different vendors and a sweat covered credit card in his hand....tee hee!

HA ... VERY CLOSE!!! I've got far more than 5 tabs open. LOL But my CC hasn't left my wallet. Although I did sign up for an account on DIY Ejuice and I have a WISH LIST started.

 

[Teresa P]

www.bullcityflavors.com
www.ecigexpress.com
www.wizardlabs.us
www.flavorplace.com
www.nicotineriver.com

** For starters....

 

[Vapin-Dave]

Well I'm up in the Great White North EH. So I'm not sure those vendors would be available to me. Or maybe the shipping would just take a bit longer. LOL But I did read the thread about buying supplies in Canada and figured that I'd give a West Coast website a try. Not as close as where I originally ordered from but they have more flavors.

 

[Teresa P]

Oh, you're in Canada? I imagine that would make a difference with massive shipping charges.

 

[Vapin-Dave]

Yeah you're probably right. And if I can get the flavor here I may as well. Just seems that some flavors/brands are harder to find than others. But if you order enough the shipping is always worthwhile isn't it?

Great ... now I'm enabling myself.

 

[wllmc]

Great ... now I'm enabling myself. [/QUOTE]
hahaha

 

[Teresa P]

Great ... now I'm enabling myself.

Come to the light.....LOL!!

 

[Rin Vapes]

I like both TFA and Capella's whipped cream and most recently FA Whipped cream... Now, the FA one does have diketones in it (if that's a concern) but I've found it richer than both the previous creams listed, for sure.

 

[Teresa P]

I like both TFA and Capella's whipped cream and most recently FA Whipped cream... Now, the FA one does have diketones in it (if that's a concern) but I've found it richer than both the previous creams listed, for sure.

Had FA sitting in the drawer for months, now I gotta use it....

 

[Rin Vapes]

Had FA sitting in the drawer for months, now I gotta use it....

I've heard FA whipped cream works nicely with other creams too. I have not tried yet, personally as I just got the flavor but definitely plan to. It is not for the faint of heart. It's very rich... but interestingly enough doesn't seem to need much/if any of a steep

 

[Teresa P]

I like that even better....I HATE to WAIT....ha!

 

[Markw4mms]

Looks like I have a few more flavors to add to the ever growing collection.

 

[Rin Vapes]

Looks like I have a few more flavors to add to the ever growing collection.

That'll happen. I'm 430+ flavors in and these forums always make me "need" more things.

 

[Markw4mms]

That'll happen. I'm 430+ flavors in and these forums always make me "need" more things.

Well, I've only been doing DIY for about a year, and have a bit of a limited income, but I'm pushing close to 100 flavors, and it's growing all the time. I just got my scales the other day and made my first couple of mixes by weight last night. Also a good day for vape mail as my 4 gallons of VG showed up today from ED!

 

[Vapin-Dave]

OK Kids ... WOO HOO!! Got my shipment today. ( I almost had to wait until tomorrow!)



Funny how it looks like more in person than it does in the pic. I may try one quick mixture tonight. I plan to try a few over the weekend but I don't want to go crazy until my scale arrives next week. Figured I can use the syringes until then.

One question about the Nicotine though. It's 120ml of 48mg nicotine and it came in a plastic bottle. I plan on splitting it up into four 30ml colored glass bottles and putting three of them in the fridge/freezer. However I don't have the bottles yet and am waiting for my Stainless Steel mini funnels to come with the scale next week. Is it fine just to use it out of the plastic bottle until then? I'm assuming a week shouldn't be a problem but figured I'd check before I opened it.

 

[Markw4mms]

OK Kids ... WOO HOO!! Got my shipment today. ( I almost had to wait until tomorrow!)



Funny how it looks like more in person than it does in the pic. I may try one quick mixture tonight. I plan to try a few over the weekend but I don't want to go crazy until my scale arrives next week. Figured I can use the syringes until then.

One question about the Nicotine though. It's 120ml of 48mg nicotine and it came in a plastic bottle. I plan on splitting it up into four 30ml colored glass bottles and putting three of them in the fridge/freezer. However I don't have the bottles yet and am waiting for my Stainless Steel mini funnels to come with the scale next week. Is it fine just to use it out of the plastic bottle until then? I'm assuming a week shouldn't be a problem but figured I'd check before I opened it.

Nice haul! You should be ok leaving it in the bottle it came in, just keep it in the fridge when not using it. And don't forget to shake it really well before using.

 

[gopher_byrd]

One question about the Nicotine though. It's 120ml of 48mg nicotine and it came in a plastic bottle. I plan on splitting it up into four 30ml colored glass bottles and putting three of them in the fridge/freezer. However I don't have the bottles yet and am waiting for my Stainless Steel mini funnels to come with the scale next week. Is it fine just to use it out of the plastic bottle until then? I'm assuming a week shouldn't be a problem but figured I'd check before I opened it.

You got some mixing to do! Go ahead and crack it open. Make sure you give it and your flavors a shake before mixing. They tend to separate.

 

[Vapin-Dave]

OK ... Thank you both for the advice. Should I still get the glass bottles next week or just keep it in the 120ml plastic bottle? I have read that it's good to break it up into smaller batches so that the nicotine doesn't oxidize as easily and that glass is preferred in case of leaching. But it comes in a plastic bottle so that confuses me a bit.