Tips to Perfect Your DIY Juices

[msjs91011]

I'm starting this thread with the intention of making a one-stop place for people to visit when they're looking for tips and information on how to improve their DIY juices. I started DIY a couple months ago and since I am a truck driver, I only get home a couple times a month and researching dozens of sites while making juice can become pretty time consuming. So, not only will this benefit me, I'd like to have this information in one spot for everyone else too.

Please, take a moment and post whatever relevant tips or information you think would be a great addition to the OP here. Hopefully we can make this a very good resource for new and experienced DIYers alike. Thanks!

 

[BumbaCLot]

Tip #1. Read the FlavorArt thread. Tip #2. Try any of HeadInClouds recipes. Tip #3. Vape and don't doubt your ingredients.
In all seriousness, I recommend the above, but also start with one 25ml glass graduated cylinder, and a gram scale. A $25 scale from Amazon, a 25ml cylinder, 3 needle tips and 3 syringes are all I use after overbuying tons of equipment.
I mixed 100mg nic down into 25mg, and have that and my VG and PG. I drop my flavors in first, then my PG, then NIC mix, then VG, stir, bottle, and vape.
I've made 50 bottles in the past 3 months and never steeped anything that was all FA. It all tastes great the minute I make it.

 

[msjs91011]

What do you use the needles for? How do you clean them? I see you measure with a scale, so that removes the need for a dozen syringes. Makes sense.

 

[BumbaCLot]

I use the needle for the syringes. I have blunt needles and 2 sizes. VG is much thicker so I use a larger size. I clean both with hot water and PGA.

 

[BumbaCLot]

I make a pot of hot water, pour it into a cup in the sink, and have a bottle of PGA. After I finish I flush each 5 times with hot water, then PGA, then hot water again. Then I let dry. Occasionally toss everything in an ultrasonic cleaner. Since no flavorings go in the syringes they clean rather easily.

 

[BumbaCLot]

If you are going by weight, one 25ml cylinder can make 30+ ml of juice. The measuring lines only go up so high.

 

[fiveOclock]

This trick might be handy if you have lots of flavors from Wizard Lab.

This dropper top fits Wizard lab flavor vials perfectly.
http://discountvials.com/dropper-assembly-15-425-closure-5-x-60mm-pkg-of-100/
Combine that with this rack
You have a good flavor station.
Use larger dropper bottles for PG/VG/Nic.

At mixing time, I have PG/VG/Nic and flavors all lined up with dropper tops. Pull out my scale, drop, drop... and done!
Nothing to wash. I have been using this setup over a year and worked great so far.

I do use graduated cylinder but only for ml to g conversion. Whenever I get a new batch of PG/VG/Nic, I put them through 10ml increment weight calibration to have the accurate ml/g conversion unit.

 

[msjs91011]

I heard on vulive that a lot of the flavors we love are made by combining a few of the same named flavors from different vendors to get an all around flavor experience. For example, mixing strawberry from 3 different vendors should provide a bit better flavor experience than using strawberry from just one vendor who might make it taste a little alcohol-y or too sweet or whatever... anyone who does this or cares to elaborate a bit more on this would be great!

Ps. Eventually I will start copying some of these tips to the original post for easier reference. I drive a truck for a living (I'm 18WheelsVapin on vulive) so more often than not it's hard for me to get a good internet connection to use my latptop.

 

[purevapor1]

I make a 14 flavor diy juice that uses 4 different peaches - VZ white peach / cap peaches n cream / cap juicy peach and FA white peach. Yes it took me 9 months to perfect my peach cream juice over time i added another peach then another until i had all 4 with a few creams, ethyl vanillin, The pear, apple and strawberry flavors i used n small amount to compliment the peaches overall flavor profile. Also i incorporated a 90 glass test tubes with rack to test different ratios until i came up with the right mixture

 

[BumbaCLot]

Are you selling your peach juice or care to share for us DIYers?

 

[purevapor1]

BumbaCLot, i dont sell juice because my taste is not the same as others jmho. im just a diy juice enthusiast. the point of the post i did above was to help other diy'ers that other flavors are needed to make the main flavor pop if you know what i mean. the glass test tubes what i do is make a few assuming ratios of the flavors i use wait a few days then vape them. if its not good i note it then move on to the next tube

 

[Smoky Blue]

I sell mine, BumbaClot.. I have the 31 flavored Peach Overload in the recipes section..
just made a batch yesterday.. 6mg max.. I have one 4 oz bottle left out of 4..

 

[Professor Snape]

Hey @fiveOclock, great idea to stay organized.

 

[Melicious]

@BumbaCLot
Can you link to the FlavorArt thread? I tried looking for it but wasn't sure where to look.

Thanks!!

 

[kevmalone]

Melicious

http://www.vapingunderground.com/th...-formally-known-as-the-purevapes-thread.2501/

There you go

 

[Cephalon Vapes]

My local Whole Foods carries bottles of 100% pure no additives and unscented VG in the skin care section. I use it to dilute strong flavors and it's nice to blow flavorless clouds every once in a while. $10 for 450mL.

 

[mntman09]

I getting ready to use flavoring from trader joes. Any thoughts on this

 

[AmandaD]

I getting ready to use flavoring from trader joes. Any thoughts on this

No. Nothing there you can use! You need to use flavorings that are more commonly used for vaping, since they're concentrated (you don't need much) and don't have things like sugar in them! The Perfumers Apprentice, Capella, Flavor Art are most commonly used.

 

[zaroba]

If using syringes, be sure to account for the liquid in the needle itself and adjust accordingly
Tested mine and found there is 0.2ml of liquid in my needles.

Tested it with a small beaker.
Filled it to the 2ml line with water, used the syringe to extract 1ml of water, the syringe claimed 0.8ml. Thus, 0.2ml in the needle.

Also did an opposite test to make sure marking weren't just wrong. Had 3ml of water in a syringe, put 1ml in the beaker to make sure it went to the 1ml line, put in 1 more ml to make sure it went to the 2ml line. Also making sure the syringe went from 3 to 2 to 1.

 

[BumbaCLot]

If using syringes, be sure to account for the liquid in the needle itself and adjust accordingly
Tested mine and found there is 0.2ml of liquid in my needles.

Tested it with a small beaker.
Filled it to the 2ml line with water, used the syringe to extract 1ml of water, the syringe claimed 0.8ml. Thus, 0.2ml in the needle.

Also did an opposite test to make sure marking weren't just wrong. Had 3ml of water in a syringe, put 1ml in the beaker to make sure it went to the 1ml line, put in 1 more ml to make sure it went to the 2ml line. Also making sure the syringe went from 3 to 2 to 1.

The times I use syringes for flavoring (only my TFA which I prefer not to) I pull one extra ml or .1 ml out, then measure using subtraction.
So for .5ml I pull .6 ml out and push it back to .1ml and push the remains back in.
By weight is so much easier and I wish all of my flavors were in droppers.

 

[SeniorBoy]

- When I'm using a syringe for flavorings:

The entire mix goes into a beaker first. Then I "snap" the syringe with my fingers a couple of times to insure all of the flavor has hit my "mark" and then snap to insure the flavor is out and dribbles into the beaker. Then I empty the syringe a few times into the beaker to insure the needle is empty and rattle the needle against the side of the beaker. Finally, when I measure the "line" of flavoring at say 2ML in my syringe, it is rarely perfectly horizontal. Take a close look please. It has a very small "dip" in the center and that is "my mark" BTW, the mix in the beaker first is the easy way to insure x number of "drops" hit the target as opposed to trying to hit a much smaller juice bottle. /lol

I love beakers in case you didn't notice /lol

HTH

 

[Time]

If using syringes, be sure to account for the liquid in the needle itself and adjust accordingly
Tested mine and found there is 0.2ml of liquid in my needles.

Tested it with a small beaker.
Filled it to the 2ml line with water, used the syringe to extract 1ml of water, the syringe claimed 0.8ml. Thus, 0.2ml in the needle.

Also did an opposite test to make sure marking weren't just wrong. Had 3ml of water in a syringe, put 1ml in the beaker to make sure it went to the 1ml line, put in 1 more ml to make sure it went to the 2ml line. Also making sure the syringe went from 3 to 2 to 1.

While what you posted here is technically correct, it makes no difference for accurate measurements.

Do another test. This time, pull 1ml from a full glass with your syringe and needle(Using the marks on the syringe). Squirt it into your beaker. It will measure 1ml. Not 1.2ml. The 0.2ml will still be in the needle. This 0.2ml is considered waste. For our purpose(mixing), we can squirt it back into the flavor bottle by pulling air into the syringe and squirting into the flavor bottle. Medically, it would be thrown out.

The reason it doesn't matter is because the plunger cannot squirt out the 0.2ml of air or liquid in the needle. It will always only eject 1ml. The only way the 0.2ml left in your needle(this varies allot depending on the gauge of the needle) can get out is if you pull the plunger back and forth.

Just an FYI. You can ask nurses about this if you want.

 

[BumbaCLot]

Ahh my wife is a nurse and told me this didn't matter but I never thought about her leaving it in the needle and pitching it.
But I've moved on to weight and never going back but good to know!

 

[Professor Snape]

I getting ready to use flavoring from trader joes. Any thoughts on this

No experience with Trader Joe's, I mainly use TFA, CAP, and FA.