Gotta start making my own questions

[Debbiej]

okay I started vaping and now hooked but go through so much juice it's getting expensive. Hoping making my own will help cut cost.
I looked at few sites, got overwhelmed. It had different numbers on the nicotine. What is that about?
Will it taste good? I hate artificial flavorings, I mean some taste really artifacl. I know it's probably trail and error.
Can anyone tell me what to buy first? Reckon I need nic, flavorings and some VG. Does anyone make their own flavors? I have all sorts of fruit and berries available in season. Damn skippy have 6 greenhouses at my deposal.
can't wate money, husband just got fired.. Any help much appreciated. Merry Christmas!

 

[Huckleberried]

Hi Debbiej. So sorry hear about your husband's job. You can start for a bare minimum if you really want to DIY. I'd recommend you start with telling us specific flavors that you enjoy vaping, then we can point you in the direction of which manufacturers to use. We also know good vendors and discount codes.

So... what kind of flavors do you vape?

 

[misswish]

Hi, Debbiej, and welcome aboard! As Huck said, let us know what you like and we can help.

 

[Chrispdx]

Yeah Debbie, we are here to help.

There is a super ton of info on this site. Lots to read and everyone is super helpful.

Starting out isn't all to cheep, but when you buy that first order your supplies can stretch out for a long period of time. My monthly vape Bill before diy was about 80 US dollars. When you look at in terms of that you can set a budget. I spent about 150 on my first purchase but that got me pretty well setup. I could have easily stretched that beyond two months before my second purchase. But I did go overboard.

There are lots of other questions where the team can help point you in a direction.

Where will you be buying your supplies? Vu covers a lot of countries. US, UK, Canada and so on

Have you looked in doing this by weight? Using a scale.

Have you looked into juice calculators yet?

As for flavoring. Pic some recipies, do some practice runs (go to site like ecigexpress or bullcityvapor and fill up a cart but don't purchase). See what the bill will be for your first purchase. If you do it right you could get it down much much lower than my initial bill since I picked 8 recipies and purchased a bunch of random flavors because I love odd tasting juices made with wackily things like ylang ylang, oakwood, cactus and so on. The real goal I think so you don't end up vaping strawberry for a month is to Atleast have 3 recipies so you can rotate through them and cross experiment between the flavors )

 

[Debbiej]

Hi to all y'all! Thanx for mentioning my husbands job Huckleberried.
I like Teleos juices. The poundcake, cereal juices, but mostly dessert custards or anything kinda creamy.
Haven't looked into anything by weight. Not sure what that means. I like the idea of rotating flavors, I do that now. Not a strawberry fan, other than that I'm game. Would love to make "The Milk", it's a fruity pebble with milk. I like vanilla custards too.
Is there a kit or something to start with? What nic to get?
I realize the cost up front will be high. I the long run I'm sure it is cheaper.
Do y'all like your DIY juices better than store bought ones? Or do you still get one occasionally?

 

[Debbiej]

Be buying in US hopefully.
Will look into juice calculators.thanx for the info........still looking as to where to go
Gonna check out ecigexpress and the other and see what is offered. Guessing like anything else just jump in and trail and error the way.
Will have more free time after holidays. Postal worker here

 

[AmandaD]

Before you buy anything be sure to check out our DIY forum - there is a wealth of information that can save you both money and time. My suggestion is to pick a few recipes you'd like to make (HIC's recipes are reliable), and buy the ingredients for those first!

 

[Debbiej]

. Will look into DIY forum

 

[Heabob]

Buying the smaller "sample sizes" of flavorings to start with will save you some $$, if you find some that you don't like after trying.
You can always buy 30ml of your favorites later on.

Don't much care for the kits as you get many things that may never get used.

Make a shopping list first.

1ml Glass Luer Lock Syringe for mixing the flavors that melt the plastic/rubber ones, (cheaper than a scale for starting out).
Smaller size needles work OK for flavorings as most are PG based, normally blunt tips are used.

12ml Plastic Syringe from Tractor Supply, if you have one close by, used for measuring PG & VG.
Get the biggest needle you can find, TSC has some but they are sharp ones so you have to grind, or snip, off the tips.
Some of the TSC stores also carry 1 gal USP PG.

 

[sk7175]

forrest fruit should be on anyone's short list

 

[freemind]

I don't know what PG/VG ratio you vape, but a gallon of VG and PG should last you some time (months).

I would also not recommend buying flavors in the 3 mil vials, instead getting them in 10-15 mil sizes to start. I say this because those little vials are not enough to let you play around with it to decide if you like the flavoring or not.

Juice bottles can be reused, so start saving your bottles, if you haven't already. This will save you money to start.

You may also want to consider buying premixed flavors from someone like Mama J's. I hear good things about them on this forum, and the good members here would not mislead you. @Donovan (ECX Flavor Lab) is also another fine vendor many of us use.

 

[Debbiej]

Thank you for all the help. I will be trying to get this stuff on next payday.
One last question though.........
Are the juices you make as good as the premium juices you can buy?

 

[Time]

Are the juices you make as good as the premium juices you can buy?

Most people that DIY think their own juice is much better than vendor juice.

 

[AmandaD]

Thank you for all the help. I will be trying to get this stuff on next payday.
One last question though.........
Are the juices you make as good as the premium juices you can buy?

I bought a ton of juice before I started DIY, and I liked very few. Since I started DIY I've found I much prefer the juice I make!

 

[OBDave]

Thank you for all the help. I will be trying to get this stuff on next payday.
One last question though.........
Are the juices you make as good as the premium juices you can buy?

At first they're tolerable, but once you get the hang of it and you're mixing for your own taste, you'll be able to do better than most manufacturers.

fat fingered flubs courtesy dumb mobile phone

 

[Debbiej]

This makes me very very happy!!!!
Been looking at recipes.........there is a ton of info on this site. Still looking for recipe for Teleos the milk

 

[Zortec2112]

Sorry to hear your husband lost his job...

I started DIY almost one year ago and haven't looked back. My first recipe was Jason's White Coconut Cake http://vapingunderground.com/threads/white-coconut-cake-by-jason.3474/

Prior to DIY, I loved the juices from a local shop, but since I started mixing I simply can't vape their stuff. I ended up giving away what I had left. Their juices (like many other vendor juices) are so over-flavored - and gunk coils quickly.

You're in the right place to learn! There's a lot of helpful people here, and in just a little time you'll be mixing juices that you love! Take some time to read up a bit on getting started. The best bet is to start small. While the price per ml drops ordering larger sizes, you won't be saving money if you get something you don't like. Pick a few recipes that sound good to you and order the flavors for them. You'll quickly learn what flavors you like and which ones you need larger sizes of.

My two cents...consider mixing by weight. Not necessarily right off the bat, but maybe once you make a few mixes you love, and when the budget allows. It's much faster using a scale, and the clean-up is almost nonexistent.

Good luck on your DIY journey!

 

[Chrispdx]

I think everyone has said it. First number of attempts can be just meh. But once you get going many are better. When is go to a juice bar I'd try 8 juices just to pick one. Now when I make it, I'm Atleast at a 50/50 ratio if not higher. I must say I just made a creme brûlée and there was one flavor to give the burnt sugar part and oh yeah it taste like burnt sugar and nothing else...can always win.

 

[Neunerball]

This makes me very very happy!!!!
Been looking at recipes.........there is a ton of info on this site. Still looking for recipe for Teleos the milk

I found this http://e-liquid-recipes.com/recipe/201510/Breakfast+at+Teleos+clone+the+milk. However, you might want to replace the sweet cream with some other cream, due to having Acetoin in it.
When you click on Create Recipe, you'll see a e-liquid calculator. When registered, you can store your bought flavors in the flavor stash (drop down menu, clicking on user name).

BTW, if you haven't seen it already.

Flavors:
Best brand for flavors is FlavourArt (FA), higher concentration, most realistic flavors.
http://www.bullcityvapor.com - NC (BCV)
http://www.ecigexpress.com - WA (ECX)
Coupon Codes:
BCV - permanent 6% - VU6
ECX - permanent 10% - UNDERGROUND10

 

[Debbiej]

Thank you! I've been looking for that. Sweet!

 

[Debbiej]

I finally ordered my supplies. I'm so stoked on starting! I took y'all's advice. I looked up 3 recipes for me and 1 for my husband.( he only likes 1), then ordered the flavoring from recipes. Got "The Milk", Mr Cookie, Claim Your Throne, AfterParty by Teleos. I ordered small quantities however, I'm thinking I should have ordered more in bulk. I only got the 10ml for each. I have no idea how far that will go. Ordered from Bull City Vapors and used the code. Thank you Neunerball!
Then I ordered from Vaporstrek. Got my nic and pg from there. I ended up with 450 ml on nic. Wanted to know what to mix with and I said VG. Was confused cause I thought it 100%. What does it mean?
I also got a beaker and some syringes. I think I'm all set. Is there anything I missed? You guys have been so helpful. This site is definelty great!

 

[downInTn]

Sounds like you got your nic in a VG base. It's not 100% it's 100mg which makes it 10%, iirc. Your fine with this. Make sure you use a juice calculator to get the measurement correct.

 

[Neunerball]

I finally ordered my supplies. I'm so stoked on starting! I took y'all's advice. I looked up 3 recipes for me and 1 for my husband.( he only likes 1), then ordered the flavoring from recipes. Got "The Milk", Mr Cookie, Claim Your Throne, AfterParty by Teleos. I ordered small quantities however, I'm thinking I should have ordered more in bulk. I only got the 10ml for each. I have no idea how far that will go. Ordered from Bull City Vapors and used the code. Thank you Neunerball!
Then I ordered from Vaporstrek. Got my nic and pg from there. I ended up with 450 ml on nic. Wanted to know what to mix with and I said VG. Was confused cause I thought it 100%. What does it mean?
I also got a beaker and some syringes. I think I'm all set. Is there anything I missed? You guys have been so helpful. This site is definelty great!

A lot of people here (including myself) mix by weight. IMO, it's a lot faster, than mixing by volume. In addition, you don't need a beaker, since you can mix directly into the bottle.
http://vapingunderground.com/threads/guide-to-mixing-by-weight.22891/
In case, you're looking for a good source for bottles (you have to order according caps/dripper):
http://packagingoptionsdirect.com/glass-bottles-jars

 

[Debbiej]

I had started keeping the bottles when we started buying juice. We probably have 15 30ml glass bottles with the drips in them. I have washed them out with super hot water. Reckon they'll work.
Someone else said something about measuring with weight. I appreciate the thread and will read. I'm all for speeding up process. Seems it takes a couple hours to coil and wick atty. gotta have it just so........
Still haven't received my stuff. Said it would be here yesterday, but a snowstorm has slowed down shipping. Guess I'll be heading down to the vape shop to buy another $22 bottle.
I started this to quit smoking. Now it's become a hobby, like a passion for knowing more and getting better equipment. Think we will ever find our perfect vape? It's a quest

 

[Heabob]

I had started keeping the bottles when we started buying juice. We probably have 15 30ml glass bottles with the drips in them. I have washed them out with super hot water. Reckon they'll work.
Someone else said something about measuring with weight. I appreciate the thread and will read. I'm all for speeding up process. Seems it takes a couple hours to coil and wick atty. gotta have it just so........
Still haven't received my stuff. Said it would be here yesterday, but a snowstorm has slowed down shipping. Guess I'll be heading down to the vape shop to buy another $22 bottle.
I started this to quit smoking. Now it's become a hobby, like a passion for knowing more and getting better equipment. Think we will ever find our perfect vape? It's a quest

Yes, it is a quest, a never ending story, perfect mod, perfect tank, perfect coil...
Bummer waiting for vape mail, especially when it's late.

 

[Neunerball]

I had started keeping the bottles when we started buying juice. We probably have 15 30ml glass bottles with the drips in them. I have washed them out with super hot water. Reckon they'll work.
Someone else said something about measuring with weight. I appreciate the thread and will read. I'm all for speeding up process. Seems it takes a couple hours to coil and wick atty. gotta have it just so........
Still haven't received my stuff. Said it would be here yesterday, but a snowstorm has slowed down shipping. Guess I'll be heading down to the vape shop to buy another $22 bottle.
I started this to quit smoking. Now it's become a hobby, like a passion for knowing more and getting better equipment. Think we will ever find our perfect vape? It's a quest

Once you get the hang of building coils, it won't take long at all, to put a build in your atty. Unless, you start building fancy coils, like a Fused Clapton, and make your own wire for that.