Digikey? Fasttech?
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DIY bull shoot thread.
- Thread starter freemind
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Fleabay is a good source too, if you've got paypal anyway.
I'm clueless.
Hello everyone, so I'm planning on buying a basic diy starter kit which gives the option of a 36 mg 50/50 vg/pg base. I'll get bottles and syringes, 6 flavors... 120 ml each of pg and vg.
I plan on purchasing from heartland vapes and this will be my very first diy experience.
They have 100mg/ml nic base 50/50 pg/vg on sale and I'm wondering if I should go ahead and purchase it with some extra vg/pg and flavors. I'm just a little overwhelmed because I'm new to this.
I'm thinking about trying the drops and mls method to start with my preferred 3 or 6 mg at 50/50 since I use the mini subox kit currently.
Any thoughts or advice from those that are comfortable and used to mixing?
I've been given some awesome advice here already.
I plan on purchasing from heartland vapes and this will be my very first diy experience.
They have 100mg/ml nic base 50/50 pg/vg on sale and I'm wondering if I should go ahead and purchase it with some extra vg/pg and flavors. I'm just a little overwhelmed because I'm new to this.
I'm thinking about trying the drops and mls method to start with my preferred 3 or 6 mg at 50/50 since I use the mini subox kit currently.
Any thoughts or advice from those that are comfortable and used to mixing?
I've been given some awesome advice here already.
You may as well start with some nice nic.
I got this message from Heartland yesterday...
"Only $7.50 for 120ml of 100mg
We are having a sale on our new Ultra Premium Nicotine. Try it out for 1/2 off our normal price."
heartlandvapes.com/diy-up-nicotine-100mg-120ml.html
If you take a peak, you'll see it's Chemnovatic brand nic. Good Stuff.
Ron
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“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.” – Buddha
You may as well start with some nice nic.
I got this message from Heartland yesterday...
"Only $7.50 for 120ml of 100mg
We are having a sale on our new Ultra Premium Nicotine. Try it out for 1/2 off our normal price."
heartlandvapes.com/diy-up-nicotine-100mg-120ml.html
If you take a peak, you'll see it's Chemnovatic brand nic. Good Stuff.
Ron
---
“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.” – Buddha
I got it too, lol. I'm an Okie and thought I'd show them some diy love. I hope they still have it on sale when I get my next paycheck.
Do you suggest 10% flavor or 20% when it's a 50/50 vg/pg mix?
It sounds like it. How long is the shelf life? I'm hoping they still have it on sale in about a week lol.
The first post is full of great info, the rest, lots of feedback and chatter, but it's useful info to get started. http://vapingunderground.com/threads/what-do-i-need-to-begin-diy-simple-guide-with-links.2303/
As far as what % to use, it kind of depends on the brand of flavoring. They all kind of have their own user recommendations, but some are much stronger than others.
Teresa P
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Store it in the freezer, it will last for years.It sounds like it. How long is the shelf life? I'm hoping they still have it on sale in about a week lol.
Really depends on the brand and the flavor, but you vary rarely will want to use 20%, at least for a single flavor anyway.
5-7% is a good starting point for most brands/flavors, except INW & FA are usually only 2%.
But they're are a few exceptions.
Be sure to shake the crap out of anything and everything before mixing
I'm learning so much already. Thanks for the link. I've been going through the posts and taking mental notes.
I can't wait to try out one of the mixes you listed in the recipes thread.
Seems those are plastic bottles. If I was going to store them for say, over a year+ in the freezer; I think I would move my nic. into glass bottles.
Ron
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"Let's just say I was testing the bounds of reality. I was curious to see what would happen. That's all it was curiosity. "-Jim Morrison
Take real notes, tooI'm learning so much already. Thanks for the link. I've been going through the posts and taking mental notes.
I can't wait to try out one of the mixes you listed in the recipes thread.
I have 3 notebooks full of notes, recipes, tweaks... all kinds of things. I also have a LOT of bookmarks. Recipes that sound good to you are also a way to choose flavors, the comments on those will also give you a feel for how others like them, or subs they made.
Really depends on the brand and the flavor, but you vary rarely will want to use 20%, at least for a single flavor anyway.
5-7% is a good starting point for most brands/flavors, except INW & FA are usually only 2%.
But they're are a few exceptions.
Be sure to shake the crap out of anything and everything before mixing
Oh ok, well it sounds fun. I'll get in touch with my inner chemist eh?
I definitely will shake everything really good lol. I think I'll start with a basic recipe on here and just order a few small 30 ml bottles of flavors. Love bakery, fruity and soft mints.
Take real notes, too
Recipes that sound good to you are also a way to choose flavors, the comments on those will also give you a feel for how others like them, or subs they made.
Very good ideas, and I will definitely take your advice. I'm excited with my handy dandy little notebook and pen.
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For heavens sake, PLEASE take Huckleberried's advice about the notes! Best vape I've ever had in my life was one I made over a year ago, a creamy, chocolate covered strawberry - but I neglected to write down anything. I've tried to replicate that one ever since and can't do it to save my life.
I now have two notebooks, as well as a huge MS Office file, AND Dropbox....
I now have two notebooks, as well as a huge MS Office file, AND Dropbox....
For heavens sake, PLEASE take Huckleberried's advice about the notes! Best vape I've ever had in my life was one I made over a year ago, a creamy, chocolate covered strawberry - but I neglected to write down anything. I've tried to replicate that one ever since and can't do it to save my life.
I now have two notebooks, as well as a huge MS Office file, AND Dropbox....
Oh man that stinks! I'm sorry that happened to you. I will definitely write down all of my experiments.
Chocolate strawberry creaminess sounds amazing btw. I hope you can stumble onto it again. It just might happen, you might randomly shake up a bottle of awesome.
With things with which I am familiar, like programming, I generally don't need notes and can usually pinpoint a bit of code in millions of lines of code in any piece of software I've recently coded.
I also have a very good food palate and can whip up a dish on a whim without ever having seen a recipe, including things that are really hard to "get right" like swedish meatballs and gumbo and REAL irish soda bread.
BUT. With DIY? No, I write down everything, every flavor, every ratio AND every weight or volume (to the 10ml equivalent). If I've got a keeper, it goes into a separate (much neater) recipe book. Not like I've done a lot yet, just 6 recipes, 4 of which are Tobacco experiments for my wife. But as I do more, or the recipes get more complex, there's no way I'll be able to replicate all of them exactly as before without a guide (and sometimes notes).
I also have a very good food palate and can whip up a dish on a whim without ever having seen a recipe, including things that are really hard to "get right" like swedish meatballs and gumbo and REAL irish soda bread.
BUT. With DIY? No, I write down everything, every flavor, every ratio AND every weight or volume (to the 10ml equivalent). If I've got a keeper, it goes into a separate (much neater) recipe book. Not like I've done a lot yet, just 6 recipes, 4 of which are Tobacco experiments for my wife. But as I do more, or the recipes get more complex, there's no way I'll be able to replicate all of them exactly as before without a guide (and sometimes notes).
It sounds complicated but I think with note keeping it'll be easier to figure out the percentage of flavor I prefer. Something flavorful but not overly so.
I may start out with 10 ml mixes and a 2 week steeping period to start.
That sounds like a very good way to keep your keepers organized and easy to reach.
I may start out with 10 ml mixes and a 2 week steeping period to start.
That sounds like a very good way to keep your keepers organized and easy to reach.
It's really not complicated at all. LOOKING at it makes it so. All you do is plug numbers into a calculator and measure what it tells you. Just like following a recipe.It sounds complicated but I think with note keeping it'll be easier to figure out the percentage of flavor I prefer. Something flavorful but not overly so.
I may start out with 10 ml mixes and a 2 week steeping period to start.
That sounds like a very good way to keep your keepers organized and easy to reach.
Fruit flavors, really don't require much steep, if any. Those make for great first tries. We all over-complicate DIY, lol. You should see all the ways that people have come up with to simply shake a bottle. I shake it, I vape it, or let it sit on a shelf for a bit, let time do it's thing.
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O...M...G... do NOT get me started on that! Between here and the DIY pages from Facebook, every time I read a post and see pics about "my new super sonic-UC-sawzall-paint shakin'-magnetic-crock pottin'-even does the dishes" CONTRAPTIONS, I grit my teeth till they hurt....
JUST STICK IT IN A DAMN DRAWER AND FUHGEDABOUTIT!!!! ...or as I prefer to say - K.I.S.S...
You forgot rocket launcher. I think I saw that somewhere.O...M...G... do NOT get me started on that! Between here and the DIY pages from Facebook, every time I read a post and see pics about "my new super sonic-UC-sawzall-paint shakin'-magnetic-crock pottin'-even does the dishes" CONTRAPTIONS, I grit my teeth till they hurt....
JUST STICK IT IN A DAMN DRAWER AND FUHGEDABOUTIT!!!! ...or as I prefer to say - K.I.S.S...
Very good idea.
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Came out of necessity, 4 tobaccos, each with 4+ ingredients. Naming the finished product might be good, but for now it's E's Tobacco I, II, III, and IV, each v1.0, made last Saturday. If she picks one she likes I can go right to the page to remake or modify it. If the former, move it to the "keeper" book. If not, new test page for v1.1.
AndriaD
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I don't steep, if I can help it. Some tobacco mixes do require it, but fruits? Nah. If it's blah when you first mix it, you might wait and see if it develops into anything, but if it's terrible when you first mix it, time isn't gonna fix it.
I shake it with my arm. Then I use the other arm. Then it's mixed.
I use this calculator: DIY E-Liquid Calculator Ten Flavors With Nicotine Plus PG/VG Adjusting -- it's great for newbies, because it lets you specify a nic level and PG/VG ratio for every single thing you enter, so you can use it to mix pre-made ejuice -- that's how I started out.
Andria
I shake it with my arm. Then I use the other arm. Then it's mixed.
I use this calculator: DIY E-Liquid Calculator Ten Flavors With Nicotine Plus PG/VG Adjusting -- it's great for newbies, because it lets you specify a nic level and PG/VG ratio for every single thing you enter, so you can use it to mix pre-made ejuice -- that's how I started out.
Andria
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Drawers? Hmmmm.....Not to be contradictory,
but that's not the favored DIY method that I seem to remember....(post #10)http://vapingunderground.com/threads/creamy-phillip-rocke-anml-looper-clone.245118/#post-1187028
Ron
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"The reason most people fail instead of succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment."- Napoleon Bonaparte
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I like having options....Drawers? Hmmmm.....Not to be contradictory,
http://vapingunderground.com/threads/creamy-phillip-rocke-anml-looper-clone.245118/#post-1187028
Ron
----
"The reason most people fail instead of succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment."- Napoleon Bonaparte
I've done similar. Once, LOLI like having options....
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AndriaD
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What, you don't use the cat method? LOL!
Umm... I really shouldn't say what that cat APPEARS to be doing...
But no, I don't do it that way.
Andria
May be better off trying out new flavors in the smaller 10ml sizes as you will probably have some you don't like, which is quite typical.
Once you find your favorites, then the bigger sizes are a better value.
I made that mistake and have quite a few 30ml bottles of flavoring over 2 years old that are never, or rarely used.
Oh ok good idea. Yeah that would stink to have remnants that I don't even enjoy. Sadly I don't think heartlandvapes sells any concentrates smaller than 30 mls. I try to avoid overly steep shipping costs and like to make one stop purchases, but I'll keep looking around.
What's throwing me off are the percentages of mixes vs. standalones lol, but I'm hoping if I get like 4 or 5 flavors and just use simple recipes from the tried and true ones then maybe I can luck out?
I'll check further, they may offer 10 ml size fc.
Wizard labs and ecigexpress offer smaller sizes. Wizard doesn't sell FA though.Oh ok good idea. Yeah that would stink to have remnants that I don't even enjoy. Sadly I don't think heartlandvapes sells any concentrates smaller than 30 mls. I try to avoid overly steep shipping costs and like to make one stop purchases, but I'll keep looking around.
What's throwing me off are the percentages of mixes vs. standalones lol, but I'm hoping if I get like 4 or 5 flavors and just use simple recipes from the tried and true ones then maybe I can luck out?
I'll check further, they may offer 10 ml size fc.
You'll likely find that recipes will get you in the general area of where you might enjoy a mix, but you'll likely end up tweaking it to your preferences. Truly, we all taste things differently.
Fir example, once in a while I'll buy a little juice. I like Northland's Loopies. Another guy I work with, likes Fruit Loops too. He ordered some and doesn't like it at all. Me, I love it. He thinks it's too lemony. You'll probably find this true with recipes you find. You'll adjust it to your taste preferences.
I normally use BCV/or BCF now, and sometimes ECX, as both have 10ml sizes, CAP original size is 13ml FYI.
Bull City use code VU6 for 6% discount
ECX use code UNDERGROUND10 for 10% discount.
The closer of the two may have cheaper shipping but best to compare prices vs shipping also.
This makes sense, and probably starting out simple helps too. Like say I'm aiming for a lemon mint cream, probably just get 3 or 4 flavorings to start and build on an existing recipe until my tastebuds tingle.
Also am thinking about mixing 5mls to start. That way if it's a fluke I can tweak it.
Huge lemon fan here also.
I think it's why I love me some saturday morning fruit loops.
Normally stand alone percents have to be increased when adding a bunch of other things in IMO.
Unless you want to tone down the main flavor somewhat.
But if mixing several different fruits together you will probably have to go lower to get them all balanced proper.
(can be quite time consuming and frustrating tho as the taste may change over time)
Once you start playing around with mixing you'll get the hang of it...
I'll definitely check them all out, this is some awesome advice. And thanks for the coupon codes! Those always help.
Depending on how you vape, you can mix about 30 mils of finished product to test. Likely, no matter what, it will be vapeable. I drip in an RDA, so for me 30 mils is a days consumption of juice. if you only use a mil or two a day, then maybe 5 mils is plenty.
Just make sure your test batch is big enough you can vape some today, and you can come back to it later if you need to let it sit on the shelf for a while.
Creams tend to need a little aging time, to be prime. The general rule of thumb is creams and tobaccos need aging time. so keep that in mind when you mix.
Just make sure your test batch is big enough you can vape some today, and you can come back to it later if you need to let it sit on the shelf for a while.
Creams tend to need a little aging time, to be prime. The general rule of thumb is creams and tobaccos need aging time. so keep that in mind when you mix.
Huge lemon fan here also.
3% INW Lemon Cake (my favorite)
FA Lemon Sicily (great stand alone, or mix, but needs to be use mostly shake & vape)
FE Lemon (from ECX, has better staying power than FA Lemon Sicily)
TFA Fruit Circles (another Lemony one but needs other flavors to get the Cereal part working)
What does IMO mean? Oh and vc v2 in vape terms? Lol
I have seen people come close to pulling their hair out trying to tweak a recipe lol so I think I'm in for some fun times at learning the basics. Thank goodness for the recipes here.
AndriaD
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This makes sense, and probably starting out simple helps too. Like say I'm aiming for a lemon mint cream, probably just get 3 or 4 flavorings to start and build on an existing recipe until my tastebuds tingle.
Also am thinking about mixing 5mls to start. That way if it's a fluke I can tweak it.
Huge lemon fan here also.
I always mix 5ml of any new recipe.... I've had so many absolute failures, and got really tired of pouring so much down the drain!
Andria