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What do I need to begin DIY? Simple guide with links!

Izanagi7

Bronze Contributor
Member For 1 Year
I'm going to do some more research! Here is my conceptual starting point (that will likely change):

View attachment 16747

Spreadsheets! I love spreadsheets! Any chance you could share the .xls so I could make my own based on the recipes I’d like to try?

Thanks!


Sent from the Star Destroyer Executor
 

MarkS

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Spreadsheets! I love spreadsheets! Any chance you could share the .xls so I could make my own based on the recipes I’d like to try?

Thanks!


Sent from the Star Destroyer Executor

Sure, just pm me your email. I have it on Google Drive. BTW, it's evolved way beyond what you see... LOL
 

dez

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
Is there anything I should add? It's been awhile, and I was trying to make it as simple as possible. Of course, I also don't want to leave anything out.
I am just going to start DIY, and I ordered cheap plastic funnels on Amazon so that I can mix right into the bullet bottles from nicotine river that I'm using. A set of four plastic orange funnels that are different sizes was $5 with Amazon Prime.
 

dez

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
Just checked their website and I don't see any sale. Their price for 120ml is showing $20.00 which is apparently the regular price. Is there a coupon code I need to enter for the sale price?

The reason I went with the 15ml is because I didn't want to overbuy just in case it doesn't work out. If I can't get it right by the time I'm done with the 15ml then I will not continue. I will be making 6-10ml bottles of juice to start with until I decide which flavors I like. So the 15ml should be enough to start with.

The Chemnovatic nicotine at NICOTINE RIVER was $9.99 for 150ml of 100mg / 100ml just a few days ago when I ordered it, FYI. They also had PG, VG, very cheap.. & nice bottles, Etc.
 
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dez

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
I bought the 100 mg per 100 ml Chemnovatic pg nicotine from Nicotine River.. in a quantity of 150 ml for $9.99.

People are talking about diluting nicotine. According to the e-Liquid-recipes app, to get 2% nicotine in a 120ml bottle of E Juice , I would only need to use about 2.5 - 3ml of the nicotine mixture. I would not need to dilute it right?

Can anyone explain about ordering nicotine at higher concentrations and diluting it.. or whatever the process is?

Whenever I watched a vape shop make a house blend for me using nicotine, they had pure nicotine in a very small, like 10 mL, bottle, & only added a few drops for a 30 ml bottle, but they used gloves and the guy told me that it is very dangerous and even a drop on your skin can kill you. Can anyone advise about this? Thank you
 

MarkS

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I use 100 mg per ml Nic. I use nominally 1 ml in a 30 ml bottle to get 3 mg/ml. It is just easier for me since I don't have kids around to be concerned about them getting into it and I can easily adjust the level if one of my friends need a mix (at a higher concentration). A lot of folks will dilute it down upon receipt.
 

dez

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
I use 100 mg per ml Nic. I use nominally 1 ml in a 30 ml bottle to get 3 mg/ml. It is just easier for me since I don't have kids around to be concerned about them getting into it and I can easily adjust the level if one of my friends need a mix (at a higher concentration). A lot of folks will dilute it down upon receipt.

Why would you dilute the nicotine mix? Isn't it just easier to use less? Since the smallest amount from nicotine River with 100 mg per ml, is in a 150ml quantity, I am wondering.. how do you get the stuff they use in vape shops? - where they only have to have a tiny tiny 10ml bottle of pure nicotine.. and only use a couple of drops in a 30ml bottle for 6% nic?
 

MarkS

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
The potent Nic is 99.9% and is not something to be handled without a huge amount of care. It's basically handling a lethal hazardous substance. I'm good with 100 mg/ml and the only dilution is when it gets mixed. The reason I like that concentration is if I accidentally get a single drop additional in, it's no major deal. I keep my Nic in a glass amber colored bottles in the deep freezer. Remember: light, oxygen, and time (extended due to low temperature storage) are nicotine's enemies.
 
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dez

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
The potent Nic is 99.9% and is not something to be handled without a huge amount of care. It's basically handling a lethal hazardous substance. I'm good with 100 mg/ml and the only dilution is when it gets mixed. The reason I like that concentration is if I accidentally get a single drop additional in, it's no major deal. I keep my Nic in a glass amber colored bottles in the deep freezer. Remember: light, oxygen, and time (extended due to low temperature storage) are nicotine's enemies.

Yes, the man who used to mix my house blend with the very potent nicotine told me that if you got one drop on your skin and it could kill you. You always were gloves. I was just wondering if anybody can buy that or if it is something you need a license for? I seriously doubt I will get through the 150 ml 100 mg Nic that I have on order anytime in the near future because I only want 2% if any oh, but I was just wondering, for storage purposes. But, I did not see a place to figure that into the recipe in ELR.. so I don't know how you would figure that out.
 

MarkS

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I buy my 100mg/ml Nic by the Liter from Heartland. Once I get it I transfer it from the plastic container to my glass containers and put those in the freezer. I probably have enough to last several years since I continue to reduce the amount of Nic in my E-Liquid.
 

dez

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
I put a thread up in the DIY conversations section, called:

"If mixing your eJuice by weight is not working out for you.."

And I found several syringe kits under $15 (at most), a lot of them are actually $10 or under.. all of them include syringes of different sizes, like a range from 1ml to 100-150ml.

Most of the kits have, (like the one I got), at least one each of: 1ml, 3, 5, 10, 30, 60, & 100ml, and the links to them.

They are all sold by Amazon Prime- (you do not have to have Prime to purchase them, it is just a monthly fee you can pay to get lots of items shipped quickly and free.)

This will make it MUCH EASIER for me, because mixing by weight has not worked out for me in the beginning. Maybe one of the mods @5150sick ? Could put some of those links into this sticky?
Or, if the mod wants to wait until tomorrow, I can edit and add some good sets of beakers, and the links to Amazon.
Thank you! We love our mods!
 
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dez

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
I put a thread up in the DIY conversations section, called:

"If mixing by weight is not working out for you.."

And I found several syringe kits under $15 (at most), a lot of them are actually $10 or under.. all of them include syringes of different sizes, like a range from 1ml to 100-150ml.

Most of the kits have, (like the one I got), at least one each of: 1ml, 3, 5, 10, 30, 60, & 100ml, and the links to them.

They are all sold by Amazon Prime- (you do not have to have Prime to purchase them, it is just a monthly fee you can pay to get lots of items shipped quickly and free.)

This will make it MUCH EASIER for me, because mixing by weight has not worked out for me in the beginning. Maybe one of the mods @5150sick ? Could put some of those links into this sticky?
Or, if the mod wants to wait until tomorrow, I can edit and add some good sets of beakers, and the links to Amazon tonight.
Thank you! We love our mods!
 

MarkS

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I put a thread up in the DIY conversations section, called:

"If mixing your eJuice by weight is not working out for you.."

And I found several syringe kits under $15 (at most), a lot of them are actually $10 or under.. all of them include syringes of different sizes, like a range from 1ml to 100-150ml.

Most of the kits have, (like the one I got), at least one each of: 1ml, 3, 5, 10, 30, 60, & 100ml, and the links to them.

They are all sold by Amazon Prime- (you do not have to have Prime to purchase them, it is just a monthly fee you can pay to get lots of items shipped quickly and free.)

This will make it MUCH EASIER for me, because mixing by weight has not worked out for me in the beginning. Maybe one of the mods @5150sick ? Could put some of those links into this sticky?
Or, if the mod wants to wait until tomorrow, I can edit and add some good sets of beakers, and the links to Amazon.
Thank you! We love our mods!

I've had good luck mixing by weight. My scale goes to a hundredth of a gram and I weighed 1.00 gram of each thing (flavorings, VG, PG, Nic, etc.) to obtain the specific gravity (conversion factor) for ml to grams. Any time I reorder supplies I reweigh to confirm.
 
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dez

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
I've had good luck mixing by weight. My scale goes to a hundredth of a gram and I weighed 1.00 gram of each thing (flavorings, VG, PG, Nic, etc.) to obtain the specific gravity (conversion factor) for ml to grams. Any time I reorder supplies I reweigh to confirm.
well crap, I just jumped in there and Weighed everything going by the e-liquid recipe
 

MarkS

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
well crap, I just jumped in there and Weighed everything going by the e-liquid recipe

I should have said 1.0 ml of each to obtain x.xx grams per ml. I used a 1 ml syringe to get the best accuracy. By doing this you will get the best reproducible results. I've also noticed some slight variability in flavoring, mainly in strength, in a few flavors.
 

dez

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
I should have said 1.0 ml of each to obtain x.xx grams per ml. I used a 1 ml syringe to get the best accuracy. By doing this you will get the best reproducible results. I've also noticed some slight variability in flavoring, mainly in strength, in a few flavors.
I knew what you meant. I didn't do that though I just jumped in and mixed whatever ELR said to mix after I put in my specifications. I will find out in a couple of days if I was right because that's when I will try the bottle that I made, at least it tasted pretty similar.
 

MarkS

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I knew what you meant. I didn't do that though I just jumped in and mixed whatever ELR said to mix after I put in my specifications. I will find out in a couple of days if I was right because that's when I will try the bottle that I made, at least it tasted pretty similar.

I started out volumetrically mixing my own blends. After about two years I decided to go the weight mixing method. Since I refined my mixes based on volume, and I really liked them, weighing each to get the conversion was the only way I could think of doing it.
 
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Amber Petti

Platinum Contributor
Member For 1 Year
ECF Refugee
I really want to get into making my own juices, but this all seems so confusing to me. I only really use mint and menthol flavors. Can’t find a fruity one I like. I don’t understand how I would dilute the nicotine to like 6mg or even 10mg.
 

gopher_byrd

Cranky Old Fart
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Member For 5 Years
VU Patreon
I really want to get into making my own juices, but this all seems so confusing to me. I only really use mint and menthol flavors. Can’t find a fruity one I like. I don’t understand how I would dilute the nicotine to like 6mg or even 10mg.
@AMPetti79 Adding flavors, PG, and VG in the correct volume is what brings the nic level down. Fortunately there are recipe calculators that do all the math for you. Lot's of folks use https://e-liquid-recipes.com/ (ELR) You just fill in info like the strength of your nic solution, your desired final nic level, your desired PG/VG ratio and your flavorings. It will do all the calculations for you and show how much of each you need to use in both volume (ml) and weight (grams). Put everything in your bottle, close it up, give it a shake and then give it some time to get all those flavors infused (steeped). Low and behold there is your ejuice! It's that simple. If this half blind, shakey handed, bald, fat, cranky old fart do it you can!

Search in the recipe section here on VU or over on ELR with the key words menthol or mint and you will find a ton of recipes. If one or more look good to you, buy the flavors to make them. I buy most of my flavors at https://www.bullcityflavors.com/ (BCF) Great folks there and they show up here on VU. Here's a discount code that will get 6% off your order, VU6. The only thing is BCF does not sell nicotine due to nasty laws in their home state of North Carolina. Nicotine River, Carolina Extract, Vaperstek, Nude Nicotine, and others are great places to get nicotine.

When you're ready to start DIY there are lots of folks here ready and willing to help you on your journey!
 

Amber Petti

Platinum Contributor
Member For 1 Year
ECF Refugee
@AMPetti79 Adding flavors, PG, and VG in the correct volume is what brings the nic level down. Fortunately there are recipe calculators that do all the math for you. Lot's of folks use https://e-liquid-recipes.com/ (ELR) You just fill in info like the strength of your nic solution, your desired final nic level, your desired PG/VG ratio and your flavorings. It will do all the calculations for you and show how much of each you need to use in both volume (ml) and weight (grams). Put everything in your bottle, close it up, give it a shake and then give it some time to get all those flavors infused (steeped). Low and behold there is your ejuice! It's that simple. If this half blind, shakey handed, bald, fat, cranky old fart do it you can!

Search in the recipe section here on VU or over on ELR with the key words menthol or mint and you will find a ton of recipes. If one or more look good to you, buy the flavors to make them. I buy most of my flavors at https://www.bullcityflavors.com/ (BCF) Great folks there and they show up here on VU. Here's a discount code that will get 6% off your order, VU6. The only thing is BCF does not sell nicotine due to nasty laws in their home state of North Carolina. Nicotine River, Carolina Extract, Vaperstek, Nude Nicotine, and others are great places to get nicotine.

When you're ready to start DIY there are lots of folks here ready and willing to help you on your journey!
Thank you so much! I feel like a wimp because I’m actually scared to start trying. Feel like I’ll royally mess it up and waste money cuz I won’t be able to do it.

I go through juice so fast and my vape shop charges a lot for juice. I want to save money and I’d also like to be able to make my own flavors.

I’m really interested in doing this, just need to take the first step.
 

gopher_byrd

Cranky Old Fart
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A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step... Just do it!

Seriously, it's pretty easy. I've been mixing my own since 5/15 and I haven't bought commercial juice since 8/15.

Get a scale that measures down to 0.01 grams, it makes things so much easier than dealing with syringes. Read the guide to mixing by weight here: http://vapingunderground.com/threads/guide-to-mixing-by-weight.22891/ Actually, just read all the stickies in this sub-forum. Ask questions, this isn't ECF and no one will call you a dumbshit or moron.

There is an initial start up cost since you'll need to buy nic, PG, VG, flavors, bottles, and a scale. Maybe start at Nicotine River as they have everything except the scale and you get free shipping when you spend more than $50. I got the same scale shown in the mixing by weight thread at Amazon. It's gone up in price to around $35, but if you have Prime shipping is free. My scale is over 4 years old now and still going strong, so if you dollar cost average the price is next to nothing in the long run.

Look at DIY this way, that $20 30ml bottle of juice you buy at the vape shop will cost you less than $1 to make it yourself.
 

dez

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
Thank you so much! I feel like a wimp because I’m actually scared to start trying. Feel like I’ll royally mess it up and waste money cuz I won’t be able to do it.

Hi! I'm Dez..& I was EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE about a year ago, and everyone here was telling me that once I started doing it.. I would love it, (and other than 1 sorta-bad 120ml bottle that didn't come out perfect, (which doesn't make a drop in the bucket compared to what I was spending.. especially where I was going online), it is SO MUCH CHEAPER and BETTER than having to get in the car when you run out, or when you get to the store they don't have your nicotine level or your flavor, or order it from a store and pay so much money, and end up running out early anyway, because the mail was a day late or you didn't have enough money to buy it in time, or whatever.

ESPECIALLY if you have one that is your specific favorite. I got lucky.. and my vape that I've been using for several years, comes in a flavor concentrate from the people who sell it wholesale and I never knew, so I only have to mix vegetable glycerin (VG), (PG) propylene glycol, and I don't use but I did at first and have some and it was very easy with a small syringe, so I just have to add the flavor concentrate (as if it is one of many flavors you can enter into the calculator) all into the ELR calculator.. (And I like the ELR APP, which is not connected to the website, but it is easy to use & figure out since I only have about three recipes that I care about and I can save them and also scroll through other people's, it's very similar to the website but I think it's easier to use as far as entering the recipe.

The supplies you need are at the top of the do-it-yourself juice link, get specific scale from Amazon, and you can get lots of other things there if you have free 2-day Prime shipping, or you may get the scale at Walmart or wherever, and the easiest way to do it when you start, is either use Amazon Prime to get a gallon of VG and a gallon of PG, or get a starter for your first time, that's what I did and I still have tons of PG and VG and nicotine left, and I think mine came from Nicotine River.. where I got a gallon of vg & pg each, and you would want to get your nicotine at the 100 level, (they offer 60 and 100 I believe), and you would want to pick it in the PG version of propylene glycol, because it works out better that way with flavor and it does not weigh as much as the thicker and heavier vegetable glycerin version, so it is easier with the calculators if you are using a scale.

I bought the one on Amazon that they list here, and the easiest way to do it, is to get a beaker that is more than big enough for what you need, put it on the scale, and then hit the TARE button and it will show you there is zero weight. TARE takes off the weight of whatever is on the scale and leaves it at zero for you to start fresh even if you have already got other ingredients in the bowl.

Then you have already plugged in your information on the ELR app or calculator online, so you get your first ingredient..(and I like to line them up in order of what ELR tells me it's order of items is, so that way I don't grab the wrong bottle)..

And you just pour into the beaker the weight in grams that it says to use, - it also gives you the amount in milliliters, so you could use syringes or beakers if you wanted to go that route, but I think it's the most precise and easiest if you do it with a scale and use grams, but you can have the option of either when you use that calculator in the app or online).

If you pour too much- if you start using only one ingredient at a time- and rinsing out your Beaker in between ingredients, if you over-pour, you can just pour it back into the bigger container it came from.. and not waste it, and after every ingredient.. hit the TARE button again after the beaker is on the scale.. or whenever you need the weight to be removed.. and something is on the scale already, and it will start out at 0, and you can measure your next ingredient.

After you get comfortable, you will put the beaker on the scale, and do one ingredient and then hit the TARE button, and then do another ingredient, and then hit the TARE button, and so on..

Then you'll just use the beaker with a spout to pour it into a bottle, and shake it up well, and you can choose to microwave-steep it, (you can look that up on YouTube), or just leave it with the cap off in a shelf for a week or two..

If you like your flavor right out of the bottle though, I have found no need or benefit from steeping my juice.. bc it is already perfect for me.

A lot of people do like to steep their juice to get a more bold /better flavor out of it though.

As for the kit I got from nicotine River, their bottles are awesome, the "bullet bottles", with the twist tops that don't come off every time you want to refill, but you can twist it one way to let it flow or twist it closed on the very top.. and then there is a bigger part that goes around the neck- where you can take the entire top of the bottle off.. where the spout is, & clean it, and they are VERY CHEAP- under a dollar each.

It gets easier after you've done it several times, but I do still have to focus and not talk when I'm doing it.

Just go slow with one ingredient at a time at 1st, and then if you pour too much, it doesn't matter.. because you can just pour the extra back into the bottle.. and put the beaker back on the scale WITHOUT HITTING TARE IF THERE'S STILL SOME FLUID IN IT..and it will automatically adjust to how much is in there at that point, and you can add more back from the big bottle into the beaker -until you hit the right amount.

I'm tied up a lot this week and maybe the next, but if you have any questions I can tell you, especially if you order off Nicotine River to get started which is the best thing to do I think, or Amazon, where I got my like the scale and beakers and syringes for measuring, maybe I can help you out by sending you the links to what I bought specifically and like to use that is simple and inexpensive..

I believe I made a thread before.. where I put a lot of comparison shopping off of Amazon..with links & prices..since so many of us here have Prime, and they do sell the vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol on Amazon also. That is also where I got my set of beakers and syringes and everything I experimented with until I figured out I only needed a scale, a medium sized beaker, my liquids, and the ELR calculator, and bottles.
-A label maker doesn't hurt either.

But you can use the same bottles like I do.. and just rotate them, and write on them with a sharpie or just take a piece of paper and tape a label on when you're starting out, or write on it with a sharpie if you have a favorite that you make all of the time, so unless you are selling what you make, you really don't need a lot of bottles anyway.

*Do make sure that what you buy will fit in your shelves, because we are in an apartment that is absolutely tiny with no storage, and I bought some nicotine River bullet bottles, those things are awesome, and cheap, but the big one barely fit in my cabinet because our apartment has no storage space. (I spent hundreds of dollars on things that hang over Cabinets and Doors to make vertical storage.)

Anyway, if you want to send me a private message feel free to, and I will try to check on here soon.. and I can give you my Facebook info and private so you can shoot me private messages if you have questions and I won't have to check anywhere to get them because they pop up on my phone. Good luck!
Dez
 

Synphul

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Thank you so much! I feel like a wimp because I’m actually scared to start trying. Feel like I’ll royally mess it up and waste money cuz I won’t be able to do it.

I go through juice so fast and my vape shop charges a lot for juice. I want to save money and I’d also like to be able to make my own flavors.

I’m really interested in doing this, just need to take the first step.
I don't do things 'properly' in terms of how pros do. However mixing is really pretty easy. I got a kit from nicotine river to start and while they don't have as many flavor choices as bullcity flavors, they do offer 15ml flavoring bottles vs 10ml in the small bottles. When I started I started off with a scale not by volume. The scale that's been mentioned from amazon, the aws lb-501, is the one I use. Great little scale, bounces around from $30-35 and cheaper than other places I've found. Comes with the scale and a hard lid (so the weighing surface doesn't get damaged), a large dry ingredient bowl not really helpful for juice but maybe for cooking? Comes with a power adapter wall wart allowing the scale to stay on until you turn it off (auto off if using batteries). Backlit display, tare function, comes with a couple weights for calibrating.

I take an empty juice bottle, pop it on the scale and use the tare to zero it out. Either add ingredients according to someone else's recipe or mix what I think would go well together. Add the flavors, the pg, the nicotine and swirl it around to mix a little, then add the vg, cap the bottle and shake. Lots of different calculators out there, I use the one on steam engine's site. You basically plug in the ingredients and % of each, the starting strength of the nicotine and what base it's in (vg or pg), tell it what you want to end up with like 3mg 70vg/30pg. It does all the calculations for you.

Writing down what you do on a notepad is helpful. Especially if you're playing with a recipe like say you were going for an apple juice. Maybe you used 4% fa fuji apple, 3% capella double apple and 1% fa apple stark. Then if it didn't quite suit you, maybe the next time you want to adjust them and go with .5% apple stark, 2% fuji apple and 5% double apple or whatever the case is. Documenting your changes, if a recipe improves you'll remember what you did. Or if it's less desirable you'll know what not to do.

Mixing in small amounts to start is a better way to go about it. Maybe stick to 10-15ml when trying something out even if it's just something off the top of your head. Not only will smaller amounts steep quicker, if you dislike it a lot and feel like dumping it you're not out much. For that matter you can always mix up a test recipe without the nicotine, see how it tastes. Then if it's ok add the nicotine according to the recipe formed in the calculator and see if the flavor changes. If you dislike it before you add the nicotine, you've saved wasting it. If your measurements aren't exact, it's not the end of the world. It's not life or death, if you go over or under by .05g so what. That's how I look at it. It's not going to turn an apple flavored juice into pickle and lemonade flavor. I mean sure, try to get close to stay consistent but it's not like diffusing or disarming ordinance. :p

Think of it like this, what's the worst you'll do, come up with something that tastes bad? You're out maybe 25-30 cents for a 10-15ml (maybe even less). No harm done. I'm no whiz, no master chef or master mixer. Most of my stuff so far has been just winging it with what I think would be good. Is it all fantastic? Nope. Is it the worst juice I've ever bought from a commercial company? Nope. Some taste better than others but none have been so gross I felt they needed to go down the drain. Just be open to it as a new adventure and don't set unrealistic expectations. Don't expect to plop some flavors together and come up with 2019's #1 ejuice flavor mixed by companies who often hire professional flavor developers. It may not be gourmet but doesn't mean it'll be awful or you won't enjoy it. Once you get a basic recipe idea that appeals to you like hey, this is pretty good. I could vape this regularly, then put some time into tweaking it to further refine it.

A few things I will say to be mindful of, additives like inawera cactus (they often say makes fruits juicier) or sweetener like capella super sweet (sucralose). They're super strong in my opinion. Using cactus to make fruit 'juicier' pretty much overpowered my juice with a sort of cactus or aloe vera type flavor even at 1/4% (0.25 %). It's that pungent. Same with the sweetener, when sweetening a 120ml bottle of juice 6-8 drops is plenty. Maybe even start with just 4 or 5. You see tiny droplets come out of the bottle of sweetener and think that couldn't possibly do anything, but a couple tiny drops is like adding a teaspoon of sugar to it. Go doing a full 'squiiirrtt' into a bottle of juice would just be like straight sweet. Not all juices need sweetener to be honest, some flavors are just inherently sweet unless you like your juice really sweet.
 

dez

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
Thank you so much! I feel like a wimp because I’m actually scared to start trying. Feel like I’ll royally mess it up and waste money cuz I won’t be able to do it.

I go through juice so fast and my vape shop charges a lot for juice. I want to save money and I’d also like to be able to make my own flavors.

I’m really interested in doing this, just need to take the first step.

I was just reading where I was learning to mix on this link..lol.
If you look at the post earlier I noted that I'd put up a post called "IF MIXING BY WEIGHT ISN'T WORKING OUT FOR YOU"..you will see all the research I did before buying from Amazon, to get the things I STILL NEED, TO MIX by WEIGHT..like LINKS/DESCRIPTION/PRICE at that time from Amazon.. and all items were listed as Prime shipping.. for EVERYTHING you could need to use measurements instead of weight/ grams, but also the things I STILL USE..because I decided to stick with mixing with a scale..(by weight), which is easier & cleaner.

Things like different sets of: funnels, plastic beakers w/spouts- & syringes if you are using nicotine.
-I LOVE USING 1ML LUER LOCK SYRINGES (*HAS TO BE 1ML SIZE ONLY), FOR C*D REFILLABLE CARTRIDGES.. & get a pack of BLUNT TIP NEEDLES, & they are AWESOME for removing the old & refilling reusable cartridges with new fluid.

The 1ml plunger is VERY accurate- ONLY in that size- if you look closely at the tip. They're made differently than other sizes that all come together.)

I like using syringes for the nicotine bc it is the cleanest and easiest way to get it out of the bottle it comes in with the exact small amount you need, & is sanitary. You can just poke a hole through the aluminum foil cover with the syringe, and withdraw it that way.. at least until it gets to a certain low point. I have a link for a big pact of 1ml luer locks & the longer 1" blunt-tip needle is best for both purposes.

I have a link for just that 1ml size, + I have a link for syringes of different sizes including a couple of the 1ml, with 1 inch long, blunt-tip needles of different sizes/guages come with them.

Some people freeze their nicotine and just keep a little fresh out, because it can go bad. FYI

Send a private message if you want screenshots of EXACTLY what I actually use all the time, and the link if I'm not busy.. but basically just mix into a MEDIUM PLASTIC BEAKER WITH A SPOUT- (it makes it easier to slosh it around a little, then pour your homemade juice into your bullet bottle), specific condiment bottles for pg & vg (it doesn't really matter if they are specific, I just like the ones I have because they have a cap that is hooked on so you don't lose it, and can keep ingredients fresh easily, and I think these may also be scored with ml measurements too.)

I started out using bigger bottles of the nicotine River bullet bottles for that, but they poured too slowly, so condiment bottles are the way to go- like everyone had told me. I can send you the links or screenshots to what I actually use all of the time, and it breaks down to what I got in the nicotine River kit as far as: VG, PG, nicotine (get the 100mg/ml version and a PG BASE when you pick your selected nicotine..+ about 4 of the 4 oz bullet bottles.. as well as 3 2oz bottles, a couple of 8 oz bottles.. And from Amazon the scale mentioned + plastic beakers, funnels, & syringes.

Don't get overwhelmed about recipes and knowing what flavors and brands do what or tastes like what.. because you don't have to create a recipe from scratch at all.. they have things called one-shots, where it is just like having an e-juice without vg/pg.. with all of the flavors pre-mixed into 1 concentrated ingredient /flavor.

So I get what I used to buy from the store that was very expensive for a 30ml bottle, & for less than that price I can make about 10-25 of the 4-ounce bottles using the flavor concentrate (I'm hooked on Mom and Pop Vapor Shop concentrateed flavors..OMG is my thing- so I like there sweet strawberry a lot, and strawberry milkshake is pretty good, and all of their flavors can be bought in different sizes of the flavor concentrates online), and only have to deal with one flavor ingredient in the ELR calculator.

Do note, I'm not sure if the internet ELR is the same as the app, but you can make different versions and make notes when you make something, and when you change it you can edit your notes/title name of your mix- to say the basics about Flavor concentration and amounts in the title, and in the notes.. you can say why you did it, or how you would change it next time, etc., and I found that VERY HELPFUL.

When I found the perfect match to what I was buying from the online store, I kept that recipe public.. and then when I kept increasing the flavor after a while, I made a second recipe name that I marked PRIVATE for me.

You can mark your recipes private or not, and you can find other people's recipes to copy.. so you don't have to KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT mixing or what FLAVORS do what, though there is a link on here about that.. that explains each ingredient in what they taste like.

But just starting out, I would just find things that sound like what you like, and by one-shots to start with.. or simple things that have just 1-3 flavors in it to start with.

Mom and Pop's is the perfect way to start, you can try to get bottles of what sounds good to you, and if you like it by one of two sizes of concentrate flavor, and all you have to add is nicotine if you want it, and VG and PG, and you have the exact same thing that you made! So awesome! Their flavors are the bomb, I guess that's why they can afford to charge so much.. And it's wonderful for me that they make my favorite in a concentrate, and everything they do has a concentrate flavor that you can buy much cheaper than having it pre-made.

If I were you, I would start out doing that to get the best flavor, and then you only have two adjust the flavoring to recreate what you tasted when you bought a small bottle of their pre-mixed juice.

You can go on the ELR internet or app, & do a search on what you already buy & see who's tried to dupe it, & copy their recipe..or search, say- strawberries and cream.. and a bunch of recipes pop up, and you can look at them and try to copy what you want, so YOU DON'T HAVE TO ACTUALLY CREATE A RECIPE YOURSELF..
A lot of people just look at other recipes that look good and try those.

*That was the scariest part for me, thinking I would have to figure out the flavors, and it would be like learning to cook without a cookbook, but it's not. You get a cookbook, LOL. ;)
 

marter

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Good stuff here for a beginner (which I still am). I started about a month ago, with the AWS501 scale. Makes it so much easier than cleaning stuff up to reuse. I bought some 3ml disposable pipettes for nic and add that first, then toss the pipette when I'm done. I think they were a couple bucks for a thousand on Amazon.

I do what @Synphul does, tare out the bottle I'm mixing in, again no cleanup. I'm lazy.

Dive in, its easy and there are so many great mixers here that are more than willing to help.

Edit: I use the internet ELR, load your flavors in your stash, adapt other recipes, keep notes. I tried the other options (juice me up, All the flavor, etc) but like ELR. YMMV.
 

dez

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Good stuff here for a beginner (which I still am). I started about a month ago, with the AWS501 scale. Makes it so much easier than cleaning stuff up to reuse. I bought some 3ml disposable pipettes for nic and add that first, then toss the pipette when I'm done. I think they were a couple bucks for a thousand on Amazon.

I do what @Synphul does, tare out the bottle I'm mixing in, again no cleanup. I'm lazy.

Dive in, its easy and there are so many great mixers here that are more than willing to help.

Edit: I use the internet ELR, load your flavors in your stash, adapt other recipes, keep notes. I tried the other options (juice me up, All the flavor, etc) but like ELR. YMMV.
Have you tried the ELR app? I don't think it's Affiliated with the website, but it really seems like it is when you use it.. but it is MUCH EASIER ENTERING a RECIPE, ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEONE NEW..it has less problems than I had with the website. You should check it out.

You can do all of the things like make your recipes public or private.. and add notes as to why you did or did not like the flavor, or what you want to change next time, Etc.

You can also search a flavor and see lots of recipes that come up and copy them, and keep your own recipes in a folder for favorites, and you can have several folders for different types of flavors, like I have one for a strawberry, so it's pretty easy.

Apps are usually easier than the websites. The selection of recipes is huge, even though it's not hooked to the website I hear, when you are looking for a specific flavor profile like Menthol or strawberries and cream, or whatever.

I love that app! Never could get the website to work correctly for me with the recipe entry.
 

dez

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Good stuff here for a beginner (which I still am). I started about a month ago, with the AWS501 scale. Makes it so much easier than cleaning stuff up to reuse. I bought some 3ml disposable pipettes for nic and add that first, then toss the pipette when I'm done. I think they were a couple bucks for a thousand on Amazon.

I do what @Synphul does, tare out the bottle I'm mixing in, again no cleanup. I'm lazy.

Dive in, its easy and there are so many great mixers here that are more than willing to help.

Edit: I use the internet ELR, load your flavors in your stash, adapt other recipes, keep notes. I tried the other options (juice me up, All the flavor, etc) but like ELR. YMMV.

Oh yes, that is one of the things I told her also, get a medium sized Beaker -that is plastic with a pour spout, from Amazon, and put it on the scale and hit the tare button, and then pour one ingredient at a time.. so if she over pours, she can dump it back into the bottle and put the beaker back on the scale WITHOUT HITTING THE TARE BUTTON, and see how much is in it right then- and finish pouring to get the correct amount.

When you start, if you do one flavor at a time.. and rinse out the beaker in between ingredients, you don't have to be so worried about ruining / wasting supplies.. or putting too much of one thing in it and losing the whole amount.
I didn't think about that until way later.. Duh
 

marter

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Have you tried the ELR app? I don't think it's Affiliated with the website, but it really seems like it is when you use it.. but it is MUCH EASIER ENTERING a RECIPE, ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEONE NEW..it has less problems than I had with the website. You should check it out.

You can do all of the things like make your recipes public or private.. and add notes as to why you did or did not like the flavor, or what you want to change next time, Etc.

You can also search a flavor and see lots of recipes that come up and copy them, and keep your own recipes in a folder for favorites, and you can have several folders for different types of flavors, like I have one for a strawberry, so it's pretty easy.

Apps are usually easier than the websites. The selection of recipes is huge, even though it's not hooked to the website I hear, when you are looking for a specific flavor profile like Menthol or strawberries and cream, or whatever.

I love that app! Never could get the website to work correctly for me with the recipe entry.
So will it pull my stash and recipes from ELR? Not sure I want to maintain multiple resources. And I'm always sitting at my laptop when I mix.
 

marter

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Oh yes, that is one of the things I told her also, get a medium sized Beaker -that is plastic with a pour spout, from Amazon, and put it on the scale and hit the tare button, and then pour one ingredient at a time.. so if she over pours, she can dump it back into the bottle and put the beaker back on the scale WITHOUT HITTING THE TARE BUTTON, and see how much is in it right then- and finish pouring to get the correct amount.

When you start, if you do one flavor at a time.. and rinse out the beaker in between ingredients, you don't have to be so worried about ruining / wasting supplies.. or putting too much of one thing in it and losing the whole amount.
I didn't think about that until way later.. Duh
Probably a good idea, but as I said I'm lazy, so I just take my time adding flavors to avoid overruns. Much easier for me to mix in the bottle. More than one way to do things.
 
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SteveS45

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This is all you need to start making your own DIY e-Liquids aside from bases and flavorings.

511aAdQlEnL._SX466_.jpg
 

SteveS45

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Agree completely.

Yes the total amount of money really needed to invest to start DIY is so minimal, but so many say you must buy scales and other crap. Even a simple syringe is all you need if you want to start small.
 

nadalama

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Yes the total amount of money really needed to invest to start DIY is so minimal, but so many say you must buy scales and other crap. Even a simple syringe is all you need if you want to start small.

I like using a scale and have advised people to get one, but if you want to DIY and resources are limited, by all means you can do it with nothing but some bottles to mix into and a graduated cylinder. You don't have to have every bell and whistle known to man to get started.

Some people might like using the cylinder better, and it's all good. Whatever works! But in a pinch, people find that they can do without a lot of things, when it's necessary.
 
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SteveS45

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I like using a scale and have advised people to get one, but if you want to DIY and resources are limited, by all means you can do it with nothing but some bottles to mix into and a calibrated cylinder. You don't have to have every bell and whistle known to man to get started.
Some people might like using the cylinder better, and it's all good. Whatever works! But in a pinch, people find that they can do without a lot of things, when it's necessary.

My point was how people tend to say you need all this gear to DIY and it is just a matter of simple measurements. Want get started all you needed is a simple measuring tool. Done. I would love to know how using a scale stops that extra drop in the mix~! It happens so often when I mix and like I realy car my mix is .001 over?
 

nadalama

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My point was how people tend to say you need all this gear to DIY and it is just a matter of simple measurements. Want get started all you needed is a simple measuring tool. Done. I would love to know how using a scale stops that extra drop in the mix~! It happens so often when I mix and like I realy car my mix is .001 over?

I understand your point and agree with you. When I first started mixing, I was counting drops. It was tedious and if anything interrupted me, I'd lose count. Things got better when I went to a cylinder, but I was still counting drops for very small amounts. I think I didn't realize until I got the scale that the number of drops per ml I was using was too low, so once I could measure properly, my mixes suddenly started tasting better.

All this is just a personal situation with me, just representative of my own experience.
 

dez

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I like using a scale and have advised people to get one, but if you want to DIY and resources are limited, by all means you can do it with nothing but some bottles to mix into and a calibrated cylinder. You don't have to have every bell and whistle known to man to get started.

Some people might like using the cylinder better, and it's all good. Whatever works! But in a pinch, people find that they can do without a lot of things, when it's necessary.

You mean a graduated Beaker, when you say cylinder? I bought a graduated plastic beaker set on Amazon Prime cheap.. that have a pour spout, so it's nice to pour it into the bottle out of there.. and the beakers are a few different sizes and plastic- so I mix it all in one of the larger Beakers, swirl it around, and then pour it into the bottle, Shake It Up, and I'm done ..
But I do use a scale. I just like the beaker because it has a wide mouth for me to mix into.. and I only have one thing to clean when I'm done.
 

dez

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So will it pull my stash and recipes from ELR? Not sure I want to maintain multiple resources. And I'm always sitting at my laptop when I mix.

I do not think that they are connected, from what I've been told. You could put everything over into the app, and it is really easy to use.. but if you are already established on one place, and comfortable with a lot of recipes there, then you would probably just want to stick with it.
For beginners the app is amazing though!
 

SteveS45

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I understand your point and agree with you. When I first started mixing, I was counting drops.

I still count drops for some of the Super Concentrated Flavors I have~! There is NO Wrong Way to DIY unless you don't label it~!
 

nadalama

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You mean a graduated Beaker, when you say cylinder? I bought a graduated plastic beaker set on Amazon Prime cheap.. that have a pour spout, so it's nice to pour it into the bottle out of there.. and the beakers are a few different sizes and plastic- so I mix it all in one of the larger Beakers, swirl it around, and then pour it into the bottle, Shake It Up, and I'm done ..
But I do use a scale. I just like the beaker because it has a wide mouth for me to mix into.. and I only have one thing to clean when I'm done.

No, I mean a cylinder.
 

Synphul

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Graduated stuff like syringes, beakers and all can be helpful and initially cheaper for sure. Only thing I dislike is trying to eyeball everything so close. Probably doesn't matter a tiny amount of error but I try to get close. It could just be me, I tend to get used to working with machines even something like a scale to where I can usually tell when I'm close, give it a sec because those numbers will come right up and land on target vs going over. Same with cnc machines and just getting used to how each machine handled offsets, learning the quirks. Takes less concentration for me but everyone is different.

Rather than wash a beaker I just mix straight in the bottle I'm making the juice in. Then there's no transfer, no cleanup. Only thing that really get transferred is nicotine, I keep working nic in a 30ml glass boston bottle with a dropper cap. Vg and pg I keep in 8oz ldpe squeeze bottles and refill from bulk when they get low. That way everything aside from the dropper for the nic has its own drip tip, vg, pg and flavors and can be added straight to the juice bottle as I mix.

My starter kit came with a graduated beaker, cylinders, flasks, a few pipettes, some syringes with blunt tip needles, a few rubber gloves. Never used any of it. Eventually I'd like to get a magnetic stir plate built and when I do a glass flask or two along with magnetic stir sticks will probably get added. Just haven't gotten that far. Oddly enough I noticed Nic River doesn't have those starter kits anymore, says page can't be found. Not sure if they nixed it or just out of stock for the moment. Or maybe a website glitch. The biggest bonus of the kit for me was the 15x 15ml flavorings along with the 150ml of nic and 500ml vg and pg just as something to start with to see how it worked for me.
 

marter

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Whatever gets you started, that's what's important. If money is a barrier, start by counting drops and graduated cylinders. I don't think I'm saying you have to do anything more than that.

However, for the cost of a couple bottles of premium liquid, you can start with a scale and some disposable pipettes for nic transfer. Just my opinion. The frustration factor is something to consider. Keeping track of the cumulative volume of the recipe as you add flavors, trying to add something strong like cinnamon by visual volume, just too much room for error, again in my opinion.

I use clear ketchup squeeze bottles for PG and VG. And I have a Dymo labeler to identify the juice and date mixed. Neither is necessary but helpful.

One of the best tips I got here was to use TC and a dripper for testing recipes. Vape the wick dry and test another one. Not ideal for nuances of complex recipes but it works for initial testing.

YMMV. I love this place for learning what others have done and avoiding some learning curves. But most importantly I started DIY and I'll be 70 next spring. Old dog....
 

dez

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Graduated stuff like syringes, beakers and all can be helpful and initially cheaper for sure. Only thing I dislike is trying to eyeball everything so close. Probably doesn't matter a tiny amount of error but I try to get close. It could just be me, I tend to get used to working with machines even something like a scale to where I can usually tell when I'm close, give it a sec because those numbers will come right up and land on target vs going over. Same with cnc machines and just getting used to how each machine handled offsets, learning the quirks. Takes less concentration for me but everyone is different.

Rather than wash a beaker I just mix straight in the bottle I'm making the juice in. Then there's no transfer, no cleanup. Only thing that really get transferred is nicotine, I keep working nic in a 30ml glass boston bottle with a dropper cap. Vg and pg I keep in 8oz ldpe squeeze bottles and refill from bulk when they get low. That way everything aside from the dropper for the nic has its own drip tip, vg, pg and flavors and can be added straight to the juice bottle as I mix.

My starter kit came with a graduated beaker, cylinders, flasks, a few pipettes, some syringes with blunt tip needles, a few rubber gloves. Never used any of it. Eventually I'd like to get a magnetic stir plate built and when I do a glass flask or two along with magnetic stir sticks will probably get added. Just haven't gotten that far. Oddly enough I noticed Nic River doesn't have those starter kits anymore, says page can't be found. Not sure if they nixed it or just out of stock for the moment. Or maybe a website glitch. The biggest bonus of the kit for me was the 15x 15ml flavorings along with the 150ml of nic and 500ml vg and pg just as something to start with to see how it worked for me.

I still haven't even gotten halfway through the my gallons of vg and pg that I got from that kit over a year ago, I guess it is now.

I like ghe ELR app more than the website, especially if you are new to mixing.
I think it's much easier and they do have tons of great recipes that you can search and copy.

I put a recipe on there when I found an exact dupe to a product and then since I like more flavor in it for myself..I made another one that I kept as marked for PRIVATE for the flavor % I like.. a more bold taste.

It wasn't anything hard to do, just using concentrate for Mom and Pop's to make more "OMG", but I found the correct percentage I believe.. and left that one as the dupe on the app for ELR, and I keep my own OMG mixture marked as private, since it is more bold with more % of flavor than what you buy online, to help others.
 

Synphul

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I still haven't even gotten halfway through the my gallons of vg and pg that I got from that kit over a year ago, I guess it is now.

I like ghe ELR app more than the website, especially if you are new to mixing.
I think it's much easier and they do have tons of great recipes that you can search and copy.

I put a recipe on there when I found an exact dupe to a product and then since I like more flavor in it for myself..I made another one that I kept as marked for PRIVATE for the flavor % I like.. a more bold taste.

It wasn't anything hard to do, just using concentrate for Mom and Pop's to make more "OMG", but I found the correct percentage I believe.. and left that one as the dupe on the app for ELR, and I keep my own OMG mixture marked as private, since it is more bold with more % of flavor than what you buy online, to help others.
That's fair, honestly I don't use apps or the phone for that matter outside of phone calls mainly. I tend to sort out a few things using a calculator I think will work and jot it on a pad. Then if I rework the recipe I just write it on the same page. Phones frustrate me with their small screens and tiny ass virtual keyboards. Don't pair well with my fat thumbs lol. People always want an app for this and app for that.

Typically 5min of dicking with the unresponsive and crappy touch screen of a phone I'm ready to see what sort of distance I can get chucking it. Either other people are far more patient than I am or they have better phones. But I have used an iphone a few times and didn't find much better luck so thinking it's me. I see these people with their faces buried in their phones in public. I can't use one in public, they'd arrest me. Maps.. maps.. I clicked maps you cheap chinese piece of fucking shit, I swear to god if you make me click it again you're goin in the trash you son of a bitch. lol.
 
In my opinion go to any old maker and saw them what they do and how they do if you are new to this spent some time with old experts so you don't loose your money and value make relation with old experts so they can guide you proper and tell you pros and cons
 

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