Welcome, Everyone.
This is your thread to chat about anything remotely DIY-related that might not fit into one or our other Weekly/Monthly threads or that you’re just not comfortable posting to the front page. If you’re a New Mixer check out some of the links below and feel free to ask about anything you’re still not clear on.
Current Weekly/Monthly threads (Archive of all weekly threads):
-
Weekly ‘Suggest a Recipe for my Flavors’ Thread - You picked a bunch of flavors that either sounded good or were in recipes that looked good but now you want more ideas for what to do with them? Ask here and get suggestions.
-
Weekly ‘What are you Vaping?’ Thread - Talk about the latest recipes you’ve mixed up whether they’re yours or someone else’s.
-
Flavor of The Week - Every week the community gathers to discuss one flavor category and share recipes, notes, ideas, advice, pairings and more. After that the Noted crew (/u/ID10-T, /u/mlNikon & /u/CheebaSteeba) try as many flavors in that category as they can and discuss their impressions, opinions and notes.
-
Throwback Thursday - The newest weekly thread/project to revamp and improve the resources in our sidebar with feedback from the community.
-
FAQ Friday - Where I (and a few other contributors) tackle one Frequently Asked Question as comprehensively as possible.
-
Monthly Recipe Thread - Share your recipes here with or without development notes.
-
Monthly Clone Request Thread - Want a recipe or idea for how to mix your favorite commercial juice? This is the place to ask. Check out FAQ Friday: Clone Requests for some ideas on how best to ask and get closer to accomplishing your remix.
-
Monthly Clone Challenge - A community driven effort to tackle one clone request at a time.
Highlights from last week:
/u/isuamadog grabbed our attention with his ambitious and awesome “My First Order Project” which, if all goes well, will be a really useful resource for new mixers.
/u/ID10-T with the help of /u/Boomdog07 put together a Review Writing Contest specifically aimed at encouraging newer mixers to put together reviews for some of the recipes they’re trying. Even without prizes on the line, more reviews are a win for everyone!
/u/adreagulp released a “Steeping Feature” for e-Liquid Lab which allows you to add a timer and notes for different stages of a recipes development. I'll definitely be checking that out and look forward to more features like it.
And shoutout to /u/matthewkocanda for coming through with some sound advice to help /u/elephantstone_ with his remix of Cokecan’s own Milkshake Base
We have an official Discord server if anyone wants to join and chat: https://discord.gg/ufVTyAQ
I did a single flavor test of INW dark for pipe last night after letting it steep for a week. Holy shit, maybe I can get into tobacco flavors. The flavor was surprisingly complex with a smokiness that reminded me a lot of lit incense. Also, it didn't smell like cat piss which is a major plus.
Edit: I'm dumb, it was actually BLACK for pipe that I bought.
Dark for pipe is one of my favorites. I like it fresh as much as i like it steeped. I’ve got an awesome (i think) recipe featuring it, let me know if you want it.
The "for pipe" line is really really good. They take a bit of patience for steep times but it's worth it.
I'm really tempted to try out a bunch more INW flavors now.
I recently picked up some new concentrates to try my hand at making a milk and honey juice.
Can someone help me with a start to a recipe?
I have: http://e-liquid-recipes.com/publicstash/116655
Hey Corvus ;)
I’d suggest getting FLV Honeybee but we can work with what you have.
I’d try making a couple different versions with the different honeys you have. Here are some suggest percentages for you.
-
CAP Honey 2.5%
-
FA Honey (You probably want to make a 10% dilution of this. Use the dilution at 1%)
-
CAP Bavarian Cream 2%
-
TFA Dairy Milk 1-2%
Have you tried something like this? I have one made but I haven't tried it yet. I'm letting it steep about 2 months.
My wife asked me to mix up some samples for some distant in-law family people. Just said they like fruity stuff. Hooray for me. Why does no one ever say, “Mix me something up. I only vape tobaccos though.” It’s alway “fruity stuff” or “I don’t know, just something.”
I used to always get “doesn’t matter what it is, just mix me something”
I get that from my brother. Then complaints about it doesn't taste like he wanted it to. Well, beggars can't be choosers and you haven't given me much to work with. At least I've been able to unload some of my almost empty juices that I won't finish off on him.
What are some of your favorite One shots that is sold in the US?
The DIY or DIE oneshots are a fairly safe bet, Rhodonite is very tasty and complex.
A lot of people don't share Wayne's taste, myself included. Safe bet is a bit of a stretch.
I wanted to make a cola with lemon in it, so I put a little lemon Sicily (.5%) in Fa cola (5%). Nice full bodied dishwashing liquid, mmm mm.
Any suggestions on citrus to add, with more of the juice than the rind flavour? Imw lemon?
That dish soap ain’t coming from Lemon Sicily
What these lads said - also, you could try 0.5% FA Apricot or FA Pear?
Huh, cool idea. The pear as a main isn't too my liking and never tried Apricot. I've done a vanilla Stevia cola and a cherry cola to tasty effect.
What are you favorite bourbon whiskey concentrates? I'm really at a loss here.
There aren't any truly great bourbon flavors. You won't get Wild Turkey or Maker's Mark, let alone any of the truly great bourbon. FLV bourbon plus TFA Kentucky Bourbon plus VT bourbon plus a bit of FA Oakwood is a starting point.
I knew I wouldn't, more hoping for contrasting undertones.
Cherries! I don't know why I punish myself but my favorite flavor profiles are some of the toughest to work with.
That said is there a way to get a cherry lifesaver. Would inw cherries be the one.
I've tried Fa Black and reg cherry , Wf black cherry extract , and several others , with not a lot of success.
I've watched noted , read a lot and haven't found a lot for a good candy cherry.
Wf bc jelly bean is close but its like a lifesaver with plastic on it if I use it high enough to get good flavor from it. Any way to hide the plastic?
/u/ID10-T has played with these flavours before in his excellent Hello Daddy Hello Mom. The notes have some valuable info on avoiding that plastic flavour.
I'd probably try something like
- 0.2% WF Black Cherry Jelly Bean
- 2.5% TFA Cherry Extract
- 0.75% INW Cherries
- 0.5% TFA Pomegranate
- 1.5% CAP Lemon Lime
- 0.75% FW Hard Candy
Maybe that would be a disaster, I don't know, I've never tried to make a Cherry Lifesaver because it's the lowest form of Lifesaver (Butter Rum FTW, whatever those white ones are supposed to be coming in 2nd). But if I wanted to do it that's probably where I'd start.
If you think rum from the butt is better than cherry, you have no taste. Wait, you like mango. Having no taste fits the evidence.
No cherry is the best man! The white ones are pineapple? Sc pineapple taste like that. I'll have to get one cherries and ill give that a shot.
Not really a question, just wanted to share with you guys.. I just picked up a Brother PT-D400 label maker for $30 at Staples for labeling my bottles. Works pretty nicely and I'm happy with the purchase. It has a decent variety of fonts, symbols and frame options to make custom labels and so far I haven't had any issues with them adhering to the LDPE bottles I use for mixing. It's easy enough to set up a template and then save it so you don't need to re-create the entire label each time. My two complaints with it are the cost of refill tapes and the wasted tape on each print. With the default settings and narrow margins, it looks like about an inch of tape is wasted on each label before it actually prints. I think I can get that number a little lower by setting a custom label length in the settings but I'll mess with that as I make new bottles.
While not as cheap as my old method of using address labels, they look much nicer and seem to stick better. I also won't have to deal with residue from old address labels on the bottles anymore. It's not a solution for everyone but I got tired of the adhesive gunk, especially when reusing/washing old bottles. Plus I'm lazy and the ink on my old labels would end up smearing when I'd inevitably get them wet.
By my math, if I figure $30 for 26ft of refill tape and a very generous 2-3" of tape per label, I'm looking at around $0.25 per label and around 125 labels per roll of tape. I'm satisfied with the purchase for now.
I've been using the tape that came with it, which is 1/2" wide and supports up to 3 lines of text including a frame. I also picked up some 3/4" tape which will support up to 5 lines of text. I haven't messed with the 3/4" tape yet but it should allow me to use a larger font size for better readability as I only really need about 3 lines for my labels.
And here I am, still opening my bottles and smelling them like an animal because I'm too lazy to even write a small label out by hand.
I used to use address labels. I now use Neato Glossy sticker sheets, print out rows of labels, then cut to size. They look nice and shiny.
I'm working on a couple of cocktail recipes, and they're both vodka cocktails. My question is whether, when mixing something that's based on a vodka cocktail, you actually add a vodka concentrate, or do you just leave it out because it's a neutral spirit? Also, who makes a good vodka?
I have no idea if it is safe or not but I would be very wary of adding vodka.
Does anybody make a Campari type flavor?
No there isn't. There's a good [discussion] (https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY_eJuice/comments/8cbsc5/flavour_suggestion_negroni) about it here.
To build it from scratch, I'd start looking at INW Cherries, FW Blood Orange, FA Bergamot, FLV Rich Cinnamon or FA Cinnamon Ceylon.
You may also see what FA Bergamot does to FLV Sweet Guava as far as the bitter orange note. Florals like FA Jasmine may also help to bring out rind notes. I'm just spitballing ideas here...
I'm working on a recipe that uses FLV Hibiscus and FA Pomegranate in it, and it reminds me a lot of a campari note (but not as bitter), which is why it came to mind.
Speaking as someone who loves Campari, I don't think cinnamon should be in there.
VT Bitters would be a definite for me.
I've been waiting for my 100ml of nic to run out before ordering more. It's about to, and I'm looking to place a bulkier order and then freeze it.
That being said, is it worth ordering large quantities of nic in the summer? How degraded will it get with 3-4 days of hot weather?
I wouldn't think a few days would do much, but it depends on the heat and how exposed the package is. If it gets stuck in searing heat for a day, that just might ruin it. Unless you're facing upcoming regulations, it might be worth just restocking for now and ordering in bulk later, just to be safe.
I'm an intermediate mixer and I just ordered many flavors but most importantly: different sweeteners/enhancers. There's plenty of ressources all over for how to use them and that's great but I'm looking for advice for learning their "profile" and effect on recipes. I'm thinking trying them as standalones probably won't do them justice so I thought of trying them all with a fruit flavor at the same % (of fruit). I'm thinking of making a small batch of a fruit standalone for reference and one with each enhancer at around 0.5%
I've got FW Cotton Candy, TFA sweetner, CAP super sweet and FA Marshmallow. How should I test these? Fruit candidates would be FA Mandarin, INW Pear, a couple FLV, CAP and FE mango, FE Lemon and TPA Strawberry ripe. Does it even make sense to try these as standalone? Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
Sweeteners was Flavor Of The Week a while back, with the accompanying Noted podcast that will teach you all you really need to know about sweeteners.
Of course, nothing beats experiencing them yourself and since you've already purchased them, go ahead and try them out. Try them solo first as sweeteners tend to have off notes that are not always welcome in a mix and it's good to know what they are.
You don't mention what the other enhancers are, but additives aren't very useful other than to fix mistakes.
I live in Scandinavia so it's not so easy to get larger size glass bottles here. I have the standard 30 &100ml glass dropper bottles, but will it be OK to use these kind of bottles to make larger DIY mixes 250-500ml. I know this question has been ask alot put I like to know from guys that take DIY serious, will it affect the flavor at all Bottle Thanks
I don't see why not. It held the nicotine that you planned to vape and the people who packaged it probably used an appropriate material for the cap to make sure nothing bad happens with long-term storage.
I much prefer to have large, long steeping batches in glass, as there is no risk of leeching or of it affecting flavour.
I use these for my large, long steep batches like custards. You could even use old jam jars/glass beer bottles, as long as you can make them air tight, and you have sterilised them first.
I never thought of Preserve Jars, very easy to get here. Will give that a try, do you put a piece of plastic wrap between the lid and jar b4 sealing it ?
You could do if you're worried about the rubber seal being saturated with the flavour of your juice, but I don't feel the need. I find that giving the seals a good soak in hot water removes the aroma.
One thing to watch out for is the wires that clamp the lid in place are prone to rust if they aren't kept dry, so make sure to dry them off with a towel after washing.
LDPE bottles for temp storage and 1-2 time use. These will hang onto a bit of the flavor. I rinse with scalding hot water and let them air out.
PET bottles are more aroma friendly as flavors won't leech into them. You can rinse these out 4-5 times and reuse. However, it's a stiffer plastic that is hard to squeeze and prone to creasing.
Glass is the best bet for long term storage and reuse....but plastic will do if your conscience can handle throwing them away after a couple uses.
I would suggest that you search Amazon UK for 500ml amber glass bottle. They're really cheap.
Interesting I haven't had an issue with my LDPE bottles which have been my preference by far with regards to how easy they are to work with.
Anyone know if you can extract tea the same way you do tobacco NETs? Could you take some dried tea leaves and sit them in PG before filtering to make your own tea blend concentrates?
It's generally considered to be a bad idea as it is dangerous. There are all sorts of problems with filtering, not to mention it's very hard and there are already professionals selling concentrates that have been properly made in a lab.
You'll find a good discussion on tea flavours here.
This community seems to enjoy TPA aromas alot. However all my attempts to make a decent juice with those aromas, didn't end well.
I had about 15-20 different flavors, but all my mixes ended up having bitter, soapy aftertaste and overall flavor was weak. I tried to let them sit couple of months to fully combine, tried to add almost no aroma (5-15 drops of single flavor into 10ml bottle).
I switched to smoke kitchen, had no taste problems with them so far, but seeing all great recipes here I want to give it another shot.
Any ideas on what wee done wrong?
Were you using recipes you created, or other mixers recipes?
Could you share them?
5 drops of Apple flavour + 10 ml of base, waited 1 week. Result - doesnt taste like apple.
15 drops of Apple flavour + 10 ml of base, waited 1 week. Result - doesnt taste like apple, has strong bitter and soapy taste.
Tried 3-40 drops - same results. Tried different flavours - same result.
With aromas, from other manufactures my experience was as follows: pour some aroma, add base, shake 1 min and vape. Didn't had to measure anything precise with other aromas as well.
Well, a general rule of thumb that I've seen is to use 20 drops/ml, but the inherent flaws of measuring by drops make this wildly variable. This could be a part of your issue.
Going by the old 20 drop rule though, 20 drops are 10% flavouring in a 10ml bottle. That's a lot for a single flavour, and you used 15 drops, so that's 7.5%. Still quite a lot. The average usage for TFA Apple on ATF is 3.75%.
Also, I'm not sure you can use TFA Apple as a single flavour. Some flavours are better when used as accents, and some are just plain bad.
I don't know which of TFA's apple flavours you have, but if it's this one it sounds like a crap single flavour.
TFA apple is awful. FA Fuji, INW 2 Apples and Capella Double Apple are much better. No single flavor company has the best everything. That's why we use TFA, Capella, INW, WF, FE etc etc.
Picking flavors, on your own, without researching recipes and flavor notes is a recipe for disaster (pun intended). Go to alltheflavors.com and find a highly rated apple recipe, then order the ingredients to make it. The first page of recipes [here] (https://alltheflavors.com/recipes?sort_order=rating&original=true&name_like=Strap) are pretty good.
Is there a general consensus here, between concentrate brands and strength? Example, Z brand is used in > % for similar flavor profile to X brand? Or do I just need to read all the notes and experiment? Pretty much wondering if there is a cheat sheet. Thanks
/u/concreteriver has some starting percentages in his Single Flavor Testing writeup. Considering he's tested more flavors than most people will ever get their hands on, it's a solid reference.
You can also look up the individual flavors on ATF, ELR and the Flavor Review wiki to see averages and recommended usage.
Mixed a simple 8% Vanilla Bean Ice cream and 6% Strawberry, both TPA, as per Mustard Milk recipe. However the recipe suggested a 70/30 VG/PG ratio, and I did it max VG (86/14, 0 mg).
I can't taste a thing. It smells really delicious but as soon as I drip it or use it in my tank the flavor really disappears. Should I increase the flavor percentage next time? Like 2% each or more?
Is there a reason you're mixing max VG? Because PG is what carries the flavor. At least mix 70/30. You'll notice a difference.
EDIT: Also, what kind of device are you vaping with?
I used to always go for max vg when I was buying juice until I noticed that the flavor was always lacking. As I started diy, I moved over to 70/30 and have noticed a big difference in flavor.
Its become my preferred ratio for drip/squonk. Pods I generally go for 55/45. So much easier to shake and get things mixed and much better flavor. I don't even notice a difference in throat hit and the difference in clouds is negligible in my opinion.
I tried vaping a 70/30 mix and it's really good but my lips become super dry and the skin is peeled off. This doesn't happen with max VG at least so I tried mixing it max VG.
Been using a Reload RTA clone, dual coil, dual fused clapton around 0.22 ohms at 70-90 W.
Can you taste the ice cream at all? You can try upping the percentages a bit but eventually you'll run into off notes or diminishing returns because of olfactory fatigue.
If you can taste the ice cream but not the strawberries you may be a member of the "I can't taste most strawberries" club. I believe there are a few strawberries for those folks. I believe some people in the club can taste Capella Sweet Strawberry and INW Shisha Strawberry. Here's a [discussion] (https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY_eJuice/comments/49cap3/the_i_cant_taste_strawberry_club/) about it.
Is there a reason juice I make myself may be thinner or more prone to leaking than juice I buy?
The stuff I buy tends to stay in my TFV8 tanks pretty well but the stuff I make often leaks all over the place. I refilled three tanks before bed last night and two of them leaked almost empty and were all over my desk in the morning. Never had anything like that happen with bought juice.
I usually use 70/30 VG/PG. 10% or so flavorings. 3mg Nic.
What percentage do you normally buy? If you're using a calculator it assumes that your flavors are PG based and adjusts percentages accordingly. If you're not using a calculator, your issue is probably that you didn't consider that flavors are PG based. So your mixes are really 60/40.
I am looking to get into the whole DIY eliquid realm and I'm trying to purchase the whole setup. Because of where I live (Mexico), and regulation in the US, I'm not able to purchase off of the most popular sites. From what I've seen, UK companies tend to offer shipping options. Was wondering if anyone knew of a couple options for UK based companies that offer nicotine salt base? Also, if there are any recommendations on similar sites for purchasing flavours? Most I've looked at thus far, have pretty limited ranges. Thanks!!
Why do want nicotine salt base? Bull City Flavors and Nicotine River should ship to Mexico
I want to sell all my diy stuff. Been doing it for a couple years now and I just don't have time or patience anymore. Where would I post that info?
I really only vape one juice and wanted to see about DIYing up something similar. The juice in question is Transmission by The Merge from VapeTrik.
Anyone know of or have a similar recipe? I'm just now looking into DIY and so I'm going to want to make something close to transmission as it's my go-to juice. I searched via the search in the side bar but only found one request.
Any suggestions? And mixing savants maybe who could try some and give me an idea of where to start? (I'd send the juice of course, not ask you to buy it yourself if the community has someone like that)