# First time DiY, tips and tricks Needed.



## TheSTRAFF (6/1/16)

Good Day Everyone

I just put in an order for flavour and VG etc, which hopefully arrives tomorrow. I already have a recipe in mind which is 
Vegetable Glycerine 
Blue Raspberry Cotton Candy 10% 
Hibiscus Flavour 5%

I choose it because it seems like a simple recipe with very high potential also a good all day vape kind of juice.I won't be adding any Nic in because all the juice I have in my stash has Nic and I feel like I am overdosing myself so wanting to take a break from that. 

This will be my first time DiY, it seems like a cheaper option (R280 for supplies for 100ml vs R300 for 30ml ejuice) - I was just wanting to know where do I start - I tried watching vids but it is of no help to me.... Right now all I know is measure and combine. 

Any advice on preparation and steeping?

Will it be a good idea to make a 50ml + 50ml or to just make a 100ml and hope all goes as plan? 

I have ordered 100ml + 30ml HDPE bottle and 4x10ml Disposable Syringes. Do I need gloves? A dust proof enviroment? 

Many questions I know, but I want my first time to be a success else I'll give up and not try it again.


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## Sebastian (6/1/16)

TheSTRAFF said:


> Good Day Everyone
> 
> I just put in an order for flavour and VG etc, which hopefully arrives tomorrow. I already have a recipe in mind which is
> Vegetable Glycerine
> ...




Depending on your Tank or RDA setup you might need as some Distilled water to make your juice a little thinner else it can clog up your cotton as VG is very thick compared to PG. Also VG doesnt hold juice very well so adding the Distilled water will be a good idea as it will hold the juice so basically a substitute to the PG. And I'd do the 50ml + 50ml as if it doesnt work you have to throw away 100ml which isnt a nice feeling xD.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## TheSTRAFF (6/1/16)

I have an istick 60w with melo2 tank on Ti coil in temp control(35w/300c). I don't like the throat hit much. Also I am ganna be using cap flavours which are PG base, so it would be a 15 pg / 85 Vg ratio ... Accoding to the ejuice calculator..
Thanks For the advice though, I am considering making a 30ml mix now and see how the thickness off the vg reacts to my tank.

Reactions: Creative 1


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## Sebastian (6/1/16)

TheSTRAFF said:


> I have an istick 60w with melo2 tank on Ti coil in temp control(35w/300c). I don't like the throat hit much. Also I am ganna be using cap flavours which are PG base, so it would be a 15 pg / 85 Vg ratio ... Accoding to the ejuice calculator..
> Thanks For the advice though, I am considering making a 30ml mix now and see how the thickness off the vg reacts to my tank.



My GF has the exact same setup, by the looks of it youre all good dude. Best way to steep with VG (my experience) is once you have all the stuff mixed use a water bath to warm the liquid up this makes it easier for them to all blend/mix together. Also leave the cap off so it can air and in a dark warm place. I say dark because this can lessen the Nic content although you arent using nic now but for the future if you decide to

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Khan83 (6/1/16)

TheSTRAFF said:


> Good Day Everyone
> 
> I just put in an order for flavour and VG etc, which hopefully arrives tomorrow. I already have a recipe in mind which is
> Vegetable Glycerine
> ...


@TheSTRAFF Trust me , its really simple. Also you shouldn't be aiming to make such large quantities on your first try. Try a 5ml mix so that if it all goes south you can chuck it away & still have plenty liquids left over for another try.

Plenty of online calculators to help you mix the perfect vg/concentrate ratio. Just google "ejuice calculator" & tons of options are at your disposal

Steeping is pretty much up to you. I feel one week is enough but many prefer longer. You will have to keep tasting it as the days progress & decide if its good enough for you

Regarding cleanliness , just work in a tidy environment with clean equipment & you'l be fine. I don't even bother with gloves when working with 0 nic though if you have it , use it

Edit ; Sorry , when I said taste I meant vape it , not to physically taste the juice

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 3


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## TheSTRAFF (6/1/16)

@Khan83 5ml, how accurate would it be if I use drops? Since its such a low amount I wouldn't be able to measure.
I have an ejuice calculator on my pc, it shows 0.25ml / 5 drops. 

@Sebastian I have read about warm water baths for ejuice, I haven't read any disadvantages about it, will give it ago and leave it to rest in my pc (dark and warm), when leaving the cap off should I be concerned about dust, etc. getting into the mixture?


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## Anwar (6/1/16)

Hey all 

I have been mixing for a very short time but have done my research and have made the needed mistakes so that i can assist felow vapers

@TheSTRAFF 

Firstly which brand of concentrates will you be using? 

Thats very very important - e-juicerecipes.com will give you info and recomendations on what percetages to use concentrates so that you wouldnt need to throw away juices necessarily, will allow you to have some more info on the ingredients you using 

Stick with recipes and use the brands that was metioned in the recipes 

E.g. 

5% bavarian cream from tfa and 5% bavarian cream from capella is not exactly the same 

When choosing recipes, choose something that was reviewed, this will gove you more info on the consistency of the recipe and its quality, also what could be substituted and not 

Mixing...

I have a 5ml syringe, 10ml and 20ml 

Makes things easy 

Nitrate gloves if u feel like you might be clumsy when mixing ur nic 

Bowl of water to clean instruments and a vape towel or cloth 

Any further questions 

Im here... 

Welcome to the world of diying 

Sent from my SM-J700H using Tapatalk

Reactions: Like 2 | Winner 2


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## Khan83 (6/1/16)

TheSTRAFF said:


> @Khan83 5ml, how accurate would it be if I use drops? Since its such a low amount I wouldn't be able to measure.
> I have an ejuice calculator on my pc, it shows 0.25ml / 5 drops.
> 
> @Sebastian I have read about warm water baths for ejuice, I haven't read any disadvantages about it, will give it ago and leave it to rest in my pc (dark and warm), when leaving the cap off should I be concerned about dust, etc. getting into the mixture?


Drops are fine , just try & make sure they are consistent. I also work off the drops when making small test batches.

If you want exact measurements , there are funnels/cylinders/measuring rods that you can buy but I personally feel that unless its a business & and you are selling juice & need to monitor your measurements to the T , a drop extra/less wont drastically affect the outcome of the flavor.


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## Sebastian (6/1/16)

TheSTRAFF said:


> @Khan83 5ml, how accurate would it be if I use drops? Since its such a low amount I wouldn't be able to measure.
> I have an ejuice calculator on my pc, it shows 0.25ml / 5 drops.
> 
> @Sebastian I have read about warm water baths for ejuice, I haven't read any disadvantages about it, will give it ago and leave it to rest in my pc (dark and warm), when leaving the cap off should I be concerned about dust, etc. getting into the mixture?



Well in you PC is a good spot, im not to sure if the dust will get in but it probably will depending how dusty your pc is. in your cupboard should also be fine as its summer and its super hot.


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## shaunnadan (6/1/16)

Hey buddy 

Welcome to the wonderful world of DIY !

So it's great that you have a recipe in mind and already ordered your supplies.


This is a basic guide I would follow when mixing up juices .

Start with a plan !

I usually write down everything I'm going to be doing before I even start, it's just easier that I'm not scrolling on my phone or scrambling around to work out percentages to ml, Etc

Basically you want to have your final recipe written down and then you just follow that. When you start mixing up multiple recipes this makes life so much simpler.

For the 1st bottle I'd recommend a 5ml or 10ml bottle. If it's a dud then no hard feelings that some guy posted a recipe online and now it sucks and you have 100ml of juice destined for the drain.

So get you recipe calculator (e juice me up is my favorite) and build your bottle.

Start with your nic options and then the final volume. Then add concentrates with their percentages and update it (don't forget to save every recipe in case it's a Winner! )

Now that you have that done you should have some clear direction in what you need to be mixing and won't have any distractions.

The Lab ....

You mixing area need to be clean , quiet and you need a decent amount of space. The quiet part is so you won't be startled and throw in 10ml of pure nic in by mistake, lol

Get a dishcloth, or paper towel and put that down to work off. In case you spill on the wife's mahogany table....

Always wear gloves! Even if your not handling nic . Get nitrile gloves instead of latex (latex gets sticky if you get water on them)

The reason for the gloves is some concentrates a very floral in high doses and you don't want to smell like a cheap hooker ( a DIY expert used those words )

Look at your recipe and line up your concentrates. Pour them 1 at a time into your mixing glass and then seal off the concentrate. Once done put them away. You would be surprised how often I wonder "hmmmm did I already add the vanilla custard "

Use a small 1ml syringe for accuracy on small batches. I like to keep half a cup of water nearby to rinse my syringes. So after I fill concentrate 1 I rinse it in the cup of water , wipe it of with a wet wipe and then add concentrate 2. This prevents cross contamination and your sanity when you start to wonder why your custard tastes like mint! 

*The pouring 1 at a time can be challenged by other mixing methods like layering , etc but that's not for this simple guide

Now we start with the bases, add your dilutants and nic to the glass bottle and then pack away everything nicely.

NOW SHAKE !!!!!!!

A good 5min shake as you walk around the house is a good measure for a shake and Vape recipe. If you have a small house then maybe do 2 laps around just for good measure.

Some steeping methods like a coffee frother, ultrasonic, magnetic stirring, Car boot, etc can help but nothing beats time.

If you can then make 2x 5ml bottles and let one steep for a few days before your final verdict of that recipe.

Reactions: Like 3 | Winner 1 | Useful 1


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## Cespian (6/1/16)

What works for me is using a scale with 0.01 accuracy. Most online e-juice calculators convert percentages into weight as well (I built mine in Excel though so if the online calcs are not working for you then let me know and I will gladly share my formulae). 

Besides for better accuracy, theres no need to constantly stock up on syringes and measuring flasks and pipettes and all that funny jazz. Maybe just a funnel and your juice bottles. 

The scale that I use, I bought from Fasttech (took 7 weeks to get to me though). The exact one that I bought is SKU 2050005 (search that product ID on www.fasttech.com). There are others though that I'm sure you can find locally should you wish to go this route. 

WRT percentages of concentrates, I suggest you dont go above a total of 20% flavouring. I have 1 custard mix I came up with that uses 23% but if I vape this I have to rewick my dripper at least every 2nd day because of gunking. 

Good luck bro

Reactions: Like 1 | Useful 3


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## TheSTRAFF (6/1/16)

Wow, thanks for all the advice... I am going to be using CAP flavours as the recipe says... I am also using the ejuice me up programme.... 
I won't be going extreme on instruments (scales, flasks, etc) 

Tomorrow I will get a pen and paper and write out all these things, and make it step by step. I wouldn't have thought of the water and syringe thing, was just ganna use a new syringe for each flavour, possibly end up with 50 syringes (if the mix goes well and continue diy mixing). Also the shop I ordered from only has 10ml syringes. 

Thanks again @Cespian @shaunnadan @Anwar @Sebastian @Khan83

Reactions: Like 2


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## shaunnadan (6/1/16)

TheSTRAFF said:


> Wow, thanks for all the advice... I am going to be using CAP flavours as the recipe says... I am also using the ejuice me up programme....
> I won't be going extreme on instruments (scales, flasks, etc)
> 
> Tomorrow I will get a pen and paper and write out all these things, and make it step by step. I wouldn't have thought of the water and syringe thing, was just ganna use a new syringe for each flavour, possibly end up with 50 syringes (if the mix goes well and continue diy mixing). Also the shop I ordered from only has 10ml syringes.
> ...



Westpack, dischem , clicks, most pharmacies have syringes in packs


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## TheSTRAFF (7/1/16)

Just a lil update, I mixed the juices, I made a 5ml but, it seemed way to little (so much that I wouldn't get it into the tank, so made more. Then I did a hot water bath, lol the bottles are now deformed, the water was to hot. But all seems well, thanks for all the advice

Reactions: Like 1


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## shaunnadan (7/1/16)

TheSTRAFF said:


> Just a lil update, I mixed the juices, I made a 5ml but, it seemed way to little (so much that I wouldn't get it into the tank, so made more. Then I did a hot water bath, lol the bottles are now deformed, the water was to hot. But all seems well, thanks for all the advice



How's the initial taste ?


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## Sebastian (7/1/16)

TheSTRAFF said:


> Just a lil update, I mixed the juices, I made a 5ml but, it seemed way to little (so much that I wouldn't get it into the tank, so made more. Then I did a hot water bath, lol the bottles are now deformed, the water was to hot. But all seems well, thanks for all the advice


Yea try not to make the water too hot so that it's boiling and how's the taste dude? What did you mix


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## TheSTRAFF (7/1/16)

Taste like sweet cotton candy.... Flavour seems weak, but I think its the coil... It might be a very. Low flavour taste but it taste awesome, my room smells like cotton candy and I wanna say honey/golden syrup, I can already see how this becomes my all day vape, let's hope the steeping helps enhance the flavour. Will do another warm water bath tomorrow night.


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## TheSTRAFF (8/1/16)

Sebastian said:


> Yea try not to make the water too hot so that it's boiling and how's the taste dude? What did you mix



This morning it taste like burnt candy, lol - think I killed it running the coil at 50w and 300C . Mixed 50ml VG , BRCC (cap) 5.5ml and Hibiscus (cap) 2.5ml something along those lines. 
Also all the air bubbles is gone from last nights shake (its look much clearer then last nights grey (non transparent) colour, so I shook it again before leaving to work.


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## Cespian (8/1/16)

TheSTRAFF said:


> This morning it taste like burnt candy, lol - think I killed it running the coil at 50w and 300C . Mixed 50ml VG , BRCC (cap) 5.5ml and Hibiscus (cap) 2.5ml something along those lines.
> Also all the air bubbles is gone from last nights shake (its look much clearer then last nights grey (non transparent) colour, so I shook it again before leaving to work.



By the sounds of things, you are making the clone of Beard Vape Co's No. 71 (possibly the recipe found on Valley Vapours site)? I made this a couple of months ago and got crazy burn as well, but it wasnt a dry hit kinda burn. Later on I refined the recipe, substituted the BRCC with Cotton Candy from TFA, and I substituted the Hibiscus with Blueberry Candy from TFA, and jazzed things up a bit with 2% Sweet Cream. I'm thinking it might have been a problem with the Hibiscus because I made a solution with 10% BRCC in a 70/30 VG/PG mix with 3mg Nic and didnt have the problem (I didn't have the balls to vape Hibiscus on its own). Hope your new batch works out for you.

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## TheSTRAFF (8/1/16)

@Cespian - that's where i got it from, its exactly the same on e-juice-recipes.... so what you saying is if i add more BRCC & VG to the current mix (making the hibiscus flavour drop) it should be a little better?


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## Cespian (8/1/16)

TheSTRAFF said:


> @Cespian - that's where i got it from, its exactly the same on e-juice-recipes.... so what you saying is if i add more BRCC & VG to the current mix (making the hibiscus flavour drop) it should be a little better?



Not necessarily. I chucked everything and replaced the concentrates completely. I didn't develope any further with the the CAP concentrates (in fact, I haven't used CAP flavours since then, only FW, TFA, FA and LA). I'm a drastic fellow lol.

My suggestion is to isolate your culprit. hence use your exact base liquid solution (whether it be 50/50, 60/40 etc) and add in 5 to 10% of a single concentrate (eg. using only BRCC), shake it up (maybe a WARM water bath [notice not HOT water bath lol]) and vape it. Try the same with each concentrate individually to isolate the concentrate thats giving you the burnt taste. Once you find it, replace it... Might be time consuming, but it will be very rewarding once you get your recipe 100% to your liking.

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## TheSTRAFF (8/1/16)

Cespian said:


> Not necessarily. I chucked everything and replaced the concentrates completely. I didn't develope any further with the the CAP concentrates (in fact, I haven't used CAP flavours since then, only FW, TFA, FA and LA). I'm a drastic fellow lol.
> 
> My suggestion is to isolate your culprit. hence use your exact base liquid solution (whether it be 50/50, 60/40 etc) and add in 5 to 10% of a single concentrate (eg. using only BRCC), shake it up (maybe a WARM water bath [notice not HOT water bath lol]) and vape it. Try the same with each concentrate individually to isolate the concentrate thats giving you the burnt taste. Once you find it, replace it... Might be time consuming, but it will be very rewarding once you get your recipe 100% to your liking.



I will try tasting the mix again tonight or tomorrow, i replaced the coil since the Ti coil seems pretty black (probably from continuous vaping at 45w/300C last night, this new Ni0.15 coil is not tasting nice, guess i have to wait for it to break in, and then find the ideal setting.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Sebastian (8/1/16)

TheSTRAFF said:


> I will try tasting the mix again tonight or tomorrow, i replaced the coil since the Ti coil seems pretty black (probably from continuous vaping at 45w/300C last night, this new Ni0.15 coil is not tasting nice, guess i have to wait for it to break in, and then find the ideal setting.


I prefer the NI 0.15 coil smokes like a beast the ti coil seemed to smoke lesser although the flavour was there


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## Waine (8/1/16)

I know this may have been asked a dozen times, but please can someone advise me? Where can I buy Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerin from a brick and mortar shop in Durban? Dischem are sold out. I will appreciate any tips. Thanks in advance...


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## Achmat89 (8/1/16)

Sup guys

Can anyone point me out to who has stock of vg based nicotine in stock?


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## TheSTRAFF (8/1/16)

Achmat89 said:


> Sup guys
> 
> Can anyone point me out to who has stock of vg based nicotine in stock?




http://www.vapeowave.co.za/index.ph...-pure-for-diy-eliquid-ejuice-self-mixing.html


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## Waine (8/1/16)

Sebastian said:


> I prefer the NI 0.15 coil smokes like a beast the ti coil seemed to smoke lesser although the flavour was there


Oh my goodness Sebastian. You can tell I am a novice. I pump 120 C and 30 Watts on the eLeaf i Stick 60 TC and that is sufficient for me, even with 6% nicotine. 

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk


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## Achmat89 (8/1/16)

TheSTRAFF said:


> http://www.vapeowave.co.za/index.ph...-pure-for-diy-eliquid-ejuice-self-mixing.html


Thanx buddy @TheSTRAFF


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## Sebastian (8/1/16)

Waine said:


> Oh my goodness Sebastian. You can tell I am a novice. I pump 120 C and 30 Watts on the eLeaf i Stick 60 TC and that is sufficient for me, even with 6% nicotine.
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk


Well I used only 3mg nic even 0 at times. But I mean 30w is perfect if it suites you. You do you.


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## TheSTRAFF (8/1/16)

Waine said:


> Oh my goodness Sebastian. You can tell I am a novice. I pump 120 C and 30 Watts on the eLeaf i Stick 60 TC and that is sufficient for me, even with 6% nicotine.
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk



Mine doesn't fire at that setting  . I'm just glad I'm not using 45w@300-310C anymore.


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## Lord Vetinari (12/2/16)

Anwar said:


> Hey all
> 
> I have been mixing for a very short time but have done my research and have made the needed mistakes so that i can assist felow vapers
> 
> ...


On point and to the point. Nice post thank you.


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## MoneymanVape (27/3/16)

Anwar said:


> Hey all
> 
> I have been mixing for a very short time but have done my research and have made the needed mistakes so that i can assist felow vapers
> 
> ...


Hi
Also getting my diy stuff this week. Using n cuboid with serpent tank. Going to mix 5ml at a time so start. Read about adding distilled water. How much should i add in 5ml? Going to make a 30%pg and 70%vg. I know the juice i bought has disabled water or saline in just dont know how much. And idee?


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## gertvanjoe (27/3/16)

MoneymanVape said:


> Hi
> Also getting my diy stuff this week. Using n cuboid with serpent tank. Going to mix 5ml at a time so start. Read about adding distilled water. How much should i add in 5ml? Going to make a 30%pg and 70%vg. I know the juice i bought has disabled water or saline in just dont know how much. And idee?




if you want to do 30/70 PG/VG then you do not need to add distilled water. If you want to eliminate the PG, thats where you would add water to think out the VG a bit


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