# Lurker turned poster..



## SirMCDeats (16/1/15)

Hey guys,

I'm new here, been lurking for a while but decided to register today 

I stopped smoking cigarette's in November (2014) and switched to vaping, since I started, I haven't had a single stinky 

My vaping journey has moved quite quickly for me. I started off on a vision spinner 2 and nautilus mini but quickly moved to an IPV2 running an atlantis. Early January I ordered my first DIY e-juice kit from skyblue and I've been playing with (read: mucking up) making my own juices. This week saw me buying my first RTA (the kanger subtank), and yesterday I bought my first dripper (the doge).. all from vapeking!

At work I build custom Linux (desktop) images in between vaping 

Anyway, that's me, looking forward to being part of the community!

PS. converted the wife to vaping as well, she's currently running the spinner with the mini

Reactions: Like 7


----------



## Riddle (16/1/15)

Welcome to the forum. Happy to see you have finally joined. Looks like you are well on your way for a happy vamping future.


----------



## Ollie (16/1/15)

Awesome stuff @SirMCDeats 

Welcome to the forum


----------



## shaunnadan (16/1/15)

Hello Sir 

welcome to the forum buddy ! thats an amazing progression, well done. 

how are you finding the DIY ?


----------



## SirMCDeats (16/1/15)

Thanks for the welcome guys!



shaunnadan said:


> Hello Sir
> 
> welcome to the forum buddy ! thats an amazing progression, well done.
> 
> how are you finding the DIY ?



I'm still struggling quite a bit, especially with the flavour percentage. Even after 2 weeks of steeping, the juice generally tends to taste like nothing. The first batches I made had 5% flavour in them, I have a current batch steeping that I upped to 10%. Hopefully that works a bit better!


----------



## shaunnadan (16/1/15)

lol, im having the opposite problem. some of my flavours are overpowering my mixes.

its a bit of trial and error. i make a small batch and write down my recipe used, then sample those and see what i need to change


----------



## WHITELABEL (16/1/15)

SirMCDeats said:


> Thanks for the welcome guys!
> 
> 
> 
> I'm still struggling quite a bit, especially with the flavour percentage. Even after 2 weeks of steeping, the juice generally tends to taste like nothing. The first batches I made had 5% flavour in them, I have a current batch steeping that I upped to 10%. Hopefully that works a bit better!


I'm having better success with taking other people's recipes and tweaking them to my taste. Here's a couple useful resources for DIY recipes worth checking out:

http://www.e-liquid-recipes.com/
http://www.reddit.com/r/DIY_eJuice/comments/1ivjog/mega_tfa_tpa_recipe_thread/

Reddit has a large community of DIY ejuicers with a ton of good info.
http://www.reddit.com/r/DIY_eJuice/

Good luck and please share your findings we're all learning as we go!

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


----------



## shaunnadan (16/1/15)

@Gambit

ive been doing the same thing ... been working on a really good 5 pawns "gambit" clone.

i use http://www.kritikalmass.net/index.asp

they have a really good search option where you can search by flavour and find recipes that you can use based on a flavour that you have. i then look for what i dont have and can substitute.


----------



## Silver (16/1/15)

Welcome to the forum @SirMCDeats 
Congrats on the quitting of the stinkies. That is a great achievement!
You sure are progressing very nicely
As long as you stay off the stinkies and enjoy the journey then thats what its all about

All the best

Ps - when you get a moment, please load a cool avatar pic. Click yr name in the top right, then "avatar"


----------



## SirMCDeats (16/1/15)

shaunnadan said:


> lol, im having the opposite problem. some of my flavours are overpowering my mixes.
> 
> its a bit of trial and error. i make a small batch and write down my recipe used, then sample those and see what i need to change



What PG/VG ratio are you making? I'm trying for 20 PG / 80 VG, but struggling to get the flavour in.

Are you measuring in grams, drops or millilitres? 



Gambit said:


> I'm having better success with taking other people's recipes and tweaking them to my taste. Here's a couple useful resources for DIY recipes worth checking out:
> 
> http://www.e-liquid-recipes.com/
> http://www.reddit.com/r/DIY_eJuice/comments/1ivjog/mega_tfa_tpa_recipe_thread/
> ...



E-liquid recipes has been my go to site for calculations and recipes, great site.



Silver said:


> Welcome to the forum @SirMCDeats
> Congrats on the quitting of the stinkies. That is a great achievement!
> You sure are progressing very nicely
> As long as you stay off the stinkies and enjoy the journey then thats what its all about
> ...



Will do, just need to find one I like!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## shaunnadan (16/1/15)

ive made a few batches at different ratios

most of my juice is at 50vg/50pg
complex flavours are at 60pg /40vg 
simpler juices at 70vg/30pg for making cloud, lol

my nic is all 50pg/50vg 

i started by mixing my pg/vg pure by ratio to get my 3 bottles of base pg/vg. then i add the base to my nic premix and then add the flavour after.

i land up with a few ml extra juice (mixing a 30ml bottle will land up with just under 40ml) depending on the amount of flavour i add but i rather do that and know my nic content is correct if lower than being too strong.

depending on the recipe i either use ml or drops, if its a low amount of flavour i need then i rather use drops because u loose a bit in the syringes etc.

have you tried to agitate your liquids to speed up the steeping? that may help bring out the flavour

i have a small handheld coffee mixer thingy that i whizz up all of my juices, creates alot of bubbles and then i leave it to steep. some sites say that it greatly speeds up the steeping. i also heat up the juices but for a short time only. after giving the juice a proper whizz i seal the bottle, then fill up a mug with hot tap water and submerge the sealed bottle in there for a few min. i normally keep in in for about 10min until the water gets lukewarm, i then give the bottle a quick rinse in cold water, shake the bottle by hand and put it back in the cupboard.

what flavours do u have and what recipes are you trying to make ?


----------



## SirMCDeats (16/1/15)

shaunnadan said:


> ive made a few batches at different ratios
> 
> most of my juice is at 50vg/50pg
> complex flavours are at 60pg /40vg
> ...



At the moment I'm just trying to make a single flavour recipe. I've tried grape candy and black cherry, both 80 VG / 20 PG, 5% flavour and 6mg nic. 

Any suggestions on the flavour %? Is mine too high? Maybe too low?

I haven't tried agitating it yet. Will give your suggestion a bash tonight. How long do you steep for after submerging it in hot water?


----------



## shaunnadan (16/1/15)

what volume are you trying to make?

Example of a 30ml sample

start with the base....
you want 80/20 split so for a 30ml you need (20ml vg and 5ml pg)

now add your nic....
so for 6mg NIC you need 6:1 ratio 
thats 5 parts of pure pg/vg and 1 part pg/vg nic (25ml pure and 5 ml nic)

now to add ur flavour 

since your flavour is mainly in the pg and your pg is low i would recommend around 7% as a starter. so add around 2ml of our flavour .

my method of steeping

i wake up and grab the coffee mixer thingy !
then after i see the bubbles i seal the bottle and fill up a mug of hot water from the tap. submerge the bottle and then go and have a shower. 

once im done i take it out of the water and put it in the cupboard. 

the next morning i take a few drops from there in the dripper to test and see if i plan to agitate and bath it again.

normally i steep for a bout 3 days with agitating it twice a day.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


----------



## free3dom (16/1/15)

Welcome @SirMCDeats 

There is a fantastic thread on starting DIY on here:
http://www.ecigssa.co.za/threads/diy-your-first-time.7324/

This got me up and running in no time and I already have a DIY juice that I always have loaded in one of my devices for all day vaping 

Best of luck with your DIY - you seem properly sorted out for gear though

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Marzuq (16/1/15)

welcome and congratulations on your promotion from lurker to full on member. we happy to have you


----------



## Kuhlkatz (16/1/15)

Welcome to the forum @SirMCDeats.

Good job with switching yourself and the wife over to vaping. 
I hope you enjoy the stay and please don't forget to point mrs MCDeats this way too. It would be deemed selfish if you try to hide this awesome community from her


----------



## Daniel (16/1/15)

@SirMCDeats welcome , and so the journey begins , great choice on the IPV2 , how are you finding the Atlantis on it curious to know as I have both incoming  not much of a lung hitter so want to know if you close the airflow and just toot or wide open and kap the lung hits ....


----------



## Alex (16/1/15)

Gambit said:


> I'm having better success with taking other people's recipes and tweaking them to my taste. Here's a couple useful resources for DIY recipes worth checking out:
> 
> http://www.e-liquid-recipes.com/
> http://www.reddit.com/r/DIY_eJuice/comments/1ivjog/mega_tfa_tpa_recipe_thread/
> ...



Can't go wrong with http://www.reddit.com/r/DIY_eJuice/, find a good clone recipe, and enjoy a good juice for next to nothing.

Reactions: Agree 2


----------



## WHITELABEL (17/1/15)

Exactly. Also looking through all the recipes you start to get an idea of what flavour combinations work and the percentages people are using in their recipes. Also reddit is awesome.


----------



## SirMCDeats (17/1/15)

Again, thanks to all for the warm welcome!



shaunnadan said:


> what volume are you trying to make?
> 
> Example of a 30ml sample
> 
> ...



At the moment I'm making 10ml samples just to test them out. I tried a batch last night that I made a week ago, 80VG, 20PG, 6mg nic and 5% black cherry flavor. It smelt great but it tasted like nothing. Will try the next batch with 7% flavor and your agitating / hot water method. Just need to find a mixer thingy 



free3dom said:


> Welcome @SirMCDeats
> 
> There is a fantastic thread on starting DIY on here:
> http://www.ecigssa.co.za/threads/diy-your-first-time.7324/
> ...



Yeah, found that thread, it's actually one of the threads that lead me to the forum. And might I just say, BLASPHEMY, one can never be sorted on gear  I already have a wish list long enough to bankrupt me for a couple of years! 



Kuhlkatz said:


> Welcome to the forum @SirMCDeats.
> 
> Good job with switching yourself and the wife over to vaping.
> I hope you enjoy the stay and please don't forget to point mrs MCDeats this way too. It would be deemed selfish if you try to hide this awesome community from her



I have told her about the forum, reckon she'll join soon enough!



Daniel said:


> @SirMCDeats welcome , and so the journey begins , great choice on the IPV2 , how are you finding the Atlantis on it curious to know as I have both incoming  not much of a lung hitter so want to know if you close the airflow and just toot or wide open and kap the lung hits ....



I'm also not a big lung hitter, and to be honest the airflow on the atlantis is too much for me wide open, I generally vape it on the smallest air hole. It took some getting used to after the nautilus.

I bought the subtank recently, and I actually prefer the airflow on it. The fact that you can use it as an RTA is also pretty awesome.

Let me know if you have any more questions about the atlantis?


----------



## JW Flynn (17/1/15)

SirMCDeats said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I'm new here, been lurking for a while but decided to register today
> 
> ...


Welcome man, I'm sure you will enjoy your time here and I know you'll enjoy vaping, Congratulations on not touching the stinies again... LOL, and trust me when you do, it tastes like that very first time you smokes, a shitty taste in your mouth, even bloody cigars which I used to love!!! Me and my data always used to share a couple when I go to visit him.... now I just take a couple of pulls on the cigar and stop as it tastes to damn crappy!!!

Anyway, good to see you here and hope you stay away from those nasty stinkers, hehe


----------



## free3dom (17/1/15)

SirMCDeats said:


> Yeah, found that thread, it's actually one of the threads that lead me to the forum. And might I just say, BLASPHEMY, one can never be sorted on gear  I already have a wish list long enough to bankrupt me for a couple of years!



Haha, indeed...forgive my blasphemous comment 

What I *meant* to say was....sorted for _this week_


----------



## Cat (17/1/15)

Ejuice Me Up recipe calculator. 

@SirMCDeats , 5% is typically too low, but you didn't say which flavouing brand - if it's mbv, then then definitely too low. (Although it does still vary per flavour. Just that mbv is generally considered to be less concentrated.)


----------



## shaunnadan (17/1/15)

I got the mixer thingy from dischem .


----------



## SirMCDeats (19/1/15)

Cat said:


> Ejuice Me Up recipe calculator.
> 
> @SirMCDeats , 5% is typically too low, but you didn't say which flavouing brand - if it's mbv, then then definitely too low. (Although it does still vary per flavour. Just that mbv is generally considered to be less concentrated.)



Hey Cat, thanks, I'm using TFA / TPA concentrates, these ones:

http://www.skybluevaping.co.za/e-liquids/DIY-Eliquids/DIY-Flavourings/TFA-Flavours

Have you used them at all?



shaunnadan said:


> I got the mixer thingy from dischem .



Cool, thanks man, will go have a look!


----------



## shaunnadan (19/1/15)

so decided to make a batch of 80/20 this weekend and see if i can replicate you loss of flavour problem.

made my base and then added my nic, the used 5% fudge brownie and 2% bavarian cream.

my second batch was with 5% watermelon 

the initial batch with just shaking by hand was a bit bland.... but then agitated it and the GF suggested i use a baby bottle warmer.

kept it in the warmer for 30min at the lowest setting (lukewarm feeling) and then agitated, kept it again for 30min and tested. much stronger flavour and very thick clouds.

carried on doing this 3 times a day over the weekend and then on sunday i had it perfect 

i think your problem apart from the agitating is the low flavour percentages. with the watermelon by sat i needed to add a few more drops to really get it to stand out.

maybe move up to 8% and try it out and see if that helps


----------



## gripen (19/1/15)

welcome to the forum @SirMCDeats .as you can see here you will find all the help you want.you are already sorted with great gear,keep it up bud


----------



## SirMCDeats (23/1/15)

shaunnadan said:


> so decided to make a batch of 80/20 this weekend and see if i can replicate you loss of flavour problem.
> 
> made my base and then added my nic, the used 5% fudge brownie and 2% bavarian cream.
> 
> ...



Hey man, thanks for the effort. Will definitely give this a bash when I find some time! If my job can just stop interfering with my vaping

Reactions: Funny 1


----------



## ESH (23/1/15)

So @SirMCDeats how are you finding the community, now that you have decided to join us?


----------



## SirMCDeats (23/1/15)

ESH said:


> So @SirMCDeats how are you finding the community, now that you have decided to join us?



Amazing. Definitely my favourite South African community.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


----------



## gripen (23/1/15)

@SirMCDeats that's amazing news buddy.thats how all of us feel about the forum.loving it


----------



## free3dom (23/1/15)

SirMCDeats said:


> Amazing. Definitely my favourite South African community.





It's the best one in the *world *


----------



## gripen (23/1/15)

i agree @free3dom


----------



## shaunnadan (23/1/15)

hwsit 

so i tried a control batch with identical flavours for testing. 1 shaken by hand and then other agitated with the coffee mixer thingy and heated up.

the agitated batch steeped much better had a good amount of flavour and after 1 night and already had developed some colour
the hand shaken batch was very weak in flavour and almost water-like and there was no noticeable change in colour

Reactions: Informative 2


----------



## gripen (23/1/15)

fantastic @shaunnadan sound good bud.keep it up


----------



## SirMCDeats (30/1/15)

shaunnadan said:


> hwsit
> 
> so i tried a control batch with identical flavours for testing. 1 shaken by hand and then other agitated with the coffee mixer thingy and heated up.
> 
> ...



Thanks man, to be honest, I haven't had much time to get back into trying a DIY mix.

Will definitely put some time aside to mix some up this weekend!

Seems like agitating the mix is definitely the best way to get the flavour out.


----------



## shaunnadan (30/1/15)

Cool stuff , let us know how it goes !


----------

