# TheBadMadMan's DIY Adventures



## TheBadMadMan (26/6/18)

Hello folks

So I've finally reached the point where I cannot justify *buying "premium" juice for R3000 per litre*. 
_I feel sick reading the above bit in bold out loud. _

I've done some research and have decided on the following to get me going:

VG (Vegetable Glycerine) - 1 LITRE
PG (Propylene Glycol) - 500ml
Nicotine (Gold Nic) - 48mg/ml PG 100ml

Digital Scale Square Type - 0.01/ 500g
I've decided I'll try the "Hello World" of the DIY ejuice world too, so I got myself the following:

Strawberry (Ripe) Flavor Concentrate (TFA) - 10ml

Bavarian Cream Concentrate (TFA) - 10ml

Graham Cracker (Clear) Flavor Concentrate (TFA) - 10ml
Lastly, I picked up some one shots that I feel I will enjoy. I am buying these on faith and am hoping for the best.

Rodeo Hardshots (30ml)
Kings Custard - One Shot - 60ml
All of the above has been purchased from *Blck Vapour* (waiting very impatiently for my delivery ).

I have access to gloves and will be reusing old e-juice bottles.

I'll try to use this thread to document my experience as I dive into the rabbit hole that is DIY.


As always, any advice and recommendations will always be greatly appreciated.

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## franshorn (26/6/18)

Goodluck mate! It's not that hard. Just a bit time consuming sometimes. 

If you have a certain flavour profile, i'd suggest looking in the recipes section and order concentrates accordingly. 
Looks to me like you wanna mix a strawberry fog mix? I wasn't too keen on it, but hey everyones pallet differs. 
Also nothing worse than running out of juice and then having to mix something that requires a long steep. so try plan ahead...

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## TheBadMadMan (26/6/18)

franshorn said:


> Goodluck mate! It's not that hard. Just a bit time consuming sometimes.
> 
> If you have a certain flavour profile, i'd suggest looking in the recipes section and order concentrates accordingly.
> Looks to me like you wanna mix a strawberry fog mix? I wasn't too keen on it, but hey everyones pallet differs.
> Also nothing worse than running out of juice and then having to mix something that requires a long steep. so try plan ahead...



The beginner mix I'm trying is one mentioned in this video, just curious to try I suppose: 

Yeah the steeping part of DIY is going to be a test of my patience for sure. The One Shots I bought have a lenthy steeping time but I'm sure the flavour will be worth it.

I'm handling this as a transition phase, I might still buy a bottle or two of commercial juice as I find my feet, but once my steeped juices matures I am positive I'll be vaping my DIYs 99% of the time.

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## RichJB (26/6/18)

Even if you don't like the New Amsterdam Vape recipe, Strawb Ripe, Bav and Graham Cracker Clear are popular flavours so you'll always be able to use them. The one-shots will be dead simple so you should enjoy those and they provide a much easier route into DIY. When I started [/old fart mode] there weren't any one-shots so you had to buy 146748 flavours before you could mix anything. Being able to whip up one-shots as you build your flavour stash is a major bonus for those starting now. In fact, you could probably skip buying concentrates altogether and just do one-shots. Although it would be a bit limiting after a while.

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## vicTor (26/6/18)

TheBadMadMan said:


> Hello folks
> 
> So I've finally reached the point where I cannot justify *buying "premium" juice for R3000 per litre*.
> _I feel sick reading the above bit in bold out loud. _
> ...



good luck, you can do it

you going to love that Rodeo

and hate steeping ...lol

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## Puff the Magic Dragon (26/6/18)

I know how you feel @RichJB .

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## Room Fogger (26/6/18)

TheBadMadMan said:


> Hello folks
> 
> So I've finally reached the point where I cannot justify *buying "premium" juice for R3000 per litre*.
> _I feel sick reading the above bit in bold out loud. _
> ...


Dam, welcome to the deepest hole in vaping, it’s as deep as you could possibly want it to be. The biggest reward of diy is to be able to vape a juice that “you”made, there is nothing nicer. Have a look in the DIY thread, there is a lot of advice and a introductory guide to diy from @RichJB which will help you to start it right. 

For the rest here are some tips from that may come in handy:

Mix like you are a maniac and no ones watching, not really but it sounds cool to say it.
Enjoy it as your journey opens up another world of vaping.
You will usually be missing at least one concentrate to that recipy you really need or want to mix, this is called rule 1. It applies to starters and sometimes even the grand masters of diy that have 800+ concentrates.
Rodeo only shines after a month of steeping, but it’s worth the wait! When you get to Obsidian it’s 90 days, but again worth it.
Look at the recipies in the diy thread, you will find some stunners there.
Ask for help before buying lots of concentrates that you will only use in one recipy, leave that for later when you can really justify it. There are some guides to this as well in there somewhere.
Find a couple of short steep recipies to tide you over, in the beginning you are going to sit and howl in front of your steeping cupboard.
Eventually you will make enough to ensure this never happens again. But you will also realize that there is nothing like time to make a recipy shine.
Enjoy the journey, this is the most important part.
Looking forward to reading of your exploits and the journey through taste heaven. Wishing you many happy clouds in your endeavor.

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## Raindance (26/6/18)

Room Fogger said:


> Dam, welcome to the deepest hole in vaping, it’s as deep as you could possibly want it to be. The biggest reward of diy is to be able to vape a juice that “you”made, there is nothing nicer. Have a look in the DIY thread, there is a lot of advice and a introductory guide to diy from @RichJB which will help you to start it right.
> 
> For the rest here are some tips from that may come in handy:
> 
> ...


https://www.ecigssa.co.za/a-diy-primer.t44442/#post-606771 - The Primer Room Fogger mentioned. Excellent read for noob and old hand alike.

Regards

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## TheBadMadMan (26/6/18)

Thanks for all the input and advice so far gents!

The anticipation is real!

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## Room Fogger (26/6/18)

TheBadMadMan said:


> Thanks for all the input and advice so far gents!
> 
> The anticipation is real!
> 
> View attachment 136750


Now you will also experience the expectation and adrenaline rush every time you see The Courier Guy bakkie, sometimes only to realize you haven’t ordered anything.  You should have your order tomorrow, they are very good at it, as is BLCK @Richio in getting your goodies to you as fast as is courierman possible.

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## TheBadMadMan (26/6/18)

I would like to keep track of my inventory and track mixes etc.
Please recommend me a Website or an application that I could use for this purpose.

For eg: I want to input that I have 10ml of XYZ liquid. Now I decide to use 2.1ml of this in a recipe. The app must now track that I have 7.9ml of XYZ liquid remaining, etc.

I see DIY Juice Calculator being mentioned a lot, it is also in the DIY PRIMER guide @Raindance linked me to. Is this the best and does it have the ability to be synced accross devices?

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## Raindance (26/6/18)

Get this one:



Here: http://diyjuicecalculator.com/

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## TheBadMadMan (27/6/18)

I wonder what is in this box 

Shout out to @Richio for the quick delivery. It has not even been 24H since I placed the order.

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## StompieZA (27/6/18)

BLCK is super quick with their delivery! Love it! 

Good luck with the DIY bud!

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## RichJB (27/6/18)

Whoop, nothing like getting that first vapemail of DIY goodies. It's a heck of a ride, @TheBadMadMan, savour every moment.

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## Vino1718 (27/6/18)

Welcome @TheBadMadMan. You should've told me you were getting Rodeo. I have some left which you could've tried 1st. Not that you wont like it of course. It would have given me the chance to try the Kind Custard you have cause its on my "to get" list. Anyway send some with Muzza please

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## TheBadMadMan (27/6/18)

Vino1718 said:


> Welcome @TheBadMadMan. You should've told me you were getting Rodeo. I have some left which you could've tried 1st. Not that you wont like it of course. It would have given me the chance to try the Kind Custard you have cause its on my "to get" list. Anyway send some with Muzza please



Vino, seems like it's time for some memory excersises to prevent data loss . 

We can make a plan

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## TheBadMadMan (27/6/18)

TheBadMadMan said:


> I wonder what is in this box
> 
> Shout out to @Richio for the quick delivery. It has not even been 24H since I placed the order.
> 
> View attachment 136795



Pandora's box has been opened.

The (starter) flavour stash.






Some VeeGee PeeGee action.





That Nic though!





uhm...the scale





And lastly, I discovered these extra items in the box. Now I'm not sure if this was intentional or unintentional by BLCK Vapour. If the former, I thank you @Richio. If the latter, you welcome to try and pry it from my claws.  These freebie concentrates are of various quantity (none are full 10ml) and will be interesting to play with. The empty 60ml is going to be very usefull and the oneshot measure card is a nifty little companion to have when the scale's batteries are kaput.





Now to start playing Heisenberg.

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## Room Fogger (27/6/18)

TheBadMadMan said:


> Pandora's box has been opened.
> 
> The (starter) flavour stash.
> 
> ...


@Richio loves to add something extra to surprise you, and it’s always welcome. Enjoy your mixing, and can’t wait to see if you can withstand temptation while they are steeping.

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## vicTor (27/6/18)

TheBadMadMan said:


> Pandora's box has been opened.
> 
> The (starter) flavour stash.
> 
> ...



nice photos !

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## Room Fogger (27/6/18)

TheBadMadMan said:


> Pandora's box has been opened.
> 
> The (starter) flavour stash.
> 
> ...


You will have to let me know how the Kings Custard turns out. Love a custard and haven’t been able to find a great diy one, so keeping my fingers crossed that it is going to be a positive yes from you.

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## Silver (27/6/18)

Congrats @TheBadMadMan !
All the best for your diy journey

May the efforts be fruitful and the potions magical!

Let us know how it goes

I presume you are now mixing like a mad scientist...

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## TheBadMadMan (28/6/18)

Did my first 3 batches of DIY last night. Some Breaking Bad stuff! 

I made 3 bottles of juice last night.
1) 30ML Stawberry Cream 70/30 1.5mg
2) 60ML Hardshots Rodeo 60/40 1.5mg
3) 50ML Kings Custard 70/30 1.5mg

Tested each after mixing and will taste in a couple of days again.

I was realy suprised at the dark colour of Rodeo after it had been mixed at the recommended percentage.

Rodeo and Kings Custard def needs to steep to balance flavours. I can tell time will be very good to these two flavours.
Strawberry cream is a nice entry-level mix overall, the cream didnt really come through, again steeping is needed for the cream to come through.

Nice thick vapour all round too.

All-in-all it was a great learning experience!

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## Room Fogger (28/6/18)

TheBadMadMan said:


> Did my first 3 batches of DIY last night. Some Breaking Bad stuff!
> 
> I made 3 bottles of juice last night.
> 1) 30ML Stawberry Cream 70/30 1.5mg
> ...


Excellent meneer, Rodeo really comes to its full potential at 30 days plus, based on the composition of the other two with custard and cream, at least 14 to 21 days, but the longer the better! Now to see if you can withstand the temptation to only test after 7days again.

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## RichJB (28/6/18)

I would immediately mix up more of the same mixes so that they're steeping while you're vaping this batch. You might not have enough bottles and that's a tricky one. You can either buy more now and then you end up with too many, or you can allow your bottle collection to grow over time as you convert old nic and concentrate and commercial juice bottles into mixing/testing bottles.

I have lots of bottles now, so many that if I had to mix in every one, I'd have about two years supply of juice. I once bought 30x10ml dropper bottles for testing, which was a waste because I have soooooo many old 10ml concentrate bottles now from using up flavours. Give them a looooong soak in salty hot water to remove residual aroma and they're fine for single-flavour testing. Also, even though I don't buy commercial juice, I somehow get a lot of it. Competitions, giveaways, vape meets, people sending me juice to test, etc. So, if you're patient, you can DIY without ever needing to buy bottles. Inevitably as a DIYer, you end up with tons of them.

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## franshorn (28/6/18)

RichJB said:


> I would immediately mix up more of the same mixes so that they're steeping while you're vaping this batch. You might not have enough bottles and that's a tricky one. You can either buy more now and then you end up with too many, or you can allow your bottle collection to grow over time as you convert old nic and concentrate and commercial juice bottles into mixing/testing bottles.
> 
> I have lots of bottles now, so many that if I had to mix in every one, I'd have about two years supply of juice. I once bought 30x10ml dropper bottles for testing, which was a waste because I have soooooo many old 10ml concentrate bottles now from using up flavours. *Give them a looooong soak in salty hot water to remove residual aroma and they're fine for single-flavour testing*. Also, even though I don't buy commercial juice, I somehow get a lot of it. Competitions, giveaways, vape meets, people sending me juice to test, etc. So, if you're patient, you can DIY without ever needing to buy bottles. Inevitably as a DIYer, you end up with tons of them.



Thanks for the tip on the salt mix!

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## TheBadMadMan (28/6/18)

RichJB said:


> I would immediately mix up more of the same mixes so that they're steeping while you're vaping this batch. You might not have enough bottles and that's a tricky one. You can either buy more now and then you end up with too many, or you can allow your bottle collection to grow over time as you convert old nic and concentrate and commercial juice bottles into mixing/testing bottles.
> 
> I have lots of bottles now, so many that if I had to mix in every one, I'd have about two years supply of juice. I once bought 30x10ml dropper bottles for testing, which was a waste because I have soooooo many old 10ml concentrate bottles now from using up flavours. Give them a looooong soak in salty hot water to remove residual aroma and they're fine for single-flavour testing. Also, even though I don't buy commercial juice, I somehow get a lot of it. Competitions, giveaways, vape meets, people sending me juice to test, etc. So, if you're patient, you can DIY without ever needing to buy bottles. Inevitably as a DIYer, you end up with tons of them.



This weekend I will be mixing more for sure.
I have access to loads of 50ML and 100ML glass bottles with rubber sealing caps. 
I will be using these for long term steeping and storage purposes, I will then eventually transfer them to dripper bottles as I use them.

As we speak they are soaking in a solution and will be rinsed and dried this weekend.
Here's a picture of 10 X 50ML and 10 X 100ML bottles.

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## Lawrence A (28/6/18)

@


TheBadMadMan said:


> This weekend I will be mixing more for sure.
> I have access to loads of 50ML and 100ML glass bottles with rubber sealing caps.
> I will be using these for long term steeping and storage purposes, I will then eventually transfer them to dripper bottles as I use them.
> 
> ...


@TheBadMadMan - a little late to this thread, but welcome to the wonderful world of DIY - you seem to be well on your way to mixing up a storm and I am sure you are going to enjoy every second of it.

Really digging your pics too

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## aktorsyl (28/6/18)

RichJB said:


> You can either buy more now and then you end up with too many


No such thing as too many bottles

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## Rude Rudi (28/6/18)

Nice one @TheBadMadMan!! Welcome to the rabbit hole!

A fantastic entrance into DIY - well thought out and balanced indeed. Now - I don't want to be "that guy" but I will agree with another comment about the Rodeo. Rodeo is a fantastic juice and well worth making BUT, like most baccos, is an 'acquired taste' and not for everyone. If you are a bacco fan, go for it and enjoy every puff. If you are not currently a bacco vaper, stay clear for now... I know seasoned vapers who cannot handle baccos - it took me 2 years before I 'learned' to appreciate and start mixing and enjoying tobacco recipes.

Good luck and shout if you need any advice - there are loads of good folk here who will be more than happy to guide you along this fantastic DIY journey!

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## TheBadMadMan (1/7/18)

So far, this is what I have mixed:





_Note: Excuse the terri-bad hand writing._

I varied the concentrate percentage on the Rodeo and on the King's Custard mixes. I also changed the VG/PG ratios and NIC content.

Additionally, I transfered my VG and PG to smaller, more usable 100ML bottes. Now I just topup these two bottles as required from the larger and more cumbersome 1L and 500ML bottles.

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## TheBadMadMan (2/7/18)

Rude Rudi said:


> Nice one @TheBadMadMan!! Welcome to the rabbit hole!
> 
> A fantastic entrance into DIY - well thought out and balanced indeed. Now - I don't want to be "that guy" but I will agree with another comment about the Rodeo. Rodeo is a fantastic juice and well worth making BUT, like most baccos, is an 'acquired taste' and not for everyone. If you are a bacco fan, go for it and enjoy every puff. If you are not currently a bacco vaper, stay clear for now... I know seasoned vapers who cannot handle baccos - it took me 2 years before I 'learned' to appreciate and start mixing and enjoying tobacco recipes.
> 
> Good luck and shout if you need any advice - there are loads of good folk here who will be more than happy to guide you along this fantastic DIY journey!



In reply to this, I agree. Most people look at me in a funny way when I tell them I like tobacco flavours. The first tobacco I tried was VM4 - it was a great vape. 

I am finding that mixing Rodeo at the recommended percentage is a bit too much for me (atleast now in the early stages after mixing it with no real steeping time). However, I mixed a batch at 6% and I feel that this is my sweetspot. I am in no rush with Rodeo as I know over time it will reveal more of itself to me. 

The reason I started off with my current line up of flavours is simple - they need much more time to steep than a fruity juice. 
Fruity juices are next on my list of to-do mixes.

*On that note*, I am looking for a nice fruity berry OneShot concentrate. Any suggestions?

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## Room Fogger (2/7/18)

TheBadMadMan said:


> In reply to this, I agree. Most people look at me in a funny way when I tell them I like tobacco flavours. The first tobacco I tried was VM4 - it was a great vape.
> 
> I am finding that mixing Rodeo at the recommended percentage is a bit too much for me (atleast now in the early stages after mixing it with no real steeping time). However, I mixed a batch at 6% and I feel that this is my sweetspot. I am in no rush with Rodeo as I know over time it will reveal more of itself to me.
> 
> ...


Wil. Tell you after the weekend, got the iced berry juicesteeping from the coffee mill, I also like chilled red berries fromAll Day Vapes @YeOldeOke that I find very pleasant.

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## Rude Rudi (2/7/18)

TheBadMadMan said:


> In reply to this, I agree. Most people look at me in a funny way when I tell them I like tobacco flavours. The first tobacco I tried was VM4 - it was a great vape.
> 
> I am finding that mixing Rodeo at the recommended percentage is a bit too much for me (atleast now in the early stages after mixing it with no real steeping time). However, I mixed a batch at 6% and I feel that this is my sweetspot. I am in no rush with Rodeo as I know over time it will reveal more of itself to me.
> 
> ...



Nice one!!

Other than the "normal" one shots, I STRONGLY recommend the One Shot range at AllDayVapes. @YeOldeOke hit it out the park with these stunners.
Forest Berry Yogurt Panna Cotta is a magnificent juice - I have it in my daily rotation on an almost permanent basis. It is under the ADV Premixed Concentrates section.

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## TheBadMadMan (2/7/18)

Rude Rudi said:


> Nice one!!
> 
> Other than the "normal" one shots, I STRONGLY recommend the One Shot range at AllDayVapes. @YeOldeOke hit it out the park with these stunners.
> Forest Berry Yogurt Panna Cotta is a magnificent juice - I have it in my daily rotation on an almost permanent basis. It is under the ADV Premixed Concentrates section.


You are not the first to suggest this, @Vino1718 gave me the same recommendation earlier today. I will most definitely give the Forest Berry Yogurt Panna Cotta a shot (pun intended ).

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