# DIY eliquid for Newbies



## Ravynheart (17/6/15)

Calling all experienced eliquid DIYers!
This thread is focused on providing guidance on how for absolute newbies to step forth into the vast world of DIY eliquid with minimal stress. 

First set of questions:
1. What do you need to start up? (bases, flavours and equipment) 
2. Reputable calculator and recipe construction 
3. Troubleshooting (how to reverse a screw up) 
4. What did you wish you knew before you started DIYing? 

All opinions and ideas welcome!


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## Mike (17/6/15)

Most of your answers can be found by reading some of the existing topics or using the search function. If you plan to DIY, your best bet of not screwing up is doing a lot of research. Here's some to get you started.

http://www.ecigssa.co.za/diy-your-first-time.t7324/

http://www.ecigssa.co.za/how-to-fix-a-bad-mix.t11593/

http://www.ecigssa.co.za/skyblue-diy-e-liquid-calculator.t11137/

Most calculators are solid. Find one with an interface that works for you. I use Excel.

Reactions: Agree 3 | Thanks 1


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## phanatik (17/6/15)

Will be watching this thread closely.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## free3dom (17/6/15)

Ravynheart said:


> Calling all experienced eliquid DIYers!
> This thread is focused on providing guidance on how for absolute newbies to step forth into the vast world of DIY eliquid with minimal stress.
> 
> First set of questions:
> ...



The threads @Mike pointed you at will help with what you need, but I'll answer the questions anyways 

1. A starter kit - the one from skyblue has everything you need, not sure if anyone else sells an all-in-one kit  For flavours I'd recommend some fruits (everyone loves fruits, strawberry being my favourite), some sweet stuff (vanilla custard, dulche de leche), some vanillas (french vanilla, vanilla bean ice cream, vanilla swirl), and Ethyl Maltol (for complex mixes and sweetening - it also serves as a very cheap concentrate for cotton candy flavour as 10ml crystals turns into 100ml concentrate ), some menthol/koolada (if you're into that kind of vape it can enhance almost any juice - see answer 3)
2. http://tools.skybluevaping.co.za/diy.html - punting my own work here, but it's what I use daily 
3. Down the drain it goes  It does not happen frequently, but when it does, safer to just toss it. Safest way to minimize loss is to always use non-nic for mixing untried recipes, and do small batches at a time - this way when it goes down the drain it costs very little  Bad juices can almost always be salvaged with a bit of menthol/koolada - it makes even vile juice vapable so you don't waste anything.
4. I knew it all before I started  Seriously though, it seems more intimidating than it really is. There's not a lot to know, most of what you need will only come with experience. Start simple and have fun

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Winner 2 | Useful 1


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## Ravynheart (18/6/15)

@Mike thank you for linking those threads. They have proven very useful! 

@free3dom I'm planning on eventually getting my hands on the DIY kit from Skyblue. Definitely getting some of those recommended flavours! 
Last night I did some research and with the use of my highschool maths literacy I've worked out the formula for 6mg

Reactions: Winner 1


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## free3dom (18/6/15)

Ravynheart said:


> @Mike thank you for linking those threads. They have proven very useful!
> 
> @free3dom I'm planning on eventually getting my hands on the DIY kit from Skyblue. Definitely getting some of those recommended flavours!
> Last night I did some research and with the use of my highschool maths literacy I've worked out the formula for 6mg



And I bet at the time you thought you'd never put those math skills to good use ever again


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## Ravynheart (18/6/15)

free3dom said:


> And I bet at the time you thought you'd never put those math skill to good use ever again


Hahahaha! I use them a lot actually. That's why I took mathematical literacy and not maths core

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Ravynheart (18/6/15)

@free3dom I even made a formula for a drops recipe to make a sample!

Reactions: Winner 1


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## free3dom (18/6/15)

Ravynheart said:


> @free3dom I even made a formula for a drops recipe to make a sample!



Brilliant! I foresee a juice master in the making 

Once you get past the "OMG juice making is so scary" it really is quite simple and straightforward - glad to hear you're there already 

Doing drops is a really great way to get started too - I've made a lot of samples that way. Just note that the viscosity of VG is higher than PG and hence the number of drops per ML is different. It's easy enough to measure once you have some - just start dropping (dripping?) and count how many it takes to get to 1ml

Reactions: Useful 1


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## Ravynheart (18/6/15)

@free3dom I do aromatherapy as a hobby so I'm very familiar with drop ratios. 
So far, the formula is 66 drops (for 6mg nic) and is at a 50/50ish ratio. 
Basically:
5 drops PG nic + 5 drops VG nic
Added to 25 drops PG + 25 drops VG 
That leaves you with 6 drops flavour. That can be divided into various ratios depending on the flavour notes you want 
3:2:1 or 3:3 etc

Reactions: Like 2


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## DarkSide (18/6/15)

Ravynheart said:


> @free3dom I do aromatherapy as a hobby so I'm very familiar with drop ratios.
> So far, the formula is 66 drops (for 6mg nic) and is at a 50/50ish ratio.
> Basically:
> 5 drops PG nic + 5 drops VG nic
> ...



@Ravynheart Thanks for the info, but there is no "confused" icon for me to click on, will study your post carefully!


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## Ravynheart (18/6/15)

@DarkSide I'm sorry if there is anything confusing.
Um, simply 10 drops nic + 50 drops pure to provide the Base (total 60) and 6 drops for 10% flavour

Reactions: Like 1


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## free3dom (18/6/15)

Ravynheart said:


> @free3dom I do aromatherapy as a hobby so I'm very familiar with drop ratios.
> So far, the formula is 66 drops (for 6mg nic) and is at a 50/50ish ratio.
> Basically:
> 5 drops PG nic + 5 drops VG nic
> ...



Perfect!

It's actually easier to use 100 drops though, because then you work in percentages (1 drop = 1 percent). And you'll see all the DIY apps use that as a measurement for flavouring. So replicating it in larger volumes becomes much easier 

Edit:
An easy way to calculate when using 100 drops is to go to the skyblue DIY app, and selecting your desired target nic and ratio - then under Volume choose *20ml* for amount and *5 drops/ml*. You'll see the total number of drops is 100, and the rest is broken down to the required drops


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## Ravynheart (18/6/15)

@free3dom I have another formula for the scaled up version (5ml nic+25ml pure + 3ml flavour) 
Which is actually the original calculation I used to create the 66 drops

Reactions: Like 1


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## free3dom (18/6/15)

Ravynheart said:


> @free3dom I have another formula for the scaled up version (5ml nic+25ml pure + 3ml flavour)
> Which is actually the original calculation I used to create the 66 drops



Haha, nice!

It's all about the ratios - if your teachers could see you now, they be so proud

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Ravynheart (18/6/15)

@free3dom  thanks! Hopefully now people will stop mocking mathematical literacy because this is exactly what the subject teaches

Reactions: Funny 1


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## free3dom (18/6/15)

Ravynheart said:


> @free3dom  thanks! Hopefully now people will stop mocking mathematical literacy because this is exactly what the subject teaches



How dare they 

Your math skills are better than most

Reactions: Thanks 1


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