DIY for beginners in a nutshell

General The Pub
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All newcomers welcome to the site first and foremost. If you stick around you will learn a ton of information. Right now you are saying to yourself,” Fuck yeah I am getting into DIY and I am going to have an abundance of liquids on the cheap and at my disposal!! So I am going to dive head long and know that I am going to do this right the first time and buy a ton of flavors and everything is going to go well the first time every time.” Then you start reading about it. “Well fuck me running; there are tons of things I need to get! I have seen the top rated recipes and well fuck I have none of those flavors. Hell this is way too fucking complicated!” Well lets help you get started on the road to success here folks.
The first thing you need to know is your flavor profile. “What the hell is a flavor profile?” A flavor profile is simply what do you want to vape on? Are you a fruit person? Are you a bakery person? Are you a tobacco person? Are you a menthol/fruit person? Are you a cereal person? Are you a dessert person? Are you a complicated person with a ton of likes? Only you can figure this out and no one else. So I am going to take strawberry for just one example. “Okay I fucking love a strawberry vape!! Skully, what fucking strawberry do I get? Which one single flavor is the best? TPA, FW, INW, FA, and CAP pretty much all have strawberry flavors, so which one? FUCKING TELL ME SO I CAN BE THE FUCKING BEST!!!” Well here lies the rub on mixing. Every single flavor company has their own unique flavor for strawberry. If you are starting out I seriously would start with 5 different strawberries from different companies. “Why the fuck would I get 5 different strawberries from different companies?!!?! You make no sense Skully, FUCK YOU!!” Wait hold your horses buckos, here is why. You are just establishing your flavor profile and you are still young to this. Baby steps my friends. So you have your 10ml sample bottles on you now. Make 5 single flavor samples (no nic) in either a 5 ml or 10 ml bottle. Start at 5% flavor the rest VG. ( VG will be coming up soon, not yet though.) Now let it sit for a day or two. Then vape the samples, on a dripper or in a small tank. You will notice nuances from the different companies. “Well Skully when do we get to the fucking part about which is the best one, HURRY THE FUCK UP!!!” One thing people will not tell you is; that tried and true liquids take time to mature. This means you have to have patience young grasshopper. Now which one is the best? “They are all fucking good as hell!!” Okay, yes they are all good, but to make them better use a combination that will make your taste buds water every time you take your mod to your lips. Mix a couple of strawberry flavors together and BAM it will be the best thing you have ever tasted. This will help your flavor profile in the long run and get you off of analogs quicker.
“That is all fine and dandy Skully, but I need the latest flimsy doodle and the corrugated beakers and I NEED like 50 flavors now!!!” Okay folks, okay, SIMMER DOWN NOW!!! Equipment for newcomers that is on the cheap. Amazon, help me out here!

Pipettes: (Used to measure flavors.) https://www.amazon.com/Vktech-Graduated-Pipettes-Dropper-Polyethylene/dp/B00CTJYXHQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1493231171&sr=1-1&keywords=pipettes (Super Cheap!) $2.55

Beaker:( ease of pouring.) https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Beaker-Graduations-Premium-Polypropylene/dp/B00BHLE516/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1493231403&sr=8-6&keywords=plastic+beaker+5ml (Not bad. $4.99.)
Extra PET Plastic bottles: https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Dropper-dropping-Bottles-Removable/dp/B00V479TVE/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1493231570&sr=1-1&keywords=plastic%2Bbottles%2Bfor%2Bliquids&th=1 (5ml $7.86 for 50 and 30ml $16.86 for 50.)

Syringes: (Used to extract the nicotine.) https://www.amazon.com/5ml-Syringe-Only-Luer-Lock/dp/B01N5ABSCR/ref=sr_1_2?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1493232536&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=syringes&psc=1 ($6.49 for 10!)

Then you are looking at nicotine and VG/PG and a whole assortment of other stuff. @Nicotine_River does a nice setup in Kits for new beginners: https://www.nicotineriver.com/products/eliquid-diy-kit

THIS KIT INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:
x2 - 500ml bottles of eLiquid Base (PG and/or VG)
x15 - 10ml Flavors (Purilum, Lorann, FlavourArt, Flavor Apprentice, Flavor West, Capella)
x1 - 150ml bottle of 48mg Nicotine in VG or PG base
x20 - Safety Gloves in S, M, L, XL, (x10 Pairs)
x1 - 10ml Glass Graduated Cylinder
x4 - 14 Gauge Blunt Tip Needle
x3 - 16 Gauge Blunt Tip Needle
x3 - 18 Gauge Blunt Tip Needle
x1 - 50ml Glass Beaker
x2 - Polypropylene Funnels
x5 - 10ml Luer-lock Syringe
x5 - 5ml Luer-lock Syringe
x10 - 1ml Luer-lock Syringe
x10 - 60ml PET Clear Bottles With Twist Tops or 30ml Squeeze Bottles

This will definitely get you a good start for $50.00. I would still add the beaker for ease of pouring, the pipettes, the syringes, and the extra bottles. So for roughly $100.00 you have a very good setup right out the gate and a good amount of flavors.
Now you start mixing your liquids. “Skully you said it will take time! I don’t have that kind of fucking time to wait!” Okay, well there are some recipes that are called SNV’s or Shake and Vapes. Meaning you mix it and then shake vigorously for a bit and can vape it. I am a believer that time will make a good juice. I also use a heat method to my mixing. (There are discrepancies to this method. There are also long winded debates about this and about the liquids losing flavor. I know about this and I like this method, this may not be for you. I take an electric kettle, boil water, and place the bottled liquids with cap off in a ceramic bowl. Then pour the hot water over the bottles, just to the point where they do not float all over the fucking place. This can age your liquids for about one week in fast steeping. It also allows the VG and PG flavors meld together more evenly for a finer vape in my opinion. I do not leave them in there very long. 10 minutes tops. Burp the bottle, put the lid on, shake it, and then let cool one day in a dark cool place. I like coffee cans for my steep boxes.) I am however a true believer that custards of all types take a month to steep for true flavor. Hell I have some NETS that take 3 months to finally mature. So IMHO time and patience can make or break a liquid. Also if the liquid is not good do not throw it out. Let it steep for a month and come back to it. Maybe the flavor fairy has not visited yet to give the juice its true potential.
“Holy shit Skully that is a lot to think about!!” Yes it is, but once you get the true hang of it is easy. You always learn something new with flavors. I have been doing this for a while and I am still learning flavor combinations. There are an infinite number of flavor combinations out there. Read up, do your vaping homework and most of all do what will keep you off of cigs!
Also remember top rated recipes may not be your thing or you do not have the flavors for that exact recipe. You can substitute flavors. Just don’t bitch because you did substitute flavorings. There are a ton of recipes out there. Find your flavor profile and look for recipes with that in mind. Or get fucking creative and make your own juice combinations!
One final note to leave you with, this will all take time. If you are not confident always have B&M juice on hand. This way you are still vaping and not dropping to cigs. There are many ways to mix and many ways to skin this cat. Keep at it. I have failed so many times and some of my best juices came out of failures. It just takes time and patience. If you do not like it, well you are now only out about $100. The issue comes when you get your teeth sunk in and you start creating; there are so many flavors to choose from. That is when it gets fucking adventurous. I know this is a long read, but maybe it will inspire or help you to get that foot in the door. If you have questions PM me and I will help out.

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AND THE FUCK AWARD GOES TO @Skullblade789 for using the word fuck in one form or another 16 times in one post!

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You have come so far @Skullblade789 I remember a timid young sailor that asked all the right questions and has surpassed those he learned from in so many ways. Now on to my share of this.

A few things I have learned or realized or whatever.
THIS IS STRICTLY AN OPINION there is nothing that says this is what you need to do. It’s the guidline I follow.
Fruits punches and sodas 7 to 10 days with a taste at ( if I can make myself wait that long) 3 or 4 days

Fruit mixes with alcohol flavors ie bourbon champagne, and rum 10 to 14 days. ( if I can make myself wait that long a week)

Creamy things like milkshakes or cream pies pudding flavors 2 to 4 weeks depending on how creamy they are with a taste at ( if I can make myself wait that long) 2 weeks

Creamy things that have custard flavors in them or alcohol flavors in them 2 to 3 weeks then evaluated and at least one more set of two weeks.

Bakery type items cereals, cakes, cookies, bars and bakery with fruit like jam flavors in them 2 weeks to evaluate and another two weeks for a final decision as to how much longer. Or to vape away
Now for a few things I have come to realize over time.
If you make a juice that is good but seems to be lacking in some minor way and you are sure it could be really great think back to what Skully taught you about the strawberry flavor. So look the recipe over and take the predominant flavor and split it with another brand of the same flavor or change brands or types. I’ll use peach as my demo. there must be 20 or so peach flavors out there just considering the common brands they range from juicy to yellow to white. This can take some time and patience but can be so worth the wait.

The next thing is additives
Fruit: I always well almost always add a very small amount of TPA sour to my fruit mixes. It makes the fruit flavors pop and become more realistic.

Creamy: If it seems a bit hollow you can add a touch of vanilla, vanilla bourbon, custard, now here’s my secret Ingredient to make a creamy mix taste feel and seem creamier. A very very small amount banana flavor. Capella is my choice currently but that may change at any time.

Bakery: when it seems flat or has that wet straw aftertaste you can add a tiny bit of butter flavor, or some brown sugar flavor these tend to bring the flavor to a fuller note. Next you can try a little Flavor Art Joy or LIquid amber they are to bakery mixes what sour is to fruit mixes. {{IMHO}}

And lastly for now
Something Skully didn’t mention I don’t think.
have a notepad handy and no not the computer use the real paper and pen. Anytime you alter a juice you are working on make a note of it with date what you did and why. later transcribe this to the main recipe page where ever you keep it. I have recipes with 8 to 10 pages of mixing notes. I usually keep my notes until I’m happy with my creation and have mixed it three or four times. then I put them on disc and file away for future reference.

It’s very very very important and I just can’t stress enough to keep notes of what you do right exactly when you do it. (that being the main reason for the whole paper and pen thing)
And Like Skully if you have questions PM me.

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Thank you very much.

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Great info from both of you and my little 2 cents is Do Not Be Afraid To Ask but 1st, Research and see if Your Question has already been asked. Read, read, read and when your tired of reading,Read Some More. Just like anything in our lives, @Skullblade789 has stated, you Have to Crawl before you Walk. And just as important as I have found like @GPC2012 says, Write It Down and Keep Your Own Notes on Paper. My pc crashed before saving my work and all of it is gone. Don’t always trust technology. Lasly, Good Luck and Don’t Be Afraid to Share Your Hard Work as I’ve been so blessed by the work of so many on ELR it isn’t even funny. Give Props to those too btw like I’m doing right now as these Great Folks take serious time out of their lives for us to learn from. There’s a separate thread for that too.

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More often than not the question will have been asked, on the forum you will get all kinds of answers for your quandary, if you have read most of these and are at the point of confusion then sit back think of the one or two you mesh with the best and PM them.

But most of all please remember this the only “DUMB” question is the one that goes un-asked and believe me nobody minds at all when you ask your questions even if you ask and @Skullblade789 begins to answer and halfway through you realize you had the answer already and go Oh Yeah Now I remember I get it it all I have to do is yada yada yada. Hey that’s OK with us it just shows us that you’re getting it.

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Just bumping this for new peeps coming in. I wrote this a while ago.

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I must have missed this the first time around. :+1: :+1: Two thumbs up man!

I gotta ask though. Skully, have you FUCKING mellowed out any, in the last two years?

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I would like to think so. Depends on the people you ask though. LOL.

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All joking aside, this is the most important ingredient, and the most difficult to acquire.

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Yeah been awhile huh

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When I decided to try DYI I had no idea what I was getting into.
Sure glad I did but yes, a big learning curve is ahead of you. I made the mistake of just grabbing a few things and off we went.
My suggestion to any new mixer is to simply go the the recipe page and use the search function for things you like the taste of. I know I like Banana, chocolate, custards, and things like that so I just entered those key words and searched the recipes. I looked for the ones most commonly used in things l liked. I kept a record of the flavors and the makers for the recipes Before I knew it I had a good idea on what to order.
Hardware is a personal choice. Some like to measure by weight and others by volume. I kinda do both. What I mean is I use scales to weigh out my mixes but use pipettes and syringes to help in accuracy of the mix. It’s lots of fun making your own and a sense of pride on a good mix. I just dropped $300 on flavors and VG with confidence on my choices just from a few months on this form.
Welcome aboard the Crazy Mixing Train.

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Do not know if this helped you or not, but welcome to your Mixing Train. There are so may ways to go. I almost attune it to whisky/whiskey. So many ways to diverge it is not even funny.

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Oh I can assure you this helped. Thank you.

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Do I have to get my fucking fishing equipment out of my shed for mixing e-liquids too? Wow, this is getting too fucking complicated man :man_facepalming:

Enjoyed the write-up :wink: May want to put it in the beginners section instead of the pub.

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