One. I’m thinking of diving-in to the DIY game real soon. And instead of doing the percentages by volume, I was thinking of going by weight, and investing in a good digital scale. It would sure simplify things, since I won’t need all the extra things needed if I wanted to mix by volume.
Two. I recently bought a few 100 ml bottles of peanut butter cream e-liquids, but the PB taste to me is a little weak, so I’m thinking of beefing it up with some PB concentrates. I may even decide to add some chocolate flavoring to a test batch. How do I figure those in using an e-liquid calc?
Ratio of the e-liquid is 70/30; Nic level is 6 mg.
First of all, don’t go all crazy and spend a ridiculous amount on a good scale. You can get scales that are good enough for our purposes for a couple tenners.
Anything up to 60mls, I use a 0.001g scale, above I use a 0.01g scale. But especially in the beginning when you’re learning, 30ml and 60ml is more than large enough for mixes. Going bigger just means more waste. It takes time to experiment, learn and figure out what you can use as an all day vape and mix large quantities of.
Before you start playing with your commercial e-liquids, spend some time learning your concentrates. Do some single flavor tests to see how strong they are and what type of peanut butter you’re dealing with. Some can be very creamy, others rather dry. One may taste more like fresh peanuts and another like an artificial flavor.
Once you know the concentrates you’re working with, what % range they work in and how long they need to steep, you can start experimenting with upping that flavor in your commercial liquid. Don’t just poor it in your 100ml bottle but take a few 10ml test bottles so see where you like it. If you just want a little flavor boost, you’re not really diluting the original juice much so I wouldn’t do anything with the VG/PG ratio or nicotine content. You’re talking about probably a 1-2% dilution.
A lot of mistakes that new DIY’ers make is that they think they can jump in and be a master mixer within a week or 2. I’d say it takes about 2 years on average before mixers really get a grip on things and start to be productive and efficient in their mixing. It’s just like any other skill, you need to learn and practice. The more you mix, the better you become but it really takes time to get to know your flavors and steeping a juice alone can take weeks of your time. If you then find out you made a mistake and have to start again, you start to understand it’s not something anyone just picks up.
I’m just saying that to let you know what to expect, not to discourage you. And like with everything else, some people learn fast and other take a bit longer.
In the meantime, this forum is stuffed with useful information. While you’re waiting on your flavors, scale and all your other requirements, keep reading. There’s a search button on the forum that can quickly dig up useful info and if you have anything you can’t find an answer for, just ask.
EXCELLENT advice! Where were you when I started? Probably here all along and I wasn’t talking or listening. I did all the dumb ass things you mentioned because of my impatience. I’m happy to say that I finally got a grip and am sft. I bought a case of 10ml bottles and have 4 now 5 flavors a brewing. Two of them I decided to add a second flavor to now that I really know what they taste like. I think I’m finally on my way to making my own creations. And how long have I been schlepping around this joint? Almost 2 years now? Yeah, I’m slow and stubborn, Thought I could take shortcuts. Nada.