Silver's first adventure into DIY

[Silver]

Final list of 7 juices that were mixed:

1. Mustard Milk - because I believe this is a staple "first DIY" mix - so I think that will be good for my first 10ml one And its very easy
2. Blushing Milkmaid by @Ripstorm - because I always wanted to make that given how it was received at the time.
3. Bruised Berry Ice by @rogue zombie - I know my fruity menthols - so this one will be my first proper DIY fruity menthol. And I know that roguezombie likes some of the juices I like. This one I have to make 20ml because the percentages are so low. Also worried about the Koolada in it because I think I am sensitive to that - but I will go with it to do it exactly as per the recipe.
4. FA 7 Leaves - which was posted by @Andre - its a very simple tobacco, just one flavour - LOL - so I think I can handle that - and start my understanding of what these flavours taste like.
5. FA Glory - which was posted by @Greyz - also a simple 1 flavour tobacco - so lets see what Glory is all about
6. Dawn Spirit by @Andre - just to get to grips with a slightly more involved tobacco. Only 3 flavours and should be ok. Its a menthol tobacco - so I hope I like it.
7. Camel Lights - added by @Andre on the tobacco thread. I may have made a small mistake here because for 2 of the small percentage concentrates (Burley and Oak), the scale wasnt registering so I just added about 10 drops but I think it may have been too much. That Burley doesnt smell nice - its got that dusty cardboard smell that I recall from years ago on one juice that I didnt like. So lets see how this goes. I may have to redo this.

Has been a great experience and I learnt quite a bit - smelled a lot of concentrates - and am feeling super chuffed. The proof though will be in the pudding.

I can see why the DIY rabbit hole is like the world's biggest cave...

 

[Silver]

Well done @Silver after all this time you've finally mixed your first batch of DIY juices!

Don't worry about the odd drop extra or 0.02 grams mistake - you'll never notice it. And as you mix more you'll get used to your scale and the different nozzles and bottles (I also find those hard bottles tricky to work with.)

Enjoy it, you're going to love the DIY journey!

Thanks @Huffapuff - much appreciated
So much to still experiment with and to learn...
This was quite an experience so far!

 

[Silver]

Right , the DIY kit is out.

Now to go find the recipes that belong to these concentrates. Can't remember where they are but I need to find them.

Let's see if I can make a juice. Lol, don't laugh

@Room Fogger , i got the plastic compartment storage trays over a year ago from PlasticLand in Woodmead JHB. Not sure if they have them anymore but they do have quite a lot of things there so go have a look. Incidentally, i just used it to store my concentrates while i wasnt using them - but its not really the right way because its not very easy to find the right concentrate. I have them stored by concentrate manufacturer, ie FA in one or two compartments, Capella in another etc. but you cant see the labels so its not easy to find the right bottle.

I think @RichJB 's seedlings tray is probably a better way to go - or Andre's alphabetical system in a dedicated cupboard. I will see how it goes and decide over time how best to do it

 

[Slick]

@Silver you made it sound so exciting I feel like getting out of bed and start mixing,the thing I love most about diy is I make a recipe exactly how it says,and then I tweak it according to my preference,especially with menthol/koolada,my sweet spot is 0.25% WS23 and 0.25% Menthol,I think yours will be 1% each

 

[RenaldoRheeder]

Hey @ Silver - well done man. It took a long time, but you are here now. Enjoy


Sent by iDad's iPhone

 

[Alex]

@Silver this thread is awesome, thanks for taking us along for the ride.

 

[Trishan Gounden]

Now we all waiting from you to hear how they turned out. Lol

 

[Room Fogger]

@Room Fogger , i got the plastic compartment storage trays over a year ago from PlasticLand in Woodmead JHB. Not sure if they have them anymore but they do have quite a lot of things there so go have a look. Incidentally, i just used it to store my concentrates while i wasnt using them - but its not really the right way because its not very easy to find the right concentrate. I have them stored by concentrate manufacturer, ie FA in one or two compartments, Capella in another etc. but you cant see the labels so its not easy to find the right bottle.

Inthink @RichJB 's seedlings tray is probably a better way to go - or Andre's alphabetical system in a dedicated cupboard. I will see how it goes and decide over time how best to do it

@Silver , Agreed on the seedling trays, I think @RichJB hit a winner for all of us. Thinking more along the line of using it to store concentrates per recipy while mixing, look once and then just use a compartment to sort together. Save with having to search, unpack and replace numerous times. Thinking it may work. Might be able to get away with a custom seedling tray as well though. Thanks for the feedback. Cupboard is planned for 2018 though, just looking for the right place for it!

 

[veecee]

@Silver, what an awesome thread. Lolled at the "dear wife thinks I've lost the plot" comment, so much so that I shared it with my wife, who shares the same sentiment!

Your enthusiasm definitely rubs off on the reader, and I can't wait to get home to mix up a few fruity menthols now!

Sent from my Lenovo TAB 2 A10-70L using Tapatalk

 

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

I can't believe that this is your first DIY juice mix ! Well Done. Now, wait for the Ikea Effect where you believe that the juices you have made are better than bought juices.
Very adventurous doing some fairly complex juices. I have been mixing for three years and have yet to use six concentrates in a juice. This is probably because I am taste challenged. I can't appreciate the subtle flavours. The positive side is that it makes mixing very easy. I usually make five or so 100ml bottles at a time.
You deserve a medal for this :

 

[RichJB]

I must say that since implementing the seedling tray system, I haven't wanted to improve or tweak it in any way. I have over 300 concentrates now and it takes me literally three seconds or so to find any one of them. The coloured dots and double alphabetic system makes it a breeze. By that, I mean that I put a coloured dot with a permanent marker in the little indentation in the middle of the cap - red for FA, green for Cap, and so on.

Then I store concentrates alphabetically, firstly in a generic sense - FA Meringue goes into M, etc. But secondly, I store alphabetically within the brand. So the generic M section will first have all the FA grouped together with their red dots, then the TFA with their blue dots, then Cap with their green dots, Inw with purple dots, and so on. And each brand will also be sorted alphabetically. So FA Marshmallow will be stored ahead of FA Meringue, which will be stored ahead of FA Morning Sun.

If I then want to find Cap Vanilla Custard v1 for a mix, I go straight to the V section, go straight to the cluster of Cap bottles with green dots on the cap, and I know that Vanilla Custard (Va---) will be the first or second bottle in the cluster. Finding any concentrate is simple and quick.

My only concern is that vendors are gradually moving across to PET bottles with child-proof caps (often black) which can't be marked visibly with a permanent marker. However, I have tons of spare 10ml HDPE droppers so I can just decant into those. Alternatively, I could buy those sheets with little coloured dot stickers which are used for arts and crafts, and then stick a coloured dot on each cap.

 

[Silver]

@Silver you made it sound so exciting I feel like getting out of bed and start mixing,the thing I love most about diy is I make a recipe exactly how it says,and then I tweak it according to my preference,especially with menthol/koolada,my sweet spot is 0.25% WS23 and 0.25% Menthol,I think yours will be 1% each

Thanks @Slick
it is very exciting indeed. I have been a juice tinkerer for a while but mainly just adjusting nic strength and adding menthol to things. This is a whole new world. Am scared of getting stuck deep in the rabbit hole because i have to watch my time but last night was extremely enjoyable. And i look forward to trying out the juices!

 

[The_Ice]

Hey @Silver welcome to the club. Thanks for a great write up. I think many would enjoy and benifit from it.
Agree with the advice to do all the nic, flavours and PG first. Shake them. Then add the vg and shake. This avoids hot-spots.
Also definitely use the tare function between each ingredient.
Finally, AM4A from INW is a brilliant single flavour tobacco, my adv, seriously recommended

 

[Carnival]

Wow @Silver! This is fantastic!!! Thank you so much for sharing your progress with us. I agree with @veecee, your enthusiasm really does rub off on the reader. Makes me almost want to try DIY juices

 

[Silver]

Hey @ Silver - well done man. It took a long time, but you are here now. Enjoy


Sent by iDad's iPhone

Thanks @RenaldoRheeder , i know i was supposed to join you at the time you started but at least i got round to it now!

 

[rogue zombie]

Nice one @Silver !

For your Lime Menthol, I would start with INW Lime (Limetka). I would say 1% because it's strong. And work your way from there to taste.

INW Lime is a no nonsense tangy and tart Lime with a tiny bit of the rind after-taste. It also doesn't fade. If you want it sweeter, then use almost any other Lime with the INW one, to do so. Most Limes are sweeter.

I would also swap the Koolada for either FA Polar Blast, although I find it a bit weaker than Koolada - so use a bit more. Or that new W23 stuff (or whatever it's called).

 

[Silver]

@Silver this thread is awesome, thanks for taking us along for the ride.

Thnaks @Alex !
I wanted to document what I did and share it, mainly because I was so excited. But also in case i made a mistake or did something totally wrong then others would prod me in the right direction.

Lol, looking back at the posts I made last night, many of them were so funny. I was excited i had put in the VG. The regular DIYers probably had a chuckle

 

[Silver]

@Silver, what an awesome thread. Lolled at the "dear wife thinks I've lost the plot" comment, so much so that I shared it with my wife, who shares the same sentiment!

Your enthusiasm definitely rubs off on the reader, and I can't wait to get home to mix up a few fruity menthols now!

Sent from my Lenovo TAB 2 A10-70L using Tapatalk

Thank you @veecee - i shared your comment now with my wife and she laughed. The thing is when she saw what I was doing last night she thought i was mad. I mean, taking a step back I can understand her. I have all these mods and ready made juices, coils, atties, gear etc. and now im mixing up all other juices! Haha

Fruity menthols for the win - am keen to find a good one or two that I can vape on an ongoing basis.

 

[SinnerG]

I must say that since implementing the seedling tray system, I haven't wanted to improve or tweak it in any way. I have over 300 concentrates now and it takes me literally three seconds or so to find any one of them. The coloured dots and double alphabetic system makes it a breeze. By that, I mean that I put a coloured dot with a permanent marker in the little indentation in the middle of the cap - red for FA, green for Cap, and so on.

Then I store concentrates alphabetically, firstly in a generic sense - FA Meringue goes into M, etc. But secondly, I store alphabetically within the brand. So the generic M section will first have all the FA grouped together with their red dots, then the TFA with their blue dots, then Cap with their green dots, Inw with purple dots, and so on. And each brand will also be sorted alphabetically. So FA Marshmallow will be stored ahead of FA Meringue, which will be stored ahead of FA Morning Sun.

If I then want to find Cap Vanilla Custard v1 for a mix, I go straight to the V section, go straight to the cluster of Cap bottles with green dots on the cap, and I know that Vanilla Custard (Va---) will be the first or second bottle in the cluster. Finding any concentrate is simple and quick.

My only concern is that vendors are gradually moving across to PET bottles with child-proof caps (often black) which can't be marked visibly with a permanent marker. However, I have tons of spare 10ml HDPE droppers so I can just decant into those. Alternatively, I could buy those sheets with little coloured dot stickers which are used for arts and crafts, and then stick a coloured dot on each cap.

Got a photo of the setup? Easier to understand and see which type of seedling tray works.

 

[Room Fogger]

Thanks @Slick
it is very exciting indeed. I have been a juice tinkerer for a while but mainly just adjusting nic strength and adding menthol to things. This is a whole new world. Am scared of getting stuck deep in the rabbit hole because i have to watch my time but last night was extremely enjoyable. And i look forward to trying out the juices!

It's too late, you are in the rabbit hole, we will see you on the way down!

 

[Silver]

I can't believe that this is your first DIY juice mix ! Well Done. Now, wait for the Ikea Effect where you believe that the juices you have made are better than bought juices.
Very adventurous doing some fairly complex juices. I have been mixing for three years and have yet to use six concentrates in a juice. This is probably because I am taste challenged. I can't appreciate the subtle flavours. The positive side is that it makes mixing very easy. I usually make five or so 100ml bottles at a time.
You deserve a medal for this :
View attachment 117336

Ah thanks @Puff the Magic Dragon! Will keep that one with pride. As for multi flavour juices, i just wanted to mix up that Ripstorm juice because i said i would when i saw that being posted on the forum. Luckily all the concentrates to make it were available at the time.

I think it will be a while still before i am mixing 100ml versions of juices... Also, i dont vape all that much because at least half of my vaping is on low power and some of it is MTL, which goes through juice very slowly.

 

[Silver]

I must say that since implementing the seedling tray system, I haven't wanted to improve or tweak it in any way. I have over 300 concentrates now and it takes me literally three seconds or so to find any one of them. The coloured dots and double alphabetic system makes it a breeze. By that, I mean that I put a coloured dot with a permanent marker in the little indentation in the middle of the cap - red for FA, green for Cap, and so on.

Then I store concentrates alphabetically, firstly in a generic sense - FA Meringue goes into M, etc. But secondly, I store alphabetically within the brand. So the generic M section will first have all the FA grouped together with their red dots, then the TFA with their blue dots, then Cap with their green dots, Inw with purple dots, and so on. And each brand will also be sorted alphabetically. So FA Marshmallow will be stored ahead of FA Meringue, which will be stored ahead of FA Morning Sun.

If I then want to find Cap Vanilla Custard v1 for a mix, I go straight to the V section, go straight to the cluster of Cap bottles with green dots on the cap, and I know that Vanilla Custard (Va---) will be the first or second bottle in the cluster. Finding any concentrate is simple and quick.

My only concern is that vendors are gradually moving across to PET bottles with child-proof caps (often black) which can't be marked visibly with a permanent marker. However, I have tons of spare 10ml HDPE droppers so I can just decant into those. Alternatively, I could buy those sheets with little coloured dot stickers which are used for arts and crafts, and then stick a coloured dot on each cap.

Thanks for this @RichJB
I was going to say, most of the FA flavours I got have the black caps
I definitely think a good storage and retrieval system would make things so much quicker and easier. I did appreciate it all along but only felt it properly last night when it took me a while to find one or two concentrates. And my stash is quite small.

 

[veecee]

Thanks for this @RichJB
I was going to say, most of the FA flavours I got have the black caps
I definitely think a good storage and retrieval system would make things so much quicker and easier. I did appreciate it all along but only felt it properly last night when it took me a while to find one or two concentrates. And my stash is quite small.

@RichJB, please do a thread, or post a link of the seedling tray system. Been scouring the shelves at Westpac lifestyle, but nothing suitable caught my eye yet!

@Silver, lime juice sounds perfect to get of the sweetness attack I'm finding in all the juices I try lately!

Sent from my Lenovo TAB 2 A10-70L using Tapatalk

 

[Silver]

Hey @Silver welcome to the club. Thanks for a great write up. I think many would enjoy and benifit from it.
Agree with the advice to do all the nic, flavours and PG first. Shake them. Then add the vg and shake. This avoids hot-spots.
Also definitely use the tare function between each ingredient.
Finally, AM4A from INW is a brilliant single flavour tobacco, my adv, seriously recommended

Thanks for that @The_Ice !
For the last three mixes I did do the VG last and it seemed to work nicely. And i used the Tare function.

However, on my last juice which was the Camel Lights, the scale did not register two of the concentrates. They were very small in quantity, like 0.5g. I did a few drops and the scale was still on zero. A few more and still on zero. Then i stopped. Was upset about that. And one was FA Burley which I didnt like the smell of. So i am a bit suspicious of that mix and may need to redo it. I switched the scale off and on. I even recalibrated it with the weights. And then it all worked again. Even two or three drops starts registering. Dont know what happened there?

But that was the only time it did that. I was tired as well so maybe i did something else wrong. Lol

As for Am4A - i think i did get that concentrate for another recipe, cant remember. Thsnks for the tip. Certainly want to try that.

 

[Silver]

Nice one @Silver !

For your Lime Menthol, I would start with INW Lime (Limetka). I would say 1% because it's strong. And work your way from there to taste.

INW Lime is a no nonsense tangy and tart Lime with a tiny bit of the rind after-taste. It also doesn't fade. If you want it sweeter, then use almost any other Lime with the INW one, to do so. Most Limes are sweeter.

I would also swap the Koolada for either FA Polar Blast, although I find it a bit weaker than Koolada - so use a bit more. Or that new W23 stuff (or whatever it's called).

Thanks @rogue zombie , much appreciated!
By the way, your Bruised Berry Ice smells very nice in the bottle! Am thinking thats probably the quickest to vape - ie not as much steeping required compared to the others? Thanks for the tips Sir and i will make notes. I need to try all these cooling types of concentrates to see what I like best.