How can I make my own vinegar? How can I turn excess wine into delicious wine vinegar at home?  For those who have done it, are there any useful tips to get the best results? 

I do not have access to any "mother of vinegar" starter culture, and am not likely to spend money on it; however, I DO have a well-stocked home kitchen and a lot of patience.

Edit:  To be more specific about my questions


How long should it take to ferment, and when do I give up if it's not vinegary?
Do I need to add sugar/water for low-sweetness or high-alcohol wines?
How do I collect Mother of Vinegar for use in fresh batches?
Although you can hope that the right bacteria will get from the air into a bottle of wine you left open, you will get quicker and more reliable results using unpasteurized cider vinegar. Unpasteurized means there should still be plenty of the needed acetobacter.

Pour your vinegar half and half with red wine in a container that you leave open (but with cheesecloth to prevent bugs and all to get inside) and let it sit in a dark spot 2-4 weeks.

Different sources recommend using solution with a 5-7% alcohol content, so any wine (typically ≤15%) diluted by half with vinegar should be fine.