Nic strength

[DeAnna2112]

How long will nic keep it's strength? I have had my bottle for about six months and i sware i am not getting any nic from it. It's kept in it's original dark brown container in a drawer. When i leave the house i leave my gear at home out of fear of breaking my tank or something happening to it so i use a ciga like when i am out and about. I can feel the nic when i use that, but as soon as i come home and use my provari i don't seem to be getting anything. I bumped up my nic from 12mg to 24 and still don't feel like i am getting any nic. I bought a large bottle and broke it up into containers so i would have a six month supply and froze the rest. Now i am worried the nic in the freezer is going to be the same way.

 

[Izan]

Hi,
From what I have read and absorbed;
After five years, 100mg/ml nicotine (frozen) had lost approx 1% of it's strength.
Lessor strength nicotine solutions degraded /lost less nicotine over time.
UV, oxygen and heat are the enemies.
After 6 months, unless stored in direct sun light, in a 90% empty bottle, I would be doubtful that the nicotine has lost any significant strength.

Cheers
I

 

[go_player]

How long will nic keep it's strength? I have had my bottle for about six months and i sware i am not getting any nic from it. It's kept in it's original dark brown container in a drawer. When i leave the house i leave my gear at home out of fear of breaking my tank or something happening to it so i use a ciga like when i am out and about. I can feel the nic when i use that, but as soon as i come home and use my provari i don't seem to be getting anything. I bumped up my nic from 12mg to 24 and still don't feel like i am getting any nic. I bought a large bottle and broke it up into containers so i would have a six month supply and froze the rest. Now i am worried the nic in the freezer is going to be the same way.

Nic in the freezer should stay good for _years_ if you just leave it there. Outside the freezer it will slowly degrade, but I wouldn't expect it to drop that drastically in strength in six months if kept in a cool, dark place. I still wouldn't keep a six-month supply outside the freezer, because it will not only degrade some in strength, but it can also develop off-flavors.

 

[Winblows]

I'm all eyes to read any experiences about this topic!

 

[somdcomputerguy]

Whether it's a PG/VG/nic base, a PG/nic or VG/nic base, or a flavored pre-mix, make sure to shake the bottle well before using it. I have a bit less than half a liter of PG/VG/nic base left that I purchased 6 or 7 months ago, and another full liter of the same in the second fridge. The full bottle hasn't been opened yet, but I have not noticed any changes in the other bottle.

 

[go_player]

I'm all eyes to read any experiences about this topic!

There are a lot of threads on ecf about this, some from people who have kept nic in the freezer for several years and seen essentially no degradation (tightly sealed glass is preferred.)

I've never kept nic in the freezer that long, but I have some experience with _badly_ stored nic. A friend of mine gave me a Liter of 36mg that had, among other things, been left on a table on an (only partially shaded) outdoor patio for something like 6 months, including the summer months, which is about the worst scenario imaginable for nic. I mixed a bit with it, but... while I didn't notice a loss of nicotine strength I did notice some pretty serious unpleasant notes, presumably from the oxidation of the nicotine. It was "Nicotine Labs" nic, and though that's the only experience I have with them, they seem to have a pretty good rep.

That said, I was mixing it at 12-18mg. I don't know that it would have been all that bad at 6mg (about the lowest I generally mix) or lower. Nic is not so expensive that I care to find out though.

 

[go_player]

Whether it's a PG/VG/nic base, a PG/nic or VG/nic base, or a flavored pre-mix, make sure to shake the bottle well before using it.

Yep. If the math works out so that you can make the PG/VG ratio you want with it, I'd highly recommend PG-based nic. You still need to shake it before use (and especially before breaking it down,) but you're much less likely, IMHO, to have hotspots (and concomitantly, coolspots) with PG-based nic.

 

[Izan]

Yep. If the math works out so that you can make the PG/VG ratio you want with it, I'd highly recommend PG-based nic. You still need to shake it before use (and especially before breaking it down,) but you're much less likely, IMHO, to have hotspots (and concomitantly, coolspots) with PG-based nic.

Personally, I have never seen the need to oxygenate/shake premixed nicotine base.
Just like the alcohol in beer, the nicotine does not normally fall out of the pg/vg solution.

Cheers
I

 

[madstabber]

I buy a 1 liter bottle of 36mg 50/50 nicotine. I keep on a shelf where I mix which is not in the sun and temperature controlled via central air/heat. It lasts me about a year. I've been doing it this way for the last three years and have never noticed any ill effects to the taste or the strength of the nicotine. That's my experience yours may differ.

 

[go_player]

Personally, I have never seen the need to oxygenate/shake premixed nicotine base.
Just like the alcohol in beer, the nicotine does not normally fall out of the pg/vg solution.

I've never had a problem with them myself, but then again I do use PG-based nic and shake it before use.

I'm inclined to agree with you that hotspots are not as likely to develop as people think, assuming you start with a homogeneous solution, but I don't know enough (and perhaps I should look into this) about the chemistry of nic in VG to be sure.

I can tell you that shaking flavorings is absolutely necessary, but that's because some constituents of certain flavorings do tend to fall out of a PG solution- you can hold some flavorings to the light and see with the naked eye different indices of refraction after they've sat for a while. In extreme cases you can see layers after the constituents have separated.

The thing is, I'm not sure that the nic you get from every vendor is a homogeneous solution in the first place. Even if nic is very unlikely to _develop_ hotspots I don't think it that unlikely that it could come with some.

And, the consensus among experienced mixers seems to be that nic can develop them- that might be nonsense, but I'm less inclined to dismiss, out of hand, claims like that from people with significant experience than I might once have been.

EDIT: Also, you don't shake your beers thoroughly before use? SMDH and YDIWIFYKWIMAITYD.

 

[JCinFLA]

Personally, I have never seen the need to oxygenate/shake premixed nicotine base.
Just like the alcohol in beer, the nicotine does not normally fall out of the pg/vg solution.

I agree with you! Also, according to Kurt, IIRC...once mixed well with either PG or VG, or combo of both...the nic in it should stay mixed, and there should not be any "hotspots" or falling out of the solution. I, personally, trust in his knowledge and experience, and therefore the info. he shares with us on here.

 

[DeAnna2112]

OMG i know what the problem is. I recently switched over to juice me up calculator. I was not putting the nic strength in the box, which was preset to 100mg...my nic strength is 35mg. No wonder i wasn't getting any nic!! I just now caught it when i opened up a new bottle of nic out of the freezer and went to make up a new batch of juice. I know why am i only buying 35mg of nic, honestly, because i am too scared to play with higher strengths. when i make my juice i am messy i will admit and end of making a mess on the table. I just know my limitations and decided i needed to stick with 35mg.

 

[DeAnna2112]

I agree with you! Also, according to Kurt, IIRC...once mixed well with either PG or VG, or combo of both...the nic in it should stay mixed, and there should not be any "hotspots" or falling out of the solution. I, personally, trust in his knowledge and experience, and therefore the info. he shares with us on here.

I always listen to Kurt!! good source of bias information. My next question is, how do you really mix it up well. I shake the bottle and it seems like it all stays in a thick form. I have never had any problems so maybe it is mixing but doesn't seem like it.

 

[JCinFLA]

My next question is, how do you really mix it up well. I shake the bottle and it seems like it all stays in a thick form. I have never had any problems so maybe it is mixing but doesn't seem like it.

My post above, about what Kurt said...was about how the nic base comes to you, from the vendor. Once it was mixed well when made...it'll stay mixed and won't separate.

I buy all my 100mg/mL nic base, by the L, and in 100% VG. I've never had a problem with any hotspots, or the nic separating from the VG it was mixed with. Once I make my mix with my flavorings, nic base, plain PG, and plain VG...I cap it and then shake it really well to blend it all. Sometimes, I'll use a little handheld blender/mixer, too. But that's only with custardy mixes I make, that take longer to age/steep naturally, if I don't use it.

 

[go_player]

I was not putting the nic strength in the box, which was preset to 100mg...my nic strength is 35mg.

That would explain quite a lot .

 

[Rossum]

How long will nic keep it's strength?

Sealed in glass, in the freezer, I believe the answer is: Indefinitely.

In an bottle that's kept at room temperature and regularly opened, I believe the answer is: It will still be "effective" long after it has darkened and starts to taste bad due to oxidation.

OMG i know what the problem is.

Glad to hear that your nic did not inexplicably lose its potency.