Anybody found a cheap bottle roller for mixing?

[sofarsogood]

The ideal way to mix eliquid has to be with a bottle roller. This method is used in many situations, mostly lab work. Here is a typial one but there are many variations.

The idea is to turn the bottle very slowly. That's enough to keep the liquid moving, circulating, but it's gentle so no air bubbles. Leaving it running over night would be a LOT of mixing. The problem is most of these suckers are stupid expensive. There has to be a cheap on out there some where. Anybody found one?

 

[petrotech]

I've seen hot dog rollers for sale at the thrift stores for crazy cheap. Same concept, right?

 

[JMarca]

Ultrasonic cleaner will essentially do this without rolling. It's what alot of people on this and other forums use for DIY steeping.

 

[dannyv45]

Hot dog roller and glass bottles. Interesting idea, Heat and motion. Amazing how so many come up with unique ideas.

 

[dannyv45]

Ultrasonic cleaner will essentially do this without rolling.

I use a crock pot myself which does the job nicely and I don't have to reset the timer every 3 or 30 minutes like when I used UC's.

 

[JMarca]

I use a crock pot myself which does the job nicely and I don't have to reset the timer every 3 or 30 minutes like when I used UC's.

Yeah that's what most of the DIY community uses either a crock pot or a cleaner some mix with a mixer tool but who has time for that?

Here is a bit of reading material for the OP: Steeping Times and an Ultrasonic Cleaner Part II

If you do settle for a ultrasonic cleaner make sure yours has a 30 min clean option and is heated even if you don't use it it's a nice option to have in case you ever want to try it.

 

[DaveP]

Yeah that's what most of the DIY community uses either a crock pot or a cleaner some mix with a mixer tool but who has time for that?

Here is a bit of reading material for the OP: Steeping Times and an Ultrasonic Cleaner Part II

If you do settle for a ultrasonic cleaner make sure yours has a 30 min clean option and is heated even if you don't use it it's a nice option to have in case you ever want to try it.

My Harbor Freight UC only has an 8 minute timer, so there's a lot of reset going on when i use it. I start out with 130-140 degree water from the sink tap and it stays hot and seems to gain a little heat over time. It doesn't cool down as long as you reset the timer when it stops. If anything it feels a little hotter to my fingers after multiple cycles.

 

[dannyv45]

There are many methods you can use to steep. This blog will give you a run down on the most popular methods. Pay particular attention to seed steeping it's quick, easy and my primary method of steeping.

Everything you wanted to know about steeping and then some. | E-Cigarette Forum

 

[DaveP]

There are many methods you can use to steep. This blog will give you a run down on the most popular methods. Pay particular attention to seed steeping it's quick, easy and my primary method of steeping.

Everything you wanted to know about steeping and then some. | E-Cigarette Forum

I tried the 10% seed steep on one bottle out of my six that are steeping. It got a shade darker than some of the similarly colored HS mixes in one day. I just happened to have enough HS Highway left from a previous batch that steeped for 8 weeks.

 

[sofarsogood]

Hot dog roller and glass bottles. Interesting idea, Heat and motion. Amazing how so many come up with unique ideas.

Brilliant, thanks. I'll find one eventually and disconnect the heating element or I'll find an inexpensive bottle roller eventually. May be they come up used. My main concern is my long term nic supply stored in 1 liter bottles. Over years, if not sooner, there will be settling. The nic and pg or vg will separate and the heavier one will settle towards the bottom of the bottle. Nic and pg have almost the same specific gravity so any settling should be very slow but it' still an issue. One way to deal with this would be to switch the bottles to upside down and back every few years but I worry about the caps and leaking over time. When it's time to crack open one of those bottles it might be good to give it some time on a roller to be certain it's evenly mixed before separating into the 250 ml bottles I mix from.

 

[ceeceeisme]

Have you thought about checking out restaurant equipment auctions? I see them come up from time to time when there's a bankruptcy. I've never thought about getting a roller myself but it seems like a viable mixing option.

Just a consideration on where you might stumble across one on the cheap, by chance.

 

[ceeceeisme]

Not really cheap but:

Blood Mixer Roller Mixer Spin for Mixing Blood

 

[sofarsogood]

Not really cheap but:

Blood Mixer Roller Mixer Spin for Mixing Blood

There are dozens of bottle roller designs mostly used for lab work and they are all way too expensive for mixing eliquid. Something intended to mix small bottles of paint might be priced more sensibly. Something is going to turn up or some chinese company will make one. 20 years ago I would have brought an e liquid mixer to market myself. Today the chinese would bury me in a couple of weeks so why bother. I think there is probably a cheap one out there already that can be repurposed.

 

[zoiDman]

The idea is to turn the bottle very slowly. That's enough to keep the liquid moving, circulating, but it's gentle so no air bubbles. Leaving it running over night would be a LOT of mixing. The problem is most of these suckers are stupid expensive. There has to be a cheap on out there some where. Anybody found one?

 

[DaveP]

I just shake, shake, shake the ingredients before each mixing session and often during steeping after mixing.

I can see mechanical mixing devices being very useful in a commercial ejuice operation.

I found this during my Google travels. I thought it was interesting.

BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Separation of liquids

Separating immiscible liquids is done simply using a separating funnel. The two liquids are put into the funnel and are left for a short time to settle out and form two layers. The tap of the funnel is opened and the bottom liquid is allowed to run. The two liquids are now separate.

 

[Alien Traveler]

...My main concern is my long term nic supply stored in 1 liter bottles. Over years, if not sooner, there will be settling. The nic and pg or vg will separate and the heavier one will settle towards the bottom of the bottle. ...

...
BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Separation of liquids
Separating immiscible liquids is done simply using a separating funnel. The two liquids are put into the funnel and are left for a short time to settle out and form two layers. The tap of the funnel is opened and the bottom liquid is allowed to run. The two liquids are now separate.

You are speaking about immiscible liquids, which is not the case for nic solution. It should not separate.

 

[sofarsogood]

Using a bottle roller to blend e liquid ingredients is something I haven't seen mentioned before. it's worth trying but it's not worth hundreds of dollars even if it's a good idea. If I had time I could make one. (Working 6 days, 70 hours recently). It would start with a small motor with a controler to allow very low rpm then connect the shaft to one of two rollers. it should be so cheap to make I'm surprised I haven't found one already in google searches but apparently nobody but big spenders think they need one.

 

[Nermal]

Rock tumbler, right?

 

[Darth Omerta]

What about using a turntable? Constant motion, could fit multiple bottles, low power, could pick up an old beater with a working motor for cheap.

 

[zoiDman]

Rock tumbler, right?

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