Steeping Times and an Ultrasonic Cleaner Part III

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dannyv45

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I was thinging (bad thing) would it help if I cut some of the plastic fins out of my basket to allow more waves?
sides and bottom.


That may not be needed. Did you try it with the basket the way it is? I use the full basket and comparing with and without a basket was only about a half hour more on a 5 hour steep. I really don't think you'll gain much by cutting the basket.
 

Mowgli

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...and my ProTanks and Aspire BDC clearomizers and coils too....

How long did you leave the coils in and how clean did it get them?

I always soak mine in HOT water for hours (keep refreshing) & burn the wick/coil clean with scraping & brushing.
I replace the flavor wick when the older one gets crappy.
The second tankful still always tastes better than the first with this method.
 

Coelli

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Well, this arrived today:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FJRPDC

Pretty sure it's the same one everyone has and just rebrands. :) I've got a clip holding down the power button and the cord plugged into a timer set for 30 on/30 off. Steeping several glass bottles of DIY, and one Virgin Vapor Dark Side of the Moon which is so perfumey it gives me a headache. So far after a few cycles that seems to have toned down and I think it might be vapable with another few hundred cycles :p If I remember, I am shaking the bottles between rounds.

Thanks for all of the tips & tricks in this thread, I'm new to DIY and the steep time was a major bummer for me! I only have TFA flavors and they seemed very "bright" right after mixing, almost like they were floating on the base. Hopefully this changes everything. :)
 

bobalex

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so what would you recommend for a quality usc? ive been looking at several but not sure which is better. looking to spend under $50 but im sure price = quality so what is good below 50 and above 50.

When my UC dies I'm going to get the one Danny's been using. If I would have clicked around The Google for maybe a couple of more minutes I might have found it ... instead of the one I bought that only has an 8 minute timer.

My Dream Machine:

Amazon.com: Joy4Less Professional Grade Ultrasonic Cleaner 4810, 30-min Timer, Plastic Basket: Electronics
 
A Dutch GUCER inspired by this thread !
Thanks for the invention, Bobalex.

I mix only tobacco flavours, 6 hours uc now but not ready.
Terrible amniotic taste of the VPG inewera base is gone, but not much flavour yet.
Maby I have to add more flavour.

I used glass bottles.
Basket ( metal) was used.
Water temp. aprox. 100 F
80 % of the content was stuffed with bottles ( to much ?)
I did 3 sessions of 2 hours with 12 hours in between.
VPG 70/30
No caps on the bottle.
Flavours are Herrlan American Blend 1% and RY4 Tino di Milano 3%

Maby just wait a while..
 

dannyv45

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A Dutch GUCER inspired by this thread !
Thanks for the invention, Bobalex.

I mix only tobacco flavours, 6 hours uc now but not ready.
Terrible amniotic taste of the VPG inewera base is gone, but not much flavour yet.
Maby I have to add more flavour.

I used glass bottles.
Basket ( metal) was used.
Water temp. aprox. 100 F
80 % of the content was stuffed with bottles ( to much ?)
I did 3 sessions of 2 hours with 12 hours in between.
VPG 70/30
No caps on the bottle.
Flavours are Herrlan American Blend 1% and RY4 Tino di Milano 3%

Maby just wait a while..


Airing out or letting it breath = Cap off the bottle

You should not be airing out while steeping and you should be only airing out if the flavor contains alcohol or has an undisirable chemical smell and for no more then 24 hours (While not steeping).

Steeping = cap on the bottle and letting it stew in the UC

because you aired out and steeped at the same time You may have just evaperated all your flavor right out of the mix.

Flavors are Herrlan American Blend 1% seems a bit light try 2%
RY4 Tino di Milano 3% seems a bit light try 6 - 7%
 
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Ld3441

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New Pro Large 60W Ultrasonic Ultrasound Cleaner Jewelry | eBay

This is the one I purchased and really like it. It is just above $50 at $60 but it has free shipping. There is no heater on this one but the heater is not needed. I know someone that has this one and the one above and says this one is stronger. This one is a little smaller but is plenty big enough for my needs and has a 30 minute timer.
 

dead not sleeping

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As far as U/S time vs standard wait-to-steep time, what are we talking about here - 1 hr total U/S time per week of wait-to-steep?

New to diy, like tobacco flavors, dislike waiting a month. I also didn't want to spend a bunch of money and not like it. So, I just got a cheapo cd2800 yesterday in the mail to check out this U/S method, and am trying it out as I type. I don't mind the 3 minute thing, and the water heats up nicely on its own without a heater. It was 25 bucks with free shipping. When I got it, it did not have the plastic arc thing as advertised, used for watches to keep the watch part out of the water, so I was worried that it may have been a "tested return". Contacted the seller, they said that the mfg was no longer including it, the pictures on their listing were wrong, and it was indeed a new unit. They refunded me 4 bucks, so I got it for around 21 bucks with free shipping. I'm glad I questioned it. This thing seems to work pretty well for a cheapo.

I have a bunch of 4ml glass vials that I'm testing my mixes in at 1ml mix per vial. I paint numbers on the caps that correspond to my notes. 8 of these vials fit into a Ball 1/4 pint jelly jar ( or they would fall over ), and 2 jelly jars fit in the U/S. I'm doing all my flavors as stand alone single flavors to get an idea of what they taste like when steeped. Starting low on the concentrations. I think that would take a lot of experimentation/fails out of the equation with the least waste. This seems to work pretty well on paper, but we'll see about that when they are done, and I do the happy dance.

dns
 

Wingsfan0310

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I have a bunch of 4ml glass vials that I'm testing my mixes in at 1ml mix per vial. I paint numbers on the caps that correspond to my notes. 8 of these vials fit into a Ball 1/4 pint jelly jar ( or they would fall over ), and 2 jelly jars fit in the U/S.

dns

I'm not an expert in UC use but I would think the Ball jelly jars you are putting your vials in may be absorbing the waves and only passing a few on to the vials. Maybe use a rubber band around the 8 vials instead so they don't fall and eliminate the jelly jar. I'm sure someone with more experience in using a UC will come along and be of more help to you.

Cheers,
Steve
 

Ld3441

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As far as times go...
Some say 5-6 hours but I have done 4 hours in the UC with 30 minutes on and 30 off cycles. Then a week later juice is good! I'm not sure if it needs that week or not but that is what I have given and it works well for me. I would say it also depends on the UC itself and how powerful it is.
 
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ValHeli

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I'm not an expert in UC use but I would think the Ball jelly jars you are putting your vials in may be absorbing the waves and only passing a few on to the vials. Maybe use a rubber band around the 8 vials instead so they don't fall and eliminate the jelly jar. I'm sure someone with more experience in using a UC will come along and be of more help to you.

Cheers,
Steve

I agree. I do ultrasonic inspections on aircraft and I can say that the material velocity of ultrasonic waves is slowed down by the glass and will be slowed down or filtered again when it goes through the vials. I am still not sure of the efficacy of ultrasonic waves in steeping but if heat is more effective than the waves, then I would say it's ok as long as the vials are also getting heat.

I've only done mine w/ the plastic bottles of juice and I know for a fact that ultrasonic waves are attenuated by plastic, however, after 4 hours in the UC, my liquids tasted good I would say either from the heat or the small amount of cavitation it got from the UC.
 

dead not sleeping

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Thanks for responding wingsfan.

I thought about that, I'm sure there is some effect, but the vials are presently moving around in the jars, there are micro-bubbles in the mixes. I would think plastic would absorb way more than glass would, and these are just 'test vials'. I'm starting to get a color change in the tobaccos after around 1 hr and the aromas are mellowing in the fruits. 1ml in a 4ml vial tends to want to float. I tried it with the rubber bands and they tipped over. This way I can keep the recommended water level in the tank, and have a different, just enough, water level in the jars with the vials. Seems to be working so far, I would just like to know what people are finding out with the U/S vs steep ratio.
 
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