Thoughts on Magnetic Mixers

[dead not sleeping]

Just another tool to play with that has merit imo. Do you need one? No. but ... I don't see much about mag-mixers here, and since I use one, I'll throw what I have observed about them out there. This is not about 'steeping', but about mixing, or a better term, blending. Also, its about not shaking my arm off anymore. I think the initial blending, (pre chemical reactions), is real important to how a juice performs when its done. I think the better it's blended the more uniform the juice will be after it's done. Magnetic stir plates were designed to do exactly what we do, mix liquids together. So why not? They are stupid stupid expensive for what they are, and I don't recommend you go out and buy one.

But you can diy one on the cheap out of junk computer parts. Cheap is good. They are quiet, really quiet, and you can 'set it and forget it' for as long as you want. You can adjust the speed from a gentle spin to a vortex frothing. I will mix all my PG ingredients together and spin it for a couple of hours. Then I'll add the VG and spin it overnight on slow. In the AM the juice is crystal clear, nicely thickened up, and ready for the bottle to set or 'steep' or whatever. I just let it set a couple of days. I haven't seen any improvement spinning it for more than overnight. For a really good consistent, uniform blend, a magnetic mixer is the ticket.

 

[wllmc]

going to have to try this ......... wonder how I will tear apart the old computer without my wife knowing lol

 

[rowdyplace]

My son brought me an old one home from work (he is a chemist). It is from a coal processing plant and was (is) quiet dusty - as in caked on black coal dust. I blew it out with compressed air, but it still left dirt under it when operating. So, redneck engineering built a custom case so it can be used near my desk.

Mag Mixer - YouTube (My first youTube video.)

By adjusting the speed you can mix the liquids, and not whip air into the mix.

This one also heats the liquids, but until I get it clean, I'm afraid of fumes, smoke, or fire...

I agree it does a great job of "combining" multiple liquids.

 

[csardaz]

Do you have a link on "diy one on the cheap out of junk computer parts"? I've only seen one on a documentary ?how its made? it was pretty large - magnet under mixing dish caused a few big ball bearings inside the dish to circle around - maybe 40 RPM.

I saw a youtube like 'intro to diy juicemaking' a brit guy ?Lordy? he likes a milk frother - little vibrating mixer. He said getting it frothy and bubbly accelerated the steeping which involves getting alchohols and volatiles from flavorings out and oxygen in.

 

[Tom Fuller]

Do you have a link on "diy one on the cheap out of junk computer parts"? I've only seen one on a documentary ?how its made? it was pretty large - magnet under mixing dish caused a few big ball bearings inside the dish to circle around - maybe 40 RPM.

I saw a youtube like 'intro to diy juicemaking' a brit guy ?Lordy? he likes a milk frother - little vibrating mixer. He said getting it frothy and bubbly accelerated the steeping which involves getting alchohols and volatiles from flavorings out and oxygen in.

Except oxygen speeds oxidation of nicotine.


Live Long and Vape!

 

[rowdyplace]

Except oxygen speeds oxidation of nicotine.


Live Long and Vape!

You set the speed to spin (slow) enough to mix the liquid, not whip it. While the vortex looks good, that is bringing in oxygen. Always cover the top with a loose fitting plastic bag and set the speed correctly.

Google youtube for diy magnetic mixers. YOu will find several. Here is one that I like, although the builder has gone a little overboard.

How to DIY your own Magnetic Stirrer V2 (better than first version)

Here is a good source to a part I needed - 25 Ohm 3 Watt Rheostat ±20 Tolerance Wirewound Variable Resistor Potentiometer | eBay

 

[tyjames]

coincidentally I am waiting for one of these in the mail, thinking it is all I need. Then you mention additional steep and nicotine oxidation. I seen a Youtube vid of a guy claiming it gives juice full flavor in 3 minutes. I guess I would mix everything but the Nicotine first then lightly blend that in after.

 

[rowdyplace]

coincidentally I am waiting for one of these in the mail, thinking it is all I need. Then you mention additional steep and nicotine oxidation. I seen a Youtube vid of a guy claiming it gives juice full flavor in 3 minutes. I guess I would mix everything but the Nicotine first then lightly blend that in after.

My 2 ¢:

Doing that, does not adequately mix your nic into the juice.

I'm not an expert. I'm not a chemist. I am an old guy that plays with vaping techniques and applies some level of common sense.

Nothing will do this job in 3 minutes...My 2¢! Possibly the only exception is to use a container of about 15 mL of only nic, pg, and vg, and shake like the devil, and vape that. Actually, plain base is pretty good.

Yes, they all say that nicotine degrades over time. It is not minutes...or even a few short hours - again, my 2¢! There is a long recent thread about UC steeping that spells a lot of this out - factually.

I throw my nic, pg, vg, and appropriate flavorings in to a small flask (about 30 - 100 mL total liquid) and set it on the mag table. Adjust the mag table to allow the spinning bar to mix the contents - not whip it. If you see a vortex or a lot of bubbles develop, s-l-o-w the spinning down. You want to just barely see the mixture combining, not sloshing around. I use common sense, but a good hour or more is my normal mix time.

Now, I take this batch into either a crock pot at 150 °F for about 4 hours, or into my Harbor Freight (large one) UC for several hours. Yes, I allow the UC unit to apply heat - again, 150 °F max. This total UC bath could last for several hours since I have an 8 minute timer and must hit the button every so often.. I get busy and let it sit idle for periods, and sometimes I also hit the button early to provide continuous UC activity.

If you go this Mag Mixer way, you must have a speed control. It's not magic, there just ain't none...

 

[dead not sleeping]

coincidentally I am waiting for one of these in the mail, thinking it is all I need. Then you mention additional steep and nicotine oxidation. I seen a Youtube vid of a guy claiming it gives juice full flavor in 3 minutes. I guess I would mix everything but the Nicotine first then lightly blend that in after.

It is all you need. I don't buy much into the "magic steep" stuff. If it works good for others, then great. I've tried some of the methods myself and it does speed things up. But is it better? I can't really tell much of a difference, but I lean toward no magic. There's enough magic in there already. The time to mix is not when you are out of it, so there really is no need for speed imo. I mix all the PG ingredients into the nic. PG likes to stay with PG so I blend all that together first. Then I'll add the VG. I don't think it matters about the order, (except I think you should mix into the nic) just as long as it gets blended well. This thread was not supposed to be about 'steeping', but a method of blending that is far superior imo to shaking. I would not worry about the air bubbles either. The oxygen may even help the molecules combine, and with the flask corked, the air within is 'flavor air'. A slow speed mix over time is best I have found, but I don't see any dif if it gets frothed once or twice. A good recipe mixed extremely well with good ingredients will equal an exceptional juice.

Edit: another method to get speed control is PWM ( pulse width modulation ) I just ordered one from ebay for $3.59. Board, cable, control and knob, 6-28 volt input, duty cycle 5 - 100%. 21kHz. PWM is more efficient than a rheostat as the rheostat is just a simple voltage divider and dissipates a lot of heat. But, it is a true voltage. PWM turns on and off really fast giving an 'average' voltage over time. For example, the motor is still receiving say 12 volts but only half the time. The motor does not know the difference and thinks its getting 6 volts, thus runs slower.

 

[thre365ive]

I dabble in a bit of chemistry myself (I'm by no means a chemist, I didn't even get to high school chemistry, but I've read a lot since), and if I want a homogenous solution (no matter what it is) I reach for my magnetic stirrer/hotplate.

What exactly goes on when you steep? I've heard of breathing, where you leave your juice open a bit to let some air in. And steeping, where you set your juice in the dark. From my understanding, to optimize the flavor of your juice you want to let it breathe for a bit, then steep. What I gather from this is you're looking for some amount of oxidation of your flavorings, which seems (from my reading, I have no hands-on experience, hence all the parentheses and qualifiers) like it should be fairly easily achieved though heat/cold cycles and mixing air into your juice.

My logic says that a mag stirrer/hotplate should do nothing but speed this up. Am I missing something?

 

[Alien Traveler]

I use magnetic stirrers often (for my work) and I think long slow mixing (without developing vortex) is mostly useless, short shaking works better.

 

[Goompa]

Being a DIY guy at heart, I knew I'd have to build my own magnetic stir plate after seeing others here using them for mixing.

It's an ongoing project, not finished yet. But I have tested it and know it will work well for my needs.
Now trying to figure out a way to add a heated bed.

They can indeed be built out of junk computer parts for $0.00, but I did spend a few bucks on a PWM controller for speed adjustment.

Once I get this project finished, I'll post here how I did it and how it works.

 

[rowdyplace]

I made one, and I like it! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23mTMC_3afE

The PWM seemed to "whine" and add unnecessary noise. So, I bought one of these - DC AC to DC LM317 Power Continuous Adjustable Voltage Regulator 1 25V 37V USA | eBay

This allows a larger selection of "wall-wart" power units to be used since it will accept either AC or DC as an input power source.

I have not tackled the heater thingy, but I did figure our how to make spinner bars from a ball point pen case and a couple of small magnets..

 

[rowdyplace]

I cut a cheap "motel" ball point pen shaft into about a one inch long shaft. Inserted 2 of these magnets inside, sealed with hot glue and it did the trick. I built another and sealed it with 2-part epoxy, and it worked as well. On both items, I made sure to have "rounded" ends - sorta like a cupcake or muffin... A nail file to remove any sharp edges, and they were smooth and ready to spin.

20pcs Super Strong Block Cuboid Magnets RARE Earth Neodymium 10 x 5 x 2 mm N35 | eBay

Looking at my youtube video and you can see the homemade spinner bar at work. The pen case is dark and the sealed ends are lighter colored. (See post #13)