Just want to ask you about your method, do you label your bottles before or after the "heat steep"?
I'm waiting for a food dehydrator to arrive, and this is my main question, will my adhesive labels catch fire at 150 degrees...
Three way steeping sequence?
- Thread starter rowdyplace
- Start date
- th_trl_thread_readers 0
- Status
Just want to ask you about your method, do you label your bottles before or after the "heat steep"?
I'm waiting for a food dehydrator to arrive, and this is my main question, will my adhesive labels catch fire at 150 degrees...
That Isn't for me to Say. If using a Milk Frother then a Crock Pot and then Ultrasonic Cleaner make you e-liquids Taste Good, Go For It.
But let me ask you a Simple Question.
Have you Tried doing a Side by Side Blind Taste Comparison of your Froth - Crock - Ultra method to an e-liquid that just sat in a Drawer Undisturbed for 5 ~ 6 Days?
The Results may Surprise you.
zoiDman -
Thanks for your recap. After reading the varied responses to this thread, I have decided to do just that. A controlled experiment is the only way to go.
But, as an Alabama Redneck, I was raised to believe that "if a little bit is good, then a lot must be better"! (LOL)
MTS, EM & Tart &Sour all at 0.5% each makes my fruits mmmm mmmmmm 
i dont speed steep if that makes a difference!
i've used a frother a few times, i def taste its more harsh straight away, but i also noticed it tastes mighty good straight away, i'm not 100% on this but i think the flavour faded a little after it was steeped
i stopped using the frother a while back now but i wonder if frothing and letting the bubbles die back before adding the nic would work good??
i presume it would and more so the more potent your nic is before cutting it with your base
i dont speed steep if that makes a difference!i've used a frother a few times, i def taste its more harsh straight away, but i also noticed it tastes mighty good straight away, i'm not 100% on this but i think the flavour faded a little after it was steeped
i stopped using the frother a while back now but i wonder if frothing and letting the bubbles die back before adding the nic would work good??
i presume it would and more so the more potent your nic is before cutting it with your base
Last edited:
It has to be a Blind Test.
I did my Lower Units in Santa Rosa CA. (next to the Napa Valley). One of the First things a Winery Owner will tell you, in private, is the Easiest way to get a Wine Snob to like your Wine is to put it in a "Reserve Bottle".
If you take the Labels off Wine, or Anything for that Matter, the mind is Removed from telling you that this one Should be Better than that e-Cheap-O Gewurztraminer in the Fred Flintstone glass.
We label all our amber glass bottles with a metallic 'fine point' markers (which don't turn out to be very 'fine point' when the metallic ink starts flowing). After testing dozens, these are "the ones": Amazon.com: Pilot Gold and Silver Metallic Permanent Markers, Extra Fine Point, Set of 2 Markers (41400): Office Products
Labels wont 'ignite' at 150 degrees, but if there's one thing we've found that true about DIYing, it's that "labels suck". You can't get them wet, they smear, rip, get dirty (get even a few drops on the label and they're a mess)...and trying to get them off bottles is sticky, gross and ruins whatever scrubby-pad you use. Sure, there may be one or two labels that are "perfect' and not so ridiculously unsuited to DIYing, but in general...no good.
Of course, you can eventually 'wear off' the metallic ink, but we find them far superior to labels in practically every way. 'Sure, it takes a bit of practice to get used to the pens and writing with them on curved glass - but it turns out overall to be FAR less hassle.
The type above? The gold will come off easily with acetone. The silver requires a scrubby (at least that's been true for the last few we used).
And we "label" our bottles before we add anything to the bottle
Labels wont 'ignite' at 150 degrees, but if there's one thing we've found that true about DIYing, it's that "labels suck". You can't get them wet, they smear, rip, get dirty (get even a few drops on the label and they're a mess)...and trying to get them off bottles is sticky, gross and ruins whatever scrubby-pad you use. Sure, there may be one or two labels that are "perfect' and not so ridiculously unsuited to DIYing, but in general...no good.
Of course, you can eventually 'wear off' the metallic ink, but we find them far superior to labels in practically every way. 'Sure, it takes a bit of practice to get used to the pens and writing with them on curved glass - but it turns out overall to be FAR less hassle.
The type above? The gold will come off easily with acetone. The silver requires a scrubby (at least that's been true for the last few we used).
And we "label" our bottles before we add anything to the bottle
Yes, we have done "side by side" comparisons (by the hundreds of 3-8ml vials, if not thousands). We've tested "water bath" and sitting in the top of the double boiler/dry, against 'just sitting' (capped & uncapped), against heated ultra sonic (varying hours); against steeping at 150 for 4 hours. Steeping at 150 for 4 hours wins - hands down, every time.
And no, we haven't "frothed" or aerated. First of all, we make too many different batches in a mixing session for it to be time effective. The 'frother' would have to fit in a small necked bottle (or we'd have to froth it in a wider mouth jar and then pour it into a bottle - which would be a waste of juice & time, not to mention all the jar/funnel cleaning) - and, everything we've read and experienced shows that air & light oxidizes nic (which increases 'nic taste' in the juice) faster than anything else.
We do occassionally mix up a jar of unflavored and leave it lightly capped on the window to oxidize it quickly for use in a few tobacco mixes.
"Test everything; keep that which is good"
Yes, we have done "side by side" comparisons (by the hundreds of 3-8ml vials, if not thousands). We've tested "water bath" and sitting in the top of the double boiler/dry, against 'just sitting' (capped & uncapped), against heated ultra sonic (varying hours); against steeping at 150 for 4 hours. Steeping at 150 for 4 hours wins - hands down, every time.
And no, we haven't "frothed" or aerated. First of all, we make too many different batches in a mixing session for it to be time effective. The 'frother' would have to fit in a small necked bottle (or we'd have to froth it in a wider mouth jar and then pour it into a bottle - which would be a waste of juice & time, not to mention all the jar/funnel cleaning) - and, everything we've read and experienced shows that air & light oxidizes nic (which increases 'nic taste' in the juice) faster than anything else.
We do occassionally mix up a jar of unflavored and leave it lightly capped on the window to oxidize it quickly for use in a few tobacco mixes.
"Test everything; keep that which is good"
Really Doesn't matter what You or Me or a Thousand Other people have Done or Think.
It all just gets down to what rowdyplace likes. And how Much work he wants to put into getting it.
Thanks we2rcool, it's worth trying.
Currently I use some cheap labels, with not much glue, which get off with no major problems. Maybe because they're really cheap
As I use HotRod's Calculator http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/480587-new-calculator-try.html it's very easy to print them.
But they really suck when wet or when some liquid gets on them.
Currently I use some cheap labels, with not much glue, which get off with no major problems. Maybe because they're really cheap
As I use HotRod's Calculator http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/diy-e-liquid/480587-new-calculator-try.html it's very easy to print them.
But they really suck when wet or when some liquid gets on them.
^^^AGREE!^^^
And when testing, remember to be absolutely sure that all testing atty's are wicked & hitting EXACTLY THE SAME!
'Just last week we tried a new brand of VG, and made 10 bottles of identical batches (5 with VG we'd been using; 5 with the new). And broke open two brand new attys to use to compare the two. He had the set-up & atty for "new"; I had the one for "old"; same batteries with full, fresh charges - and we started dripping and passing them back & forth. On the first 2-3 comparisons, the "new" VG mixes were diminished in flavor compared to the "old".
And then I noticed that his atty had a tighter draw with a bit less vapor. We corrected that, and retested...and the ones that seemed 'diminished' on his atty, were then equal to the ones on mine.
Equipment matters when testing!
Agree - what works for rowdyplace is what's good for rowdyplace! But what we, you, or a thousand have tested & shared, can help others decide (with less testing) what is good for them.
Yeah...
I have tried Many Steeping Techniques over the years (although I can't say that I have Used a Milk Frother - LOL) and I don't see an Improvement in Taste over just letting it sit Undisturbed in a Glass bottle for 5~7 Days.
And Nothing to Warrant the Extra Time, Effort and Cost of Buying something if you Don't already have it.
I will concede that some of the things I have done has Sped Up the Time. But I guess I'm not in a Huge Hurry.
But of course, YMMV.
Rowdyplace is drinking all this wonderful information in like a drunken sailor on dollar night! Thanks to one and all!!
In the words of Mark Twain or was it Johnny Cash, "Learn from the misteaks of others...You just ain't gonna live long enough to make all of them yourself".
We label all our amber glass bottles with a metallic 'fine point' markers (which don't turn out to be very 'fine point' when the metallic ink starts flowing). After testing dozens, these are "the ones": Amazon.com: Pilot Gold and Silver Metallic Permanent Markers, Extra Fine Point, Set of 2 Markers (41400): Office Products
Labels wont 'ignite' at 150 degrees, but if there's one thing we've found that true about DIYing, it's that "labels suck". You can't get them wet, they smear, rip, get dirty (get even a few drops on the label and they're a mess)...and trying to get them off bottles is sticky, gross and ruins whatever scrubby-pad you use. Sure, there may be one or two labels that are "perfect' and not so ridiculously unsuited to DIYing, but in general...no good.
Of course, you can eventually 'wear off' the metallic ink, but we find them far superior to labels in practically every way. 'Sure, it takes a bit of practice to get used to the pens and writing with them on curved glass - but it turns out overall to be FAR less hassle.
The type above? The gold will come off easily with acetone. The silver requires a scrubby (at least that's been true for the last few we used).
And we "label" our bottles before we add anything to the bottle
Masking tape and a sharpie....
Here's a tip for stubborn labels of any kind... go.to rhe grocery store in the cleaning asile and pick yourself up a bottle of "Goo Gone" the stuff is awesome for removing labels. I usually wet the bottle under the tap then squirt goo gone over the label. I let it sit just two minutes. You can then scrape that label and all its adhesive right off with the back of your fingernail. Then just wash your bottle as normal.
Easy peasy. With goo gone a little goes a long way too. Im still using the same bottle I bought two years ago. Its also great for removing those stubborn store price labels too, among other things.
Easy peasy. With goo gone a little goes a long way too. Im still using the same bottle I bought two years ago. Its also great for removing those stubborn store price labels too, among other things.
We label all our amber glass bottles with a metallic 'fine point' markers (which don't turn out to be very 'fine point' when the metallic ink starts flowing). After testing dozens, these are "the ones": Amazon.com: Pilot Gold and Silver Metallic Permanent Markers, Extra Fine Point, Set of 2 Markers (41400): Office Products
Labels wont 'ignite' at 150 degrees, but if there's one thing we've found that true about DIYing, it's that "labels suck". You can't get them wet, they smear, rip, get dirty (get even a few drops on the label and they're a mess)...and trying to get them off bottles is sticky, gross and ruins whatever scrubby-pad you use. Sure, there may be one or two labels that are "perfect' and not so ridiculously unsuited to DIYing, but in general...no good.
Of course, you can eventually 'wear off' the metallic ink, but we find them far superior to labels in practically every way. 'Sure, it takes a bit of practice to get used to the pens and writing with them on curved glass - but it turns out overall to be FAR less hassle.
The type above? The gold will come off easily with acetone. The silver requires a scrubby (at least that's been true for the last few we used).
And we "label" our bottles before we add anything to the bottle
What would you say is the highest temp you should allow the juice to reach?
This DIY forum has several threads pertaining to steeping - and the various methods, times and temperatures. I encourage you to read them (rather lengthy, I know) and arrive at your own conclusions.
My answer is to keep the heat at (or very close to) 150°. Crock pot or food dehydrator is my new chosen method. I use glass bottles and 4 hour cycles, shaking about every hour...
Just a Word of Advise.
If you are Trying to work at a Precise Temperature, say 150F, do yourself a Favor and buy a Decent Thermometer.
Things like Crock Pots are Notorious for Being Off of what the Numbers on the Dial say to what the Actual Temperature is.
- Status
