Would stirring help the steep time?

[WonderDude32]

I had the idea that using a plate mixer (like the ones used in labs) might decrease the steep time. They sell plate mixers that also heat the contents of the beaker and that would eliminate the "crock pot" method as well. If anyone has tried this or thinks it's a good/bad idea, please say something. Thanks. vape on.

 

[john333]

Yeah, I think all stirring, shaking, ultrasonic methods help. Someone the other day had a $8 baby formula battery operated stirrer. Said it frothed the liquid very quickly. I use an ultrasonic that also adds the heat factor. Most of my DIY is vapable after three days. Good luck

 

[WonderDude32]

3 Days? That's wonderful. Thanks. I'm trying to cut down the time on my Capella's vanilla custard. Someone told me it takes a month. I'll put some away to try but that's just too long. lol. Do you happen to mix custards and does that apply to the 3 day steep time?

 

[tehdarkaura]

I use a home made magnetic stirrer -- cost me about $15 bucks to make and has greatly cut down the steep time. I don't wait long at all -- maybe an hour of mixing is all I need before I start vaping it -- but that will depend on the flavors and concentrations of flavors your using too -- most of my DIY uses 5% or less total flavor volume.

I just posted this for someone else so still have the link handy -- this guy made a mixer to mix shellac -- but its very similar to the one I built -- the stir bars can be found in kits of varrying size cheap if you look, if you're not carefull I think the retail is about $20 a piece for just that stir bar though.

I've never used heat -- would probably be better to get a lab mixer if that interests you -- but $15 bucks is a whole lot better than a couple hundred it will cost for a hot plate stirrer

 

[Semiretired]

Just remember - heat degrades it.

 

[WonderDude32]

Just remember - heat degrades it.

Nudenicotine says that heat and light degrade and so does just about everyone so why do people use crock pots for steeping? Maybe they use 0nic juice? I've read alot of posts where people leave juice in a crock pot for up to 12 hours.

 

[Semiretired]

Nudenicotine says that heat and light degrade and so does just about everyone so why do people use crock pots for steeping? Maybe they use 0nic juice? I've read alot of posts where people leave juice in a crock pot for up to 12 hours.

Personally 12 hours sounds like a long time. I have warm steeped for a few minutes to give the steeping process a jump - just enough that when it is warm - it should shake and mix better. I am assuming that the degradation is small for them or they are vaping it fast enough that the changes do not have time to take effect.

Or - they could just like their crock pots...

 

[Shirtbloke]

A bit of agitation/stirring helps the mixing process and a certain amount of heat helps the chemical reactions along. The exact amount of each is up for debate. Personally I use a milk frother to mix and leave the bottle on top of my radiator overnight for heat. It works for me. There's a lot of experimentation goes on and nobody knows the complete answers.

 

[Retro138]

Such great ideas, thanks everyone.

 

[john333]

I monitor the heat in my untrasonic with a kitchen thermometer and keep it under 110 degrees. Fruit liquids like strawberry and cream don't take much steeping time and can be vaped not long after mixing. Even then the taste will improve over time. At the end of the day the best way for you to judge your recipe is to drip some along the way and look for the differences.

 

[Cullin Kin]

3 Days? That's wonderful. Thanks. I'm trying to cut down the time on my Capella's vanilla custard. Someone told me it takes a month. I'll put some away to try but that's just too long. lol. Do you happen to mix custards and does that apply to the 3 day steep time?

As @Semiretired said, heat will change the flavor. It may not be noticeable to some, but it is for me. The best way to do Cap's VC is to have a production line going lol. Start by making a one month's supply, find something to vape in the meantime, then the second you tear into that new bottle, make a new month's supply.

 

[WonderDude32]

As @Semiretired said, heat will change the flavor. It may not be noticeable to some, but it is for me. The best way to do Cap's VC is to have a production line going lol. Start by making a one month's supply, find something to vape in the meantime, then the second you tear into that new bottle, make a new month's supply.

That's a great idea. I could only do that by creating a 2 month supply and work out how much I'm actually vaping. I ballpark guess I'm around 6 ml/day. I simply don't have the time to sit and calculate it accurately. Some days it's 3ml. Some 10+. I'm hoping my new ideas for steeping will help and keep the quality.

 

[Cullin Kin]

That's a great idea. I could only do that by creating a 2 month supply and work out how much I'm actually vaping. I ballpark guess I'm around 6 ml/day. I simply don't have the time to sit and calculate it accurately. Some days it's 3ml. Some 10+. I'm hoping my new ideas for steeping will help and keep the quality.

Yeah, definitely. Start with 300mL then. Really, I've found that you don't need to wait an entire 30 days with Cap's VC. I love it at 2 weeks, which makes the wait much more bearable.

 

[awsum140]

There are threads discussing ultrasonic steeping and magnetic stirrers. Both will reduce steep times significantly. I normally work well ahead but once in a while either don't or want to try something new without waiting. I use an ultrasonic cleaner and usually run a bottle through four, 30 minute, cycles. My normal steep is in a bottle, on the shelf, for two weeks with no outside agitation at all other than a good shake when I'm done mixing.

Nicotine and flavors both start to degrade as soon as they hit air. Heat makes them degrade faster, especially excessive heat. If you do use a method with heat keep it under 110F to avoid too much degradation when steeping.