Magnetic stirring for the unfamiliar

And a lab grade homogenizer. Not a lot to share. They do what they do.

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I wonder if we really need all that lab gear for DiY e-juice. Iā€™m one of those people who tend to go completely crazy with gear for any kind of project, and iā€™m really trying to restrain myself this time around (I got into DiY fairly recently)
I mean, iā€™m getting great results on DiY e-juice with glass bottles, disposable drippers, 0.01g accuracy scale, and just shaking the e-juce once a day and letting it rest/age/cure/steep (choose our favorite term)

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I would say no. Tons of folks have enjoyed their vapes for years with a shake and a sit. Isnā€™t that the bottom line? Enjoying ones vape? On the other hand if you enjoy experimenting and donā€™t need the money elsewhere, why not? Again the bottom line is ā€œenjoyā€.

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Glad thatā€™s working out for you but as a warning to anyone looking to buy one of these your going to want a pro grade just like the one shown in the pictures donā€™t go to Ebayzon I typed that purposefully because Ebay and Amazon seem to be working hand in hand now.
Anyhow I made the mistake of buying one of those cheap knock offā€™s and was sorry when I got in the middle of my mix 30PG/70VG instead of the stir bar spinning the way it should had it sat at the bottom of my beaker spinning vertically my throther was no good so I just took the actual spindle off of it and slipped it into my dremel tool and problem solved with mixing.
Donā€™t get me wrong I like the idea of these magnetic stirrers but a good one even used at a buy it now price is just way too high.
Iā€™m glad I read this I have never used heat with any of my mixes as I do use nicotine.

So you have not found any better results using your homogenizer? Are you finding your steeping times are about the same? I have progressed from the mix and shake by hand method to the Paint stirrer type and now use the mag stirrer. Of these methods my steep times have still been pretty much the same. I recently had my nephew use one of the Ultrasonic Cleaners at his workplace to mix a couple bottles of juice and I was impressed with the mixing and the actual cavitation it created in the mix but flavor wise it still needed to age.
I have not noticed any degradation of flavoring in any of the above methods nor an improvement for that matter.
I am surprised by your homogenizer results! That was next in line for me! haha

I purchased mine for less than $50 on amazon. Been having good results with it. Apera Model 801, itā€™s nothing fancy and does not have the heat plate. Have found the shape of the stir bars does have a small difference in the amount of time it takes to achieve the final mix. But still have to let mixes steep til they are ready.

Sorry for the confusion. I didnā€™t mean to imply results. It will take me a long time to get results. I only mix what I need and donā€™t mix often.

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Maybe a little further explanation would be beneficial. Iā€™m not sure.

Iā€™m not convinced that more thorough blending makes a better vape. In fact, Iā€™ve discarded the concept of a ā€œbetter vapeā€ and modified that to ā€œwhat I like bestā€. There are many variables working here all at once and many of them are purely subjective. The subjective criteria being the most important IMHO. I use a 10mm diameter homogenizing probe. After processing for a minute there is still a visible viscosity variance at the top of the liquid. I do not pull the probe to the very top of the liquid as that exposes the exhaust port to open air in the bottle and promotes a froth like off gassing opportunity for the liquid. Having found that the perception of layering in flavors per heat applied, Iā€™m not convinced that ā€œcompleteā€ blending doesnā€™t diminish that effect. So many tests to do. So far I have tried to keep the homogenizer in the realm of blending only and not a function of off gassing. Obviously off gassing is something that needs to be addressed and addressed to taste. Studying the process of homogenization, I have found that what is referred to as a ā€œsettling timeā€ is beneficial after the process. This appears to differ from ā€œsteepingā€ time as it seems to be of a shorter duration. Keep in mind that I consider all of this as preliminary as I donā€™t have a large number of tests performed to establish a statistic sampling.

What Iā€™ve found so far:

Homogenization is aggressive and will form more out gassing within the liquid than slow magnetic stirring. It will form less of this out gassing than aggressive magnet stirring where a solid vortex is formed.

High speed blenders have a tendency to form even more out gassing within the liquid simply because of the larger blade sizes and volume of liquid moved.

Processing with ultra sonic agitation dissipates out gassing.

Homogenization alone produces the most pungent blends. This may be a function of out gassing.

I like some recipes immediately after mixing, others with extended processing.

At this point I have no conclusions. I have in fact generated more questions. I donā€™t anticipate this journey to be a short one. I anticipate that some of my findings will be entirely unscientific as things I stumble on as I move along. Iā€™ve conducted 5/10K studies for FDA acceptance of microbiology processes and that degree of testing is simply not going to happen here. I am simply not going to attempt to appropriate that kind of money and man hours to playing around at home with different mixing methods.

I simply share this because I am doing it. I donā€™t advocate doing this. I donā€™t discourage doing this. At the end of the day the condition of my pallet plays a larger role in how a mix tastes than anything.

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Couldnā€™t agree more with this statement. Arguing about personal preferences is just pure dumb. Just like when kids start arguing whoā€™se dad is stronger or which superhero would beat another one.

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Oh the disappointment :wink:

Thanks for the cool feedback you already provided us with though.

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Very interesting comments. Very much appreciate your time and this was a very good explanation and more of what I was hoping for just based on the number and scope of your product reviews that i have enjoyed reading and watching. I, as you stated have more questions than answers and will continue to research these methods. Thanks again, very much appreciate it!

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I paid $39.99 last dec . Worth every penny I spent . Mixed 500ml of blackberry pina colda last night . Hasnā€™t ever given me any problems

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My pleasure.

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The point is, I am an engineer. I donā€™t want to spend 5 seconds shaking a bottle everytime. I want to spend 50 hours building something that does it for me and requires 2 minutes maintenance every 20 bottles :joy:
Also I just want to play with ultrasonic homogenisation because I find it pretty great.

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Now this makes sense. I thought you were just deranged :wink: Bingo! Letā€™s see what happens ifā€¦

Iā€™m going to try something nuts. Turn this on itā€™s head.

  1. Add ingredients leaving 10 ml headspace in the bottle.
  2. 1/2 hr mag stir low speed. Pre blend
  3. 1 min homogenize. Blend
  4. 1/2 hr ultrasound recover
  5. 3 hr souse vide @ 40c. Steep with heat.

If it turns out to be drano I loose five bucks. Iā€™ll whine about that in another thread.

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Nah, i want a process that is supposed to take less time, not more :slight_smile:

Thinking of a small RC plane brushless inrunner around 20w at 35-40k rpm and a smooth shaft. I can probably grind a larger shaft to replace the original motor shaft, it should run off a modest 1 cell lithium battery and ESC are pretty cheap. Just need a pwm generator and I am sorted.

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Post results. I get the theory. The homo probe is overkill as there is no tissue to grind.

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Engineering Change Order #1:

I happened to use some Loraine peach in this latest mix and I added it last. It is orange. I discovered that my mag mixer will not address the top inch and a half of liquid in a boston round bottle. Now using 125ml beaker and the stirrer is addressing all of the liquid. OoooPs! Using purely clear ingredients I would have never noted this problem. Found, one each PMI unknown, unknown. Regards, Dr. Harold Kerzner.

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The centre drop should nearly reach the mixing bar, ensuring top mixing. Are you running too slow?

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Nope, Thatā€™s just all the unit has to provide. I use rare earth magnets as well so I get a good bond. All good regardless, A sandwich bag and a rubber band to seal the top and the beaker works just fine.

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