Question about heat?

After I mix I hit the microwave for 5 to ten seconds it seems to help the final mixing go better anyone do this?

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NOPE never ā€¦

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No I wouldnā€™t even consider throwing my finished product in a microwave

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I do heat mixes on occasion, however, I do not use a microwave as the temperature is uncontrollable - I much prefer heating to a known temp (i use 50c) and using that to assist the mixing

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Iā€™ve taken to heating the mix without nicotine to 60Ā°C prior to blending.

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Still expermenting never mind :slight_smile:

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Itā€™s a fair question and venture down the rabbit hole.

Here you will find some good replies and folks that have gone this route. Soon you will find that time is your friend. Happy mixing.

http://forum.e-liquid-recipes.com/search?context=topic&context_id=216149&q=Microwave&skip_context=true

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Important to find your own method - you should do what works for you :+1::grin:

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Donā€™t say ā€˜never mindā€™! Itā€™s a perfectly valid question (use of heat).

Thereā€™s 3 fairly distinct groups of thought on this.
(And itā€™s a touchy subject among some lol. Even though it really shouldnā€™t beā€¦Given everyone who mixes for themselves can do as they please since no one else is affected.)

  1. The ā€œuse no heatā€ folks. Theyā€™re typically what I like to lovingly refer to as the ā€œRonco crowdā€ because they just ā€œSet it, and forget it!ā€ :rofl:
    (Lighthearted fun aside, they usually mix it, shake it, and then put it in a cool dark place and forget about it for however long they see fit)

  2. The ā€œheat actually helps thin the VG, which makes maturation easier/fasterā€ folks. These have various approaches, which are effective to varying degrees (largely dependant upon methodology and equipment).
    The primary point to remember (and be aware of though) is to make sure that you donā€™t exceed a certain temperature if you include nicotine before heat is being applied. (Which is going to vary slightly depending on how much nicotine is used, at what strength, and in what ratio of PG to VG. At least, in my experience.)

  3. Those who havenā€™t tested things for themselves to find out what really works VS what doesnā€™t, and simply believe or parrot what theyā€™ve read/heard/been told.

There are different needs/reasons/situations at play, and that frequently goes either unsaid or forgotten. So the bottom line in my opinion is:
If you find something interesting, read up on it, give it a try, and details/process matters and will directly affect your results and experience. Which then affects your opinion.

But this is definitely an aspect of DIY that, in my opinion, needs personal verification (by attempting some of the different processes) before accepting any suggestions at face value.

Hopefully this helps!

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nothing wrong with askingā€¦ and definitely nothing wrong with experimentingā€¦

thatā€™s part of the joy ā€¦. and as you venture deeper into the DIY world (aka The Rabbit Hole) it makes it more funā€¦

my journey into the rabbit hole.

I started out measuring by Ml and heating my finished mix in hot water I made with my k-cup coffe maker to thin the vg.

then I ventured into magnetic mixers and scales

I picked up both from amazonā€¦ and a digital thermometer from Walmart. so I could watch the heatā€¦

I just heated up the vg and pg since mixer really could control temp. it was either or offā€¦

recently I bought a new mixer that has temp control and heating finished mix to help with mixing the final mix and helping steep it a bitā€¦

but thatā€™s just meā€¦

find what works for you and above all have fun doing it !!!

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You can boil some water then set the finished product minus nicotine in the water then shake like hell. Let it steep then add nic

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Thanks for the adviceā€¦my line of thinking was "how can I get this thick stuff mixed well? Heat right? Not a lot just warm to the touch then I have a much easier time mixingā€¦did not know about the nicotineā€¦might add that last. Also when the heat is done I use a milk frother to really mix it up once the bubbles go away like 4 to 6 hours I try it. No time for steeping yet. So far so good though thanks again.

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Youā€™re right on target per my experience. I add PG, VG, and Flavors and bring the liquid to 60Ā°C. That seems to be a great temp to allow all of them to blend well. I blend the liquid with a homoginizer. Obviously there are many ways to blend. I allow the liquid to cool prior to adding nicotine. I disperse the nicotine with a magnetic stirrer as I am not concerned about differences in viscosity at this point. Next itā€™s into a quick bath in an ultrasonic cleaner just to disperse the suspended gas bubbles. The results per my perception are indiscernible from long periods of sitting. I mix fruits and creams. I have no experience with custards.

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Since we are sharing heating methods!

I Pretty much been doing the same thing.

using heated magnetic mixer without temp control and digital thermometer from walmart

heat pg and vg to 60Ā° C then let cool to 30Ā° C , then add flavors and Nic

my new mixer broke waiting on replacement has a stronger magnet
but it has temp control so was trying mixing everything together and then heating to 30Ā° C for 1 hrā€¦ results were satisfying juice that I didnā€™t like until it sat for awhile was vapeable when done

edit: recipe I donā€™t like until its sat on shelf for about 2 weeks

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I really appreciate folks sharing their methods. Iā€™ve been trying a lot of different approaches over the years. Iā€™ve found some things I was doing was overkill and others out of sequence. That is not to say I wonā€™t continue experimenting. None of my methods were created in the bubble of my thinking. Reading others methods and experimenting has been the route for me. I have also come to understand that there are many paths that lead to the same destination. Of course Iā€™ve found a few paths that are dead ends too, lol.

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yea this defiantly is a hobby that you do a lot of reading. donā€™t remember who posted the post about vg not homogenizing below 60Ā° C. but in my test with the new mixer didnā€™t want to take flavors and nic to 60Ā° C. But seeing as you do vg/pg and flavors to 60Ā° I might try that when to new on comes. with heat being nic worst enemy donā€™t think ill add it above 30Ā°

but that the beauty of these forums. we can share information and take what we want and use it or not use it at allā€¦

hope to get a homogenizer this summer when work is a lot better they aint cheap

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When you try it, post your results. Always interested in hearing how things work out for folks. Watch both ebay and Amazon when you get ready to get a homoginizer. I got a great motor used on ebay from a hospital lab and a new rotor greatly discounted on Amazon (buy now two left kind of thing). The motor had been hard wired in the lab so I had to add a plug but that was not difficult. Together I spent about a quarter of what a complete unit would cost new.

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Nicotine should never be exposed to any heat source whatsoever. It will react, start breaking down and begin to oxidize.
Flavor concentrates (Iā€™ve heard) can also be affected by heat, causing the volatiles contained within the concentrate to be altered. This is why people think heat steeping worksā€¦ but all itā€™s doing is weakening the volatiles. Those same volatiles can escape when people leave bottles uncapped. Donā€™t do that.

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Iā€™m currently mixing under the following postulates:

Heat will adversely effect nicotine to include prolonged sitting at room temperature. I have proved this by comparing refrigerated nic to room temp nic after about six months.

ā€œSteepingā€ affords two functions, extended blending/dispersion and off gassing. I have tried heat both prior to blending and after blending and find heat prior to blending much more effective and less time consuming. I avoid off gassing as much as possible by keeping everything ā€œpluggedā€. I have yet to find a flavor that exudes anything that needs to be off gassed to improve flavor. Iā€™m sure however flavors of that nature exist. I have found some offgassing to be unavoidable as after blending there are always some suspended gasses. I do what I can to minimize that while achieving a thorough blend.

Personal taste preferences can not be ignored. Thorough blending may not be desirable to some with some mixes. Alteration of volatiles can not be measured, at least by me, and the taste of the final product has to suffice for the final determination of the efficacy of a method.

At the end of the day testing a method is akin to a 5/10K FDA submission of new medical equipment. If the new method meets or exceeds the results of a standing method it is accepted. It is foreign to an FDA submission in as much as taste is the final judge and is finite only to the person tasting. The claim of one method being better than another is rendered non sequitur.

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I feel compelled to reply to your reply but not sure what my point would be. :thinking:

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