Steeping your Juice - A beginners inquiry

I put mine in a crockpot bath at 150* for a couple hours then shake the shit out of it. Don’t laugh but I actually wrap in a washcloth and tape to my saws all and let it shake a few minutes lol

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I just shake breath cap repeat and keep ahead of the steep and wait. too much is too much mix accordingly and when you’re almost out another batch is ready!

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Jim… . I’ve been working on a process of steeping for the last couple months. I’m in no way a chemical engineer or scientist but I’m not stupid either. I have some pretty good common sense and when I set out to accomplish something, I put 110% into it or I don’t do it. That’s just who I am. With that being said, I believe what all you guys say about steeping is true. The introduction of air and heat does speed up the process. I think it was Daath that said steeping also involves a slight amount of oxidation. I believe this to be true as well. So how do you speed up oxidation? Ultraviolet light.

I have been experimenting with a process of what I like to call “Oxistreathing” Now I wouldn’t be telling everyone about this if I were intending to patent this process, but I’m not. I’m just a hobbyist having fun. And who knows, maybe someone out there already come up with the same idea. Anyway here’s what I do. I’ve been using this on recipes that I know takes 7 days or longer to steep. Mostly creams and custards. I have 120ml bottles setup for steeping. When I make a batch I do 2-120ml bottles. One bottle go’s through a normal “wait it out” steep and the other go’s through my “oxistreathing” process. Oxistreathing is a combination of oxidation, steeping and breathing. Heres how I do it. I have an ultraviolet light connected to a timer behind my bottles. I have an aquarium pump pumping thru a regulator and then into a fine defusser dropped into the bottom of the bottle. The bottle is sitting on a mug warmer. It looks like a little bit of mad scientist and a little Mcgyver all rolled into one. The results blows my mind. The first test batch was processing 2 days. [I couldn’t wait any longer] It came out kinda harsh. The second batch I tested at 2,4,6 and 8 hours. At each time interval the flavor developed more and more. Compared to the bottle that just steeps in a cool dark area, this mix was fantastic! This is about as far as I have gotten with it,however, I’m confident that I can steep and develop difficult mixes in a days time using this method.

Sorry I didn’t mean to write a book here. I just got a little excited.

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@Danny2, be excited man! You should be, because you took the time to figure that process out yourself. There are many people who want the answer to their question handed to them on a silver platter. You are not one of those people.

I’ve done a great deal of trial and error testing myself. That’s the beauty of any hobby, particularly for us, the hobby of diy juices.

I read a reddit post a while back about UV lighting in conjunction with steeping, but haven’t spent the cash to do an actual experiment yet. I think I was put off by the degradation of the nicotine in the oxidation process. But at the time, I was concerned about the nicotine content in my juice; now, not so much. I mix somewhere between 5 & 10% Nic levels, depending on tank or dripping attys. I realize now, I can test strip for the Nic level at any time and correct the level if need be after the steep process.

I have a friend in the lighting rental business. I’m thinking about asking her to loan me some UV units for a bit to run some tests myself. Thanks for the kick in the pants!

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I was thinking to myself how is this thread still alive !! Only to come and find a new interesting way to steep …Well done !

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Could you supply a picture of your set up? I’m curious to see how this works. Also, are you saying your getting great flavor and a good steep in 2-8 hours? Even with complex flavors? This sounds like it could potentially be really great for me as I’m really impatient(esp when I run out of my fav) but I also truly believe time is a factor for flavor. But, perhaps you’ve come across something awesome I may want to try.

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Was curious, and the answer seems obvious, but how do you adjust the nic after the fact? Simply add more nic to the juice and mix/froth/shake well on a rice bed and it’s good to go? Or is more steeping required?
*Originally, I posted this reply to the wrong person, sorry. I’m a noob to forums.

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You can add nic at any point, but I feel the mix needs a little time to steep afterwards. A good shaking, a small rice bath and a couple of days in the closet should do you just fine.

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I have just started using a magnetic mixer and it helps a lot with my higher vg mixes. I mix pg and vg then after its all mixed I add flavors one at a time and let each mix well. I add nic last and then let it mix on medium speed for about 10 min. bottle it up and let it sit in the box. fruits sit for at least 5 days and creamies sit for 10 days. works good thus far.

Nathan

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That makes good sense Nathan. I mix starch, coating and other additives for 2 paper machines and that is how the mixers there work. The agitator comes on and the base material goes in then all the other ingredients go in one at a time then the agitator runs on high speed for 10-15 min. I saw some of the magnetic mixers on ebay that also heat. A bit pricey tho.

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I have been watching them for a while and finally got a mixer at a decent price. im not convinced that heat is a good thing overall. I think time is the only way to allow things to blend fully into the ingredients that were not flavored in the beginning. heat will speed it up but causes other reactions that are not wanted. I just mix in advance and have some patients.

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I ordered this from SoCal Biomedical online : SCILOGEX MS-H280-Pro, LED Digital Hotplate-Stirrer, ceramic plate, 110V/60Hz | Comes with a FREE PT1000 Temperature Sensor! - $200.00

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More steeping info here.

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I use a couple of speed steeping methods, Keurig water bath, and Microwave. They all seem to work.

Microwave in 30 ml glass bottles ( Leave the top open! ) for 8-10 second, let cool, repeat if necessary. I will get the extra alcohol and perfume out.

I met someone at a local DIY vape shop and he uses small handheld drill and a drill bit with a drinking straw taped to it. The straw is cut like a propeller to stir his liquids also… pretty cheap method…

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Just my 2 pennys worth , I mix ,stir with a cotton bud ends splayed out (with the cotton bit removed) attached to a hand held drill - stir it up so its all frothy and place in a dark cupboard with the cap off - when its all settled down I replace the lid and let it do its thing over about a week usually , shaking every day and sniffing - mixing your own juice is all about planning - I have currently 24 x 10ml bottles all at various stages - I personally think its a waiting game - but remember some methods work better than others , try to find one that suits you and your lifestyle !!! good luck and enjoy - oh and always put your creation date on it as well and the recipe name and PG/VG and Nic level :slightly_smiling:

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Ok so I just made my first major rookie mistake. I’ve been steeping my juice for six days now…with the lids off. lol Just watched this rip tripper video and said holy crap…oh well learning from my mistakes $$

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I was curious if anyone else used this method/idea… I do the exact same thing minus the fine defuser. i may add that thanks to your post. I use a scensy warmer for the first two hours and let it ride for an additional 8 hours. i was kinda wondering if to much oxygen would kill the nicotine completely or even partially, I have yet to try a nicotine test on it. I LOVE THE name you gave it also. I used mason jars and rubber grommets for my set up. Seeing how this has been what looks like several months I curious if You have made any adjustments or improvements to your system. Also i don’t use UV lights, very interesting choice.

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I personally use a magnetic stirrer and dont add my nicotine until im read to vape the juice , this way no worries about nicotine , i dont try to accelerate the steeping process with heat or anything i feel not using heat eliminates any possible problems , while on the magnetic stirrer i cover flasks or beakers with parafilm to lock in flavors this is just the way i do it there is no wrong way

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Sometimes I’ll make an extra bottle and keep it in the car. It steeps pretty quickly in the summer after a few days and I don’t find myself running out of juice when I’m away from home.

I’m not convinced heat is necessarily a good thing either like a lot of people around here, but it gives me a good idea if a juice is worth steeping the long/old fashioned way.

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Hi all, new here and love this place, but anyway, back on topic… I have a storage heater in my living room, nice low steady heat, when I make something up I sit it on that for the evening and every half hour or so I shake the shit out of it while I’m watching TV, after an evening of that it goes cool and dark for as along as I can resist. Seems to do the job ok for me, I like 80VG so I think the gentle heat at the start of the steep gives the VG a chance to get runny and acquaint itself with it’s bedfellows before they sleep together for a week or two. Seems to work for me but I am pretty new at this game.

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