I love this whole process. Such innovation! Quick question… after everything, do you actually strain the gnats and skeeters that are collected in the cookie sheet out of the juice? Or do you wick loosely to allows them through for added chunkiness in the vape? I don’t have a cookie sheet, but there is an old oil change pan out back I think will work.
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Ya gots to leave them little critters in the juice. They make a noise like a bug zapper when the gets to the coil, pretty cool. That there oil pan will be just fine. It’s seasoned and everything.
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This steeping palaver seems to be a kind of ‘grey’ area in vaping. I have read many who describe ‘oxidising’ your juice as bad thing and as many others who say oxidising you mix is a good thing. Obviouisly there is no difinitive evidence re the ‘correct’ interpretation or some clever person (there are loads here) would have already posted re. So…is oxidising your mix a good or a bad thing? Isn’t that why the homogeniser (sp) makes the juice cloudy, i.e. suspended tiny bubbles. That might suggest homogenisation is oxidation and it’s a good thing…or am I getting it all ‘arse for elbow’?
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Oxidation is bad for nicotine.
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so would that suggest mixing the juice without nic and oxidising is best…then adding in the nik prior to vaping it?
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Exactly. That is how I mix. If you have juice that steeps for a long time with nic, it can go bad as the nic degrades in oxygen.
I did an experiment. I put some 3mg juice in a shallow dish, so it had a large surface area. It darkened within a month, compared to juice from the same mix in the bottles. Which is when I started adding nic when I crack open a fresh bottle. No need for the nic to steep 
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Which is why you see sales on retail juice. It is usually called overstock. But what they should call it is “degraded nicotine juice”
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My thx for your insight LV. I shall give 'er a try😁
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I’m finally going to step in though I am a vendor and confined to the vendor thread which I think all should be for your protection from abuse. However when those rules are abused by others , then we have a situation like this., I am not going to mention my GC except to say that the OP is obviously a contrived hit piece and like many other posts always want to redefine matters into their belief systems and “theories.” I will speak for myself. I am simply introducing a device and method which top notch well known mixers across the planet have said to me that they could never go back to other ways. People are certainly free to believe it or not. People are not free to make false and derogatory statements and claims.
The processes of oxidation and homogenization are entirely separate things.
While I have referenced this innumerable times and was saying it long before Flavorah publicly said it:
“much of what has become known as the “steeping” process by ejuice makers is actually accelerated oxidation of the flavorings caused by the addition of freebase nicotine.”…If nicotine is not added, this undesirable oxidation does not occur and the initial flavoring profile of the recipe will be maintained more consistently over time."
The Flavorah Recipe book; (page 15)
Oxidation is a chemical transformation. I pointed out just yesterday on another forum that *Because electrons are neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction, oxidation and reduction are linked. It is impossible to have one without the other" (Quote from Purdue University)
Homogenization is a physical process that reduces particle or globule sizes and combines them into a uniform substance that remain stable. @Steampugs posted a link to a short video that explains the homogenization process.
High shear mixers avoid or completely eliminate aeration of the substances being processed. There are many videos that are worthwhile.
I have advised people to leave out nicotine when homogenizing ejuice to eliminate oxidation. Personally I would like that flavor mixed into ejuice unchanged and would like it to stay unchanged for as long as possible. These are food flavorings used for many purposes. With a wife in the restaurant business and a grandaugher who studied culinary arts, I can assure you that it is not controlled heat that has any affect on them. It is nicotine oxidation. I have used homogenizers for several years.
You have elements here advising people to not use heat or homogenizers because of some undefined “harm” to their “steep” ritual (voodoo?) Oh nooooo…you’re degrading the the molecules." Give me a fucking break. Believe whatever you like but leave me out of it.
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Nice info…
Well, whatever happens to my juice during those 6 or 8 weeks, it makes it better. And I haven’t been able (haven’t tried much, just followed some of the threads) to accelerate the process. Tried some USC steeping but it never worked well enough to justify the effort.
Reading the info about the process of equalising the particle sizes does make sense though. Maybe I’ll give it a go with a GC or something.
This video reminded me that in colour mixing he same priciples apply. For colouring plastic the colour powders you can buy have standardised particle sizes and when you make paint it runs through different devices to break down the incredients into smaller particles, too.
The question is probably what has the greatest influence on the taste of the juice. Is it just the process of homogenising or is the oxidation introduced by the nicotine freebase somehow responsible for flavour changes? Is there a difference if you
- homogenise with or without nicotine
- add nicotine later
- use nicotine salts instead of freebase
I’m sure this has been discussed but I just ignored this topic so far because I usually mix on time to make sure I always have some juice which is at least 6 weeks old.
Is anybody mixing the same recipes with and without nicotine? Can you taste a difference?
Dammit, I really have other things to do at the moment but if it’s a chance to improve the vape with a one-off investment…
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Like you I am very busy but will at least partially answer until later. If you are satisfied with the waiting and what you call the “steeping” process, (whatever that is) then you don’t need this. Essentially the same is accomplished. One takes 6 weeks (or much longer), the other typically takes less than a minute. All elements combine into a homogeneous substance. I have done extensive controlled testing and outlined that process several times only to be shouted down by people that have not once offered any substance to support their nonsense.
I’ve been fortunate to speak with many top notch mixers which includes professionals. All use heat regardless of method and all leave the nic out, again regardless of the mixing method.
I have shown the high shear homogenization process which is used across nearly all industries worldwide. Equating it with “magic” “steeping” is tiresome. People should make their own decisions. To date 100% of mixers that have actually tried a high shear mixer for ejuice purposes have loved it. Those that have never used one but condemn them are …you decide.
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You could look at the GC testing as medical 5/10K approval testing. The standard for comparison is steeping. All reports have indicated as good as steeping. Some have eluded to better than. These results were typically expressed in terms of not being able to taste a difference between the GC process and the steeping process. If you like to steep there is no clear indication that your e-juice will taste better using the GC.
Nic solutions oxidize. I have had both freebase and salt oxidize. The salt appears to be more resilient than the freebase. I am very sensitive to oxidized nic noting a peppery taste and throat irritation along with screwing of the e-juice flavor in more extreme cases. The least time between the creation of the nic solution and time of vape will produce the least oxidation. Storage methods between will greatly affect the speed at which the nic oxidizes.
It may be entirely possible that you enjoy nic that is oxidized to some extent. Personal preference in taste is just that. Other methods such as frothing produced different tastes as well that may be preferable to the user.
The GC does not draw ambient oxygen into the mix as observed in the surface of the mix during process. This does not however preclude oxygen being introduced from storage of the juice or being open to ambient oxygen during the process.
I add nic prior to homogenizing and vape my e-juice typically within 60 days of blending. I use salts and can not perceive any change in color, taste, or throat irritation within that 60 day period. I use LNW salts and store them in the freezer in brown bottles.
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Cockwombles.
There…I finished it for you 
You’re welcome.
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After using the GC Homogenizer for a while now it has given me a greater understanding of steeping. Not only in actual use but also the information so many people have posted, a lot of excellent info right in this thread.
I was reminded of the interview Phil Brusardo did while touring the FA facilities in Italy. In that interview it was mentioned what a poor carrier VG is and that is what clicked for me. Steeping is basically getting the PG and flavors to blend with the VG in simple terms. This is why heating the VG to make it not so thick and then blasting it with a homogenizer is so effective.
As far as air steeping (sorry, didn’t read the whole OP) you run the risk of oxidizing your nic faster. Maybe that is what you want, for me no way, I can’t stand oxidized nic. You also don’t want the flavor molecules escaping, I saw a video with a chemist who explained that when you smell a flavor it is the flavor molecules escaping. That is why it is good to have a tight seal on your bottle. Just try leaving a juice out for a month without a cap, the flavor will diminish.
I always heard things about high sheer mixing, it was once brought up at a flavor makers facility when I was returning a flavor. They asked how I mixed it, was it high sheer? I just said nope, shake shake shake. I have seen it before but until I learned more about it and got a GC Homogenizer I now get it. Something you have to experience, then it makes sense.
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Not anymore , but a few years ago I switched to adding nicotine after " steeping " …IF one wants to they can find that info in other threads where i talk about it many moons ago…The reason I switched was because eventually I could taste the nicotine if I added it after mixing 6 weeks down the road the juice had that amber hue to it . I mixed the same liquids without nicotine and they stayed the same color throughout . I actually went through the process of taking out 29.1 no of liquid and adding .9 ml of Nicotine … For me there was a difference of adding nicotine first or waiting …That is no longer an issue with Homogenizer
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I use to do the same thing, make 1,000 ml bottles of long steepers with no nic. When someone ordered a bottle I would add the nic to the smaller bottle then pour the juice into that. Glad I don’t have to do that anymore as I still have one bottle with 600ml in it that a friend stopped vaping 
Thought for sure that would be a good seller…nope 
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Ive become to lazy with mixing …Give me a gadget that add my flavors and ill buy it probably lol…
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I have a fridge drawer full of ‘those’…not even my kinda flavours, 
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Yeah, that is where I went wrong before. Mixing stuff for other people and ending up with juice they never bothered to come get. And they all seemed to want fruity vapes, which I kinda grew away from.
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