Absolutely un-scientific. Just something I decided to try. It is the best mix I have ever produced:
1/2 hour stirring mag stirrer
1 minute homogenizer
1/2 hour ultra sound
Put it in the Souse Vide at 40C and went to work
7.5 hours later, wow! Best mix yet.
Only a sampling of one so I’ll be trying more as soon as I vape some more, lol.
Do you mind sharing your recipe? I’m just curious if cream or custard is in this mix.
Don’t mind a bit. Real simple mix of sweet raspberry, peach, and some sweetener. Regardless, I can say this method produces much fuller, stronger flavors regardless of how long other methods sat. I will try some cream here soon and share the results. I have a strawberry cream that is getting pretty low. Won’t be long before I need to make a batch of that. Custards I will most likely never try as I don’t find them pleasing. Maybe @VMancini will have more to add per custards as he is obviously mixing a lot more juice. I refuse to sell my juices as I want to continue to enjoy this hobby and don’t need yet another job. I’m already in deep enough promising manufacturers and dealerships reviews. I’m at my limit with that as well. I enjoy reviewing and any more volume of reviews and I’m on track to another job.
@SmilingOgre is info re: your homogenizer posted elsewhere on ELR? We chat alot about “secret ingredients” in Commercial Juice …maybe it’s a more Technical mixing process
I wonder about that from time to time. It’s somewhat unfortunate, but I don’t have the wherewithal to put the necessary controls, time, effort, and money into really digging in and thoroughly testing. If I were to take a guess, I would guess that there are both involved. Having said that, I have mixes I like better than most commercial juices. That could also just be a function of my pallet. I don’t know my friend, but I’m always up to trying something to see if I can make things a little better.
I have probably mentioned the homogenier here and there but I don’t want to be overt in talking about it. I’m not doing anything that will result in definitive results. There are probably others that could better test.
As our friend @Sprkslfly said above, 1 hour in the sous vide represents like to 1 week in dark room. So, in my opinion, the best way is to do the e-liquid and steep it in the dark room first to take notes the right time for the best flavors. After that, calculate the equivalent time for the sous vide warm bath at 120 ˚F using 1 week = 1 hour
I’m going to try to steep in sous vide using the e liquid in a vacuum ziplock, i just need to take the vacuum machine with my friend
I think the recipient and amount of e-liquid in may rather interfere in the time and quality of steeping. I felt differences using glass jars and plastic jars. The glass gave slightly better results, perhaps because after removing the hot water, the glass still keeps the liquid warm for a few minutes
Can you send a photo of the equipment used? I will invest in more equipment to do more tests
Here’s the homogenizer and probe I got:
I watched Amazon and one of the probes went on sale for like $300. I purchased the motor on Ebay for $250 used in good shape, obviously from a lab as it had no plug only terminals.
For larger batches you might want to look at larger diameter probes.
I’m not sure about that… But I will say, with respect to using an ultrasonic, glass makes all the difference for a couple of reasons.
Ok, just tried a mix with Bavarian cream, sweet cream, two strawberries, and a little sweetener. Tossed it in the Souse Vide overnight, approx. 8 hrs. Cream flavoring is accentuated, full bodied, and well defined. The strawberry was less effected and is diminished in the balance. Mix is clear with no discoloration. This mix is always tinted after a month of sitting. I’m reticent in comparing this to something “steeped” as this is not a side by side comparison. At this juncture I am going to leave at the results of this method only. Regardless, it’s a very pleasant vape. I’m going to vape it for awhile before I decide if I want to change ratio. I might just like this mix better.
Our perception that the always-ongoing color deepening over time is steeping may be a myth. While it’s easy to understand how the molecular Rate Reaction in an old school shake-closet bottle of ejuice just happens with enough time, the fact it also changes color over that same time may be misleading.
The Mag mixing, homogenization and controlled application of low heat are all factors in increasing chemical Rate reactions …it’s starting to look like two different things perhaps …the actual steeping (solely chemical flavor reactions and bonding to the PG/VG) and the oxidation on top (nicotine?) which affects many juice’s color over time (Maillard reaction?)
We have been barking up the wrong tree if these two are not one and the same. Shit just got real.
I think it is just oxidation as a Maillard reaction requires the presence of sugars (if you are using FW Yellow Cake then it probably is a Maillard reaction 
)
Yeah we have already talked about this, but thanks, good lookin’ out. Oxidation is a word I used, but oxidation doesn’t necessarily turn things brown. Maillard reactions happen almost exclusively with high heat and food, and I am using it as description of how many ejuices seem to “cook” over time until many even turn brown. It’s a comparison of appearance not molecular fusing of base sugars and amino acids.
The more important thing to consider is that while unassisted steeping and color changes happen at the same time …what if they’re unrelated? 
…and what if this thread spurs that discovery? Thanks again
Welcome to the realm of more questions than answers. I really can’t opine. I have tangential access to some labs at U of M per a close friend in the nuclear physics department. I’ll run this whole thing by him. No promises. He’s a prof entering the retirement stage of his career and I won’t press him. If he takes an interest and offers to look at it then fine. Beyond that I’m quite satisfied with more immediate criteria, that being does it vape better.
I am accepting your anecdotal stories with great interest. It would be groundbreaking to have some Science for our little DIY world …science I am sure is already available to the Commercial world. “Steeping” may be one of our biggest topics in this place and discussions for YEARS have been mostly unscientific amd purely anecdotal.
To clarify my understanding, you have made NO scientific truth claims and instead just relayed your experience and were always clear about that. If what we visualize as aging (color shift/oxidation) is not necessarily tied to the chemical flavor maturation of DIY ejuice recipes (agreed definition of “steeping”) or the accepted Truth that only time=steeping, I dunno… Minds Blown? 
This may be just a well kept secret, so I don’t believe we are turning Lead into Gold here …but we might just be digging up a little. My hats off to the OP for birthing the interest here and you sir (@SmilingOgre) for your imaginative applications. Maybe the reason we couldn’t get solid answers on the Steeping question was… “barking up the wrong tree”. Even if it turns out badly from a research standpoint, you (both) shifted our attention in a new direction. Hey look! There’s more than one tree 
[insert excitement here]
The thing for me is, I don’t know scientifically what role oxidation plays in the flavor maturation process. It happens regardless, as evidenced by nicotine darkening over time (even in its’ own bottle unmixed with concentrates). But is it a totally independent happenstance, or does it affect flavor? “I don’t know”.
Nothing new here of course, but I’ve heard time and again that it simply takes time for the chemical process to occur that mature the flavors of the juices. I’ve yet to see a real substitute. Naturally I’d like to!
And maybe there’s actually a couple processes that have to happen/ Maybe the juices need to homogenize first, then the chemical interactions can occur. Sort of like adding alcohol to tomato sauce unlocks compounds that are otherwise lost? So, the homogenizer and Sous Vide speeds up the first ‘half’, so the steeping can commence sooner?
Me too on a scale for 30ml bottles. How great would that be if you could get a true 4 week steep in 10mins.
