My point being that if I had a juice line I would not have seperate premixed blends of nic, pg and vg for every flavor. So in theory some juices may end up having a tad more pg than others, and subsequently less nic.
DIY - Tips and Tricks To get Nicotine Smooth?
My point being that if I had a juice line I would not have seperate premixed blends of nic, pg and vg for every flavor. So in theory some juices may end up having a tad more pg than others, and subsequently less nic.
I am now convinced that the longer you leave your nic to steep, the more it mellows out and gets better like fine wine.
@craigb it's been in a dark box for shipping this week or so.
So I doubt the vendors even dilute it. Maybe newly made up juices are stronger bec the nic hasn't had a chance to steep, compared to juices that haven't flown off the shelves like hot cakes.
@craigb it's been in a dark box for shipping this week or so.
So I doubt the vendors even dilute it. Maybe newly made up juices are stronger bec the nic hasn't had a chance to steep, compared to juices that haven't flown off the shelves like hot cakes.
Im not sure of that... If your professional reputation rested on it? I don't know how likely it is that juice are randomly tested, but if you thought there was a good chance the nic content of your brand could be tested?
In practice though, I think you're right. Can call it a "margin of error" if audited..
The premix that @Blends Of Distinction talked about was only pg and vg that had to be steeped but I understand the difficulty of working with that ratio and pg based flavouring each juice would need it's own premix to keep the pg vg ratio constant. But then if you are manufacturing on a big scale each line could have it's own premix with it's own ratio.
Oxygen can still make its way in when we are mixing, I also have my doubts as to exactly how airtight these bottles are.
I don't know how much UV and/or oxygen exposure it takes to get the nicotine to discolor. @RichJB, @Andre you guys are some of our more knowledgeable superstars, what's your opinion on what/how much it takes to discolor otherwise clear juice?
Also, I'm under the impression most commercial juices have already undergone a minimum of steeping. Perhaps a question in "who has stock" would get some responses from our master manufacturers.
Even if sealed of completely, any polymer (plastic) bottle would still be subjected to permeability factors. Exactly why Coke is always on special somewhere. Coke has a 3 month shelf life in a plastic bottle after that the Co2 starts escaping through the plastic, and therefor oxygen can enter it as well. That's why most bulk containers are still glass. I have found that even just mixing at 2.5mg gets me super smooth vapes, even on shake and vapes. I do believe in preblends of flavourings though as it seems to save time with final product steeping, especially in tobaccos.
Sorry guys I didn’t realize I couldn’t reply here so have deleted my post
My apologies
I'm never sure how much discolouration is the nic and how much is the flavours. I use the same nic for a bunch of juices, some discolour visibly during the steep and others remain almost crystal clear. So obviously flavours play a big role. I've heard that citrus flavours combat discolouration, which seems to have a grain of truth in it. I have mixes containing lemon, grapefruit, pink guava which are still almost clear four months into a steep. Either way, it doesn't bother me much. Some of my fave juices turn a dark brown before I vape them. TFA Bavarian Cream is also at its best once it's aged a bit.
As for steeping, I have again noticed that the longer the steep, the smoother and better the juice. Again, whether that is down to flavours steeping, nic steeping or some combo of the two is unclear. But it works for me. Wayne's Quik, which I thought was a bit meh initially, is coming into its own now - thirteen weeks into the steep. I'm not sure what steep time Wayne recommends but I bet it ain't 13 weeks.
As for steeping, I have again noticed that the longer the steep, the smoother and better the juice. Again, whether that is down to flavours steeping, nic steeping or some combo of the two is unclear. But it works for me. Wayne's Quik, which I thought was a bit meh initially, is coming into its own now - thirteen weeks into the steep. I'm not sure what steep time Wayne recommends but I bet it ain't 13 weeks.
On my DIY journey I have followed @RichJB to the T. If he says jump I ask how high
Jup i also dropped down to 1.5mg on Prime Nic and its wayyyy better. Nice and smooth..
I use 100 mg nic and have used 36 mg. No difference as far as I could tell. Nic is nic, same amount ends up in your mix. As does the same amount of VG and PG in the end.
A limited few DIYers believe it is better to have the Nic with VG and PG added, steep first before adding the concentrates. One or two even go as far as staggering the concentrate additions.
I do use pre-blends of concentrates, which shortens steeping time for the final mix, but no difference between a juice made using a pre-blend and the same juice made the usual way.
Personally, I have never experienced a commercial juice to have less throat hit than my DIY juices of the same nic strength.
Have never had a problem with nic I got from Vaperite, unsure of who packs it for them but it has been great. Lost 2 batches of testers and bottles of nic obviously with both gold nic and scrawny gecko.
I would imagine their nic is from NicVape, seeing as that is the DIY flavour line they imported? Good flavours too, we need another vendor to bring them in now.
Just took out a bottle of strawberry ripe single flavour 3mg that has been steeping for like 3 months now. It's damm smooth, no discoloration. Don't remember the exact percentage of flavour but it's 70/30. I remember tasting this two days after mixing and it had a harsh throat hit. I am too convinced now like @RainstormZA steeping does make the nic smooth.
I'm running a test on 4 flavours as the big bottles have little to no nic in them and I had a bit nic left, enough for 4 x 60ml bottles. Will give feedback after a week.
However there is a problem with my peppermint one - for some reason , it's causing my lungs to rattle and makes me cough with stuff in my throat and nose. I wonder why as the first batch never did this.
I made a premix of VG/PG and Nic 2 months ago for my own curiosity to see if it changes the Vape on one of my favourite recipies. It steeped for 4 weeks before I added the flavours and steeped another week afterwards. There was absolutely no difference between this mix and one I mixed like a normally mix.
I do feel there is a difference between different Brands of Nic and to list them by smoothness, peppery taste, etc I would say Scrawny Gecko and Prime was/is very much the same and also my go to. Gold did not agree with me at all.
I do feel there is a difference between different Brands of Nic and to list them by smoothness, peppery taste, etc I would say Scrawny Gecko and Prime was/is very much the same and also my go to. Gold did not agree with me at all.
I don't believe any margin of error would be enough, top e-liquid manufacturers are using precision scales etc because every bottle of a certain flavour should be identical. Even the most meticulous of DIYers are slap dash relatively speaking compared to top manufacturers.
Agreed. I think I've seen some of them use machines to dispense the amount of concentrate etc. The whole process from mixing to labelling is done by machines. Since this is rather expensive, I would assume that this is mostly used by big international brands and a few big local brands.
I think its an additive but I stand to be corrected
you might have a slight gold
mental makes me cough when i get a gold
Funnily enough, I have a yellow tint in my strawberry cream, no coughing or throat irritation.
Without nic, it's clear like water.
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