Homogenizers and Random Thoughts

I wanted to start a general discussion of homogenizers. The purpose is to lay out the fundamentals of homogenization, share knowledge about the various facets involved, and hopefully share insights into available equipment that works for most budgets. I’ve learned you can spend fairly little, but much easier to find ones that cost a shit ton.

My personal experience is limited to efforts both past and present, but all rather rudimentary, and without much knowledge into the science behind it.

I started years back using a nylon brush attachment for my dremel. I used in a kitchen measuring cup (same as in the video below) and would whip the hell out of my mixes. I learned then to not mix with nic added. And I used this process for a good long while. It did seem to cut my steep times a bit. For example, a mix that needed 3 weeks steep might be vapable in 2. Clearly not the result I wanted, but it’s what I got.

Then just lately I heard enough on here and other places about homogenizers to pique my interest. That means my ear’s to the ground. So buddy told me about the FSH-2A. I posted in Vape Mail earlier. It’s an inexpensive machine, but I know next to nothing about the entire concept. So for me, well the results are amazing. I mixed a couple juices today which I know to need at least 2 weeks, and the results were they taste just like they’ve been steeping for a good 10-12 days. This last one, in fact, tastes perfectly steeped…my Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Sandwich.

Notice at about the 12 second mark what appears to be like a small explosion. I don’t know what that means, but it’s cool as hell! My first couple of attempts I didn’t have the homogenizer head in a good position, so my results were meh.

Anyway, let’s talk. This subject fascinates me and I’m very eager to learn from others. Hit me!!!

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Agreed! I will be trying one out as well.

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Well, if you’re cutting something from 10-12 days down to none or one, that’s pretty impressive.

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Just curious, do you have to heat the mix before using that homogenizer?

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Not sure if you’re addressing me or someone else @Rocky02852, but I didn’t heat prior to using it. However, I did take temp readings after use.

1 minute stir -

https://i.imgur.com/f4PYrbH.jpg

2 minute stir -

https://i.imgur.com/QlH7yq5.jpg

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You don’t “have to” heat the liquid prior to homogenizing. I add PG, nic, and flavors first then add VG heated to 140°F and homogenize immediately. Reducing the viscosity of the VG simply helps the “blending” process. I wonder if by not heating the VG some “steeping” might be needed to complete the blending. Never tested it. Never will. Not interested. Love my mixes as they come out.

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Was that done with the FSH-2A?

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I’ve also been doing a bit of research on this subject and my current “high sheer mixer” is performing really bloody good if I do say so myself. It is not something I would feel comfy posting a “guide” or anything like that on, simply because I know how dangerous it could be if something went wrong but… mine cost me about £20 so far in bits (most of them duplicates too)!

I’m currently waiting on more bits as one problem my current design has is that it mixes from the top to bottom, and clearance at the bottom is provided by a ball-bearing that spins quite fast inside the shaft (I’ve designed mine around the 30ml pen style bottles, it is what I use) - it basically does not mix all the way down, and I end up with a little “glob” at the bottom that refuses to mix without a shake and second spin. It really isn’t a big deal but I feel if it is something that should be fixed then I should fix it. Looking at your video, yours does the same thing but at the top of the mixing container? It’s only a small glob, but no matter what I try it is always there unless I give the container some shakage.

Can anyone with a GC say if they also end up with a little area of what looks like unmixed liquid that needs a shake? To be fair, I don’t mind, I can vape a coffee and cream mix within 24 hours of mixing even with my ghetto mixer, so I’m sure the more expensive mixers made by the pros will only perform better, but if this “unmixed glob of goo” is something that happens on the better mixers then I can really chalk this up as done and move on to making the device more safe.

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Yeah You and / or anyone else, and I guess what I meant to ask is if you have to heat the VG or will this homogenizer handle the thick viscosity without heating. I does make sense that heating the VG as @SmilingOgre does will make it easier on the tool. I’m just curious if anybody has been doing it without heat and does that method work well for them. Also does it shorten the life of the tool ?

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I only did my first uses of the tool yesterday, and quickly found out the position of the homogenizer head (HD) in the liquid makes all the difference to getting a thorough mix. I had tried to freehand the mixing vessel and had raised it so the HD sat on the bottom and was surprised how much suction it creates. I also found when pulling it back down, the closer the HD got to the center (from bottom to top of liquid) the more all the liquid was getting mixed. So I think it’s a matter of finding the best position within the liquid and also using the best vessel to optimize performance. Thinking of getting a few Erlenmeyer flasks for testing this. Nope, I don’t own any already! :wink:

Think about that for a moment. I don’t know how long you’ve been into DIY, but even with my backwoods “lab” experience, I’ve heard of and tried a variety of things. I’ve had people tell me about putting their mixes into a ziplock bag and throwing them into their clothes dryer. Folks strapping a bottle to the blade of a Sawzall. Frothers, magnetic mixers. I even remember 1 guy designing an elaborate slotted tray glued to an orbital sander. He would put in his mixes and turn on the sander…voila, all the bottles getting shaken together. But none of these things, not the crock pots, shaky stuff, what have you ever wiped out steep time. So be proud!

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Heh, not been vaping period for long! If I am honest I do have a few friends that mix their own stuff, so when I started a few months ago I did get a few pointers on how to do it properly, including the whole steep process.

The only reason I’m even interested in speeding things up is simply due to testing flavours though. You simply cannot mix some things and vape them, and waiting a month or more has seen me pour more juice away than vaped. Mixing to test things out this way is great, I honestly cannot tell the difference between a mix I made a couple of days ago, and one that was in my cupboard for a month, so yeah, I feel a bit proud and a lot happier with the whole mixing idea. I’ll probably still steep larger amounts of stuff I really like.

I guess I got into this thing at the right time, and found the right thread in the right place.

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Depending on what you’re mixing, the difference can be slight or remarkable. I like using Liquid Barn’s Vanilla Ice Cream as an example. It’s one helluva great flavor, but only after a proper steep. Mix, shake and let sit to steep via time only, you can almost set your clock by its becoming mature at 21 days. It’s uncanny.

That said, one of the mixes I used my tool on (see what I did there? HA!! ) was my Peach Ice Cream which, under normal circumstances, I would not touch for the requisite 3 weeks. However, right after coming off the homogenizer yesterday I felt as though it was a mix that steeped for about 18 days. Just slight of the normal three week. Today…spot on.

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Glad it is working out for you. I am trying to recuperate, and hope to give some stuff a try. But I was nervous about you trying LB VIC on it. So cool beans it does the trick.

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@SthrnMixer This was a real doozey of an idea (not me) posted on reddit mid August. :+1:t2: Sadly, my wife said No :sunglasses:

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They stole that idea from the Sybian testing and trials.

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Truer words have not been spoken @SthrnMixer.

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Once I started putting mine in the microwave and getting it to around 200 F I have been having a much better time of it and the results are stellar.

I put this in another thread and didn’t get much response. I’m hoping that is because I posted on @SmilingOgre video. Sorry, brother.

I would like to know about the Hard steeps. What I mean is 30 days or more. With those recipes, it takes a good week for it to be vapeable and it’s not the DEEP flavor I am needing. I haven’t tried heating those to 200 F so maybe I’ll try that and see what happens.

@Rocky02852 not trying to be a dick but I would say yes, it would shorten the life of the tool just because it will be working harder. Obviously, I can’t know for sure, but having broken many a tool…

Yes, that is EXACTLY what I am saying.

I did this yesterday and it worked beautifully. Thanks for the idea @SmilingOgre. I’ll invest in a graduated cylinder when I can.

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I… had actually not considered this as anything but advise for “your tool” as mine mixes backwards to yours (top to bottom, not bottom to top), but this… actually worked! Placing the outlet just above the bottom of the bottle gets me a nicer explosion AND a very very lumpy-looking but very mixed liquid! Uhu, I feel a little stupid now as I have cut several shafts and with this trick, all but one work very well. Heh

Oh well, problem solved, now to work out how to house it all in a solid device I can just wash and use.

These devices are designed to do exactly this, so if this was the case I suspect any use of the machine could shorten its lifespan? You can even mix solid with water in this style machine, so a little thick liquid should be no problem. As for heating? From what I gather, that is as much a hot topic as steeping itself and everyone and their grandma has their own opinion on it. Sure does make VG more easily mixed, but personally it just adds another step that an extra few moments mixing/waiting can eliminate.

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So I wonder about this.

On one of my tests, I placed the first outlet hole (there are two on mine, one lower, one higher on the shaft) just above the top of the liquid. I turned up the rpm’s slowly as I was expecting liquid to shoot out of that hole at a volume consistent with the suction the end of the HD creates. That did not happen. In fact it didn’t even run out…more of a dribble. I believe it’s due to the slots cut into the end of the shaft. Almost all the liquid gets spun out through those slots, and the hole simply allows an escape for liquid that rises within the shaft due to the pressure it creates. Try it for yourself one time - don’t submerge the outlet hole and see what happens.

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This isn’t actually possible on the one I have made as one of the holes is only there incase any liquid is accidently drawn up into the tube - if I submerge it part of the drive shaft is below the liquid - but this can happen if I run it too fast; but like you have said it is merely a dribble (if anything) and nothing to write home about. I’m pretty sure if mixing powder or something more viscous then there could be more overflow from that hole, but like on the GC the one I have on my design is there to help prevent runoff into the tool I drive it with, and it is not designed to play with solids at all, unlike the one you have.

I’ll clean up the one I’m working on and post some pictures later so you can see the difference and why that would not be possible on my design.

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