This ^^ 
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So, one thing we need is a catchy name for this process. Mechanical Maturation is not only too sciencey, but also a little weird. How about we cut it down to 3M DIY? Mechanical Maturation Mixing?
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Maturation sounds about right to describe the process 
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Batch three completed this morning. Two strawberries, Bavarian Cream, Sweet Cream, touch of sweetener. I have to say I like the creams better than the previous batch I let sit. Could be psychological, who knows, who cares. Per my perception (and what else is there?) it’s great. I think I may have found my method.
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Really good points and I agree fully per my results and preferences. It took me awhile to accept the impact of oxidized nic but the results of my testing confirm your assertions. Next step for me is to more closely examine my nic storage habits. I believe I am getting some oxidation prior to adding the nic to a mix. Obviously, that needs to change.
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Regarding the oxidized nic, I’m actually going to do all my small Wonder Flavors samplers without nic totally; that way I can adjust the % on the fly like you said @anon96069639.
That is pretty monumental for lack of a better word. I can literally make changes in a very short amount of time and test everything in near real-time, rather than having to make changes, wait a month, make another change, wait another month, etc. That’s literally game changing.
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I was put off by salts at first because of the high percentages of nic being sold in commercial juices. I’m thinking now more like yourself. I don’t enjoy “throat hit” any longer. I do have a shit ton of standard nic to use up first however. It would really bug me to waste it.
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That is why I switched. The difference in smoothness is like night and day. It hits like there’s no nic at all. And I use them at the same levels I used freebase (3mg). Aside from the throat harshness I have not detected any difference in how I feel. Prior to 3M DIY that was the biggest vaping breakthrough I’d seen.
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and @anon96069639,
I’m pretty sure I’ll be a convert. I am going to dump about 50ml of nic. I just compared the nic I have had at room temp for say six months to nic I have had in the refrigerator and room temp nic has definitely started oxidizing.
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In June I bought 100ml of 100mg nic, then in July I got the salts. I also ended up with a surplus of FB nic that I will not use. Despite my cheap-ass ways, I will not go back to the FB because that harshness is more than an irritation for me. It made my throat hurt and I coughed too. I guess over time I got sensitive to it. It was really making vaping less enjoyable for me, to the point where I stopped making some of my recipes with harsher concentrates because it just made them too hard on me. But that’s all over with now. And with no ill effects felt since July, I feel pretty good that the transition was successful.
I think you two are really going to like the salts.
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That’s a very…interesting/unique approach!
One that I don’t think I’ve ever tried, or even thought about trying.
It’s also one that I think I should be trying…
As the closest I’ve come to this previously is with making flavor stones. There are some potentially critical differences there though, because:
A. Those were flavors only (no added PG/VG/nic).
B. There were changes observed with the stones, even without nic (potentially due to C.)
C. The stones were stored in a “typical” 30ml Boston round with dropper (rather than a phenolic cap, so that the alcohol could off gas prior to being mixed, from the standpoint that it would lessen the time to mix in the next step of my process.)
So many approaches. So many variables.
With taking three to five months taking a hardcore (sidetrack) look into the whole “use no heat” thing (and other ideas)…and now this… It’s no wonder I still have so many SFT’s waiting. =P
It’ll be interesting to find out though!
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I used up the last of my FB a long time back - something you guys may want to try with the last of yours.
A 20% solution of benzoic acid (by weight in pg) added to freebase nic at around .375% per mg of nic will smooth it considerably (not quite as smooth as a proper nic salt solution) - if you get sodium benzoate it will have to be converted to benzoic acid first (bit of a mission but it can be done).
This is the method I used but I used citric acid - I will add I didn’t use the resulting benzoic acid it was just a playing with chemistry exercise.
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Basically, because of the off-gassing of alcohol in the stone, things were “ready to vape” by just adding PG/VG/nic to the “aged stone”.
That is to say that, it was very similar to a “traditionally mixed” recipe (adding flavors etc individually) and then aging on its own for a month OR taking the same “traditionally mixed” approach, and putting it through “my USC approach” (with Nic, and temp limitations) and giving it three or so days to off-gas.
The biggest difference being is that if I don’t use a stone (pre-off-gassed), nor “my USC approach”, and still use the “traditionally mixed” method… During weeks one and two (on a couple of recipes) I can notice little “flavor bursts” of specific flavors at different temps (in TC mode) which I sometimes enjoy.
So it’s still a varying preference as to which I’m inclined to want at what point (is what I’ve been noticing/realizing). Like there wasn’t enough to be ‘conflicted’ about already. sighs and chuckles
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Sorry to hear, hope everything comes out alright.
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This plays right into a theory I’ve been entertaining. Like a stew. Right out of the pot, i like the separations of flavors. After reheating a few times, I enjoy the blended flavor. Kinda like drilling down another level in assessing a mix.
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Everything @anon96069639 asked in response to your posts yesterday apply to me as well, @Sprkslfly. And since you are one of those ‘intelligent fellows’, I’m definitely interested in hearing your response too. I’m pretty cornfused now.
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Understandably. Once again, I wasn’t able to convey things with the clarity I’d hoped (obviously). Sorry for that. I’ll try to refine my thoughts as best I can…
The alcohol off-gassing has always been a consideration in my particular approach, because I’m usually averse to any notable throat-hit. And as a result, is why even after using heat, and the USC, I am typically unable to consider a mix “vape ready” until a couple of days (typically) have passed (though sometimes less, if the overall alcohol content in the flavors used was low to start with).
What I had noticed in the stone I used (that was allowed to sit for a week or more, just by circumstances - not intentional testing) was that A. The flavors appeared to meld/combine with each other faster, since there was no VG involved. B. That once the alcohol was cleared of the 12 flavors in that stone, the whole thing combination had seemingly become its own ‘new flavor’ (in other words the equivalent of an “aged recipe” once mixed. Since there was no longer the distinguishable separation of occasional “flavor bursts” at varying TC points, as referenced above.)
So I equated/translated that (correctly or incorrectly) to the basic equivalent of the same final product as if I’d mixed all 12 flavors individually and let them sit for a month, OR the same as if I’d mixed them all individually, and then ran them through the USC, and let them sit for a week (this one takes a bit longer for me, because of my lower temps, and the fact that there are some creams, etc in the mix).
Nor do I, hence my just sharing my “off the cuff” observations, in hopes of adding to the “experiences/findings/things that might be relevant” along the path of exploration (of the topic) as a whole. 
Like most, I’m just trying to gain what info I can, to try and help gain a better understanding of what/how this all actually works together! chuckles
And this was kind of what I was trying to say (I think), but from a different perspective. In my waiting for the alcohol to be “removed” as a factor (in the stone), the sum of the i individuals had effectively become a new flavor (since they mixed chemically prior to having to interact with the VG etc).
Let me know if this is clearer, or if I’m way off base. I thought I was on fairly solid footing in my understanding/assessment. But I could be off base or have missed something (of course). If nothing else, I hope this attempted explanation makes more sense.
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Oops. Forgot this part.
My (albeit limited) understanding is that it’s simply there as a carrier. I don’t honestly know if there’s a “chemical role” or not. If there was, I would guess that it’s a stabilizer of sorts. Again, just a guess though.
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Trying once again.
Whatever chemical reaction/interaction there may be, seems to possibly be able to occur faster when just the flavors themselves are mixed together.
This doesn’t negate the need for the infusion into the VG of course. But I currently am thinking of it as being little different from mixing individual molecules together (in a very oversimplified sense, as I’m sure there’s far more going on).
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