E-cigarettes: research - experiments - ideas

[flashgordonv]

here's some info flashgordonv posted on the smoking is good thread that may have some relevance to this topic in case anyone hasn't seen it. @flashgordonv have you learned anything new since you posted this?

There have been a bunch of reforms in NZ since I posted, the major one that vape liquid can't be stronger than 2.85% or 28.5 in the old terminology.

I don[t think we should be so down on propylene glycol. It is in a huge number of foods. Yes, some people have a reaction to it, but then again many don't. For me the benefit of nicotine salts, which are typically 50/50 PG/VG, are than it enables you to use the vape in the same way you smoke a cigarette. The low nicotine % vapes, which are typically very VG heavy, seem to require a puff or tow on a regular basis. Tey also produce ridiculous amounts of vapour which just serves to draw attention to oneself.

The other interesting thing I found in my research is a paper published in the 1950's on the inhalation of PG vapour. I will attach a copy when I find it. It is very hard to find now probably because of its content. Essentially it found that PV vapour is a potent anti microbial vapour. Also, this paper talking about how PG inactivates airborne viruses.

 

[flashgordonv]

There have been a bunch of reforms in NZ since I posted, the major one that vape liquid can't be stronger than 2.85% or 28.5 in the old terminology.

I don[t think we should be so down on propylene glycol. It is in a huge number of foods. Yes, some people have a reaction to it, but then again many don't. For me the benefit of nicotine salts, which are typically 50/50 PG/VG, are than it enables you to use the vape in the same way you smoke a cigarette. The low nicotine % vapes, which are typically very VG heavy, seem to require a puff or tow on a regular basis. Tey also produce ridiculous amounts of vapour which just serves to draw attention to oneself.

The other interesting thing I found in my research is a paper published in the 1950's on the inhalation of PG vapour. I will attach a copy when I find it. It is very hard to find now probably because of its content. Essentially it found that PV vapour is a potent anti microbial vapour. Also, this paper talking about how PG inactivates airborne viruses.

In addition, this document is an endorsement of using nebulised PG in internal air ventilation systems to control flu, Covid and other viruses
https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.15252/emmm.202318710

 

[987baz]

Interesting, thanks flash!

@Nathan and I have been looking into the situation here in aus and it seems it’s not all bad. Since the Reg’s will change in October and we won’t need a doctor prescription from then. But we can only legally buy nicotine and vape stuff from a pharmacy .. luckily there seems to be a bunch of online “pharmacies” that seem to be looking at this and thinking, wow cool we can make a heap of cash from this . I think I might wait until October as I don’t like the idea of being on their database .. the funny thing is the sites are all about quitting smoking and nicotine, but most people just want to keep going, so I a, not sure if they will try and change things again …

you can buy nicotine at its highest concentration (100mg/ml), which is a good sign. Especially if we end up pursuing the distilled water path later on.

I spoke to another mate who works with young people and she said that they are all now moving to tobacco and buying it on the black market so it seems to be backfiring!

 

[Mari]

My vape arrived today and the first time I tried it was like:

Now, after a bit of setting it up, it works quite well! As soon as I arrive home after my vacation, I´ll go into mixing!

 

[Keyhole]

Today we tested a mixture of 50/50 vegetable glycerine : distilled water, with a concentration of 10mg/ml nicotine. The atomizer is 0.4 ohms and the power at 30 watts. It works perfectly.

The brand is vaporesso and the model is the Luxe Max. Seriously impressed!

 

[Mari]

Btw, what is this about coils that have to be changed every week? Do they burn out or what happens?
With home-made juice (already ready made ones are more than double, even triple as expensive in Germany than in Croatia ), those coils seem to be the greatest expense when vaping (ignoring the price of the device itself).

 

[irjO]

The brand is vaporesso and the model is the Luxe Max. Seriously impressed!

This is also the one I got by looking at the good reviews, just waiting for it to arrive. And then will begin playing with the mix.

 

[broken.english]

Btw, what is this about coils that have to be changed every week? Do they burn out or what happens?

Yes, the frequent heating puts stress on them. Also the cotton wicks do not last forever.

those coils seem to be the greatest expense when vaping (ignoring the price of the device itself).

This problem can be solved if you use a rebuildable atomizer with stainless steel mesh coil. s. post #6

 

[Scottie]

This problem can be solved if you use a rebuildable atomizer with stainless steel mesh coil. s. post #6

We might go that route eventually...

For now, the Vaporesso GTX mesh coils we use are about 10€ for 5, and each lasts about 3 weeks.

We'll see what adding water to the e-liquid does to coil lifespan...

 

[Scottie]

In addition, this document is an endorsement of using nebulised PG in internal air ventilation systems to control flu, Covid and other viruses
https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.15252/emmm.202318710

Interesting. The question is, why does PG kill viruses? It might kill bad stuff, but also be toxic to humans when inhaled.

So far, since there aren't tons of studies out there, we're going by the C's replies which included that 50/50 (PG/VG) is better than 70/30, and distilled water is ideal. That might mean that reducing PG as much as possible is good.

One study I found said that animal tests showed some bad stuff for PG, but nothing for glycerin. Of course, in the end, they said "inconclusive" for both due to Not Enough Data.

 

[Jones]

Indeed it is not needed for nicotine extraction. The acid/base method, described in my HowTo uses alkaline water to extract nicotine and other alkaloids as the first step.

Alcohol is needed for flavour extraction.

Apologies if I'm being daft or have missed it - does that mean you soak the tobacco in water first to remove the nicotine and then soak the residual tobacco in alcohol to remove the flavour?

 

[Mark]

I tried vaping 10 or 12 years ago when the vape device technology was sort of rudimentory. I had pens that had a spiral coil (wire wound in a spiral) - no cotton involved, supossedly stainless steel but who knows. Made in a China probably not using high quality metal. I was using nearly pure organic VG liquid at that time, the only additive was a bit of flavor and I don't know what the base was, might have been water or alcohol because the site I bought it from did not specify anything about PG. Anyway, after a period of time of vaping, probably 2 or 3 or 4 months (I don't recall) some of my front teeth started to feel slightly numb, vaguely. So I stopped and got rid of all the vape stuff. That might have been due to nickel or iron in the stainless steel atomizing or whatever and going into me via the vapors. Or it could have been a mild reaction to glycerin, some people do have allergic reactions to it - it's in all sorts of stuff including comestics, lotions, foods, etc.

So now I've decided to try it again, bought a Vaporesso Luxe X Pro 40W unit and high VG liquids, the only additive is slight flavoring. 18mg nicotine,. I'll cut the liquid with 50% water and give it a try with a 0.4 ohm coil and 30W power. It's got the pods with built in coil that cannot be replaced (Luxe X), but if I continue to vape I'll probably get some LUXE XR pods and some coil replacements. The cost of buying the pods with a coil built in is no different really than buying the pods with replaceable coils. It's just that around here in local shops it seems that finding replacement coils is easier than finding pods with built in coils. That stuff should be here in about a week. In the USA it's not allowed to ship vape equipment via post office, Fedex, or UPS, so shipping takes longer via other carriers. And here I cannot find any vape stuff on Amazon or eBay, apparently that's not allowed either.

 

[Yas]

This problem can be solved if you use a rebuildable atomizer with stainless steel mesh coil. s. post #6

I was thinking about using a rebuildable coil, but I find it kind of hard to understand the compatibility with some of the devices. It seems to me that for more compatibility, you have to spend a bit more on the device, is that right?

I really like this Vaporesso vaper:

GEN-FIT-40 » VAPORESSO

GEN-FIT-40

www.vaporesso.com

But I'm still figuring out if I will be able to switch to rebuildable coils afterwards when I get the hang of it.

I'll keep researching.

 

[Mark]

But I'm still figuring out if I will be able to switch to rebuildable coils afterwards when I get the hang of it.

It took me a while to figure out this newer technology too. Based on the data they provide it appears that the unit allows you to replace the coils if/when you need to using GTX coils (there are many types of coils, that one uses GTX).

 

[Mari]

I really like this Vaporesso vaper:

I opted for a simple version for start until I get a grip of all of this.

I bought this one XROS Pro Cross the Limits for Pro Vaping | VAPORESSO and there was absolutely no assembly required apart from filling it up and figuring how to adjust the strength. The top part is a container with the coil and it is super simple to replace it.