Posted by Kizer Sosa on Thursday, 08-Feb-2007

Since I've started MYO, I notice my fingers are getting nicotine stained. Never really had the problem with the Marlboro Lights... must be the filters.

Having dark-yellow index and middle fingers isn't an option for me professionally or socially ..and it really does look pretty nasty, IMO.

Who's got a quick and easy fix for this? Or even a slow and tough fix? I've heard that lemon juice works, but before I try that I wanted to see if anyone here has a foolproof method. Thanks.

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine stains! ARG!

Posted by mike c on Thursday, 08-Feb-2007

Matt and Platoslostdialogue....there was a thread on this that I started, don't know if it's still in the grid, you may be able to search the site with "stained fingers" or something.
I recall Lava soap was one of the best.
please don't think I am being my usual smart-ass, because I am not...I don't understand the use of light tubes (especially with holes)...are you using Zig-Zag???

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ parent | top ]

Re: Nicotine stains! ARG!

Posted by Kizer Sosa on Thursday, 08-Feb-2007

Lava might work...

I'm using Premier Light tubes. I've always smoked "lights"... and with the stronger tobacco that goes with MYO, I find it even more necessary.

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ parent | top ]

Re: Nicotine stains! ARG!: Posted by mike c on Thursday, 08-Feb-2007
oh understood, but there was just a post about Zig-Zag tubes being the one with holes and it sounded like it was stated that this one tube caused yellowfingers
maybe since I tend to keep my tobacco "moistish", the whole
MYO thing seems more mellow and fresh to me
I have never been able to smoke lights -they give me a headache....
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ parent | top ]

Re: Nicotine stains! ARG!

Posted by Wazmo Nariz on Thursday, 08-Feb-2007

You can use a holder/filter...I used to use a SANDA with silica gel filters but have switched over to the TarGard unit [link] It keeps a boatload of tar from getting into your system (and onto yer fingers) yet doesn't effect the taste to any appreciable degree. The downside is you've gotta take the TarGard apart about every pack and clean the venturi device (unless you get the disposables), but it only takes a minute.

Hey, if they were good enough for Hunter S. Thompson, they're good enough for me. :-)

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ parent | top ]

Re: Nicotine stains! ARG!: Posted by Kizer Sosa on Thursday, 08-Feb-2007
No holders for me... I've been told by a few folks that I already resemble HST, so I don't want to give them any more ammunition... carrying around my ice bucket full of Bloody Marys is enough! LOL

Anyway, I'll do some experiments and post up if I find something that works well.
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ parent | top ]

Re: Nicotine stains! ARG!: Posted by platoslostdialogue on Thursday, 08-Feb-2007
You can try Orange Clean or anything else for mechanics that has pumice. We had some green stuff at UPS that worked pretty well. I noticed it get really bad after one night of poker and unfiltered cigarettes so I've sort of been shying away for filterless, despite Warren scaring me. But, we can't stop here, this is bat country!
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ parent | top ]

Re: Nicotine stains! ARG!: Posted by adam on Thursday, 08-Feb-2007
i had this problem with pre made smokes i found that it was the way i was holding my cig hold it so the lit end is higher than the filter and the smoke goes up in the air not towards your fingers
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ parent | top ]

Re: Nicotine stains! ARG!: Posted by Hua Kul on Saturday, 04-Aug-2007

Kizer Sosa schreibe, "...my fingers are getting nicotine stained...Who's got a quick and easy fix for this? Or even a slow and tough fix?"

I recently had success with 100-grit sandpaper gently rubbed on the stains for a few minutes.

--Hua Kul
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ parent | topic | top ]

Re: Nicotine stains! ARG!: Posted by Elizabeth on Monday, 13-Feb-2012
Believe it or not a nail file will quickly remove the yellow finger stains. I was skeptical but I tried it and it worked! Hope this helps
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ parent | topic | top ]

Nicotine reduction

Posted by Tom on Thursday, 15-Jun-2006

Is it possible in any way to get rid of some nicotine , lets say 50% of it, if tobacco is too strong?

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction

Posted by Dave L on Thursday, 15-Jun-2006

The David Ross filter claims a 60% (+/- 5%) reduction in tar and nicotine. [link]

I'd probably use them (w/ halfzwares) more if I could figure out an easy way to clean them. They start gurgling on the fifth use.

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction

Posted by Tom on Friday, 16-Jun-2006

I tried many of the filters in the past, and some were quite good. Still , I wish I know if any common method can be applied in helping reducing tar and nicotine since I had asthma. I tried once simply by soaking tobacco in clear water for a day, and it seemed it dumped some nicotine. But , I didnt have any idea how to dry it to the some proper humidity level after. Wonder how them guys make those lower nicotine level cigarettes in factories..

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction

Posted by Kev on Friday, 16-Jun-2006

Gizeh Charbons are my favorite tubes. I smoke D&R's Cockstrong - great flavor but can be overpowering and burn hot on most tubes. The Charbons tame it so that even the spouse that smokes light cigs grabs of a few of my smokes each day. I don't now if they are reducing the tar/nicotine versus a standard tube.

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction

Posted by Tom on Friday, 23-Jun-2006

Well, as said I tried to reduce nicotine by soaking tobacco in water, but wasnt successful getting it to any proper humidity level later it was totally soaked and I didnt know how to dry it So, lets make the question a bit more suitable and interesting. If I had two pounds of tobacco that somehow dropped in water and got totally wet, how to dry it and catch a proper humidity level?

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction: Posted by Tim Aydt on Saturday, 24-Jun-2006
Spread it out on a window screen.
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction: Posted by mary on Thursday, 03-Mar-2011
i soak my tobacco. i dry it completely. now it is dry and brittle. peel an apple and put all of the peeling into the tobacco the apple will keep the tobacco moist enough to roll into a cig. it takes about a day or two since the tar is what the apple likes. veg tar is soluble it dissolves in water and almost all of the tar is eliminated. water does not work the same as tar so the tobacco must be completely dry. learning to roll dry tobacco is a new learning curve but well worth it.
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ parent | topic | top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction: Posted by kl61 on Wednesday, 05-Dec-2007
What if you soaked it in alcohol like some scotch or something. That would really take it out
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ parent | topic | top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction

Posted by Warren on Saturday, 24-Jun-2006

Rinse it in a distilled water with few drops of lemon juice (squeezed). The acid converts free nicotine into less absorbant nictone salts, making less of it available for absorption.

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction

Posted by Dave L on Tuesday, 27-Jun-2006

Where'd you hear about this? FWICT the only thing that changing the pH of the tobacco does is vary the speed at which the nicotine is absorbed. Apparently, the faster the response time, the more addictive it is.

Its not that American Spirit has more nicotine (that's not what Pankow was measuring), its that you get your fix faster. Marlboro didn't have more nicotine than its competitors. Its rise in popularity was due to their ammonia process which, among other things, speed up nicotine delivery by increasing the tobaccos pH.

[link] [link] [link] [link]

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction

Posted by Warren on Thursday, 29-Jun-2006

> Where'd you hear about this?

By experimenting at home and using myself as a nicotine detector. Acidic rinse definitely weakens the kick and bite. The amonia vapors do exactly the opposite (they also darken the lighter colored tobaccos). I agree that total nicotine, salts plus free, may not drop by much (some salts will wash off in the rinse, though). The perceived nicotine (kick & bite), which is what I suppose a regular user has in mind when saying 'nicotine reduction', drops noticably.

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction: Posted by Alist on Wednesday, 05-Dec-2007
"Acidic rinse definitely weakens the kick and bite....The perceived nicotine (kick & bite), which is what I suppose a regular user has in mind when saying 'nicotine reduction', drops noticably."

The method you provide here works like a charm. I have tried this on two different tobaccos, which is the Top light (why of why did I buy a 6 oz can of Top?), as well as the Smoker's Outlet Ultralight (which is far too strong to be labelled 'ultralight'). In both cases, the nicotine hit was reduced considerably. The acidic rinse also seemed to improve the flavors of these tobaccos, although I imagine that would occur due to loss of casings in the rinse.

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ parent | topic | top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction

Posted by Dave L on Wednesday, 28-Jun-2006

For cleaning the David Ross filters, denatured alcohol works fine. Pop the red piece out with something like a bamboo skewer and drop the pieces in a small jar with alcohol. It takes a while for the gunk to dissolve and it looks the alcohol will get really nasty pretty quick. I used soap and water on the cleaned pieces but another jar with clean alcohol might be in order.

When I first tried this it was on filters that had been sitting around for some time. I don't know what happens but its like the gunk etches the plastic over time. The filters don't clean as easy and the plastic stays milky where the gunk was thick.

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction

Posted by Matt B1. on Wednesday, 28-Jun-2006

So denatured alcohol/methylated spirits leave no residue? I've been wondering about substituting Clear Springs with denatured alcohol for use in pipe cleaning. Since it's an issue anymore to have liquor around the house I need a substitute that I won't drink lest I get blinded and lame in the legs.

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction: Posted by Dave L on Saturday, 01-Jul-2006
TTBOMK most solvents leave no residue. Residue of whatever you are trying to dissolve is typically the primary concern. With the David Ross filters its the tar/nicotine residue. As long as the solvent contains any tar/nicotine, that is what will be left behind when the solvent evaporates.

According to Wikipedia [link], denatured alcohol was traditionally ethanol/grain alcohol denatured with 1-10% methanol (guess I was wrong about getting straight wood alcohol/methanol). These days there's all sorts of formulas and possible denaturants. It appears that denatured and isopropyl alcohols are a bit more toxic than ethanol and, in special and rare instances, may contain denaturants/additives that do not evaporate (do a search for '[manufacturer] MSDS', the products MSDS will list the ingredients)

You could make your own denatured alcohol by adding 1-10% isopropyl or denatured alcohol to your grain alcohol. I don't know how well isopropyl alcohol works as a solvent (I'm going to give it a try, I'd have to get a license to try Everclear 190)
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine reduction: Posted by Karen on Monday, 28-Aug-2006
I saw on ebay and online, these plastic filters called Nic-out. Looked interesting--removed 90% of tar and some nicotine, supposedly.
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Denicotinized tobacco: Posted by Dave L on Monday, 19-Jun-2006
The only methods I've heard of for reduced nicotine tobacco are genetically modified tobacco, tobacco that undergoes a special curing process (the tobacco you buy is already cured), and unique methods of burning tobacco (more involved than a filter and can result in a noticeable increase of tar).
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Nicotine content in different varieties of tobacco

Posted by V.B. on Saturday, 15-Oct-2005

Does anyone know if and how the major varieties of tobacco - virginia, burley, oriental - differ in their nicotine content?

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine content in different varieties of tobacco

Posted by G on Saturday, 15-Oct-2005

I am pretty sure that I read burley is the highest followed by virginia and then oriental.

[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine content in different varieties of tobacco: Posted by Dave L on Sunday, 16-Oct-2005
"The nicotine content in the tobacco leaves varies between 0.05% (Virginia tobacco) through 3 - 4% ("Burley") ..." *

Burley: "high nicotine...Figures...highly variable"
Virginia: "from less than 1 % to over 3 %
Oriental: "below 2 % and averaging around 1 % or less." *
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Re: Nicotine content in different varieties of tobacco: Posted by tom on Saturday, 15-Oct-2005
there are "general" gudie lines but as you do your research, you will discover that tobaccos such as virginia only refers to the seed. virginia seeds may be grown in different parts of the world and is still called virginia. as any other plant, it will depend on growing conditions and also the way the leaf is processed. it's location on the stalk can also make a difference.
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Transdermal Absorption: Posted by Tim_Mc on Thursday, 06-May-2004
I have been thinking alot about what Tim Aydt said about the dermal absorption of nicotine through the skin. It triggered the notion in me that I have actually experienced lesser symptoms of this myself and only awareness of the idea of it brought it to my attention. To make a long story short, I believe he is indeed correct. I have done the research on line and established that the accepted proprieties of Nicotine is that it can indeed be absorbed EASILY through the skin. The higher the ambient temperatures, humidity, and sweat present on the skin the more nicotine you can take into the body. This is a problem for unprepared tobacco field hands...

Check out this website link http://www.krpc.com/proffed/gts%5Cgreentobacco.cfm

Highlights of the information:
-"Nicotine is well absorbed via ingestion, inhalation or the skin. Dermal absorption is dependent on the duration of contact with the skin. The greater the duration of contact, the greater the absorption. (Zorin, et al)"

-"Physical exercise and high ambient temperatures can increase dermal absorption of nicotine and increase plasma nicotine concentrations by 30% to 45%. "

-"Time to peak serum concentration of nicotine after dermal application is approximately 3 to 6 hours. "

I think for these reasons we can absorb it through the skin when making a mixture. I don't know about you guys but as I get more into my making of cigs, I use lots and lots of tobacco at a time and mix it thoroughly by hand. Funny thing is that a good thing to also do while you mix tobacco is have a smoke! The nicotine in the bloodstream from the smoke actually prevents the brain uptake of the nicotine that is absorbed dermally from entering... which alleviates the aforementioned conditions that Tim Aydt talked about.

I have noticed, dizzy, swimmy feelings in my head, a racing heart, skipped beats, aformentioned bathroom issues, and some serious over-excitedness. Probably not fatal but not cool none-the-less...

Now I also wear protective gloves and wash my hands afterward as the other Tim said. I think its a smart thing to do. I only post this information because some people are like myself and the thought of it absorbing too much through the skin actually never occured to me really.
[ reply | link ] to this. Go to [ top ]

Browse

Nicotine and Tar

Comments [ new ]

Back to: Topics