Music stage smoking machines and traditional e-cigarettes actually work in the same way. It involves heating a water-soluble liquid, consisting of glycerine, water and mixing with air.
But sound engineer and vejpar Micke Thenor, who roams the country behind the mixing desks of all kinds of artists - has discovered that you can't really replace one with the other - the hard way...
Like so many others, Micke gave up cigarettes a few years ago and switched to vejpning instead. He has stuck to the larger models - "DTL" - that is, "direct to lung" - and likes to blow out huge clouds of vapor around him. Like a smaller dragon, in fact. But he hasn't smoked since 2017.
How did you come to start vejpa?
- It was through a good friend of mine that I knew was doing that. He had started working in a vejp store. I had heard a bit about it, but it's always like that with new things, that it can be quite nerdy and you don't want to seem stupid who doesn't know anything. So I was a little hesitant at first.
Otherwise, it doesn't seem like a sound engineer would shy away from technical nerdiness?
- Haha, no that's true. But I have more than enough other technology, so I buy as much ready-made stuff as I can and don't make my own coils or anything. I trusted my friend's judgment and got a starter kit. Since then I have continued. It was probably around 2017, I think.
Smoky clubs
Micke Thenor has been traveling the country as a professional sound engineer for around 21 years. The number of hours he has spent in various clubs and concert venues is hard to count, he says. But 21 years ago puts us ahead of the smoking ban in nightclubs introduced in 2005. Things were really different then," recalls Micke Thenor.
- It was hopeless to stand in that environment, even if you smoked yourself then. The clubs were hazy with smoke. But on the other hand, you didn't need as much haze as you do now, because it was so smoky anyway. But it smelled like hell," says Micke Thenor.
Same as a smoke machine
The mist created in club smoking machines usually consists of glycerol and a little water. And as those familiar with vejp know, a vejp juice contains the same ingredients glycerol and water but propylene glycol. But even though a vejp produces similar vapor as a smoking machine, the use of e-cigarettes is strictly prohibited in public places, while smoking machines are often used.
- During the last tour I was on, with Albin Lee Meldau, I used to check with the house technicians during soundcheck if they had turned off the fire alarm - so we could use the smoke machine for the light. When I got a "yes" I started vejpa. But then they always came running and said "no, no, no you can't do that in here". Then I used to explain that a vejp emits basically the same vapor as the smoke machine. Sometimes they buy it and sometimes not," laughs Micke.
But what about during the concerts themselves, can you vejpa?
- Yes, when I run the monitor I can do that. Because there's so much smoke on stage anyway, so it's not visible. But if I stand "front of house", in the middle of the audience, it becomes more difficult.
"I was making a mess"
To run the monitor means in technical Swedish to simply manage the musicians' sound on stage and "front of house" is sound engineer lingo for the usual mixing desk. Now, of course, Micke's job is just to run the sound. The lights on stage - including the smoke machine - are actually handled by a lighting technician. But that doesn't mean he can't make himself useful when needed anyway.
- At some point during the tour, the smoke machine stopped working, so I puffed and puffed and tried to compensate with my vejp from one side of the stage - but it went like that. After a few minutes I almost fainted from the nicotine intake," Micke says with a laugh.
"Do not breathe smoke liquid"
But he knows others who have taken it a step further.
- I have actually had a colleague who tried to run smoke fluid in his vejp. I do not want to try it myself as I think it does not taste so good. Then there are different fluids and such for different machines of course - so it's really not something I recommend anyone to try (No, No! NO! Jeez! ed. note)
Recommend Vejpkollen!
Do you know a vejper who has an interesting story to tell? Do not hesitate to contact the editors!
I started vejpa on a trial basis a year and a half ago because my cigar smoking simply became too expensive. Smoked cigars for over 30 years and never felt I wanted to quit. The goal of the e-cig was to remove the everyday smoking of cigars but still have an occasional, slightly better cigar on the weekend. After some wandering around in the vejp world, I have found both e-cigs and liquids that suit me. I save around 3,000: - / month by skipping the everyday cigar and instead vejpa and probably it is less unhealthy although I would like to see more research in the future, not least how we are affected by the fumes from the propylene glycol (approved in food but then you do not vaporize it).
As a 66 year old, I can feel a bit lost in the vejp stores that are more like candy stores and I understand critics who argue that young people / children are a focus group for the e-juice manufacturers. It's a shame because it will mean regulations and possible bans in the future. For me, the vejp is a great substitute for the everyday ones. I vejpar as I smoke cigars, i.e. I mouth flares without drawing neck flares and I enjoy it.
(Propylene glycol) Has been used in asthma/carbon inhalers for 50 years.
It is used to dissolve the active substance so that it can be sprayed into the airways.
When the government was voting on an ANDTS legislation, last time. The one that was voted down because it wanted to ban vejp, there were some interesting consultation responses.
The FHM dissected vejp and found that for other than nicotine, the only concern was flavoring but as they said, it is in small amounts that it can be considered negligible.
As K-Å Johansson says, (PG) propylene glycol has been in medicines for a long time and acts as a carrier for other medicinal or aromatic substances. PG works well for our mucous membranes in the oral cavity and throat and also has a bactericidal effect.
We learned this information during a conference in London in 2013. Authorities have at the same time and are still discussing in Sweden what vejpånga contains.
On March 25, 2015, an interesting study published by Konstantinos Farsalinos confirmed this. The study shows a surprising result about heavy metals. About 665 - 77500 times higher in an asthma inhaler vs. an e-cigarette of about 9 - 13 watts. Read more. https://www.ecigarette-research.org/research/index.php/research/research-2015/209-metals
"For example, we don't think about our air in a city traffic when we take our children to buy ice cream".
It is about limit values for what our bodies can handle. So if an asthma inhaler contains so much more heavy metals that are also approved by the Medical Products Agency and FHM, we can with a clear conscience vejpake it easy, I think!