Help me with my 510 atty...

[Shortstuff116]

I've done lots and lots of reading about cleaning attys, checking resistance and so on. I've tried so many methods a cleaning and I've found that the Crest Pro Health blue really does a good job of atty maintenance.

However, I haven't found any threads or posts specifically about a question I have which is about the condition of the wick under the bridge of my 510 attys. Without regular maintenance and even with some, these wicks continue to turn darker and darker in color until eventually they turn black. No matter what I try and now matter how long I try different liquids to clean the wicks, they still retain the black color and also appear to be like a thick solid mass.

At the same time, I can only assume that the coil itself located under the wick, which has the appearance of a very tiny spring more than likely is also pretty blackened and perhaps clogged with this black gunk, thereby reducing its ability to work at all. These attys produce almost no vapor at all any more.

I have tested the resistance and they are between 2.1 and 2.3 ohms each which tells me that they are still good, or at least that they are not completely dead (measured with a recently calibrated Fluke multimeter). Now I know that carburetor cleaner or "Gunk' would probably remove this black substance quite easily but before anyone responds in horror, I know that this will definitely destroy parts of the atty and therefore I would never use such chemicals.

So my question is, what exactly can I use or what method has anyone found that will remove the encrusted black build-up on the wick and coil in my 510 attys? At the same time, the right chemical would cause no harm to the atty itself (or any of its parts) and clean out all the air passages as well. I just don't want to give up on these attys if their resistance is still in an acceptable range. If there was an exact method and the right material known to replace the wick itself, this would be one option. Once removed, access to the coil itself for cleaning would be greatly enhanced.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[sjohnson]

I have two 510 atomizers, both creeping up on 6 months of use. After cleaning, the wicks on mine, the entire wick material, is as white (or nearly so) as when new.

First, IMHO not just the cleaning technique but the liquid you vape is important. I'm using glycerine, propylene glycol and Everclear for my nicotine and cutting liquids. All either USP or BATF (the Everclear) standard. I'm using Flavourart tobacco flavors. The resulting e-liquid is almost colorless. This leads to less buildup on the atomizer wick and coil in my opinion.

My cleaning technique:

1. 5-10 minutes in a GOOD ultrasonic cleaner, using tap water (we have excellent municipal water here).
2. Let dry 1-2 days, the atomizer is bone dry when done.
3. Dry burn the atomizer 2-3 times, giving a 5-10 second burn after the coil turns red hot, and cooling the atomizer between each burn (don't want to melt any solder).
4. Once cooled again, another 5-10 minutes in the ultrasonic cleaner with fresh water. This removes any burnt flavor caused by the dry burn.
5. Dry 1-2 days again.

Like I posted, my wicks look great after nearly 6 months, no mesh clogging, everything works like new and no "muddy" flavor from adulterants on the wick.

[Shortstuff116]

sjohnson thanks for the information. I had read a couple of other posts about people using ultrasonic cleaners and knowing that they can do an amazing job of cleaning a lot of things, I went ahead and just ordered one.

I know that you mentioned using a GOOD ultrasonic cleaner, but I cannot afford one of the more expensive models on the market. So after searching online I think I found a pretty good deal and price on a cheaper model from Kendal Ultrasonic and you can see the one I got here. It was only $31.00 plus $10 for shipping and I know it's only a cheap one, but the specs seem to mimic a lot of the higher priced models (35w/42000 cycles). It's actually identical to another one I found made (or sold) by Sharpertek, their 3800 model # also (for $34.95 + $5 shipping).

Do you think I wasted my money on this one? I'd be curious to know what you think.

Thanks!

[sjohnson]

The description reads well. And, it's priced above the $20 el-cheapo's. Without using it, I have no way to tell, but here's hoping yours serves you as well as mine!

[Shortstuff116]

The description reads well. And, it's priced above the $20 el-cheapo's. Without using it, I have no way to tell, but here's hoping yours serves you as well as mine!

Well I got my new ultrasonic cleaner and used your exact method above on 6 attys and I have to tell you that this really did the job. After a thorough cleaning and drying I just tried using one of the oldest and nastiest attys that was completely black and non-vaping before and it is working as good as a brand new atty.

I'm sold and convinced that this method is great and is the best method I've tried yet that does exactly what we want it to do, make the atty like new once again.

Thanks for all your help!

[sjohnson]

Glad it worked for you! Finding the method that gives you the most enjoyment is a good thing.

[wmrwl]

I noticed that steam cleaning my atty turns the wick under the bridge a nice pearly white.

[Shortstuff116]

I noticed that steam cleaning my atty turns the wick under the bridge a nice pearly white.

I've tried steam cleaning also and it does work very well, but the cleaning of that tiny coil is the hard part and with the combination of dry burning and ultrasonic, it's still the best I've done yet.

[sjohnson]

The way I figure it, the ultrasound cleans all it can, then the dry burn breaks up what the ultrasound couldn't get on the first pass, then the second pass of the U/S zaps what remains.

By cleaning first with U/S, the dry burn only works with a minimum of material, leading to a better burn-off.