Ceramic Wicks 101
AO (Aluminum Oxide) Ceramic Wicks are the cleanest vape I have ever tried to date. They also have the advantage of NO shorts since the ceramic isn’t conductive. No more fiddling with your coil all of the time trying to get the hot spots out!
Their biggest downside is that they are fragile, Oh... and that they are not in mass production yet.
There is a learning curve associated with them, but most who have tried them will swear by them, they become a wick of choice!
If you are new to ceramic wicks, here are a few pointers.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/modding-forum/362182-next-big-thing-porous-ceramic-wicks.html
It’s a long read but well worth the effort if you find you like these wicks. There are advanced techniques like “hot wrapping”, encasing the bottom in nickel foam, etc, as well as information on how to make them. However, I don’t recommend the advanced techniques for your first few wicks. Learn the feel of the ceramic first then expand your horizons if desired.
©2013 Mike Petro. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
AO (Aluminum Oxide) Ceramic Wicks are the cleanest vape I have ever tried to date. They also have the advantage of NO shorts since the ceramic isn’t conductive. No more fiddling with your coil all of the time trying to get the hot spots out!
Their biggest downside is that they are fragile, Oh... and that they are not in mass production yet.
There is a learning curve associated with them, but most who have tried them will swear by them, they become a wick of choice!
If you are new to ceramic wicks, here are a few pointers.
• They are very susceptible to breakage from lateral force, i.e. force from the side.
• Flat ribbon wire works best, more contact area.
• Get the Kanthal wire as flush against the wick as you can, but don’t pull hard or you will snap the wick. Torching your Kanthal wire red hot a few times before wrapping it will make the wire more pliable and easier to wrap.
• If your wick is too long for your atty, a pair of small wire cutters works great for snipping off the excess.
• If you need to make your wick a little smaller in diameter, diamond tools work best. A diamond cutting blade for a Dremel is your best friend! Use the edge for cutting or the face for lapping (sanding).
• If you need to tweak the spacing of the coil around your wick, do so while firing the mod and while the kanthal is red hot and easily pliable Trying to reshape the kanthal while its cold could snap your wick.
• To clean your wick just dry burn it, with a fresh battery, till the ceramic starts to glow a little. This will clean the ceramic very effectively and they will last for months this way without having to recoil.
• A brand new wick might need a break-in period of up to a full tank of juice before it performs at its peak.
• The expletive of choice when dealing with these things, especially when you break one, is “Oh SNAP!”
If you want to know more about ceramic wicks do check out this thread:o When wrapping your coil do not pull too hard or you will snap it.
o Be careful if your positive post uses a nut to secure the wire, tightening that nut can pull the wire so tight as to break the wick, don’t allow too much tension on the wire between the positive post and the wick.
• Be careful not to drop your Mod, the sudden impact can snap the wick at the deck.o Be careful if your positive post uses a nut to secure the wire, tightening that nut can pull the wire so tight as to break the wick, don’t allow too much tension on the wire between the positive post and the wick.
• Flat ribbon wire works best, more contact area.
• Get the Kanthal wire as flush against the wick as you can, but don’t pull hard or you will snap the wick. Torching your Kanthal wire red hot a few times before wrapping it will make the wire more pliable and easier to wrap.
• If your wick is too long for your atty, a pair of small wire cutters works great for snipping off the excess.
• If you need to make your wick a little smaller in diameter, diamond tools work best. A diamond cutting blade for a Dremel is your best friend! Use the edge for cutting or the face for lapping (sanding).
• If you need to tweak the spacing of the coil around your wick, do so while firing the mod and while the kanthal is red hot and easily pliable Trying to reshape the kanthal while its cold could snap your wick.
• To clean your wick just dry burn it, with a fresh battery, till the ceramic starts to glow a little. This will clean the ceramic very effectively and they will last for months this way without having to recoil.
• A brand new wick might need a break-in period of up to a full tank of juice before it performs at its peak.
• The expletive of choice when dealing with these things, especially when you break one, is “Oh SNAP!”
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/modding-forum/362182-next-big-thing-porous-ceramic-wicks.html
It’s a long read but well worth the effort if you find you like these wicks. There are advanced techniques like “hot wrapping”, encasing the bottom in nickel foam, etc, as well as information on how to make them. However, I don’t recommend the advanced techniques for your first few wicks. Learn the feel of the ceramic first then expand your horizons if desired.
©2013 Mike Petro. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
