Brand New Protank II Rusting

[Born2Hula]

I purchased a new Protank II last week after my first cleaning noticed rust at the top of the airflow tube where it permanently meets the crossbar.
The tank came in the Kangertech box.

The juice used in it was Epic's Banilla.
I cleaned it using only hot water, dried it with paper towels and set it on the counter overnight. By morning, I noticed there was rust, though I could not tell you if it had always been there.

Of note, I'm somewhat meticulous by nature and it wasn't exposed to anything except what I write here. The rust is not to be confused with gunk, as it is most certainly rust after close inspection with a magnifier.

Since that cleaning, I've used Vodka (high quality) to clean following advice on another thread.

Now my questions...

Have you seen this happen before?

Can you point me to a glass tank (or is it atty?) that can be relied upon?

I'm still learning and while I'm stowing away bits and pieces of information on cartos, I don't think I'm quite there yet (unless you can prove otherwise to me how easy it might be). Thus, do you know a good thread you could point to that discusses them for new users?

 

[MalcolmBoone]

Hope someone can reply soon with information. Been thinking of buying a protank and would like to know beforehand if this is an issue.

 

[StarDose]

Could it be a small spot that didn't get plated and the brass is showing thru?

 

[originalgolfer]

I have not had any rusting on the threads of mine and i run some pretty acidic juices through my 4 protanks. I wonder of if some of the SS is really just chromed and the chrome is flaking?

PS Protank on an Innokin VTR with cotton and a vertical coil is vaping bliss.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

 

[Huckleberried]

I personally love my protank 2. And the mini 2. I also have an Aro, which isn't bad at all. It's pyrex covered in SS

 

[StarDose]

Protank is just chromed brass, I have a vivi nova that's missing a small patch of chrome plating that resembles rust a bit.

 

[fabricator4]

Don't know, there's nothing there that should be rusting.

 

[dePeatrick]

Shouldn't be rust in there, are you sure it was rust colour? I use a Protank and am fairly sure it has no ferrous metal in it......just tested it against a powerful magnet....nothing at all.....sometimes SS will be attracted to a magnet depending on the mix, and can rust too.

 

[Born2Hula]

Sorry for the crappy picture.

 

[dePeatrick]

Shouldn't be rust in there, are you sure it was rust colour? I use a Protank and am fairly sure it has no ferrous metal in it......just tested it against a powerful magnet....nothing at all.....sometimes SS will be attracted to a magnet depending on the mix, and can rust too.

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

I purchased a new Protank II last week after my first cleaning noticed rust at the top of the airflow tube where it permanently meets the crossbar.
The tank came in the Kangertech box.

The juice used in it was Epic's Banilla.
I cleaned it using only hot water, dried it with paper towels and set it on the counter overnight. By morning, I noticed there was rust, though I could not tell you if it had always been there.

Of note, I'm somewhat meticulous by nature and it wasn't exposed to anything except what I write here. The rust is not to be confused with gunk, as it is most certainly rust after close inspection with a magnifier.

Since that cleaning, I've used Vodka (high quality) to clean following advice on another thread.

Now my questions...

Have you seen this happen before?

Can you point me to a glass tank (or is it atty?) that can be relied upon?

I'm still learning and while I'm stowing away bits and pieces of information on cartos, I don't think I'm quite there yet (unless you can prove otherwise to me how easy it might be). Thus, do you know a good thread you could point to that discusses them for new users?

I posted this link in the other thread but I guess you kissed it. It may be rust. If the coil is Kanthal then it's 70- 75% iron which does rust. If it's Nichrome shouldn't be any rust.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo.../320042-resistance-wire-kanthal-nichrome.html

 

[dePeatrick]

What colour is the juice you are using? I have been amazed how that stuff loves crevices and corners, cotton buds work a treat at getting in there....with a little encouragement...

 

[SmoKnoMoCigZ]

it is made of brass with nickel plating on it. under the nickel is a copper "flash". it cannot rust.

 

[dePeatrick]

I posted this link in the other thread but I guess you kissed it. It may be rust. If the coil is Kanthal then it's 70- 75% iron which does rust. If it's Nichrome shouldn't be any rust.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo.../320042-resistance-wire-kanthal-nichrome.html

Of course....well done...can't beat experience.

 

[Born2Hula]

What colour is the juice you are using? I have been amazed how that stuff loves crevices and corners, cotton buds work a treat at getting in there....with a little encouragement...

I've scrubbed with a toothbrush. It's not gunk.

 

[Born2Hula]

it is made of brass with nickel plating on it. under the nickel is a copper "flash". it cannot rust.

I posted a picture above. I sure looks like rust.

 

[Born2Hula]

I posted this link in the other thread but I guess you kissed it. It may be rust. If the coil is Kanthal then it's 70- 75% iron which does rust. If it's Nichrome shouldn't be any rust.
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo.../320042-resistance-wire-kanthal-nichrome.html

Sorry I missed your post. How might I tell if it is Kanthal? I feel the tank is trashed at this point and don't want to see this happen again. Any suggestions?

 

[fabricator4]

Sorry I missed your post. How might I tell if it is Kanthal? I feel the tank is trashed at this point and don't want to see this happen again. Any suggestions?

Even if it were rust marks from corroding Kanthal it is not "trashed". Iron oxide is not toxic or harmful in any way. (Your red blood cells are largely iron oxide)

Try soaking it in Coca Cola and scrubbing it with your toothbrush again - that should remove any rust marks.

ETA: The only way I can see Kanthal rusting is if you use a very acid juice and leave it to dry out for an extended period of time.

 

[Scarey]

Sorry I missed your post. How might I tell if it is Kanthal? I feel the tank is trashed at this point and don't want to see this happen again. Any suggestions?

Kanthal is what your coil is made of. I think the person who made that post was confused. Back to the topic: There is a copper layer in the metal. I'm pretty sure you're seeing a bit where it's exposed, and thinking it's rust.

 

[GoodNews!]

Honestly, I've noticed odd colorations on mine and I'm getting odd tastes out of it. Yours and mine may be some sort of clone - boxes aren't hard to replicate. If you're concerned, you may want to look into a Vision Aurora Bottom Feeder - it's a slight ever bit more of a hassle to vape out of than a Protank (but you don't have to rebuild or anything) and instead of a tank, it uses a little plastic bottle that you can squeeze the juice up into a dripping atty, which are disposable (but last a long time and are said to work 10x better than a head), or you can also use a Nova head I believe (the device comes with a tube adaptor to allow it to use heads as well as atomizers) and you can throw the little plastic bottle away whenever you feel it's old and get a new one for probably a couple bucks. Most of the non-disposable parts of the device never come in contact with juice. Much easier to clean.

The only catch is you have to slightly pinch the plastic bottle (which is the "tank") every 3-5 puffs (some say every 5-7), but this allows for more control over wicking, giving you a better performance as well. It's virtually a squeeze-bottle tank, but works in generally the same way a pyrex tank does, with just a little annoyance. But for me, it's all about what's safe and performs well. I hear great things about them. About $25.

The only thing I have to do research on is just how safe it truly is to use juice in the specific plastic bottle they use - I have seen extreme etching on plastic bottles used to store juice - and I don't want any corrostion or chemicals seeping into the juice!