This was (the wick) over a year ago, then came bamboo, then hemp, both outwick and outlast the square braid, If it works for you great.
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This was (the wick) over a year ago, then came bamboo, then hemp, both outwick and outlast the square braid, If it works for you great.
I'm still using the rolled cotton from CVS; actually, still using the same 'hand full' I first ripped off the roll and stuck in a ziplock bag. The other 80-90% of the roll is ... well, somewhere around here ... probably.
475 pages 
we need a wiki or cliff notes
Sorry if this has been asked, but is it easy to replace the wicks in vivi nova without damaging the coil? Still somewhat new to vaping and no modding or recoiling yet, but not looking to vape thin shards of silica ect into my lungs. Thanks.
we need a wiki or cliff notes
Sorry if this has been asked, but is it easy to replace the wicks in vivi nova without damaging the coil? Still somewhat new to vaping and no modding or recoiling yet, but not looking to vape thin shards of silica ect into my lungs. Thanks.
475 pages
we need a wiki or cliff notes
Sorry if this has been asked, but is it easy to replace the wicks in vivi nova without damaging the coil? Still somewhat new to vaping and no modding or recoiling yet, but not looking to vape thin shards of silica ect into my lungs. Thanks.
I've had no problem with that.
- Dry burn it in a well-ventilated area to burn off any adhesion
- Carefully pick out the old wick by pulling a portion of strands at one time with tweezers
- Quick dry burn again to make sure nothing is still stuck to the coil
- Rinse out with water to get any residual shards out, then dry
- pull new wick through coil using a needle threader (or some coil wire, if you have it) *
- adjust coil with sharp tweezers or a needle, if the coil moved during wick insertion
- trim wick to desired length with scissors
* The amount of wick used is important. Too much, and it'll pull the coil, plus it won't wick well. Best to start with what seems like too little, usually. As long as it contacts the inside of the coil well, once it's swelled with juice, it'll work.
The slot in the barrel of the head actually helps to pre-form the wick as it's pulled through, reducing the drag on the coil.
I switched to boiled cotton gauze wick. It tastes cleaner than silica, and it's easier to thread. I think with silica you always get tiny hotspots that you can only notice by a subtle burnt taste, even with a good coil+wick. Cotton wicks faster and it's springier so the liquid reaches the coil better.
Come on folks, almost 5000 posts here so I'm probaly going to ask something you've already answered in the past but here goes..
And no, I haven't read any post in this thread so please feel free to tell me to RTFM as long as you provide a link.
This is a serious subject to me because I came into vaping with pre-exsisting conditions, as in, I was destroying my lung tissue. Don't believe me? Go look at my nicotine stained walls in our bedroom.
After I quit smoking, I went in for lung function tests and (knock on wood) passed with flying colors. That shocked me, since I had been abusing myself for over 20 years with 3 packs a day.
Now I'm vaping. I'm curious about things. I want to see myself rebuilding, instead of always relying on chinese made cartomizers, clearomizers, and attys.
I found a wealth of info about the mechanics of rebuilding, circuitry, amps, volts, springs, safety basically. But I almost never hear about silicia microfibers, cotton lung, and who knows what else.
My friends would vape a fingernail if they thought it would wick well, so I can't turn to them.
Lemme get to the point, is torching the hell out of anything, going to insure that I will not inhale something that does not belong in my lungs to begin with?
Cotton balls, silicia, eckwool, etc.. safe out of the gate? I see lil sparkly things on my fingers when I fumble around with silicia, is that going into my lungs too?
Do I need to seriously invest in a big blowtorch?
I have no knowledge on the subject and this IS NOT A SUBJECTIVE question folks.
I need guidence and this is the first time I have ever asked for it concerning this subject.
RHP
And no, I haven't read any post in this thread so please feel free to tell me to RTFM as long as you provide a link.
This is a serious subject to me because I came into vaping with pre-exsisting conditions, as in, I was destroying my lung tissue. Don't believe me? Go look at my nicotine stained walls in our bedroom.
After I quit smoking, I went in for lung function tests and (knock on wood) passed with flying colors. That shocked me, since I had been abusing myself for over 20 years with 3 packs a day.
Now I'm vaping. I'm curious about things. I want to see myself rebuilding, instead of always relying on chinese made cartomizers, clearomizers, and attys.
I found a wealth of info about the mechanics of rebuilding, circuitry, amps, volts, springs, safety basically. But I almost never hear about silicia microfibers, cotton lung, and who knows what else.
My friends would vape a fingernail if they thought it would wick well, so I can't turn to them.
Lemme get to the point, is torching the hell out of anything, going to insure that I will not inhale something that does not belong in my lungs to begin with?
Cotton balls, silicia, eckwool, etc.. safe out of the gate? I see lil sparkly things on my fingers when I fumble around with silicia, is that going into my lungs too?
Do I need to seriously invest in a big blowtorch?
I have no knowledge on the subject and this IS NOT A SUBJECTIVE question folks.
I need guidence and this is the first time I have ever asked for it concerning this subject.
RHP
Hey Pat
I can only offer my own anecdotal evidence, but switching to pure cotton wicks has definitely been a big plus for me. Aside from the performance benefits, I no longer get the scratchy throat that I used to get from silica wicks, nor do I get winded in the evenings after a day of vaping.
As for 'torching' I don't torch anything. The cotton ball wicks obviously don't require this, and I don't pre-torch my resistance wire. I do, however dry fire my coil red hot several times before finally adding the wick.
I realize my experience will not fully answer your question, but I think you will find there that the consensus is that any natural fiber (cotton, bamboo, hemp) is preferable for wicking when compared to the other choices we have.
Blow torch isn't necessary. People use lighter as well.
But blow torch isn't that expensive (all relative) and can be used for creme brulee as well!!
But blow torch isn't that expensive (all relative) and can be used for creme brulee as well!!
Basically, not. Torching may help with some materials yet it may damage some other.
As of now there's no hard proof (statistics) of the long-term effects of vaping, so we're down to common sense and personal opinions...
The most common wick materials - silica, cotton, hemp, ss mesh - are generally considered 'safe enough' to vape on, but reality is we don't know. Not yet, at least.
So the bottom line is: do your own tests. Try at least some silica and some cotton, and see how they work for you (especially if you had some health condition)
Personally I prefer organic materials like cotton or hemp for my wicks, but as you can see from this thread that's just a subjective opinion.
As of now there's no hard proof (statistics) of the long-term effects of vaping, so we're down to common sense and personal opinions...
The most common wick materials - silica, cotton, hemp, ss mesh - are generally considered 'safe enough' to vape on, but reality is we don't know. Not yet, at least.
So the bottom line is: do your own tests. Try at least some silica and some cotton, and see how they work for you (especially if you had some health condition)
Personally I prefer organic materials like cotton or hemp for my wicks, but as you can see from this thread that's just a subjective opinion.
@RedhatPat, here's my generalized opinion:
Silica definitely sheds small shards, and sometimes they do get ejected from the atomizer into the user's mouth and throat. Nobody seems to sure if any make it into the lungs, or if the particles are small enough to do serious damage. Larger shards would likely just be ejected from the lungs through their normal function.
Several organic fibers have been tried, such as cotton, viscose bamboo (rayon), and hemp. Those all are basically cellulose fibers, and wick very well, but cannot be 'dry burned'. That's not much of a problem, since it is cheap and easy to just replace the wick with those materials.
Some care should be used to get clean, pure forms of those. This is not easy, as there is no requirement for them to report insecticides and processing chemicals to the consumer, so many people boil these materials a few times to hopefully remove any of those chemicals. Many seem to tout CVS sterile cotton balls as a good choice.
Stainless steel mesh and cable has been used by many, and torching it was a method to hopefully remove oils and other impurities, as well as oxidizing it to form a non-electrically-conductive layer on it so it didn't short the coil. There have been some concerns raised over that, though:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...08-stainless-steel-mesh-oxide-discussion.html
Seems that most have chosen other ways to try to clean those materials, and heating them much less, though I've never been interested enough in stainless steel wicks to follow them much.
Silica definitely sheds small shards, and sometimes they do get ejected from the atomizer into the user's mouth and throat. Nobody seems to sure if any make it into the lungs, or if the particles are small enough to do serious damage. Larger shards would likely just be ejected from the lungs through their normal function.
Several organic fibers have been tried, such as cotton, viscose bamboo (rayon), and hemp. Those all are basically cellulose fibers, and wick very well, but cannot be 'dry burned'. That's not much of a problem, since it is cheap and easy to just replace the wick with those materials.
Some care should be used to get clean, pure forms of those. This is not easy, as there is no requirement for them to report insecticides and processing chemicals to the consumer, so many people boil these materials a few times to hopefully remove any of those chemicals. Many seem to tout CVS sterile cotton balls as a good choice.
Stainless steel mesh and cable has been used by many, and torching it was a method to hopefully remove oils and other impurities, as well as oxidizing it to form a non-electrically-conductive layer on it so it didn't short the coil. There have been some concerns raised over that, though:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...08-stainless-steel-mesh-oxide-discussion.html
Seems that most have chosen other ways to try to clean those materials, and heating them much less, though I've never been interested enough in stainless steel wicks to follow them much.
Of course since vaping has not been around all that long, we cannot say what long term effect of any wicks/coils really are. I share the silica/cotton concern that you have, but I still use both because I have nothing better at the moment. I do think that if done properly Stainless Steel rope could be the best long term solution since once it is cleaned to remove any oils and manufacturing dust it should never have any particles that come off into the lungs the way ANY organic wick could.
That said, there is the concern with SS and torching to oxidize it creating Hexavalent Chromium aka Cr(VI). I am currently working on a way to oxidize the coils themselves to prevent any shorting, allowing the ability to use boiled SS rope instead of torched SS rope. If I can get this done, then I think SS will end up being the safest. No particles to break off, no dangerous oxidation of the SS, easy to dry burn, and it will never need to be replaced. While SS rope seems to work great for vertical wick systems like Genesis style RBA's I am not sure how it will work in horizontal bottom coil type systems yet.
That said, there is the concern with SS and torching to oxidize it creating Hexavalent Chromium aka Cr(VI). I am currently working on a way to oxidize the coils themselves to prevent any shorting, allowing the ability to use boiled SS rope instead of torched SS rope. If I can get this done, then I think SS will end up being the safest. No particles to break off, no dangerous oxidation of the SS, easy to dry burn, and it will never need to be replaced. While SS rope seems to work great for vertical wick systems like Genesis style RBA's I am not sure how it will work in horizontal bottom coil type systems yet.
Hey wondering about his for wicking and if anyone has tried it. Found this cotton looking Stuff in a vitamin/ medicine bottle. Looks great. I burn tested and its natural. i have concluded after a good Amount of Research that its rayon/ viscous , same as Lydia's 10 but maybe not bamboo . Its really easy to work with, wicks fast and doesn't compress like cotton. No flavor no break in time. I've put 4 ml through it and its great so far.
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No zztop or santa claus jokes plase, folks. Joking aside, JeremyR, I'd say if ya boiled it then what's the worse that can happen ya know?
Let us know when you run a few tanks through it, brother. Now ya got me curious.
RHP
Let us know when you run a few tanks through it, brother. Now ya got me curious.
RHP
Lol it does look like santas beard. It's doing really well so far 2nd day on it. I tried some first Straight up then I boiled the rest and there was no residue at all. Wicking great and not leaking on my oddy clone with a 1/16 micro coil of 32. I can put more Power to it with out a burnt taste compared to the cotton ball I was using.
Yeah this rayon is great! Like a cross between cotton and silica. Wicks reallllly well. Holds up great and I can put more voltage to it than cotton.
I got it out of a spring valley melatonin bottle from walmart. So the vitamin had no smell.
(Women's care items are cotton or rayon if you look)
I got it out of a spring valley melatonin bottle from walmart. So the vitamin had no smell.
(Women's care items are cotton or rayon if you look)
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The truth is, so much attention on safety of juice and batteries, not enough talk about wicks. As a construction worker, I recently had to attend a training about silicosis and asbestosis. The most informative fact I had never heard before was regarding the Nicotine having an anesthetizing effect on the Cilia of healthy mucus cells. Basically inhaling any amount of Nicotine will cause the cilia to go to sleep for about 5 hours. So your natural defenses against particulates are compromised by e-smoke as well as analog smoke. That being said, I still stand by vaping as a healthier alternative to smoking.
I haven't come across any definitive studies regarding the wick materials, but it's always been a concern of mine. I see the little sparkles on my hands after handling silica and XC-116. Both of these materials are a ceramic and their purpose is to NOT DETERIORATE. that's not really a good thing for you lungs. Much like the filters of cigarettes, tiny fibers may be making it into your lungs, and falling upon sleepy cilia. I've tried to cull my worries, thinking the juice keeps the wick wet, and eventually grimy, so maybe the fibers get stuck and stay in the atty, but I can't shake the bad feeling.
Enter cotton... it comes from a plant, and therefore has biodegradable properties. That could mean it's bioabsorbable also - much more likely than some kind of ceramic. The good news is, cotton is an excellent wick, and can outperform the unnatural alternatives. I just use cotton now. If you want to worry less I recommend it.
I haven't come across any definitive studies regarding the wick materials, but it's always been a concern of mine. I see the little sparkles on my hands after handling silica and XC-116. Both of these materials are a ceramic and their purpose is to NOT DETERIORATE. that's not really a good thing for you lungs. Much like the filters of cigarettes, tiny fibers may be making it into your lungs, and falling upon sleepy cilia. I've tried to cull my worries, thinking the juice keeps the wick wet, and eventually grimy, so maybe the fibers get stuck and stay in the atty, but I can't shake the bad feeling.
Enter cotton... it comes from a plant, and therefore has biodegradable properties. That could mean it's bioabsorbable also - much more likely than some kind of ceramic. The good news is, cotton is an excellent wick, and can outperform the unnatural alternatives. I just use cotton now. If you want to worry less I recommend it.
I've been going through the over 476 pages. Either I've missed the summary in all the discussions, or one hasn't been created and sticky'ed.
So, after all this discussion, could the main participants or a moderator summarize their findings? Also answer a few, perhaps basic, questions as well please.
1. The discussion seems to be amongst the RBA crowd. That's great as they make a great test platform. I'm not seeing consensus on wicking properties (lot's of comments but little hard data). So let's set some parameters:
a). 100% PG
b). 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, 50/50 blends PG/VG and VG/PG
c). Wick size, composition, dry hit frequecy, burnt wick presence.
d). Frequency of replacement, clogging, cleaning
e). Acidic / Neutral / Alkaloid flavorings (Cinnamon / Vanilla / Tobacco) effects on VTF
2. Safety. The subject of the thread. What should be tried is being beaten to death. What should NOT be tried? Why? Also, there was discussion about risks with silica wicks, but what about flash fire with rayon, the acrolein production from cotton and wood fibers, Chromium production from stainless steel. These may or may not be trivial risks to some. What can be done to mitigate these risks?
All who have participated have made great contributions. Thank you so much for doing the research. It's well past time to get those contributions summarized by the participants/moderators into something the rest of us can use. Please don't leave us having to reinvent the wheel, instead let us stand on the shoulders of giants.
So, after all this discussion, could the main participants or a moderator summarize their findings? Also answer a few, perhaps basic, questions as well please.
1. The discussion seems to be amongst the RBA crowd. That's great as they make a great test platform. I'm not seeing consensus on wicking properties (lot's of comments but little hard data). So let's set some parameters:
a). 100% PG
b). 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, 50/50 blends PG/VG and VG/PG
c). Wick size, composition, dry hit frequecy, burnt wick presence.
d). Frequency of replacement, clogging, cleaning
e). Acidic / Neutral / Alkaloid flavorings (Cinnamon / Vanilla / Tobacco) effects on VTF
2. Safety. The subject of the thread. What should be tried is being beaten to death. What should NOT be tried? Why? Also, there was discussion about risks with silica wicks, but what about flash fire with rayon, the acrolein production from cotton and wood fibers, Chromium production from stainless steel. These may or may not be trivial risks to some. What can be done to mitigate these risks?
All who have participated have made great contributions. Thank you so much for doing the research. It's well past time to get those contributions summarized by the participants/moderators into something the rest of us can use. Please don't leave us having to reinvent the wheel, instead let us stand on the shoulders of giants.
Bruce Nye, that's a very very very good question and suggestion. But part of me says if there was an answer then it would already be highlighted. The other part of me says, worse case can't compare to the heavily researched and time-tested coffin nails on the market, so dive in! And finally the last part of me says maybe I should stop talking to myself so much! 
RHP
RHP
Bruce nye the science guy huh, oh that's bill... Jk
The rayon won't flash because its damp plus its a very small amount. I have dry burned it and it reacted like cotton.
I haven't read anything before about the use of the loose rayon fibers I've been trying.. In fact a forum search turned up nothing on the term rayon. only mention is the viscous bamboo/rayon known as Lydia's #10. (Most likely not bamboo anyway) google .gov viscous bamboo / bamboo rayon.
The rayon seems to be less touchy on the thickness used. This may be easier for some than cotton. It tastes similar to cotton when it dry hits. Which if wicked right is rare because of its higher capillary action compared to cotton. Google hydroponic information on it. It will naturally wick higher than cotton by 4-5 inches I believe.
Here's a pic of rayon vs cotton after 4 days about 20ml of same juice 90%vg
Rayon
Cotton
As always ymmv
The rayon won't flash because its damp plus its a very small amount. I have dry burned it and it reacted like cotton.
I haven't read anything before about the use of the loose rayon fibers I've been trying.. In fact a forum search turned up nothing on the term rayon. only mention is the viscous bamboo/rayon known as Lydia's #10. (Most likely not bamboo anyway) google .gov viscous bamboo / bamboo rayon.
The rayon seems to be less touchy on the thickness used. This may be easier for some than cotton. It tastes similar to cotton when it dry hits. Which if wicked right is rare because of its higher capillary action compared to cotton. Google hydroponic information on it. It will naturally wick higher than cotton by 4-5 inches I believe.
Here's a pic of rayon vs cotton after 4 days about 20ml of same juice 90%vg
Rayon
Cotton
As always ymmv
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