The Problem
To all those newcomers to vaping, as well as some who've been around a while:
I've seen/heard people mention, in the course of discussing the new RBA/rda/RTA/Whatever they just got, that they can "see" or "smell" "machine oil" in or on some part of the apparatus. I would like to clear up a few things around this subject. If you don't care about any explanations and only want the solution, scroll down to the last paragraph.
As an experienced machinist, I am intimately familiar with the different chemicals used in different machining processes and their properties. Without expounding endlessly upon the various minutiae to look knowledgeable, I can condense the relevant information down to the following:
The only type of "oil" that may be found in/on a tank would be tapping fluid. This is a mildly viscous oil used to make cutting threads by the use of a tap or die less difficult and gentler on the tooling being used. This is somewhat unlikely to be present because (among other reasons) it is most commonly used when cutting threads by hand.
The stuff (let's keep it technical, here) that is often described as "machine oil" is, in fact, coolant. Nearly all CNC Machines come set up to use coolant, and many older manual machines were set up or retrofitted to use it as well. Coolant is a general term that encompasses a whole range of chemical additives in aqueous solution. Without delving into all the different types and their properties, there is a simple Golden Rule that we machinists use regarding coolant: "Avoid that .... as much as humanly possible." If contacted on skin in any significant amount it can/will cause a rather nasty rash - very much like poison ivy. If inhaled after being aerosolized, it can/will cause extreme coughing bouts, choking, dizziness, nausea, and even fainting. Contact with the eyes can/will cause severe (I mean SEVERE, no ....) irritation and pain, and can cause varying degrees of (varyingly) temporary sight loss. Bottom line, this stuff is nasty .....
The Remedy
The solution is very simple. Whether your shiny new RTA has tapping oil in the threads or a fine film of coolant residue all over it, the answer is the same. DO NOT wash it with water, or soapy water, or super-soapy water - this will not clean it to a standard we would consider sufficient for food or medical grade use (which is what we are using it as). You must clean the metal and glass parts (as for PCB parts, I can not vouch for them due to the huge variety of types of plastics in use by different manufacturers, but anything that will stand up to juice should be fine - YMMV) with an alcohol or ketone solvent. Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol) will work well, as will Acetone (commonly the main ingredient in nail polish remover, check the label). Both are naturally occurring in trace amounts inside the human body and both evaporate rapidly in normal ambient temperatures. All you need do is wet a cotton ball or two with the solvent of your choice (if you use a solvent not listed here you better know what you're doing) and use it to thoroughly wipe down your disassembled tank inside and out. It should not be necessary but, if desired, you can rinse with clean (ideally distilled) water and then leave on a towel to air-dry or dry with a hair dryer on low heat. Then reassemble, build, fill, and vape as per your usual.
This process will ensure that you get the absolute best taste production your tank can give you, as well as avoid any unpleasant side effects of the types I listed above.
Please understand that I take no responsibility nor accept any liability for your use or implementation of any portion of this information. Both alcohol and acetone are highly flammable, and thus care should be taken to not use them on a tank that is connected to a power source as well as making sure that any remaining solvent has evaporated before connecting to a power source. Please, use UN-common sense and extraordinary care in your endeavors.
To all those newcomers to vaping, as well as some who've been around a while:
I've seen/heard people mention, in the course of discussing the new RBA/rda/RTA/Whatever they just got, that they can "see" or "smell" "machine oil" in or on some part of the apparatus. I would like to clear up a few things around this subject. If you don't care about any explanations and only want the solution, scroll down to the last paragraph.
As an experienced machinist, I am intimately familiar with the different chemicals used in different machining processes and their properties. Without expounding endlessly upon the various minutiae to look knowledgeable, I can condense the relevant information down to the following:
The only type of "oil" that may be found in/on a tank would be tapping fluid. This is a mildly viscous oil used to make cutting threads by the use of a tap or die less difficult and gentler on the tooling being used. This is somewhat unlikely to be present because (among other reasons) it is most commonly used when cutting threads by hand.
The stuff (let's keep it technical, here) that is often described as "machine oil" is, in fact, coolant. Nearly all CNC Machines come set up to use coolant, and many older manual machines were set up or retrofitted to use it as well. Coolant is a general term that encompasses a whole range of chemical additives in aqueous solution. Without delving into all the different types and their properties, there is a simple Golden Rule that we machinists use regarding coolant: "Avoid that .... as much as humanly possible." If contacted on skin in any significant amount it can/will cause a rather nasty rash - very much like poison ivy. If inhaled after being aerosolized, it can/will cause extreme coughing bouts, choking, dizziness, nausea, and even fainting. Contact with the eyes can/will cause severe (I mean SEVERE, no ....) irritation and pain, and can cause varying degrees of (varyingly) temporary sight loss. Bottom line, this stuff is nasty .....
The Remedy
The solution is very simple. Whether your shiny new RTA has tapping oil in the threads or a fine film of coolant residue all over it, the answer is the same. DO NOT wash it with water, or soapy water, or super-soapy water - this will not clean it to a standard we would consider sufficient for food or medical grade use (which is what we are using it as). You must clean the metal and glass parts (as for PCB parts, I can not vouch for them due to the huge variety of types of plastics in use by different manufacturers, but anything that will stand up to juice should be fine - YMMV) with an alcohol or ketone solvent. Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol) will work well, as will Acetone (commonly the main ingredient in nail polish remover, check the label). Both are naturally occurring in trace amounts inside the human body and both evaporate rapidly in normal ambient temperatures. All you need do is wet a cotton ball or two with the solvent of your choice (if you use a solvent not listed here you better know what you're doing) and use it to thoroughly wipe down your disassembled tank inside and out. It should not be necessary but, if desired, you can rinse with clean (ideally distilled) water and then leave on a towel to air-dry or dry with a hair dryer on low heat. Then reassemble, build, fill, and vape as per your usual.
This process will ensure that you get the absolute best taste production your tank can give you, as well as avoid any unpleasant side effects of the types I listed above.
Please understand that I take no responsibility nor accept any liability for your use or implementation of any portion of this information. Both alcohol and acetone are highly flammable, and thus care should be taken to not use them on a tank that is connected to a power source as well as making sure that any remaining solvent has evaporated before connecting to a power source. Please, use UN-common sense and extraordinary care in your endeavors.
