Rayon maybe?

[Rymesis]

I was looking around at wicks and decided I finally wanted to try Rayon.
The fun part is, I started looking on eBay and noticed a small inconspicuous baggy (o.o!)
It appears exactly the same as a small bag I got as a sample from ordering from a few places-
Cellucotton 100 Rayon 36 ft 3 Packs Unbleached Cotton Vape Atty RDA RBA Wick | eBay
Looks exactly like this! But no label!
It was a "Freebie" so I have no idea, the note that came with it was "Here's some wick for you to try! Thank you for ordering!"

So...how would I tell if it's rayon or just cotton?

 

[Asbestos4004]

Rayon feels completely different. It's Squeakier, maybe. Not soft like cotton.

 

[Rymesis]

I'll have to crack into it tonight when I get off work.
I also got some "Green wick" which is like braided cotton rope with a light green tinge to it lol.

 

[Baditude]

Yeah, Rayon feels different from cotton because it is synthetic.

Dry cotton will burn if flamed. Rayon will not.

 

[Alien Traveler]

Yeah, Rayon feels different from cotton because it is synthetic.

Dry cotton will burn if flamed. Rayon will not.

Are you sure? I've never tried rayon wicks, but from what I do know about rayon it is very flammable. It is made from cellulose anyway.

Flammable Fabrics Act | CPSC.gov
FOUR MOST FLAMMABLE FABRICS IN YOUR HOME (GUEST POST) | Work Safety Blog

 

[Baditude]

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Are you sure? I've never tried rayon wicks, but from what I do know about rayon it is very flammable. It is made from cellulose anyway.

Well, let me quantify my previous statement which may not be very accurate in context.

When doing wick changes with either cotton vs rayon, the cotton will ALWAYS be scorched BLACK where it touched the coil. The rayon will hardly show where the coil was because it didn't burn. Sort of like how silica doesn't burn.

 

[DavidOck]

Rayon will be a lot smoother in texture than cotton, fewer lumps. Like you brushed all the snarls out of cotton.

Rayon will burn, if put to a flame (just sacrificed a bit to a Bic to be sure ), but as Bad mentioned, is a lot more resistant to heat than cotton when kept wet in a topper.

 

[Alien Traveler]

Rayon will be a lot smoother in texture than cotton, fewer lumps. Like you brushed all the snarls out of cotton.

Rayon will burn, if put to a flame (just sacrificed a bit to a Bic to be sure ), but as Bad mentioned, is a lot more resistant to heat than cotton when kept wet in a topper.

Everything is resisting to heat when kept wet in a topper. How can you compare? Only if it is not wet.

 

[Rymesis]

It is definitely super silky soft to the touch with no knots, I assume it would be Rayon then?
>_>;; on videos that said they were using Rayon it looked extremely coarse, which is what lead me to first believe that it was just a baggie overstuffed full of an extremely long piece of cotton

 

[DavidOck]

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Everything is resisting to heat when kept wet in a topper. How can you compare? Only if it is not wet.

True. But as Bad mentioned, after use cotton wicks will be slightly burned where they touch the coil, rayon hardly noticeable.

It is definitely super silky soft to the touch with no knots, I assume it would be Rayon then?
>_>;; on videos that said they were using Rayon it looked extremely coarse, which is what lead me to first believe that it was just a baggie overstuffed full of an extremely long piece of cotton

Does sound like it, but of course I've no way to be sure

 

[Dioxyde]

I love rayon, I get a more intense/cleaner flavor from my juice with a rayon wick than a cotton wick. Started using it in my rta's recently and the first few tries I kept getting flooding but eventually got it. I think cotton holds onto the juice better than rayon does. The solution is to use way more rayon than cotton, as tight as it will possibly go in the coil and just more in general. I'm actually out of the rayon my friend gave me so now I'm back to japenese cotton until I order more, it's still good but I can tell the difference.

 

[K_Tech]

I love rayon, I get a more intense/cleaner flavor from my juice with a rayon wick than a cotton wick. Started using it in my rta's recently and the first few tries I kept getting flooding but eventually got it. I think cotton holds onto the juice better than rayon does. The solution is to use way more rayon than cotton, as tight as it will possibly go in the coil and just more in general. I'm actually out of the rayon my friend gave me so now I'm back to japenese cotton until I order more, it's still good but I can tell the difference.

That's a mistake I made when I started playing with Rayon. More is definitely better.

I bought mine on line from Mielke's Fiber Arts, $11 for 1/2 lb, enough to last me a decade or two, lol.

 

[MattyTny]

+1 on Rayon wick.

Wicks very fast even with thicker liquids and can last very long. I use it in my RTA's and the performance is great. Takes some preparation work compared to cotton pads. Key is to get a very even section.

Rayon wick, better flow, flavor, saturation and Nic Hit! | E-Cigarette Forum

 

[DavidOck]

Yes, rayon tends to shrink a little when wet. Cotton expands. Just takes a bit of practice

 

[Thayamax]

I've been using rayon wick for quite a while. It's so much better than cotton. It burns to ash with a flame the same as cotton does. Where cotton holds the juice, rayon transports it to the coil. Perhaps that's why it seems more resistant to burning in the coil than cotton does, because it keeps the coil wet better and gives fewer dry hits which cause the cotton wicks to blacken.

Rayon looks coarser than cotton but it doesn't really feel coarse to the touch. The rayon fibers are long and run in the same direction whereas cotton fibers are dense and more compact. I hope what you have is rayon so you can have an opportunity to see for yourself how superior rayon is compared to cotton.

 

[JeremyR]

I was looking around at wicks and decided I finally wanted to try Rayon.
The fun part is, I started looking on eBay and noticed a small inconspicuous baggy (o.o!)
It appears exactly the same as a small bag I got as a sample from ordering from a few places-
Cellucotton 100 Rayon 36 ft 3 Packs Unbleached Cotton Vape Atty RDA RBA Wick | eBay
Looks exactly like this! But no label!
It was a "Freebie" so I have no idea, the note that came with it was "Here's some wick for you to try! Thank you for ordering!"

So...how would I tell if it's rayon or just cotton?

99.9% chance they did send you Rayon. (Aside from someone trying to play a holloween candy trick on you.)

The reason I know this is because rayon is The wick to have.
Sally's cellucotton Rayon is a long coil.
Its dirt cheap
When someone gets 500 to 900ft of it for less than 15-20.00 they just give it away to spread the love.
Its multiple lifetimes worth in one box.
No vendor would send something comlletely unsafe
High grade cottons are to expensive to just give away.
-----+++-----

The observations you've made so far look to be rayon, with a pretty high degree of certainty.

So, if you really want to know for sure its rayon you would now conduct a burn test.

Burn test - in safe area for small flames.

Its best to have cotton to burn as part of the test.

Take a smallish piece of each, not too dense. big enough that you'll have ash left over. About the size of a wick or half.

Light the cotton. Observe the burn pattern and smell. Should smell like leaves or whatever. When it goes out watch the ash smolder. The ash will be dark grey and soft somewhat heavy.

Now light the rayon, careful it will burn fast. It should be burning quickly. It should smell like burning wood, paper, leaves. It will turn to ash. The ash will be lighter gray and very light. It will blow away easily in wind.

There should be no melting. Plastic synthetics melt you don't what those.

You won't smell anything chemically plasticy or funny.

 

[EJAB]

Yes, rayon tends to shrink a little when wet. Cotton expands. Just takes a bit of practice

Rayon doesn't shrink! Rayon is less absorbent than cotton and shows less retention when saturated.

 

[JeremyR]

Keep your juice in your wick if you want. Everyone likes different things.

Vaporization happens on the coil. Retention is counterproductive. .

 

[IML8]

Retention is counterproductive. .

This. Fibers that are good at retention are usually poor at distribution. Wicks need to efficiently distribute liquid. Rayon does that.

 

[Baditude]

Rayon doesn't shrink! .

From my experience it does shrink.

After 2 - 3 days use rayon has shrunk down to almost nothing. I sorta like it because of it doesn't scorch like cotton does, but I find I have to change the Rayon more often than cotton because there is hardly anything left to wick.