Noob guide to Direct Dripping

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My 2nd order from cignot.com came a few hours ago (already my favorite supplier), and it included two drip tips for the 510s that I'm assuming are new additions to their site, as I didn't see them a month ago. At $2.50 a pop, as opposed to $20+, I got one of each (nickel coated copper, and the other is made from delrin). I can already say that I'm positive it will have been more than worth the $5 investment for two drip tips.

I just used my first PV on July 1, and tried dripping today. I certainly haven't mastered it yet, but I'll get there soon enough. In my case so far, there does seem to be a fine line between flooding the atty and and not having enough liquid in there to obtain a good vape that doesn't taste burnt, but my last couple of hits yielded much better results than my first few. So with a little practice I know I'm going to love dripping and will be doing primarily this instead of messing with cartridges. Especially since I rarely leave my home and don't need to worry about carrying around bottles, etc.; I just keep all of my PV supplies in a little Kaboodles case (about 3"x7") that fits right on my nightstand, or on my walker's little "carrying shelf" when I'm moving around the house. (I've got the Joye PCC from cignot.com for when I do get to leave the house.)

The problems I came across so far with dripping are addressed in this thread; I came here to ask what I'm doing wrong and/or how to work it better, but it seems my questions are being answered already. Great thread!

I think this is only my second post, so I can't include links or photos yet. Anyone who's interested in drip tips that are a small fraction of the cost of others I've seen so far, go to cignot.com, then Accessories > Joye > 510 / eGo Cartridges.

Oh, before I post, I do have one question... sometimes I read to blow through one end of the atty to clear it, other times I read to blow through the other end. (Bridge vs. threaded end.) Is one more effective, or more harmful, than the other?
 

quasimod

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Hi Katatawnic, and thanks, glad it's been helpful.

I've read that if you blow in the cartridge end, it's possible to plug up the little air holes with gunk. That's why people advise blowing into the threaded end. I've never had one plug up, though. I usually blow a little from the cart end first, wipe the threads, then blow into the threaded end. I have no good reason for doing it that way, it just seems to work well and it's become a habit. I also blow both directions when cleaning attys with hot water.
 

quasimod

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You're right, jj2! I only mentioned the T-Tip. That may have been the only thing available then, it's hard to remember. It could use more/better photos, too. I ran into the image number limit for a free account at Flickr, and I've been meaning to find a better alternative. Flickr allows batch uploads, but forces you to download your images ONE BY ONE! Argh! Between the Flickr nonsense, the fact that I'm usually thumb-typing on this stupid phone, and my intrinsic laziness and apathy, I just haven't made time to do it. I'll be busy all week driving from MO to WA then back to IN, but I might do it this weekend.

I can only edit the version I have on my ECF blog, a mod will have to replace the other version if they think the update is worth it.
 

jj2

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You're right, jj2! I only mentioned the T-Tip. That may have been the only thing available then, it's hard to remember. It could use more/better photos, too. I ran into the image number limit for a free account at Flickr, and I've been meaning to find a better alternative. Flickr allows batch uploads, but forces you to download your images ONE BY ONE! Argh! Between the Flickr nonsense, the fact that I'm usually thumb-typing on this stupid phone, and my intrinsic laziness and apathy, I just haven't made time to do it. I'll be busy all week driving from MO to WA then back to IN, but I might do it this weekend.

I can only edit the version I have on my ECF blog, a mod will have to replace the other version if they think the update is worth it.

I'm sure if you ask a mod, they will make it happen---otherwise you'll just have to bug Angus.:D
 

debb

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I wrote this because I found myself explaining it a few times... If you run into a term you don't understand, look to see if it has a faint dotted underline. If it does, then hover your cursor over the word and an explanation will pop up.

OK, so you've got your new e-cig and everything is great, except... refilling all of those cartridges is such a pain! You vape so often, the regular Fluval filling can't keep up with you. Besides, every time you look at that cotton-y looking stuff, it feels like a hair is in the back of your throat (ack, thhp!) You've tried the cartridge mods, but nothing seems to work for you. You don't like fiddling around with stuff like that, anyway. It's like having a part-time job, except that it doesn't pay anything!

Here's ONE answer to your problem: Direct Dripping. Notice I wrote "dripping", and not "dipping" (a seperate but related topic). Direct Dripping, or just "dripping", is when you drip juice directly onto the bridge of your atomizer, instead of relying on the cartridge filler to do that for you.

SEALED BATTERY:

First, make sure your PV has a "sealed battery". That means there is no hole in the end that the atomizer screws onto.
4311536759_3ec47fd31e_o.jpg

[ Image blatantly stolen from DDBV while he so graciously wasn't looking ]

Liquid can leak into an unsealed battery through that hole, and ruin the battery. Note that we're talking about the battery here, not the atomizer.

No hole? Great! Let's continue:

Take one of your cartridges and remove the filler. That's the stuff that looks like cotton. Throw that mess in the trash. You won't be needing it anymore.

Now, open a bottle of your favorite juice, and drip a couple of drops onto the bridge of the atomizer. That's the thing inside that looks like an arch covered in very fine steel mesh (It's actually nickle foam). If it's dry, you will need to prime it with 3 or 4 drops. Afterwards, it will take 2 or 3 drops, depending on the atty. Start with 2, and adjust from there.

Replace your empty cartridge, and vape (if you have an 801 style cartridge, pop the white reservoir off, you don't need it). You'll get several good vapes before you have to drip again. That's all there is to the basic process of dripping!

Now, let's get into the details:

FLOODING:

If you hear a pronounced gurgling sound while vaping, and you're not getting much vapor, then the atty is flooded. There is a small heating element in the bottom of the atty, underneath the bridge. If it's drowning in liquid, it can't get hot enough to make vapor. Remove the atty, and blow the excess liquid into a paper towel. You should blow into the large hole, and the liquid will come out of the small hole on the threaded end. Keep blowing until very little liquid comes out. Wipe it clean, and don't forget the threads. Replace the atty, and try again. You may actually need another drop of liquid at this point, but try it first.

BURNT TASTE:

If it starts to taste burnt, the atty is too dry. It needs more juice, so give it another drop or two. You can avoid this foul burnt taste most of the time by paying attention, and learning how your atty behaves. Try to remember what it vaped like just before it started to taste burnt. Likely, there was a lot of vapor, but very little taste or "throat hit". Next time it vapes that way, give it one or two drops before it runs dry.

CARTRIDGE MOD for DRIPPING:

This is unnecessary, but will save you a lot of aggravation from removing/replacing the mouthpiece each time you want to drip. A lot of people just "tailpipe", or suck directly on the atomizer. The 801 style is more suitable for tailpiping, because it is longer and doesn't get as hot where your lips touch. This mod doesn't work on "whistle tip" style cartridges. Because the tip is so narrow, it's hard to drip through.

1) Remove filler.

2) Shave a mm or so off the atomizer end, so no worries about melting.

3) Remove the inserts from the mouth end. These are the two small plastic disks with holes in them, and they are in the end you place in your mouth. You can lever them out with tweezers, a bent wire, or you can screw a sheet metal screw into the hole and pop them out.

4) Cut or drill out the bottom of the reservoir (you can hold the cartridge with pliers to keep from cutting yourself). The reservoir is the part that held the juice and the filler. Make sure to get all the little plastic pieces, or shavings cleaned out. What you wind up with is a (mostly) empty tube without anything to obstruct the juice drops from falling directly onto the bridge. If you look through it from one end, it will look something like this, depending on the style of cart:

4312202222_986454d981_m.jpg


It needs to be cleaned every now and then, but that's the only time it needs to be removed.

CARTOMIZERS:

You can drip with a carto as easily as you can drip with an atomizer! Perhaps more so, since you can go longer between drips, and just "top off" with 4 or 5 drops every now and then. You can leave the end-caps off, and be sure to drip at an angle so the liquid doesn't drop into the hole in the center of the cartomizer.

The thin metal that cartomizers are made of heats up very quickly, and can get uncomfortably warm on your lips. You can cut a large hole in the bottom of one of the rubber end-caps (or "condoms") that the cartos come packaged in, and put it on the end to protect your lips from the heat. If you find that liquid gets in your mouth, or the vapor is too warm, you can take the rubber grip off of an ink pen and use that as a mouthpiece. The extra distance should solve (the majority of) both problems.

Later, if you decide you like a 3-piece PV better, don't throw those used cartos away! They are a great back-up system for the day you burn out the very last atomizer in the house.

ATOMIZER MOD
If you have problems with carts that don't fit your 901 very snugly (they are probably 510 carts), just get something like these Kobalt 8" long-nosed pliers from Lowe's:

4309283534_64c85f2248_o.jpg


Put the very end, just a mm or so, of the cart end of your 901 atomizer into that circular void by the cutting blades. Squeeze very gently until you see the tiniest bit of flex in the metal. You're not trying to make a visible change to the atomizer, here, just flex the metal a bit.

Now give the atty a 1/4 turn or so, and do it again.

Test.

After doing this, my carts fit almost too tightly, but that's perfect for dripping. There should be no visible sign that you have done anything to the atty.

T-Tip
Alternately, you can buy one of these machined brass T-Tips, designed to for dripping, from Super T Manufacturing.

4311676475_8e1b3c1a5f_o.jpg


There are also various other devices, like the grip portion of certain ink pens, that can be put over an atty and function as a mouthpiece.

Also, I have one of [these] on order from JC. I think they will make dripping even handier, since you won't have to mess around with screwing and unscrewing a bottle cap. Just whip this puppy out of your pocket, squeeze a drop into your atty, and vape! That's my theory, anyway. I'll edit this post after they are delivered if they don't work.

10_115_large.jpg


EDIT: Wow, they've selected my post to be in the new ECF Library! I guess all future edits will be to that post, instead of this one. I linked to your post from within that post, anim8or.

what are the red things...bottles?
 
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