Anybody use ispopropyl alcohol to clean coil heads?

[crunchie812]

I know the general recommendation is to use Everclear or vodka. I haven't had a drink of alcohol in 22 years, but I see no good reason to keep a bottle of potable liquor around for cleaning my gear if there is reasonable alternative. I just bought a bottle of 70% Isoppropyl alcohol for this purpose from the drugstore. It should be a better solvent than vodka at 140 proof, and it evaporates cleaner than ethyl alcohol. A water rinse should remove any unevaporated alcohol, not that there is much chance of harm from inhaling a miniscule amount of isopropyl. I currently dunk my minipro heads in near boiling water, then rinse in running hot water, which works reasonably well on the exposed wick but probably doesn't do jack for the portion inside the coil.

 

[Thrasher]

Iso is an old trick, just make sure to rinse it good.

The less additives the better as well some iso's add perfumes and crap that want to stick around nothing quite like a nice lemon undertone lol

 

[four2109]

I wouldn't advise buying liquor for vaping. It's not necessary.
I had some new in the package eroll coils that had some green corrosion from the "primer" they were packed in.
I rinsed in hot water, then soaked them in vinegar, then added baking soda. Like you do a drain. They came out looking like new.

Some have used to use efferdent, but I have never personally tried it. I suspect it's much the same.
Really, you may get by with a rinse, dry burn, and rinse. Won't hurt to try it. Things tend to get overdone around here.

 

[crunchie812]

Thrasher" data-source="post: 15608633" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">

Iso is an old trick, just make sure to rinse it good.

The less additives the better as well some iso's add perfumes and crap that want to stick around nothing quite like a nice lemon undertone lol

Thanks, good to know I'm not the crash test dummy. What I bought is just plain jane iso alcohol and water.

 

[crunchie812]

Things tend to get overdone around here.

Really? At least no one's told me about Kanthal and OCC! There is a finite amount of effort I'm willing to invest in a coil that I spent a dollar on buying bulk. Besides, I'm a sheet metal worker, not a jeweller

 

[kartoffelfaust]

Like you, I didn't want to add a bottle of vodka into a dry household.

I've used the 91% isopropyl in the past - dries cleaner than the lower % stuff. Works OK, depending on how fouled the coils were. After a few attempts, it really wasn't worth the effort, and the occasional funny taste.

I also tried vinegar - didn't do much but waste vinegar.

I eventually just transitioned to rebuilding - faster to make a new coil than to clean an old one.

 

[TheRac25]

iso is a decent solvent but the bitterant they put in it has a nasty taste even in the smallest amounts