Boiling Cartos

[maxx]

Since I started vaping, I have been tossing spent cartos and just buying more blanks. However, lately I figured I would try this cleaning and re-using. So I got my cartos boiling, and I am hovering over the steaming pot and inhaling. Vapor is vapor....right? Waste not want not...and it smells good. So I figure I might as well push it. I slice up some carrots and parsely...sprinkle salt and pepper....and drop in three bouillon cubes (chicken flavor). Cleaning carts and making some soup at the same time. Very tasty and quite the time saver....


Ummm.....




Before anyone comes in and corrects me.....I am just joking! I didn't actually do this.

But in reality, I am wondering about something. I removed the labels before boiling and cleaned off the glue. I found out earlier that these naked cartos look very cool on a chrome shorty when I peeled one to see what was underneath. When they are naked, they can be hard on the teeth and get hotter (that sound almost filthy if you think about it too much), but I use the "failed condom" method....use carto shipping condom with hole cut in...and they work and look great.

My question....do the labels survive boiling if I decide to leave my cartos clothed? How many boilings can they (cartos) take before you figure they have had enough and need to be tossed?

 

[Darrigaaz]

I have yet to boil my cartos.. I just turn on the tap on the hottest setting and the labels seem to stay on just fine. I've probably cleaned the carto I'm vaping on right now at least 20 times and it's still vaping like brand new.

 

[maxx]

Wow....20 times. Sturdy little buggers, these cartos....

 

[Darrigaaz]

And I didn't wash it every refill either, lol.. I've only been vaping a couple months, but have yet to have a carto actually die on me.

 

[Belletrist]

yup the labels stay on fine with boiling, though i tend to peel 'em off too, cause they do look cooler that way. steve needs to get some brushed metal label 'colored' carts in... the fastest way i've found to clean them involves a solvent that def doesn't belong in my mouth and i'm always paranoid i'm going to get it inside the cart.

 

[maxx]

Also found that Sharpie can write on the nude cartos and seems to be more permanent than on the labels even. Go figure...

 

[RatRacer]

That's what I use my left over zippo lighter fluid for. It does a number on adhesives and evaporates quickly.

 

[ceo51378]

Brake cleaner works like a champ too.

 

[maxx]

I used paint thinner....but was careful to see that none got inside. Alcohol and acetone didn't seem to cut the glue very well.

 

[lukemacneil]

I use a little dymo labeler, and those labels don't stick well after the carts have been boiled.. for what that's worth. Gotta cover them with a piece of tape.

 

[Defiantgroundhog]

Goo Gone works great and it smells good too. It's basically just orange oil so that orange glo cleaning stuff works about the same.

P.S. I used Everclear for the first time when washing out my Cartos last night. They are sooo pristine now. Vape great!!! Going to do this every 3 or 4 washes now.

 

[rpgman]

Goo Gone works great and it smells good too. It's basically just orange oil so that orange glo cleaning stuff works about the same.

P.S. I used Everclear for the first time when washing out my Cartos last night. They are sooo pristine now. Vape great!!! Going to do this every 3 or 4 washes now.

how did you use the everclear? Did you wask them out first or boil them first before using it?
Greg

 

[pianoguy]

I tried boiling some for the first time last weekend. I discovered that if you leave them in too long, the labels will get what looks like chew marks on them - I suspect it is just from the glue softening up.

I had a bunch of Cowboy cartos on the boil, and I told my wife it smelled like Cowboy soup.

 

[maxx]

Everclear is illegal in PA....so best I can do is 100 proof vodka.

 

[ETsmokinandvapin]

I boiled my used carts for the first time two days ago. Have a bit of trouble blowing some of them out dry. I blew and blew, then let them sit overnight. Some are still blowing out more water no matter how many times I blow into them.

Any tips for drying? Poured some alcohol in to help, is regular alcohol a no-no? (Not wanting to use my Grey Goose.......) Guess I should get some PGA if I go out today.

Also, tried filling a few that I thought were dry, and the juice just ran thru, wouldn't hold in the cart, maybe the batting was too far gone to reuse?

 

[pianoguy]

I used my air compressor to blow them out after washing, worked great.

 

[Defiantgroundhog]

how did you use the everclear? Did you wask them out first or boil them first before using it?
Greg

It was actually quite an involved process ... I'm sure most of it wasn't necessary

I boiled the water and rinsed the cartos out with it... I use a big medicine dropper to pull the water through. Then blew the water out of them. Then I took the Everclear and sucked it up into the dropper then pushed it into the carto. I did this to about ten of them and as I filled them with the Everclear I dropped them into a drinking glass. After they were all in the glass I poured more Everclear in the glass to just cover them. I let them sit like that for about 20 min. Then poured the extra Everclear out of the glass and poured boiling water in to almost the top. Weird reaction here... don't know if it was a chemical reaction or just the heat of the water. Lots of little bubbles came out of the battery end for quite awhile ... looked pretty neat. So yeah... rinsed them out with boiling water one more time at least .. can't remember. I used the dropper again to pull the water through. I was really paranoid about having an alcohol taste in the carts. Blew them out and set them batt side down .. after about 15 min blew them out again then fill.... LOVELY!!! I think they vape better then the blanks I get.. that's just me though.

I'm sure you can do a much shorter version of this.

 

[2Packsaday]

Do not boil the white end caps. I ruined about 30 of them. I have not found a substitute for a white end cap and have 30 carts sitting and waiting for a refill. Perhaps a condom with a hole may work, but I hope someone else has a better idea.

 

[Defiantgroundhog]

Do not boil the white end caps. I ruined about 30 of them. I have not found a substitute for a white end cap and have 30 carts sitting and waiting for a refill. Perhaps a condom with a hole may work, but I hope someone else has a better idea.

I don't technically boil any part of them... just pour boiling water in a bowl or something.... Or as Belle puts it "just off boiling water"

 

[simage]

for blowing the carts out without passing out dizzy I took an aerosol compressed air can with a straw then poke a hole in a condom glued it on now I have a cart blower it works mint...just hold the cart really good or it could shoot off and hurt someone..