Boiling cotton wicks before use

[jclay1192]

I've heard that boiling your cotton before you use it helps the "wick". But in a GRIMMGREEN video, I had heard him say he doesn't even bother boiling it and his wicks work fine. Since he's kinda on the, "vape god" level, i'm leaning toward no boiling.

 

[Kirkwood]

I use organic and don't boil it. I have read that boiling makes it a little bit fluffier. Personally, I think it's pretty fluffy out of the bag

 

[jclay1192]

I use organic and don't boil it. I have read that boiling makes it a little bit fluffier. Personally, I think it's pretty fluffy out of the bag

eww.. no boiling for me then.. i need it to stay as "together" as possible..cotton loves to unwind..

 

[Kirkwood]

And to add, I have never had any strange tastes from the cotton itself, if I did I would boil.

 

[glasseye]

I boil the cotton yarn from Walmart and will continue to. Why? It's unwrapped on the shelves and it came from Walmart. lol

 

[JayEatsAirplane]

I boil the cotton yarn from Walmart and will continue to. Why? It's unwrapped on the shelves and it came from Walmart. lol

^This! lol

Anyways, if you use organic sterile cotton there should be no need to boil it beforehand. Just tear, roll and insert into your coil and you're set!

 

[talbrecht]

I think the point of boiling is to remove whatever the mfg. used to whiten the cotton. I purchased some organic cotton balls and some cotton yarn and both were processed using hydrogen peroxide. I boiled mine but I don't think that if I hadn't it would either hurt me or that I can taste it with my 30+ year smoking taste buds!!!! Glasseye has a point about the yarn being exposed to whatever elements are in the store.

 

[cocacola31173]

I went ahead and boiled mine for about 15 min rinsed it and boiled it for another 10. It wasn't a big deal, dried overnight and I have a ziplock baggy full that will probably last me for a good long while.

Boiling it does make it more compact and I have no trouble. It will lose it shape but you only have to tear a little bitty bit for your wick.

 

[crxess]

I have this thought on Cotton.

Sterile Cotton balls - Why boil if it is already processed

Cotton/Hemp Yarns - Sold open and exposed - Boil for safety against contaminants

 

[thereklis1]

Ok guys...I have a Nimbus rda and I'm interested in using cotton as well as a wick. Is this suggested? Can I feed the coils through the cotton?

If a wick is the way to go what do you recommend for material?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

[glasseye]

Ok guys...I have a Nimbus RDA and I'm interested in using cotton as well as a wick. Is this suggested? Can I feed the coils through the cotton?

If a wick is the way to go what do you recommend for material?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

I make some coils on a 3/32" stainless steel TIG rod (it can be torched on the rod too. bonus) and a whole strand of the Walmart Peaches and Cream cotton yarn fits through beautifully. Not too loose, not too tight. I do use a bed of fluffy not-yarn cotton too, holds more liquid and it prevents accidental coil to rda metal contact.

 

[thereklis1]

I make some coils on a 3/32" stainless steel TIG rod (it can be torched on the rod too. bonus) and a whole strand of the Walmart Peaches and Cream cotton yarn fits through beautifully. Not too loose, not too tight. I do use a bed of fluffy not-yarn cotton too, holds more liquid and it prevents accidental coil to rda metal contact.

You mentioned torched. What does that do in terms of the coil exactly? Just curious since I've seen that people do that and some don't. What are the benefits?

Thanks!

 

[searcher]

Cotton shrinks. When I first got my P&C from Walmart I boiled it and it came out slightly larger than sewing thread. Since then I just use it straight off the ball and have had no problems. As a bonus it is the perfect size for a coil wrapped on a 2 mm screw.

 

[DasBluCig]

You mentioned torched. What does that do in terms of the coil exactly? Just curious since I've seen that people do that and some don't. What are the benefits?

Thanks!

Torching kanthal wire removes a lot of the "springiness" and allows for tighter coil wraps.....
Torching the coil - after winding - can help compress turns that may have spread during the build...
Personally, I torch ~12" of kanthal with a butane lighter PRIOR to winding....I use a home-made jig that keeps the coil wraps really tight, so I don't need to "adjust" after a build....
Re: Peaches & Cream yarn.... it just WORKS!! You can NOT dry-burn it, like silica, but it wicks great and (at least to MY taste buds) doesn't impart a "flavor" of its own...I do NOT boil it --- some do, some don't --- and have never had problems (I use the pure WHITE variety)....
Happy (vaping) Trails!

 

[stryfox]

I am new to cotton for wicks, Just recently wicked my new kayfun with cotton and liked it. I just today wicked my protank2 and two davide tanks with cotton and one cotton flavor wick. Basically I just went and grabbed a cotton ball from the wives makeup are and used it. I wish I had done this sooner. Just remember to not!!!!! dry burn cotton!
I honestly believe cotton is a better wick material than silica. I am also convinced I will not go back to silica. I am convinced manufactures know this too but can not wick with cotton because it will burn when not wet.
I find it funny that most of us smoked cigarettes for years dropping them on the ground and stuff and didn't think twice about picking them up and putting them in our mouths yet many feel the need to boil cotton to make sure it is clean. lol

 

[glasseye]

You mentioned torched. What does that do in terms of the coil exactly? Just curious since I've seen that people do that and some don't. What are the benefits?

Thanks!

Torching kanthal wire removes a lot of the "springiness" and allows for tighter coil wraps.....
Torching the coil - after winding - can help compress turns that may have spread during the build...
Personally, I torch ~12" of kanthal with a butane lighter PRIOR to winding....I use a home-made jig that keeps the coil wraps really tight, so I don't need to "adjust" after a build....
Re: Peaches & Cream yarn.... it just WORKS!! You can NOT dry-burn it, like silica, but it wicks great and (at least to MY taste buds) doesn't impart a "flavor" of its own...I do NOT boil it --- some do, some don't --- and have never had problems (I use the pure WHITE variety)....
Happy (vaping) Trails!

This^. Torching the wire anneals it and makes it softer and easier to use. Everything you do after work-hardens the wire. I guess you wouldn't need to do it but I think it makes it easier.

 

[vansslipon]

Whenever I try to use cotton balls as a wick on RDA I get a strange flavor... Like a burning cotton even @ 1 Ohm+... Altho I try to get my wicks as wet as possible. What Im doing wrong?

 

[dsl324]

Not a boiler here either. Just use sterile cotton balls.

 

[dsl324]

Whenever I try to use cotton balls as a wick on RDA I get a strange flavor... Like a burning cotton even @ 1 Ohm+... Altho I try to get my wicks as wet as possible. What Im doing wrong?

Sometimes I notice something like that when I put in a fresh battery but then the flavor seems to go back to normal as I continue to use it.

 

[Mark Anthony]

Like a few others here... I use organic and never boil it. great flavor and nice clouds......