Boiling cotton wicks before use

[Asbestos4004]

+1 for cotton....balls or yarn. I haven't used anything else in months. I even use it in all my gennys. I boiled the first batch and my mind keeps telling me it tasted better. I keep meaning to boil again but I keep forgetting. Unboiled tastes and performs really well. I only use the yarn in my ithaka. Cotton balls for everything else. I never boiled the yarn. Something tells me that would make ita pain.

 

[MrStik]

Some people will get an off flavor while some won't. It is up to the individual. I boiled mine and got a cleaner flavor. So boiling works for me.

Also, FYI, sterile just means that no organisms live in that cotton.

 

[koski88]

I made the switch from silica to cotton and boy was that a good choice. The cotton is so much easier to use. As far as boiling it, I've never tried it and have also heard its not necessary. I buy sterile cotton balls so I don't see the need to. I know a lot of people use Lily's Sugar n Cream for wicks, now for that I would probably boil for the sole fact that it does not come sealed, its exposed, so it isn't sterile.

 

[Portertown]

I now use cotton for every rebuild in all devices I have. I use organic cotton balls from CVS, rolled sterile cotton from CVS and cotton yarn from Walmart (not sure of name of yarn as a friend bought a lot of it and gave a bag full to me). I boil all of it twice in DISTILLED WATER from the grocery store. If you use tap water all the chemicals used in treating the water will be left in your cotton along with the minerals from the water.
To me the cotton boiled in the distilled gives a cleaner taste and wicks great.

 

[Ch!pDasRipp3r]

I boil the peaches and cream from walmart 4 times, 20mins each.
1 for the taste
2 I don't know who touched it before me haha.
It's like 300yds for $1.46 haha. Enough for a lifetime.