ECF member BJ43 is credited with inventing a stainless steel mesh addition to an atomizer for dripping, in the form of a doughnut, which was then renamed 'the bonut' by the community.
What it is
Stainless steel pipe screen discs that are rolled into a tube, then formed into a ring. You can get two into a regular 510 atty and still insert a driptip.
Pros and cons
How
Take a stainless steel mesh pipe screen and roll it into a tight tube. Don't use brass screens.
Roll them on the warp or weft, not the bias. This means (all woven materials are the same) roll them parallel to the weave - square with the lines of 'thread'. Don't roll it diagonally, this is on the 'bias' (it squashes the tube).
Roll it once, then open it and roll it back again so the edge that was outside is now on the inside at the start of the roll. This way you get a tight roll. If one edge is especially spiky, make sure this ends up on the inside of the roll.
Form it into a donut shape gently, placing the outer edge with the spiky bits on the outside and therefore away from the atty coil. Cut off any obvious whiskers with small wirecutters.
Some people burn the finished item off, some don't (works fine if you don't). Rinse it for a few seconds in strong alcohol to get rid of any contaminant. Shake off (doesn't matter if it still has alcohol on, it adds to the experience) and press gently into the atty.
You'll find it forms a horseshoe shape, have the open end at one end of the bridge. This way if it's a bit spiky it doesn't stick into the coil underneath the bridge. Looking at the 'horseshoe' in a vertical position, with the two ends at the top as if it was a decorative horseshoe on a wall, the bridge looks like a vertical 'I' with the bottom end at the centre of the bottom of the horseshoe.
Press the next bonut down on top, with it reversed so the end is opposite.
It is only necessary to use two. Some get three in, but there is no point in crushing them as that defeats the object - they need to hold max liquid and wick it to the bridge.
There are probably many ways of using these but this method works. They can be used like this in drip-shield rigs and bottom feeders as well.
- In a dripper rig using a drip shield and adapter, you can start a new atty out with around 10 or more drops, and this illustrates the improvement in liquid capacity. You can raise the volts a bit to compensate for the cooling, then drop down as the liquid is used up.
- In a bottom feeder it just means squonks [2] are needed less often, and it's more tolerant of over-squonking.
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[1] Some people used to de-bridge the atty, as you could get a slightly hotter vape in the days before LR atomizers or VV, when 3.7 volts with SR atties was the norm and the vape was a little too much on the cool side (and going to 6v was too much for most vapers). Now, with LR atties or the ability to increase power slightly to get a stronger vape, leaving the bridge on is fine, and you can add mesh for even more liquid reserve. More mesh in there is now a bonus; way back when, it was a negative as it cooled the vape, and as you were stuck with 3.7 volts (or less) that was an issue at the time. It's irrelevant now.
[2] A 'squonk' is when you press the feeder bottle through the squonk hole, in a bottom feeder boxmod, so it squirts liquid up the tube to the atty
What it is
Stainless steel pipe screen discs that are rolled into a tube, then formed into a ring. You can get two into a regular 510 atty and still insert a driptip.
Pros and cons
- Advantages: drip 6 or 7 drops. Tastes and works exactly the same as a regular dripped atty. Nothing beats the vape from a dripped atty. (For de-bridging see [1].)
- Disadvantages: doesn't suit chain vapers who can't re-drip due to their job - they need a bottom feeder (to get the same vape as a dripped atty) or a carto tank (if you can get on with cartos, some can't) or a clearo, rba etc.
How
Take a stainless steel mesh pipe screen and roll it into a tight tube. Don't use brass screens.
Roll them on the warp or weft, not the bias. This means (all woven materials are the same) roll them parallel to the weave - square with the lines of 'thread'. Don't roll it diagonally, this is on the 'bias' (it squashes the tube).
Roll it once, then open it and roll it back again so the edge that was outside is now on the inside at the start of the roll. This way you get a tight roll. If one edge is especially spiky, make sure this ends up on the inside of the roll.
Form it into a donut shape gently, placing the outer edge with the spiky bits on the outside and therefore away from the atty coil. Cut off any obvious whiskers with small wirecutters.
Some people burn the finished item off, some don't (works fine if you don't). Rinse it for a few seconds in strong alcohol to get rid of any contaminant. Shake off (doesn't matter if it still has alcohol on, it adds to the experience) and press gently into the atty.
You'll find it forms a horseshoe shape, have the open end at one end of the bridge. This way if it's a bit spiky it doesn't stick into the coil underneath the bridge. Looking at the 'horseshoe' in a vertical position, with the two ends at the top as if it was a decorative horseshoe on a wall, the bridge looks like a vertical 'I' with the bottom end at the centre of the bottom of the horseshoe.
Press the next bonut down on top, with it reversed so the end is opposite.
It is only necessary to use two. Some get three in, but there is no point in crushing them as that defeats the object - they need to hold max liquid and wick it to the bridge.
There are probably many ways of using these but this method works. They can be used like this in drip-shield rigs and bottom feeders as well.
- In a dripper rig using a drip shield and adapter, you can start a new atty out with around 10 or more drops, and this illustrates the improvement in liquid capacity. You can raise the volts a bit to compensate for the cooling, then drop down as the liquid is used up.
- In a bottom feeder it just means squonks [2] are needed less often, and it's more tolerant of over-squonking.
-----------------
[1] Some people used to de-bridge the atty, as you could get a slightly hotter vape in the days before LR atomizers or VV, when 3.7 volts with SR atties was the norm and the vape was a little too much on the cool side (and going to 6v was too much for most vapers). Now, with LR atties or the ability to increase power slightly to get a stronger vape, leaving the bridge on is fine, and you can add mesh for even more liquid reserve. More mesh in there is now a bonus; way back when, it was a negative as it cooled the vape, and as you were stuck with 3.7 volts (or less) that was an issue at the time. It's irrelevant now.
[2] A 'squonk' is when you press the feeder bottle through the squonk hole, in a bottom feeder boxmod, so it squirts liquid up the tube to the atty
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