Can you replace the cotton inside the cartridge instead of buying new cartridges?

[fredflintstone]

I've recently purchased some of the e-liquid and refilled some of the cartridges that didn't have much liquid left in them. After the cartridge has been refilled a number of times, it seems to drip liquid out, and the atomizer doesn't seem to stay as wet and doesn't produce a thick cloud of smoke. I'm aware of the hazards of liquid nicotine, and take care not to swallow it or leave it on my skin. It seems to be happening because the cotton is getting damaged or scrunched down inside the cartridge.

If I place an order it will cost money and I'll have to wait for the cartridges to arrive. It seems like a waste to buy new cartridges for $10 a package of a few of them, when the plastic case could be used forever, and all that you're really replacing is the cotton that holds the juice in place and keeps it from spilling out.

Is there a way to replace the cotton inside of a used cartridge? What type of cotton or other material would work best for this? Will it damage the atomizer? Is it safe as long as you're aware of the hazards of leaked e-juice? Have any of the experienced users on here tried doing this?

 

[Rikaroo]

Polyfill fibre from wally world. A bag big enough for a lifetime of vaping is el cheapo. Used for pillow stuffing and such.
do it all the time when i get some fresh new juicy juice in my mailbox. A gazillion youtube vids on procedure if needed with sweet little cart mod vids to that are ez. I like the half a straw method i saw here on the forums somewhere.

Vape away

 

[knobbysmoo]

Yep, you can either wash them, dry thoroughly and reuse or throw them out. To refill you can use a small amount of cotton batting (not flame resistant) found at any Walmart type store, or use fluval (I think it is called) which is a blue filter type material found at fish stores. There is also a tea bag method (http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/tips-tricks/30017-video-lipton-pyramid-tea-bag-mod.html). The other thing I do is remove the filler material, wash it and cut it in half and use only one half at a time (more room for juice) but it can be a bit messy.

 

[fredflintstone]

What department is Polyfill sold in at Wal Mart and what is it sold for? Cosmetics? Housewares? Sewing projects?

 

[WomanOfHeart]

Yes, you can clean and replace the filler inside the cartridge. The filler is usually polyfil, just like the kind you can buy at a hobby store. All you need to do to clean is pull it with a pair of tweezers and rinse it under some hot water. Squeeze it dry with a paper towel, fluff it out and you can reuse it. I found that most of the time, cartridges would arrive overstuffed, so I would take the filler out and cut it in about half, which will double the amount of filler that you have.

When you refill your cartridge, take the filler out and fill the cartridge until it's about half full. Put the filler in, making sure it's even with the top of the cartridge and drip more juice on it until the top looks a little slushy and you're done. Put it on the atomizer and vape your head off!

HTH!