And now my personal observations; hope they help:
1. Every atty is different and has its own 'personality', so how to drip it 'perfectly' will depend on 'discovering' it. Nevertheless, we may consider certain generalities:
1 bis. The size of the drop considered 'average' may substantially vary, and wattage; liquid's consistency, and every other circumstance will translate into different atty's needs... This together with "1" will determine the right vaping-dripping rythm;
2. Holding your PV in a horizontal position (so that liquid wont 'pool' into the cup which will cause flooding...), and
giving it a rest between drags (as for the coil to complete the correct cooling off - heating intervals procedure...) will definitely make for a better dripping experience. Furthermore, this MAY very well be THE KEY to avoid the MAIN difficulties that may result from the direct-dripping experience.
3. Once the atty is fully primed it may take anywhere from 2 to four 'average' drops (on the rather 'smallish' side...). You should drip one drop and let it soak in (5 secs) and so on... Bear in mind that as you vape, liquid will make its way into the ceramic cup and if you 'rush' it, so to speak, when you re-drip then maybe you may end up flooding... So if you vape-hard and fast: drip less each time!
Once you get the 'feel' of your atty this all will have become second nature by then... And you will 'know'... However this process is a bit tricky, especially with LR 510s which for some reason seem to be moody when it comes to liquid...
The key is to be aware of the right amount to have your atty on that 'sweet spot' where it is neither with too much liquid nor running dry. From the circumstances the OP and others here have described it sounds as if you are having problems after priming, because you are obiously taken for granted the fact your atty has plenty of liquid but needs some time as to process it... This is a very natural problem to new-drippers... "My atty is working GREAT... Now its asking for more liquid... Now, wait! Its flooded...HOW come????"
Some coils are sometimes too displaced from the center cup air-intake and this may also make atties likely to leak...
The most common dripping problems ARE:
1. Leaking. This happens when too much liquid is dripped and it drains down the atty's thread, and as mentioned, it is common to missjudge this... The coil displacement or inconsistent atties may be the cause as well. Also: Maybe you broke your mesh or messed with the atty when modding it, or others...
2. Flooding. This happens when the juice in the cup is totally 'pooling' and thus resulting in more than can be processed by the coil... It may feel like your atty is thirsty which may make the beginner add even more juice... The typical symptom of this is a 'harsh' TH with a very low vapor production... Or a low quality in vapor production, depending on how seriously flooded you are... A bit of flooding may occur naturally and translate into simply a 'wet vape' which may even be appreciated as the standard...
3. Clogging. It happens when liquid floods or simply runs through the center-cup-hole interrupting the air passage.
4. Saturation. This happens when your mesh and/or wick are super full of liquid and just 'cannot take it anymore'. Their capacity to retain and dispense liquid has been virtually interrupted. This is also typical in a 'RUSHED' atty if you are a newbie.
Bear in mind that until you are experienced, a bit of any of those might occur and you will have to be content with getting an 'average' vape. Also, if you have a LR atty or High Watts set up, you may wanna keep your atty on the wet side without 'rushing' your dipping rythm. Oh! If it floods DO NOT blow it and simply give your atty a quick hard down-shake or two as to let the right amount of liquid drain, so you dont have to re-prime completely, avoinding this hassle every time, and also so that you get to save liquid.
Thats it!
PS: Sorry for any typos but its late and dont feel like correcting...
EDIT: The 306 LR is perfect for dripping, as mentioned, though CISCO's may be a bit of a PITA to break in... At least the only one I tried, but from what I hear this may be common... However is not that terrible; just that the rest of 306 LR do not need any break-in period and are great out-of-the-box. Same thing about IKV's atties... Then again I have only tried just one. But, on the other hand, both CISCO and IKVs are PERFECT performing-wise. They were brought to me by an american friend who told me I would love them, and I AM loving them so far! Will order many more soon......!
OH! And last but not least: inhaling through you unit without powering it may be good as to make the liquid back to the cup and avoid leaking and clogging and re-using it. But, you should be careful as you may force liquid out of the mesh or wicking fibers down the coil and you will end up creating a worse of a problem than that you were trying to prevent from happening...!
