Well that's disturbing. Thinking I'll be switching out the sterile for organic. You'd like to think the sterile cotton being medical grade wouldn't be allowed to contain any sort of residual chemicals, but better safe than sorry.
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Organic is the way to go. Sterile just means they have been taken to a high enough temperature to kill germs.
Do you boil your organic cotton or just use it right out of the bag?
I haven't settled on an atomizer to re-build yet. Still doing research, which led me to the horrors of commercial cotton as a wick material- don't want to vape formaldehyde or pesticides. Organic non-dyed seems safe.
Thanks for the info on the cotton. Going to pick up some organic tomorrow.
Getting a little off topic, but depending on your budget, I've had good luck with the Trident, Nimbus, and IGO rebuildables. Each one hits a different price point from high -> low.
Hmm I'm wondering the same thing. Do any of you guys boil the organic cotton balls? vaping the hydrogen peroxide doesnt sound good at all... also for those who use the Peaches and Creme white cotton from walmart do you boil those? looking forward to picking up 1 of the 2 this weekend would like some insights on that. Thanks.
Some do. I don't, but then I like to live dangerously.
I used to inhale smelly burning carcinogens for enjoyment, and now I merely put a discharging semi-explosive li-on battery into my mouth at face level and inhale a multitude of unknown chemical ingredients which, to be fair, smell less foul but which are no more listed on the ingredient label than the deadly toxins contained in my previous vice.
Seriously I have not had any problem with not boiling the P&C cotton yarn. When you look at "toxicity" and "danger" in this vice, everything is relative, no?
That's true, but there's a reason I use mechanical mods that have properly insulated switches, batteries with safe chemistry and a much higher C rating than I need, and it's why I research what juice makers put in their juice as much as possible before I buy and then I stick with the ones I trust.
Of course it's not completely safe, but there is nothing wrong with trying to do things as safely as possible.
So far I have heard everything from "cotton balls/yarn are bleached with hydrogen peroxide" to "they contain pesticides from the growing process" to everything in between. While boiling may remove some added coloring if there was any added to begin with, it will do nothing about pesticides, and nothing about chemical bleach baths which are added in a pressurized process at a much higher temperature than boiling. Unfortunately the only way to get rid of the bleaching chemicals and pesticides from an organic substance once exposed is to peel the outer covering off. Not a feasible option with processed cotton materials.
One example study:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2112767/How-pesticides-persist-wash-fruit-veg.html
Now if someone is just made more comfortable with vaping something that hasn't possibly been touched by another shopper and could possibly have their germs on it, that is understandable. Boil away if it makes you feel good. Or just vape it on the several hundred degree coil system that will kill any and all bacteria that might be on a thread. Statistically speaking you are probably "safe" either way.
As far as it making a difference in "taste" in a vape, I know it doesn't for the P&C yarn. Also doesn't for regular old run of the mill Wal-Mart/CVS bought cotton balls. For organics and such, though, it might but I have not tried it.
One example study:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2112767/How-pesticides-persist-wash-fruit-veg.html
Now if someone is just made more comfortable with vaping something that hasn't possibly been touched by another shopper and could possibly have their germs on it, that is understandable. Boil away if it makes you feel good. Or just vape it on the several hundred degree coil system that will kill any and all bacteria that might be on a thread. Statistically speaking you are probably "safe" either way.
As far as it making a difference in "taste" in a vape, I know it doesn't for the P&C yarn. Also doesn't for regular old run of the mill Wal-Mart/CVS bought cotton balls. For organics and such, though, it might but I have not tried it.
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call me crazy, but HOW did you manage to burn t a cotton ball with a lighter, without burning your hand and house down???
I use 100% pure cotton form Walmart. Once I get the cotton though the coil, I'll tuck the end(outside of the well) underneath the coil and the harsh/burnt taste is gone. I've leaned this from rip trippers video on the Agro coil...no boiling and wicks like a dream.
The cotton I'm using is "White Cloud" 100% pure cotton. I've heard that if it's pure, there is no need for boiling, so I make sure that everything is firing properly before I put my cotton in, soak it in my choice of e-liquid and boom-bam! Wicks a lot faster than silica from what I did in the past and the flavor is greater as well.
Take it how it is..If boiling seems good, do it, but from what I've been reading and doing some research on the cotton you bought(100% pure) I don't see the point if it is pure cotton IMHO.
The cotton I'm using is "White Cloud" 100% pure cotton. I've heard that if it's pure, there is no need for boiling, so I make sure that everything is firing properly before I put my cotton in, soak it in my choice of e-liquid and boom-bam! Wicks a lot faster than silica from what I did in the past and the flavor is greater as well.
Take it how it is..If boiling seems good, do it, but from what I've been reading and doing some research on the cotton you bought(100% pure) I don't see the point if it is pure cotton IMHO.
I purchased a bag of Maxim Hygiene Organic Cotton Balls.
Description: "Use your Maxim Organic Cotton Balls any way you please because they are Chlorine/Dioxin, Pesticide and Herbicide free! Maxim's 100% Organic Cotton Balls are Eco-Friendly and entirely Biodegradable because they're made with non-chlorine bleached pure organic cotton as opposed to most other brands which use a blend of synthetic fibers "Rayon" bleached with chlorine".
I guess they're bleached with hydrogen peroxide though. Not sure if I should boil before or not.
Description: "Use your Maxim Organic Cotton Balls any way you please because they are Chlorine/Dioxin, Pesticide and Herbicide free! Maxim's 100% Organic Cotton Balls are Eco-Friendly and entirely Biodegradable because they're made with non-chlorine bleached pure organic cotton as opposed to most other brands which use a blend of synthetic fibers "Rayon" bleached with chlorine".
I guess they're bleached with hydrogen peroxide though. Not sure if I should boil before or not.
I'm picking up some from target today for use in my RBA's that should be in tomorrow! 
Going to wrap some protanks today to get the hang of it... and I'm anxious to get going on the RBA!
Going to wrap some protanks today to get the hang of it... and I'm anxious to get going on the RBA!
I get them from the local CVS: My wife's part of the bathroom. Wish she carried protanks.
Yeah, I checked that department. She was fresh out. I don't think those cotton face pads would work quite as well... hehe
What's wrong with hydrogen peroxide? I would think that's a good thing. H2O2 (hydrogen and water) should sterilize and leave absolutely nothing behind that can harm you (which is why you put in on cuts).
I don't boil and I would use organic if I could find it in Fairbanks. My wicks work fine and taste great. BTW hydrogen peroxide is a component of rocket fuel.
Hydrogen peroxide is a very strong oxidizer. I built circuit boards for a living, and among the many chemicals we used, 35% hydrogen peroxide was one of them. I used to conduct safety training with new employees by putting a cotton ball in a glass lab beaker. Add 2-3 drops of 35% hydrogen peroxide, and watch the smoke show...
I am researching stuff lately as I want to build my own wicks.
I'm sorry, but to all the "I use xxyy and it works fine" on all forums everywhere, that doesn't mean squat. Analog cigarettes work fine too until you get a tumor years later. What we really want to know is, how safe it is and what we can do to make it more safe.
From what I've found, no one knows.
Is organic cotton safer than sterile cotton?
Probably so
Is there anything left over in organic cotton?
We speculate stabilizing agents, stuff from machines, and possibly H202.
Is H202 harmful if inhaled?
Definitely.
Is there any H202 left?
It supposedly it turns to hydrogen and water once exposed to light and air, but I can't find anything that says it does so completely. Still looking into it.
Is something OK to inhale just because it is OK to rub on a cut?
Hell no. What is this logic? Would you smoke Mercurochrome?
Will boiling get rid of left over stuff in the cotton?
I haven't found a shred of evidence of this. I will probably boil in distilled water just because it 'might' help. But who is to say what evaporates, gets left behind, or dissolves... Different materials have different boiling points, densities, ability to dissolve, etc. People _speculate_ this helps and I agree, but am also _speculating_.
Will boiling add more stuff to already clean stuff?
Yes. Especially with unpure water and unclean containers. All you have to do is unscrew the head of your faucet on your sink and look at the calcium fluoride buildup. Or boil your water in a pot and look at the left overs. Common sense (and drug use) says your stomach and liver filter out things a hell of a lot better than your lungs do. I can't imagine the long term effects of inhaling vaporized fluoride, much less the rest of the crap in anyone's common water supply. I'd use distilled water and glass.
Do the last two points contradict each other?
Yep.
Is cotton safer than silica?
People seem to _think_ it is. I read at least one article where someone played amateur scientist and claimed particles were given off from the silica, but there doesn't seem to be good hard evidence. Cotton certainly seems easier to work with in my own opinion.
I'm sorry, but to all the "I use xxyy and it works fine" on all forums everywhere, that doesn't mean squat. Analog cigarettes work fine too until you get a tumor years later. What we really want to know is, how safe it is and what we can do to make it more safe.
From what I've found, no one knows.
Is organic cotton safer than sterile cotton?
Probably so
Is there anything left over in organic cotton?
We speculate stabilizing agents, stuff from machines, and possibly H202.
Is H202 harmful if inhaled?
Definitely.
Is there any H202 left?
It supposedly it turns to hydrogen and water once exposed to light and air, but I can't find anything that says it does so completely. Still looking into it.
Is something OK to inhale just because it is OK to rub on a cut?
Hell no. What is this logic? Would you smoke Mercurochrome?
Will boiling get rid of left over stuff in the cotton?
I haven't found a shred of evidence of this. I will probably boil in distilled water just because it 'might' help. But who is to say what evaporates, gets left behind, or dissolves... Different materials have different boiling points, densities, ability to dissolve, etc. People _speculate_ this helps and I agree, but am also _speculating_.
Will boiling add more stuff to already clean stuff?
Yes. Especially with unpure water and unclean containers. All you have to do is unscrew the head of your faucet on your sink and look at the calcium fluoride buildup. Or boil your water in a pot and look at the left overs. Common sense (and drug use) says your stomach and liver filter out things a hell of a lot better than your lungs do. I can't imagine the long term effects of inhaling vaporized fluoride, much less the rest of the crap in anyone's common water supply. I'd use distilled water and glass.
Do the last two points contradict each other?
Yep.
Is cotton safer than silica?
People seem to _think_ it is. I read at least one article where someone played amateur scientist and claimed particles were given off from the silica, but there doesn't seem to be good hard evidence. Cotton certainly seems easier to work with in my own opinion.
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