Cotton Wicking Question... A simple one this time

[Keeferes]

So I finally made it to CVS and bought some cotton to start my experimenting rebuilding Kanger heads completely. The cotton I purchased is Organic Essentials 100% organic cotton. The back of the bag says whitened with hydrogen peroxide. My question is, do I need to boil this particular cotton first, or can I just start building? I put a couple photos here so ya'll can see exactly what I have. One of the front, and one of the back of the bag.



Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[ECURiley]

boil, always boil the cotton not matter what it says on the bag, all cotton farms use cemicals and the cotton always has it in it, boil it twice 15mins each time and you will be fine

 

[Bunnykiller]

H2O3 is naturally unstable it breaks down into O2 and 2 H2O ( thats why its in dark bottles at the store, to keep it from breaking down)

quite safe... in fact it may be "wrong" to boil it in tap water, could add all sorts of chemicals to the cotton. You will be reducing the water content of the pot when boiling and increasing the "natural" chemical contents of the water... Calcium Chloride, Iron Sulfate, Copper Sulfide, just to name a few...

 

[Bunnykiller]

boil, always boil the cotton not matter what it says on the bag, all cotton farms use cemicals and the cotton always has it in it, boil it twice 15mins each time and you will be fine

organically grown means without pesticides and fertilizers...

 

[Keeferes]

H2O3 is naturally unstable it breaks down into O2 and 2 H2O ( thats why its in dark bottles at the store, to keep it from breaking down)

quite safe... in fact it may be "wrong" to boil it in tap water, could add all sorts of chemicals to the cotton. You will be reducing the water content of the pot when boiling and increasing the "natural" chemical contents of the water... Calcium Chloride, Iron Sulfate, Copper Sulfide, just to name a few...

I would boil with distilled, but I totally get the chemistry point your making.

 

[UnclePsyko]

I don't boil cotton before using it for anything... so I don't bother with boiling when using such a miniscule amount for a wick. One ball yields dozens of wicks.
If you would feel comfortable boiling it first to ease your mind, why not.

 

[rob33]

I got a bag of that, says it's organic. Look on back says "whited with hydrogen peroxide" what's up with that!!! Never did get juice to taste right. Went to email the company and the domain is for sale.

 

[Keeferes]

I got a bag of that, says it's organic. Look on back says "whited with hydrogen peroxide" what's up with that!!! Never did get juice to taste right. Went to email the company and the domain is for sale.

What was the flavor issues you had? Similar to the muted silica, or did it change the flavors drastically? What did you brand did you change to and use instead?

 

[generic mutant]

organically grown means without pesticides and fertilizers...

Unfortunately it doesn't - there are many pesticides and fertilizers that are certified for organic use, and even non-certified chemicals can be used in certain situations and certain amounts (e.g. for certain diseases, at least with livestock - don't know about plants).

 

[Huckleberried]

What was the flavor issues you had? Similar to the muted silica, or did it change the flavors drastically? What did you brand did you change to and use instead?

You could also try "sterile" cotton, usually found in the first aid section. Or sugar and cream yarn found in hobby stores or peaches and cream from walmart.

 

[rob33]

What was the flavor issues you had? Similar to the muted silica, or did it change the flavors drastically? What did you brand did you change to and use instead?

It was something like inhaling around a blowing dryer vent, its real cotton, I never tried boiling. I just went back to the standard CVS sterile cotton balls

 

[Keeferes]

It was something like inhaling around a blowing dryer vent, its real cotton, I never tried boiling. I just went back to the standard CVS sterile cotton balls

Right on. Thanks.

Thanks everyone else for the input. Cottons cheap and I have tons of heads, so I'll try some each way suggested and see what I like best.

 

[UnclePsyko]

Right on. Thanks.

Thanks everyone else for the input. Cottons cheap and I have tons of heads, so I'll try some each way suggested and see what I like best.

That's the way to do it... Then you decide which is right for you.

keep us posted and tell us which you prefer.

 

[Ohms Lawbreaker]

I tried using some cotton I found in a bottle of Trader Joe's vitamins. In fact, I think this stuff is pharma grade, looks super clean and all fibers, longer fibers than in the balls. Tried it boiled and as is and I can't tell the difference except to say it works great either way, best I've found so far. And there was a big wad of it in there too.

 

[Huckleberried]

I tried using some cotton I found in a bottle of Trader Joe's vitamins. In fact, I think this stuff is pharma grade, looks super clean and all fibers, longer fibers than in the balls. Tried it boiled and as is and I can't tell the difference except to say it works great either way, best I've found so far. And there was a big wad of it in there too.

Hmm. Interesting. I work in a pharmacy. Granted I don't wanna vape pill dust, but many are film coated or have multiple pieces of cotton stuffed in the bottles. Still, kinda interesting.

 

[UnclePsyko]

I tried using some cotton I found in a bottle of Trader Joe's vitamins. In fact, I think this stuff is pharma grade, looks super clean and all fibers, longer fibers than in the balls. Tried it boiled and as is and I can't tell the difference except to say it works great either way, best I've found so far. And there was a big wad of it in there too.

In some cases, that's Rayon in there. It's made from cellulose in wood pulp and a few guys in a microcoil thread reported using it with success (after boiling to get residue from the pills out).

I've been meaning to try it myself... un-boiled of course, I could use the vitamins.

 

[Keeferes]

I'd prefer to find a solution that bypasses boiling. It's just one extra step, that I would rather save time skipping. I tattoo full time, I'm wrapping up a BA in computer Science and do that full time, plus the normal day to day things at home. The fastest route to satisfaction is what I am after, without dealing with the annoyances of crap quality control from manufacturers.

 

[Funk Dracula]

I use CVS sterile cotton.

I never boiled a cigarette .... before smoking one, so why start here? Cotton absorbs like a champ, though I find it can impart some flavor (super super subtle). I don't care how "pure" any given brand of cotton is, if you soak it, it's gonna smell/taste like cotton if ya pop it in your mouth. That's probably what I'm tasting ever so slightly compared to silica in the vapor; just the "soaked" cotton thing chillin' in the chamber of my RDA.

By making the wick short and efficient like in the pic I found below, that problem is eliminated for me, and nothing I've tried works better and easier than cotton. (I am going to try XC soon though, just to try it)

CVS sterile, break off a sliver, roll, thread, vape. Simple. Cheap. Yummy.

 

[happydave]

Ok so for anyone that is thinking that cotton MIGHT have some relatively toxic / hazardous chemicals in it, you would be correct.. pretty much any cotton you will find now days is a GMO product, because it just not cost effective to grow anything but GMO cotton...

Cotton is mostly a complex structural polysaccharide, better known as cellulose. that is not really toxic at all, unless you burn it, then the fumes are quite hazardous.
but none of that is what really concerns me. you see when cotton comes off the plant its about %95 cellulose. the other %5 is a combo of protein, ash, wax, sugar and organic acids... and the way they remove the other %5 is with a chemical cocktail of "selective solvents". and even then its only %99 percent cellulose. basically i THINK its going to be better in the long for your heath to vape cotton rather than smoke analog cigarettes. but i cant really say. cotton was never designed for vaping. its something the vaping people have re-purposed with a decent amount of success.. personally i will stick with amorphous silica. because amorphous silica is one chemical made from 2 elements, no risk of burning up and inhaling silica wick fumes in an e-cigarette and its not a GMO product.
(i am all about freedom of choice i am not saying GMO products are bad, They are just not for me.)

 

[generic mutant]

I'd prefer to find a solution that bypasses boiling. It's just one extra step, that I would rather save time skipping. I tattoo full time, I'm wrapping up a BA in computer Science and do that full time, plus the normal day to day things at home. The fastest route to satisfaction is what I am after, without dealing with the annoyances of crap quality control from manufacturers.

I take your point, but remember you can probably boil a 5 years' supply in an hour if you have a big saucepan.