Difference between SS mesh and Silica?

[ogtlin]

Moderators, sorry if this is in the wrong section! I don't think I have enough posts to post elsewhere lol.

I was wondering what the main difference was between ss mesh and silica. I made a couple mesh wicks and then lost the rest of my sheet . Before I bought more mesh, I wanted to know what the difference was between the two!

Also, how do you guys re-wick wicks? I tried changing them on both my iClear30's and Protank heads, and ended up throwing the heads away because I couldn't get the wicks through the hole.

 

[sixsix]

I've rewicked Protanks with mesh before, just have to roll it super tight.

I like mesh a lot better than Silica because it's low maintenance and lasts a lot longer without tasting burnt.

 

[Dezz]

I'm with sixsix, I've rebuilt all my protank heads with ss mesh. I love the longevity of ss and I get a nice clear flavor of my juices. I've now moved onto genesis atomizers. I got tired of burning silica and I find it more difficult to work with. Ss has its learning curve as well, but a better payoff imo.

 

[ogtlin]

sorry, I meant how do you rewick with the cotton or silica wicks. My first ss wicks turned out alright, though I cheated a little by putting a little cotton on the tips of them for my genny. I've wanted to rebuilt my protank heads with ss, but I lost the rest of my mesh lol

 

[Dezz]

I have never tried rebuilding the iclear 30 but maybe I'll give that a try to be able to give a more educated answer. As far as the protank, the main thing I found is making sure the wick is tight enough to fit into the slot, bit also thick enough so the cap you press down, sits on top of the wick to keep the head from floods. Since rebuilding this way, I never had a flood in the protank and no dry hits. I always made sure I could fit a sewing needle through the hole of the wick.
Another thing I tried was "fraying" the ends of the wick that stuck out when I did have issues with dry hits. Guess I should have put that up above.

 

[Dezz]

Gotcha, I used cotton a few times but I had issues with burning, so I'm the wrong person to ask on that. I had more issues trying to rebuild the protank on cotton. I did do some cotton rebuilds on the vivi nova that worked nicely, although they didn't last version long. Probably my coils are to blame.

 

[Dezz]

If you want some cheap ss, the eBay seller I get mine from is running a buy 2 get 1 free on 6"x6" sheets which runs $12.98. Let me find the name.

 

[Dezz]

owfb is their name. 400 count mesh. It's all I use and love it.

 

[ogtlin]

If you want some cheap ss, the eBay seller I get mine from is running a buy 2 get 1 free on 6"x6" sheets which runs $12.98. Let me find the name.

Cool, thanks!
As with the iclears, I took out the wicks to wash and replace, but they kept fraying. Threading with a needle totally makes sense though!

 

[LakeshoreLady]

Stupid question
When you say wicks, you are referring to the cotton looking strands you see hanging down from the gear and into the juice, right?
If so, when people talk of mesh, they mean replacing those?

 

[Dezz]

I had the hardest time using a needle to help me wrap a coil. If you wrap a coil on a small drill bit, then hook some spare wire around a loop in the wick, you can pull the wick through the coil relatively easy and get minimal fraying.

 

[ogtlin]

Stupid question
When you say wicks, you are referring to the cotton looking strands you see hanging down from the gear and into the juice, right?
If so, when people talk of mesh, they mean replacing those?

I assumed both were considered wicks. I was wondering how people replace the cotton looking strands that hang down into the juice.

For the protank and rba, I wanted to know why people choose either SS mesh or Silica. Sorry for the confusion

 

[LakeshoreLady]

Og
I shouldn't have written my post in 2nd person. My bad, you're alright.
I was just trying to figure out if they are the same thing in that they perform the same function
I'm a super noob when it comes to all the fancy stuff here - just need a cape so I stand out better

 

[LaYz_1]

LakeshoreLady, If you get a cape, I want one too, I have NO idea what they mean by wick and silica, but I would love to learn.... Going to continue on with my research!!!!

 

[Dezz]

Wicks all have the same function, just different materials. Stainless steel mesh, cotton, silica. Generally when you buy a tank it has silica (most of the time). Even cartomizers have a filler material that wicks the juice to the heating coil.

 

[Dezz]

Lakeshore, missed your comment. Yes the wicks are the strands hanging down. But no, referring to mesh means using stainless steel mesh as a wick.

 

[Dezz]

Og, have you looked into ekowool for rda's? It is heat resistant so it practically eliminates any burning and is flexible so better suited for rda's instead of trying to use mesh for them.

I've seen people use mesh for an rda just doesn't seem it would soak up as much juice.

 

[ogtlin]

Og
I shouldn't have written my post in 2nd person. My bad, you're alright.
I was just trying to figure out if they are the same thing in that they perform the same function
I'm a super noob when it comes to all the fancy stuff here - just need a cape so I stand out better

haha no problem! I'm pretty new to it and trying to learn too

Og, have you looked into ekowool for rda's? It is heat resistant so it practically eliminates any burning and is flexible so better suited for rda's instead of trying to use mesh for them.

I've seen people use mesh for an rda just doesn't seem it would soak up as much juice.

I've seen them being talked about, but get turned off by how complex it looks on every setup. The whole eliminating burning part is interesting though. How does it compare to keeping flavors from other juices though? I've become a bit of a juice hoarder because I like to try different juices from different vendors and pick my favorites lol

 

[Dezz]

Sorry for the delay, I had classes today.

You can just rinse the ekowool, as well as dry burn until it's gone. It is heat resistant to something like 2000 degrees. I could be way off, but I've seen people dry burn it and have no issues or blackening of the wick.

 

[Dezz]

Dry burn the juice that is. Didn't want it to sound like the wick was being burned away.