DIY Flavoring Thread - Part 2

[salemgold]

silica wick seems to be the standard, its in all the clearos, atomizers, cartomizers etc

only exception I'm aware of is the rebuildable atomizers that use stainless steel mesh rolled up into a wick

health concerns aside, the conclusion I've drawn is that silica is great in that its burn resistant, but is a terrible wick. Cotton and stainless steel kick the crap out of it so bad its not even funny. Its just a bit of a learning curve to get things dialed in right.

I've been vaping two stardusts side by side since a few days ago, one silica, one cotton, and the cotton one is shaming the silica. no dry hits, fast wicking, clouds of vapor, cleaner flavor. and when you do get the 1/100 dry hit at the bottom of the tank, its not as gross as with silica.

So silica is the stuff that is normally around the heating element in cartos? I do not see that around the element in my DCs. They look to be just exposed to the cotton from what I am able to see without opening it up.

I do remember seeing that around the element in the older cartos.
Still, I would have to think that the cotton filler filter those fragments.

 

[LookMa`NoSmoK]

There is a loooooooooonnnnnnnnngggggggggg thread called burning cartos somewhere here on ECF that talks more about it.

OKok, back to waiting for flavors =) At least I have something to do with all my ce2/4's now =)

 

[TommyG]

Recently picked up some organic 100% cotton and !00% bamboo yarn after getting too deep into the wicking material thread, I have yet to make use of them. What was the deal with the 306 attys? I've been using a bridgeless dewicked 306 recently, and loving it.

 

[TommyG]

So silica is the stuff that is normally around the heating element in cartos? I do not see that around the element in my DCs. They look to be just exposed to the cotton from what I am able to see without opening it up.

I do remember seeing that around the element in the older cartos.
Still, I would have to think that the cotton filler filter those fragments.

If you bust open a DCC you'll see each coil is wrapped in a cloth/paper like material, not sure if that's what you're talking about.

 

[Cyrus Vap]

salem the wick is threaded through the coil, the inner cotton and outer thicker cotton is just the polyfill which feeds juice to the coil/wick

I'm not personally convinced that the fragments are small enough to get far enough into the alveolar beds to cause silicosis, but I'm sure they can cause serious irritation. And if we can avoid it, why not. Cotton may not be perfect either, because people can develop allergic/asthma type reactions to the particles as well.

the silica cut off is something like .1 micron. I posted the number in the thread, can't remember now. anything bigger than that, you won't end up with silicosis. probably lol. But who knows.

 

[salemgold]

Okay, DH is educating me on silica lol I don't think that there is as much to be concerned about as some may be thinking.

Silica is quartz rock that has turned to sand. We probably get more sand in our lungs from a day at the beach than the tiny amounts that we may inhale from vaping. With welders, silicosis would be another story from many years of welding with it and not wearing PPE.

I have seen so many things blown way out of proportion and cause fear among vapers here over the years. So, it may be best to weigh all of the facts before throwing away your atties lol

 

[salemgold]

Recently picked up some organic 100% cotton and !00% bamboo yarn after getting too deep into the wicking material thread, I have yet to make use of them. What was the deal with the 306 attys? I've been using a bridgeless dewicked 306 recently, and loving it.

I have no clue. I LOVE them and I can use them for a small amount of time. If I try to use one for too long, they make my throat beyond sore. At first I was trying to figure out if it could be something other than the atty but I have used them for about 1.5 years now and it is the atty.
It is the Cisco LR 306s that effect me like that.

 

[LookMa`NoSmoK]

I just de wick them, are there any con's with bamboo that we know of?

 

[salemgold]

DH uses the huge Epower DCs and I use the 2.0 XXL DCs. There is no "sock" over the heating elements on either that we can see. When I first started vaping, cartos had silica covering the element and it looked like a sock. They were very easy to see so I am not sure that they are still used in the DCs anyway.

 

[LookMa`NoSmoK]

I'm at the point that I just want to jam my ce4 full of bamboo yarn and vape it. =)

 

[TommyG]

I'm at the point that I just want to jam my ce4 full of bamboo yarn and vape it. =)

I'd suggest adding juice before trying that.

I got the yarns because everyone was ranting about how well they wicked, those and gauze, I just need to find a good use for it.

 

[salemgold]

I'd suggest adding juice before trying that.

I got the yarns because everyone was ranting about how well they wicked, those and gauze, I just need to find a good use for it.

Gauze???????? That is interesting.

 

[salemgold]

I am gun shy of trying new things. I have spent so much $ over the years on things that people are raving about. I am to the point that I have flavors that I like, a PV and cartos that I like. So, I am content to sit back and see how new products stand the test of time for now.

It was not always that way and I do remember the hunt for the ultimate PV, juice and carto.

 

[TommyG]

Gauze???????? That is interesting.

Cotton gauze, nothing synthetic.

Different note, playing with my coffees, I have something put together that is coming off as a strong unburnt coffee/espresso flavor that is in no way sweet. Any suggestions on what cream flavor to add that wont derail it too much? Currently blended with FA Espresso, PA Coffee, and FW Vanilla Custard...an actual juice question lol.

 

[salemgold]

I figured it was cotton. That's why I thought it was interesting and should work

I wish that ECX would get the FE Cream Flavor in already. I mixed some that I got from VZ with my FA Cappuccino and after two days of steeping it is pretty good.

Have you tried a little of the FA Fresh Cream? I really like that with my coffee flavors.

 

[salemgold]

Does the FW Vanilla Custard have the buttery, custardy type flavor? I LOVE PA Vanilla Custard but it does have diacetyl so don't use it much anymore. Who knows though? FW may have diacetyl too.
If it tastes buttery or custard like, it probably does.

 

[TommyG]

I figured it was cotton. That's why I thought it was interesting and should work

I wish that ECX would get the FE Cream Flavor in already. I mixed some that I got from VZ with my FA Cappuccino and after two days of steeping it is pretty good.

Have you tried a little of the FA Fresh Cream? I really like that with my coffee flavors.

I was worried it would come off more like the premixed cappuccino with that coconut flavor, but the coffee is so different here that I don't see how that could be...might give that a shot.

 

[TommyG]

Does the FW Vanilla Custard have the buttery, custardy type flavor? I LOVE PA Vanilla Custard but it does have diacetyl so don't use it much anymore. Who knows though? FW may have diacetyl too.
If it tastes buttery or custard like, it probably does.

It doesn't really, it comes off slightly creamy, with something almost citrusy in the background to me.

 

[salemgold]

It doesn't really, it comes off slightly creamy, with something almost citrusy in the background to me.

That's what FA did to their custard when they removed the diacetyl. It has a lime undertaste now instead of the buttery, creamy flavor that it used to.

 

[salemgold]

I was worried it would come off more like the premixed cappuccino with that coconut flavor, but the coffee is so different here that I don't see how that could be...might give that a shot.

I only taste that coconut in the beginning. Before steeping. After a few days of steeping, I don't taste it anymore. It might be different for you though. You may want to try just a small batch.

What I do in cases like this is to make up about 30 mls of the coffee flavor (coffee and FW Custard in your case). Then I make 5 6mls bottles from the 30 ml. That way I can try different things in each coffee base to see what hits the spot for me. I just have to be sure to write everything down so that when I do find the right combo I am able to recreate it lol