DIY question

[silkakc]

Hello,

I smoke the indian cigs and they only cost me $1 a day so I will be doing the DIY method when I buy the kit.

I'm confused about carts and atomizers. Atomizers will last a long time but the carts last through 5-6 fillups? And each fill up is good for 10-14 puffs? So, would I need to fill it 10 times a day to get the equivalent of 10 real cigs? Would I have to throw it out after the 5th fill up though?

But if I buy a cartomizer, it replaces the cart? And how long does a cartomizer last for? How many fill ups?

Thank you very much!

Lori

 

[Dee74]

Regular carts will come with your kit, you will have to order the cartomizers if you want them. The atomizer is the thing that gets hot and vaporizes the juice and is seperate form the cart, unless it is a cartomizer. Atty's last few days to months depending on how you care for them. Carts can reused for ages unless they get burn marks and start leaking juice. Just wash them out and fill and get some blue foam for them. I don't use cartomizers so can't help you on how long they last, you don't have to fill them as often but to me feel like vaping through a big cotton ball or something,

 

[t9c]

DIY means to buy your own nicotine juice, PG, VG and flavorings to roll your own juice for your e-cig. Is that what you're asking about, or...?

CartOs=cartomizers. The atomizer & cart in one device. The atomizers in the cartos are real cheap and not meant to last as long as a regular atomizer. You can easily get 5-6 or more fills into a carto & depending how heavily you vape, it could last a whole day or more before refilling. You'll notice the lack of vapor & taste when it gets low. The atty in the carto may last a week or more, but the filler inside starts to deteriorate if you use it daily for that long.

Carts=cartridges. They connect to regular atomizers and have filler in them that holds up to about 10 drops depending on the filler type. With stock polyfill, once you are finished with the juice and want to vape another flavor, you just pull it out with some tweezers and rinse under hot water till it's white again. Let it dry (you can accelerate the process by squeezing it a few times in a towel). The filler will last a pretty long time before it deteriorates to much to use it, maybe a couple of weeks or more.

It's too hard to tell how many puffs you can get out of either cartos or carts as everyone vapes at different speeds and intensities. Some folks vape only 2-3ml of juice daily, some up to 10ml or more.

Check out the FAQ section under the sticky posts for more detail.

 

[kellogg]

I use cartos and have thrown away one in the last month. They last alot longer than advertised if you clean them properly.

I boil mine. Just watch the youtube video by nilius to see what I do. There are other methods - just find what works best for you.

Welcome to ECF.

 

[t9c]

I use cartos and have thrown away one in the last month. They last alot longer than advertised if you clean them properly.

I boil mine. Just watch the youtube video by nilius to see what I do. There are other methods - just find what works best for you.

Welcome to ECF.

"I did not know that!" - Johnny Carson. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_as6puor7Z0

 

[tresrottn]

I've only tossed one carto because I vaped it to dry on accident and burned the filling. I was new, what can I say? I did learn, the *second* you get a "different" taste, it's time to top off with juice. I top off twice a day, and in my mad vaping phase, I was topping off four times a day. 10 mls of 22mg juice lasts me seemingly forever, or 10 days to 2 weeks before I mix another batch.

My others are going strong, 60+ days in with no end in sight. I do the boiling thing, as well for mine. The big trick is keep it wet. I am hesitant of the blue foam, and I may move over to the new generation cartos with the wick and no filler.

 

[ashora]

you should check out MistressNomad videos. she has one for making juice,exsplain carts,cartos,attys,ect http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-videos-newbies-particular-broke-newbies.html

 

[Rosa]

Or, you could bypass all that and get a drip tip, a budget friendly option.
TW long Nylon Drip tip for the 510 or DSE901

As for actual DIY juice: it's really easy to do, just get some really strong flavorless nicotine juice (say, 54mg) and some plain propylene glycol (or vegetable glycerine if you like) and get some flavorings. If you make a 50/50 mix of the nic juice and PG and add some flavoring you end up with -roughly- 25mg juice for CHEAP! ** It's all on youtube. ** You can get a super cheap DIY starter kit here Unflavored e-Liquid 54mg (60ml) mixing kit - $22.99 : Zen Cart!, The Art of E-commerce (discount code: ecigforum)

 

[silkakc]

The videos were wonderful! I watched them several times but was still confused about the 3 terms: Atomizer, cartomizer and carts. I think I understand it better.

Can you tell me: when you say to never let them go dry or they burn and get ruined, is that only during the vaping process that that can happen? I'm wondering because the cleaning methods for the attys and cartos say to let them dry overnight. That doesn't hurt them?

Thank you very much

Lori

 

[DHEnthusiast]

Good luck and be careful with that nicotine. very dangerous if not handled properly! just saying

 

[Rosa]

Good luck and be careful with that nicotine. very dangerous if not handled properly! just saying

Yes, wear some gloves. Especially if you're handling anything over 24mg. And wash your hands after too.

 

[Rosa]

The videos were wonderful! I watched them several times but was still confused about the 3 terms: Atomizer, cartomizer and carts. I think I understand it better.

Can you tell me: when you say to never let them go dry or they burn and get ruined, is that only during the vaping process that that can happen? I'm wondering because the cleaning methods for the attys and cartos say to let them dry overnight. That doesn't hurt them?

Thank you very much

Lori

When they say "don't let them go dry or they are ruined" what they mean is this:

So the heating element uses up all the juice and you can't check on it to see if it's ok so it starts to singe and burn the filler inside. Next thing you know everything you vape tastes burned -- at that point it's ruined and you should just throw it away. If you had kept fuel it with juice, it never would have burned the filler.

Now with the cleaning method it's good to let it air-dry over night because it needs to be free of any water the next time you use it. Water isn't good for it and you can't vape it. You need to start with fresh, dry carto filler and add e-juice to it until it's nice and moist so it won't burn.

I hope that didn't just make it more confusing...

 

[klamathkid]

After removing the two o-rings on top (1 inside and 1 outside), I tried the boiling method for cleaning cartomizers. I wasn't really happy with it. It didn't seem to get them clean. They were still quite yellow colored and did not work like new ones.

Then I read about running them under hot water. Well, doing that one carto at a time would be fairly tedious, so I banded 8 or 9 of them together, same side up, with a big rubber band. Used tongs to hold the whole bunch under the hot water. I ran the water through them for several minutes, top side up. Still banded together, I laid the bunch on several layers of paper towels and blew through them. Got a lot of water out that way, and then let them dry over night. I was surprised to see that they came out perfectly white, just as if they were new.

 

[NinetyNine]

When they say "don't let them go dry or they are ruined" what they mean is this:

So the heating element uses up all the juice and you can't check on it to see if it's ok so it starts to singe and burn the filler inside. Next thing you know everything you vape tastes burned -- at that point it's ruined and you should just throw it away. If you had kept fuel it with juice, it never would have burned the filler.

Now with the cleaning method it's good to let it air-dry over night because it needs to be free of any water the next time you use it. Water isn't good for it and you can't vape it. You need to start with fresh, dry carto filler and add e-juice to it until it's nice and moist so it won't burn.

I hope that didn't just make it more confusing...

That makes it sound like you need to chuck a working atty if it starts tasting burnt... I know you specified burnt filler, but at first glance it appeared to be advice for all three items. Just FYI.

 

[Rosa]

That makes it sound like you need to chuck a working atty if it starts tasting burnt... I know you specified burnt filler, but at first glance it appeared to be advice for all three items. Just FYI.

Sorry, I thought I was just talking about cartomizers. IMO, once they are burned inside they're ruined. But I'd love to find out I'm mistaken - since I have a bag full of "ruined" ones.

 

[silkakc]

Rosa,

If you use a drip tip, then you attach it right to the atomizer and don't use a cart at all? You just add a few drops when you get the urge to smoke/vape?

Thanks,
Lori

 

[t9c]

Sorry to interject (Rosa is offline) but, Yes that's correct.

 

[FireHorse]

It's while you're vaping that you don't want the atomizer to get dry, that's what will burn them out quickly. You'll notice a change in how the vapor tastes and you'll notice you're not getting as much vapor as you did when the cartridge/ cartomizer is getting low/dry. It doesn't take long to get used to it.

 

[jeremyh]

Basically, don't run/use the ecig with a dry atomizer/carto. Letting them air dry is ok.

One thing that may influence your selection is the issue with some automatic batteries. My Wrangler has no A/C, so in the summer I'm always riding with at least the windows removed on dry days. My automatic batteries would activate themselves just from the wind passing by them. Moderate to heavy (sometimes even light) vibrations will also activate the battery. Even if no atty or carto is connected, this drains the battery, reducing its time between charges.

This made me switch to manual batteries, which not only lack this issue, but also most are sealed at the atomizer connection, keeping juice out of the assembly when dripping or an atty/carto has flooded.

 

[sl_rat]

cartomizers are great for driving, but i'd suggest the same thing that others have said... get a drip tip. flavor is better when it's just atomizer and liquid. Happy Vaping!!!