Going Back to the Shoulder Method

[Gentle Smoke]

I wick with rayon. I liberally thin the tails so as to not choke the ports. I generally get good flow but, I do get a fair amount of pops. I did try the shoulder method (cutting half the wick off close to the top of the coil). Didn't see any improvement but, I'm having second thoughts. I'm wondering if the shoulder will prevent you from pulling the wick away from the hottest portion of the coil when you stuff the ports. Your thoughts please.

 

[Heartsdelight]

Do you have the rayon tight in the coil? Til it squeaks? I generally do & I slightly space my coils I do The shoulder cut method most of the time. It depends on the atty & wick ports. I don’t get any pops.

 

[IDJoel]

I generally get good flow but, I do get a fair amount of pops.

Are you adding distilled water(DW) to your e-liquid? I experimented with DW for a bit; and found it to cause unwanted popping and spitting, regardless of wicking material (rayon and cotton) or wicking technique. Lowering the temperature and/or power setting helped a bit... but, then I began sacrificing flavor.

In the end, I found no significant personal benefit for DW use, and abandoned the experiments. However, I know others use it successfully. So, as always, YMMV.

 

[Gentle Smoke]

In reply, squeakiness is a poor way to judge wicking. Far to great of range of tightness to be effective. And yes, I use water. I find water to be an issue when the coil is first wicked but, goes away. Presently, my wick is running nicely (non shoulder) but, of course, I haven't got a clue why.