One of the most common questions asked is, "What can I do about the vile taste of the primer in a new atomizer?". This question and variations of it continually come up.
The first thing to realize is that the primer doesn't taste bad, since it has no taste - it's unflavored zero-nic e-liquid that is used for several reasons. Occasionally it may have a light tobacco flavor but in most cases it is simply a neutral-flavor liquid, used:
- To ensure that the first few puffs on the new atomizer are not dry, leading to damage.
- To preserve the internal metal components of the atomizer and keep them rust-free.
- In some cases the atomizers are tested at the factory by brief usage, and a test liquid is therefore needed.
More atomizers are now being supplied without primer so it is not always used, in any case; but note that the first liquid to be consumed will taste bad, as it's nothing to do with the liquid itself.
What tastes so bad then?
The manufacturing and machining residues are what tastes bad. Here we're talking about machine oil, coatings, traces of adhesives and sealants, and coatings on the silica fibers of the wick or wicks: one in the bridge and one in the atomizer coil. The first liquid put into a new atomizer will taste bad when heated, whether it is primer or normal liquid, as it absorbs the residues. Plus, some things can't be removed by the liquid, and will burn off on first use.
So: nothing can be done to remove these residues except burning them off by use. It's true that soaking / rinsing in some sort of benign solvent such as alcohol will reduce these chemical residues, and thus the bad taste when the atomizer is initially fired up - but nothing does the job 100% except just using it.
Also, you might find that soaking an atomizer for the 10 or 15 minutes that will be needed to remove most of the contaminants may reduce its life. Some solvents are effective - but the more effective they are, the more they will attack the structure of the atomizer. Cola is used sometimes, for example, but the phosphoric acid in it that actually does the work is one of the few things that will break down the silica fibers of the wick/s. Using solvents, unless very briefly, reduces atomizer life.
The problem is the bad taste can last a long time, as it may permeate the first cartridge used and ruin it. We need a way to get it over with fast.
How to fix it
If you follow this procedure, you won't inhale anything bad, or suffer from a bad-tasting cartridge, or reduce the life of your atomizer.
1. Blow out any primer from the atomizer. Blow from the top, open end, while holding some paper towel under the threaded end. It works best if you use a driptip when doing this. This removes primer that may have absorbed manufacturing residues.
2. Rinse briefly in alcohol (vodka and rum have proved successful) or something similar such as denture cleaner. A mild solvent that is not unsafe for human consumption is best. Blow out, using a driptip. It's OK to use the atomizer still wet with alcohol.
3. Connect the battery.
4. Remove the driptip and drip 4 drops of e-liquid directly onto the bridge*. Attach a driptip or an empty cartridge, with no filler material or liquid in it. You now have in your hand a complete e-cigarette with the atomizer drip-primed, and a driptip or an empty cartridge fitted.
* This means: take the dropper that came with your e-liquid refill bottle and place several drops into the open top end of the atomizer, dripping them onto the tiny metal mesh arch you can see in there. Some refill bottles have a dripper tip on them. If you don't have a refill bottle with some form of dropper, then your e-cig kit is not complete. If you're totally stuck then you can use 'Glycerin, USP' plus a dropper, both from your local pharmacy / chemist. Glycerin is an ingredient in most e-liquids so using it for this has no ill-effects; however it may be a little too viscous (thick) and may benefit from thinning out a little, around 20%, with distilled water and/or alcohol (any spirit will do). Ice from the wall of your freezer is in effect distilled water and can be used for this.
5. Puff the e-cig 6 or 7 times, expelling the vapor each time from the mouth and not inhaling / breathing in the vapor.
6. Unscrew the atomizer and blow it out again onto paper towel.
7. Repeat steps #3, #4, #5, and #6.
8. Finally drip 4 more drops into the atomizer again and re-fit the driptip or attach a new, filled cartridge. Cartridges normally have a fibrous filler material and are loaded with e-liquid (refill liquid). An atomizer can be used with a driptip, or with a cartridge. You're good to go.
All being well the new, clean atomizer and fresh cartridge will now taste fine. You have rinsed out and burnt off the manufacturing residues that cause the initial bad taste.
Very rarely, a new atomizer cannot be fixed this way and the taste is so bad it even stinks up a room. In this case it's most likely excess sealant / glue within the atomizer body that is being heated. It was also found when stripping down a bad atomizer that could not be fixed, that the metal mesh in the bridge crumbled away, indicating that it was not made of the correct material, nichrome wire, and was some kind of cheap substitute.
Another fault sometimes seen is that it is hard or even impossible to pull air through the atomizer, as the airways are blocked by sealant. There is no way to fix this problem as it is an internal fault.
Such atomizers are faulty and should be returned. Since they usually have a limited 30-day warranty, in effect it means that all new atomizers need to be cleaned out and tested, on receipt.
Centrifuge
The most effective way to remove any liquid from an atomizer is centrifuging, which works better than blowing out. To make a suitable, easily-used centrifuge for this purpose you need a two foot length of thin cord attached to a small, tubular container that will hold some paper towel plus an atomizer, which is positioned vertically so that the force expels material from the bottom end.
A shoelace can be used for the cord. A tubular piece of cotton material or similar, with a hem to retain the cord at the top, can be made with a sewing machine in a minute or two, or by hand sewing.
Very easy and very effective - just spin it. If you centrifuge an atomizer, after blowing it through well, you'll find that yet more liquid is expelled by the centrifugal effect.
The first thing to realize is that the primer doesn't taste bad, since it has no taste - it's unflavored zero-nic e-liquid that is used for several reasons. Occasionally it may have a light tobacco flavor but in most cases it is simply a neutral-flavor liquid, used:
- To ensure that the first few puffs on the new atomizer are not dry, leading to damage.
- To preserve the internal metal components of the atomizer and keep them rust-free.
- In some cases the atomizers are tested at the factory by brief usage, and a test liquid is therefore needed.
More atomizers are now being supplied without primer so it is not always used, in any case; but note that the first liquid to be consumed will taste bad, as it's nothing to do with the liquid itself.
What tastes so bad then?
The manufacturing and machining residues are what tastes bad. Here we're talking about machine oil, coatings, traces of adhesives and sealants, and coatings on the silica fibers of the wick or wicks: one in the bridge and one in the atomizer coil. The first liquid put into a new atomizer will taste bad when heated, whether it is primer or normal liquid, as it absorbs the residues. Plus, some things can't be removed by the liquid, and will burn off on first use.
So: nothing can be done to remove these residues except burning them off by use. It's true that soaking / rinsing in some sort of benign solvent such as alcohol will reduce these chemical residues, and thus the bad taste when the atomizer is initially fired up - but nothing does the job 100% except just using it.
Also, you might find that soaking an atomizer for the 10 or 15 minutes that will be needed to remove most of the contaminants may reduce its life. Some solvents are effective - but the more effective they are, the more they will attack the structure of the atomizer. Cola is used sometimes, for example, but the phosphoric acid in it that actually does the work is one of the few things that will break down the silica fibers of the wick/s. Using solvents, unless very briefly, reduces atomizer life.
The problem is the bad taste can last a long time, as it may permeate the first cartridge used and ruin it. We need a way to get it over with fast.
How to fix it
If you follow this procedure, you won't inhale anything bad, or suffer from a bad-tasting cartridge, or reduce the life of your atomizer.
1. Blow out any primer from the atomizer. Blow from the top, open end, while holding some paper towel under the threaded end. It works best if you use a driptip when doing this. This removes primer that may have absorbed manufacturing residues.
2. Rinse briefly in alcohol (vodka and rum have proved successful) or something similar such as denture cleaner. A mild solvent that is not unsafe for human consumption is best. Blow out, using a driptip. It's OK to use the atomizer still wet with alcohol.
3. Connect the battery.
4. Remove the driptip and drip 4 drops of e-liquid directly onto the bridge*. Attach a driptip or an empty cartridge, with no filler material or liquid in it. You now have in your hand a complete e-cigarette with the atomizer drip-primed, and a driptip or an empty cartridge fitted.
* This means: take the dropper that came with your e-liquid refill bottle and place several drops into the open top end of the atomizer, dripping them onto the tiny metal mesh arch you can see in there. Some refill bottles have a dripper tip on them. If you don't have a refill bottle with some form of dropper, then your e-cig kit is not complete. If you're totally stuck then you can use 'Glycerin, USP' plus a dropper, both from your local pharmacy / chemist. Glycerin is an ingredient in most e-liquids so using it for this has no ill-effects; however it may be a little too viscous (thick) and may benefit from thinning out a little, around 20%, with distilled water and/or alcohol (any spirit will do). Ice from the wall of your freezer is in effect distilled water and can be used for this.
5. Puff the e-cig 6 or 7 times, expelling the vapor each time from the mouth and not inhaling / breathing in the vapor.
6. Unscrew the atomizer and blow it out again onto paper towel.
7. Repeat steps #3, #4, #5, and #6.
8. Finally drip 4 more drops into the atomizer again and re-fit the driptip or attach a new, filled cartridge. Cartridges normally have a fibrous filler material and are loaded with e-liquid (refill liquid). An atomizer can be used with a driptip, or with a cartridge. You're good to go.
All being well the new, clean atomizer and fresh cartridge will now taste fine. You have rinsed out and burnt off the manufacturing residues that cause the initial bad taste.
Very rarely, a new atomizer cannot be fixed this way and the taste is so bad it even stinks up a room. In this case it's most likely excess sealant / glue within the atomizer body that is being heated. It was also found when stripping down a bad atomizer that could not be fixed, that the metal mesh in the bridge crumbled away, indicating that it was not made of the correct material, nichrome wire, and was some kind of cheap substitute.
Another fault sometimes seen is that it is hard or even impossible to pull air through the atomizer, as the airways are blocked by sealant. There is no way to fix this problem as it is an internal fault.
Such atomizers are faulty and should be returned. Since they usually have a limited 30-day warranty, in effect it means that all new atomizers need to be cleaned out and tested, on receipt.
Centrifuge
The most effective way to remove any liquid from an atomizer is centrifuging, which works better than blowing out. To make a suitable, easily-used centrifuge for this purpose you need a two foot length of thin cord attached to a small, tubular container that will hold some paper towel plus an atomizer, which is positioned vertically so that the force expels material from the bottom end.
A shoelace can be used for the cord. A tubular piece of cotton material or similar, with a hem to retain the cord at the top, can be made with a sewing machine in a minute or two, or by hand sewing.
Very easy and very effective - just spin it. If you centrifuge an atomizer, after blowing it through well, you'll find that yet more liquid is expelled by the centrifugal effect.
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