Thank you Boden. I think we all need to keep things in perspective. Nodoubt there may be a better alternative, but I don't think everyone should run throw away their VN's before considering the degree of danger. No doubt, there is some danger in everything....even the juice that we all love so much....it is a matter of degree!
- Status
Seeing as how I'm seeing bits of wick stuck to the top side of my Nova, and seeing as how trying to rough it up a little bit just completely shredded the wick (on a DIFFERENT nova) I think I'd rather take a chance on a little burned bamboo, it should be a lot less than smoking 1 cig full of paper and leaves, and I hear it doesn't burn if I keep it really really wet. (That's from the thread suggesting Aunt Lydia's Bamboo #10 embroidery thread for wicking.) But I vape 70/30 PG/VG.
But there are threads on making a stainless steel wick for a clearo that look interesting.
But there are threads on making a stainless steel wick for a clearo that look interesting.
I used to get slight throat irritation from vaping. When I switched to SS/Cotton wicks (and coil innards) the irritation was gone. There is also a taste difference, there is just something about the silica wick taste that is a slight turn off for me. Also, when the accidental dry burn occurs, while silica will immediately taste horrible, cotton or SS dry burning is a lot smoother. Those are well enough reasons for me to not use silica, be there health benefits or not.
All coils get dryer during each puff, so there is a very good possibility for the wick to react as it would when dry, or almost dry. A hot coil and e-liquid getting vaporized is even mechanically a somewhat intensive happening, I suspect.
I just don't want to take any chances. I used the silica wicks that came with my vn heads but I'm rewicking using cotton. Rewicking/recoiling is easy and cheap.
While you are correct with what you are saying here, I would like to point out that the jobs you list as high risk none of them are directly inhaling the particles continually and they are not purposely taking them into their lungs, where a vaper using that type of wick is doing both.
Why not just offer a product with candle wicks or cotton wicks? I'm sure people will buy.
To simplify my opinion, besides the wick thing, there is also the fact that you're vaping out of polycarb. tank. Had some etching and melting going on there. Very least, polyethelene tank + cotton wicks would be where i would want to go. Best case scenario, nice glass / pyrex tank.
This is precisely one of the reasons as a newbie I switched immediately to a bottom feeder. Just use an atty, juice, mechanical device. I don't think you can get "cleaner" than that.
Last edited:
Sorry horse. But my opinion (and I'm a dedicated dripper with standard atties) is that the same wick material can be found in some atomizers too. So unless we know what they use for wicks in what device.... IDK how you can tell. You MAY just be bottom feeding a nice silica wick atomizer.
I say this because both my V.N. and an atty (not my regular brand of atty) were both being harsh. Switched to cotton...same juice...in the V.N. Not harsh. IDK if it's the wicking of the juice, or supposed shards, or what. But it IS different.
Too little real data. Jury still out on this. However, cotton working OK so far...day 2.
I say this because both my V.N. and an atty (not my regular brand of atty) were both being harsh. Switched to cotton...same juice...in the V.N. Not harsh. IDK if it's the wicking of the juice, or supposed shards, or what. But it IS different.
Too little real data. Jury still out on this. However, cotton working OK so far...day 2.
As you can see by my avatar and signature, I'm a cotton wick "fanboy" . I switched to cotton for the simple reason of better wicking than silica. I vaped exclusively with CE2 clearos for over a year. With the silica wicks in an XL clearo, I'd only vape ~2/3 before refilling because of wicking problems. When I re-wicked the clearos with cotton, I could vape the clearo empty with no wicking problems at all. Re-wicking the clearos was simply a matter of cutting and pulling the silica wick out of the stock coil and threading a cotton wick through the coil. When the wick/coil gets 'gunked up', simply dry burn, remove the cotton, dry burn again to clean the coil and re-wick.
I would think, unless stated specifically by the manufacturer, all atties use silica wicks. Silica is about the only thing that is heat resistant and can be made into a wick form. As AttyPops said, atties pop. I think this is from rapid vaporization of juice and the 'popping' can, and probably does, fracture the silica wick.
. I switched to cotton for the simple reason of better wicking than silica. I vaped exclusively with CE2 clearos for over a year. With the silica wicks in an XL clearo, I'd only vape ~2/3 before refilling because of wicking problems. When I re-wicked the clearos with cotton, I could vape the clearo empty with no wicking problems at all. Re-wicking the clearos was simply a matter of cutting and pulling the silica wick out of the stock coil and threading a cotton wick through the coil. When the wick/coil gets 'gunked up', simply dry burn, remove the cotton, dry burn again to clean the coil and re-wick.I would think, unless stated specifically by the manufacturer, all atties use silica wicks. Silica is about the only thing that is heat resistant and can be made into a wick form. As AttyPops said, atties pop
. I think this is from rapid vaporization of juice and the 'popping' can, and probably does, fracture the silica wick.
I bought bamboo. What cotton do you use? Cheesecloth? Something else?As you can see by my avatar and signature, I'm a cotton wick "fanboy"
That doesn't explain my wick that shredded at a touch BEFORE it was ever heated.......I would think, unless stated specifically by the manufacturer, all atties use silica wicks. Silica is about the only thing that is heat resistant and can be made into a wick form. As AttyPops said, atties pop
I have some bamboo thread on order. Mainly what I use is 'rolled cotton', search for that at CVS.com. It's both sterile and USP.
Silica is, for all intents and purposes, a glass ('fiberglass'). Depending on QC, the quality of the end product may or may not meet our expectations. References to Chinese QC around here are as numerous as weeds in a field ; so 'nuff said about that.
Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk
Silica is, for all intents and purposes, a glass ('fiberglass'
). Depending on QC, the quality of the end product may or may not meet our expectations. References to Chinese QC around here are as numerous as weeds in a field ; so 'nuff said about that.Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk
I agree with everyone who states that cotton is a better material. The analysis needs to be done to see if we need to let people know if silica wicks are in deed bad for you or not.
I'm going to switch all my wicks to cotton. It's good to err on the side of caution.
edit: I would caution anyone buying Bamboo thread or yarn that most of the stuff labled "Bamboo" is really nylon. I spoke to the high end nitting store owner near my work and she said that getting real Bamboo is almost impossible. This is all she does. Make sure is all I'm saying.
I'm going to switch all my wicks to cotton. It's good to err on the side of caution.
edit: I would caution anyone buying Bamboo thread or yarn that most of the stuff labled "Bamboo" is really nylon. I spoke to the high end nitting store owner near my work and she said that getting real Bamboo is almost impossible. This is all she does. Make sure is all I'm saying.
Last edited:
A good test for cotton/bamboo is to set a piece on fire; if just ashes are left chances are it's a 'natural' product. If it 'melts' or leaves a black lump behind it's synthetic and not good for a wick material.
Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk
Uh-oh, I'll burn some to check. But it was Aunt Lydia's and others have said they burn-tested it. Bamboo should be a form of Rayon, and if I were going to make fake bamboo, I'd make it out of Rayon. Since both are wood, not a big deal as long as it vapes OK, though I admit Bamboo is a known-non-toxic wood.
Cotton is mostly cellulose...naturally. The cig filters are modified cellulose also (made from wood).
Why go bamboo at all? Asking for more trouble IMO. Maybe it's better but someone would have to explain why.
Why go bamboo at all? Asking for more trouble IMO. Maybe it's better but someone would have to explain why.
Report: End of Day 2. Thought I started to get some burning and poor wicking so I re-wicked. Hope the wicks last more than 2 days...tried to wrap it more loosely than last time. We'll see.
EDIT: Contemplating mesh. Carbon steel vs stainless. Anyone know if you can get carbon steel (uncoated) mesh?
EDIT: Contemplating mesh. Carbon steel vs stainless. Anyone know if you can get carbon steel (uncoated) mesh?
Last edited:
Doing a quick Google on carbon steel mesh, the finest mesh I saw was 80. For tanks under the atty (most genesis style atties), I think you want a minimum of 325 mesh, although most use 400 mesh SS. The tighter the 'weave' the better the wicking. You can get 400 mesh SS on eBay. For ~$8 you can pick up a 6"x6" piece of the 400 SS and have plenty to test it out.
A tip for re-wicking CE2 clearos (and probably VNs) with cotton - place a short cotton wick in the coils so it just sticks out each side of the ceramic cup. Then take a long cotton wick and 'drape' it over top of the coil and down the sides. The long wick feeds the wick in the coil and it's easy to clean and/or replace the wicks.
A tip for re-wicking CE2 clearos (and probably VNs) with cotton - place a short cotton wick in the coils so it just sticks out each side of the ceramic cup. Then take a long cotton wick and 'drape' it over top of the coil and down the sides. The long wick feeds the wick in the coil and it's easy to clean and/or replace the wicks.
Well most seem to go for regular ss mesh. I haven't tried it so idk. I haven't even gotten close to burning with my cotton wick, more often it seems to "over wick". I am vaping at higher voltages actually with the cotton, just to help cook everything it pulls into the atty haha
One thing that might be cool to try is the ss mesh wrapped around cotton. Idk.
The problem with ss mesh in vivi novas or stardusts/ce4s is the silicon cap. Stainless mesh heats up. If it is in contact with the silicon cap, it's likely to melt it or burn it at least a bit. One thing I thought of was to get a little tube of stainless, and put that around the same spot that the silicon is. You'd need to still put the silicon back, but you'd shorten it a lot. I dunno, Im still on the ce4 but it's something I might try once my vivi nova gets here from china. So some time next year.
One thing that might be cool to try is the ss mesh wrapped around cotton. Idk.
The problem with ss mesh in vivi novas or stardusts/ce4s is the silicon cap. Stainless mesh heats up. If it is in contact with the silicon cap, it's likely to melt it or burn it at least a bit. One thing I thought of was to get a little tube of stainless, and put that around the same spot that the silicon is. You'd need to still put the silicon back, but you'd shorten it a lot. I dunno, Im still on the ce4 but it's something I might try once my vivi nova gets here from china. So some time next year.
The tinfoil hats are strong with this thread.
I personally prefer silica wick over cotton or stainless mesh. Mostly because cotton gives me a weaker throat hit, albiet more flavor and with SS mesh or Genesis atomizers, the means don't really justify the ends.
The controversy that silica wick causes fiberglass particles to enter your lungs is both unconstituted and unproven. It's the same situation in the modding forum where you have a good four to five people at any given time, only looking for devices that use NI-MH batteries because someone told them that IMR's and Li-ions explode.
The main thing to note is, "when silica gets dry". When silica gets dry, I'm sure those fibers could go anywhere they pleased if they were able to go anywhere in the first place. When it's wet, I personally believe that it would be difficult for them to go anywhere.
How dry does silica get even if you get a dry hit? Is a dry hit really dry or is it just dry enough that you perceive it as dry? Most of the time, even when I get a dry hit, the wick is still noticeably damp, it just isn't damp enough to prevent a dry hit.
More testing needs to be done and less pseudo-science needs to be applied. We're acting like we should be scared of something that might not even exist. If most of you are really frightened over the possibility of having glass in your lungs and throats, then switch but at least prove your point before you begin to scare off other users without any evidence to prove your claim.
I personally prefer silica wick over cotton or stainless mesh. Mostly because cotton gives me a weaker throat hit, albiet more flavor and with SS mesh or Genesis atomizers, the means don't really justify the ends.
The controversy that silica wick causes fiberglass particles to enter your lungs is both unconstituted and unproven. It's the same situation in the modding forum where you have a good four to five people at any given time, only looking for devices that use NI-MH batteries because someone told them that IMR's and Li-ions explode.
The main thing to note is, "when silica gets dry". When silica gets dry, I'm sure those fibers could go anywhere they pleased if they were able to go anywhere in the first place. When it's wet, I personally believe that it would be difficult for them to go anywhere.
How dry does silica get even if you get a dry hit? Is a dry hit really dry or is it just dry enough that you perceive it as dry? Most of the time, even when I get a dry hit, the wick is still noticeably damp, it just isn't damp enough to prevent a dry hit.
More testing needs to be done and less pseudo-science needs to be applied. We're acting like we should be scared of something that might not even exist. If most of you are really frightened over the possibility of having glass in your lungs and throats, then switch but at least prove your point before you begin to scare off other users without any evidence to prove your claim.
I'm concerned about silica fibers only because I've seen my wicks fall apart while changing them. So I addressed my concern by switching to cotton.
I agree that a loose strands dampened by pg/vg shouldn't really become airborn, but I've allready addressed my concern
I agree that a loose strands dampened by pg/vg shouldn't really become airborn, but I've allready addressed my concern
Last edited:
I don't quite know what to think about it, but the throat irritation I got from a plain silica wick just isn't there with SS over cotton. And the vapor is thicker and more satisfying to me. The cotton doesn't last as long so it takes a tedious amount of time rebuilding the heads all the time. But in the end it is a better solution for me.
On the Vivi Nova, I think the hot legs heating the rubber grommet is a lot bigger issue on both health and taste concerns. Someone PLEASE come out with NR legged ato's for the Vivi Nova already!
I'm quite hopeful about the bamboo wick I'm going to try when I get me some yarn.
On the Vivi Nova, I think the hot legs heating the rubber grommet is a lot bigger issue on both health and taste concerns. Someone PLEASE come out with NR legged ato's for the Vivi Nova already!
I'm quite hopeful about the bamboo wick I'm going to try when I get me some yarn.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
