To me I'd be a little concerned with Wool, or any other natural organic material, due to the increased potential for microbial growth. Though, you could step up the cleaning routine to sterilize it.
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I'm also a spinner and have washed carded and spun my way around a few sheep. The thing is, wool is not a fiber that is an allergen, although at times can be irritating! But once it's properly washed, all that should be left is pure fiber. You could say the same things about any fiber, dirty, buggy, poopy, etc., but yet we use all these fibers all the time. Silks (bug spit!), wools, cottons. Last time I checked lanolin in present in people too. Well, same thing.
I do recommend pre-soaks for a reasonable time, then thorough rinsing, but even polyfil can be contaminated by something!
Wool will not burn, it will char away. It will shrink. But it will always be absorbant, cleanable. Heat from the atomizer doesn't seem to bother it.
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Yeah, the S&H was one thing that I looked at before I picked out the Holy Lamb Organics site to buy mine from. They only charged the actual shipping charges: 8 ounces wool nibs @ $1.00/ounce, plus shipping (no handling charge). The total ended up to be $8.96, and I paid through Paypal. It took a couple of weeks to get my order. It was shipped in a big-ol' box.
If you want them ... better get 'em before they catch on to their new market, and decide to add some minimums or handling charges, or buying a pillow in order to get extra nibs.
Also, I DO want to know what you - who have worked with wool in the past - think about what they said about how they clean their wool. Am I deluding myself into thinking that I'm not vaping sheep poo-poo?
I don't know as much about wool as I know about other fibers (I spent 26 years in the carpet selling industry). If anyone's interested, here's link to a post that I made to a "what's the best filler" thread, and talked about the down side (IMHO) of polyester and some other fibers, and a burn test that I did:
Sheryl
Here's the video that I was talking about earlier. I remembered seeing this a couple of months ago. It was posted by Terraphon, and it's a great, detailed video on how to re-stuff a cart. It's - basically - the same method that I use, except that the wool nibs are denser than polyester fiber fill to start with, so you need to kind of tease them apart before you fold/roll them back up to fit in your cart.
I fill mine a bit denser than Terraphon does, but I'm usually filling a pen-style, and it takes a LOT more juice than the EVO that the video shows. I typically use my mini for alternate flavors, and a pen-style for my day-to-day menthol (Unflavored 36mg. juice + Sun's menthol drop recipe + some PG + a dab of this 'n that other flavoring or juice, depending on my mood).
How to re-stuff EVO e-cigarette cartridges
Kate, great info
With your experience dealing with wool, can you outline the cleaning process in a bit more detail? Are you just soaking with tap water, distilled water, are you using a cheap strainer for rinsing, etc?
If one was going to use wool for vaping, you may be more comfortable in giving it a "treatment" and cleaning by placing a good bit in a ziplock bag and using alcohol (grain alcohol (Vodka or Everclear is high-volume grain alcohol) and just soak the wool in for an hour or so, and then just rinsing very well with water. Then just roll it in a towel to hurry along the drying...thing is, wool is "hair", so you could use any dish soap or shampoo also for a quick wash, you don't have to worry about any special handling, although with the felt-type wool you would want to be careful not to pull it apart. When it dries it resumes it's proper loft. Then just cut it or for the loose wool, arrange in so it's fairly parallel until you get a wad the proper consistency for your cartridge. Pretty much just like working with fiber fluff.
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I think "microbial" growth is a nonissue. E-Juice ingredients are not a nutritive environment for bacteria and the like. As a matter of fact, PG is anti-bacterial itself.
as another handspinnerI can't see that there would be any issue with lanolin or anything else from commercially prepared wool. If there was lanolin left in the fibre you would feel it pretty quickly, if you didn't notice it it would clog up your atty pretty quick and then you would know about it.
as for dust and things, most of thsi would drop out when you were preparing the filler if there was any in there, and in the quantity you use you wouldn't be vaping any more dust then you inhale walking down the street.
wool has been used as wicking for centuries (steam engine enthusiasts still like to use it to wick their oil ) I have more fleece then I like to think about here so I might give it another go...I wonder if different fibres work better then others, I might have to line uo some diferent fibre types to try lol
as for dust and things, most of thsi would drop out when you were preparing the filler if there was any in there, and in the quantity you use you wouldn't be vaping any more dust then you inhale walking down the street.
wool has been used as wicking for centuries (steam engine enthusiasts still like to use it to wick their oil
) I have more fleece then I like to think about here so I might give it another go...I wonder if different fibres work better then others, I might have to line uo some diferent fibre types to try lol
Thanks for the info Melinda09! I was trying to find out if I could use lipton bags for my M201 cart, and found this. On a side-note. Nice to find somebody else from the Twin Cities here, and a penstyle user no less. I'm in .... Rapids, but I grew up in West St. Paul. Let's start a vaper's club; I thought I was the only Minnesotan to know what these things are. Apologies to everyone for veering wildly off topic.
Apologies to everyone for veering wildly off topic.
Thanks for the info Melinda09! I was trying to find out if I could use lipton bags for my M201 cart, and found this. On a side-note. Nice to find somebody else from the Twin Cities here, and a penstyle user no less. I'm in .... Rapids, but I grew up in West St. Paul. Let's start a vaper's club; I thought I was the only Minnesotan to know what these things are.
I'm in Eagan, but have lived and worked in West St. Paul ... now there are (at least) two of us vaper-ers in the Twin Cities area.
I'm interested in starting a club too. I'll PM you.
Kate, thanks for adding the advice on some easy ways to clean wool. What you said about how wool resumes it's proper loft after it dries is one of the other reasons that I really like this fiber for filling carts.
I didn't say that in my original post, but I've even been tossing out the original filler from brand new, blank carts to re-fill with this "real" wool. It doesn't smush down (technical term) in the cart throughout the day. I've even gotten lazy and used the same one for a couple of days, with hardly any difference in the substance ... though I still like the taste, and the idea of a clean, fresh cartridge every morning.
Also, thanks to the other spinners for their input.
One last off-subject note: I only got TWO requests to send out samples of the wool nibs that I bought. That surprised me.
I have tried wool, different makes of them, but for one reason or other, there's always a bit of juice staying at the bottom and never reach my mouth.
The next step was using ready-made filters for handrolling analogs, but these are too tightly rolled (manufactured) and was even worse. (Zig-Zag Regular Filters).
Then I tried acrylic, but that was BAD!
Spunge. Not the real one, as these have holes that can fill my whole cartridge! No, the man-made ones are good. Wash them thoroughly, dry them using a clean cloth and let them stand for an hour or more.
Cut it so that it can fit tightly into the cartridge, but not too long, as it will cath the heat of the atomizer and that's a taste you do not want.
Wash it regurarly after use (at least once a week, depending how much you vapor)
Look out that you do not use the spunge they make for backpackers! These are too tight and not of the same "material".
CG
The next step was using ready-made filters for handrolling analogs, but these are too tightly rolled (manufactured) and was even worse. (Zig-Zag Regular Filters).
Then I tried acrylic, but that was BAD!
Spunge. Not the real one, as these have holes that can fill my whole cartridge! No, the man-made ones are good. Wash them thoroughly, dry them using a clean cloth and let them stand for an hour or more.
Cut it so that it can fit tightly into the cartridge, but not too long, as it will cath the heat of the atomizer and that's a taste you do not want.
Wash it regurarly after use (at least once a week, depending how much you vapor)
Look out that you do not use the spunge they make for backpackers! These are too tight and not of the same "material".
CG
as another handspinnerI can't see that there would be any issue with lanolin or anything else from commercially prepared wool. If there was lanolin left in the fibre you would feel it pretty quickly, if you didn't notice it it would clog up your atty pretty quick and then you would know about it.
as for dust and things, most of thsi would drop out when you were preparing the filler if there was any in there, and in the quantity you use you wouldn't be vaping any more dust then you inhale walking down the street.
wool has been used as wicking for centuries (steam engine enthusiasts still like to use it to wick their oil
Isn't there some residual lanolin left in all wool? I've definitely noticed it in the fiber I use for dying (mostly ashland bay merino or sweetgrass thargee). I don't notice it when spinning, but I can see the grease in the dye pot.
I guess there probably isn't much of a difference in the dust level of wool vs poly fill, but it still would freak me out a little because I know it's there. There is so much dust in the wool I've used. It's very noticeable anytime I put anything through my drum carder. I'm probably just paranoid though.
Anyway, I think it's kinda neat that there are other vaping spinners
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I ordered samples from Near Sea Naturals. Got cotton too, but don't know how that has gone for others.
Anyway, the wool is a big improvement over the polyfill or whatever comes in the carts. I do blow in it now and then. Did not clean it first. Pulled a few little sticks out. Still considering whether to clean it or just go ahead and smoke sheep poo. Can't be worse than a cigarette, right?
I also orderd 2 oz. of the wool nibs for only @2.24 including shipping. Loving the cheap mods.
I am also using the q-tip straw method in the flat carts for 510. Seems to help, and after trying several sizes, the q-tips seem correct (and so cheap).
I sure appreciate these forums. Soon I hope to be off anologs for good.
Valerie
Edited 8/30/09 to add:
Today I tried the Lipton Pyramid Tea Bags, and they are tremendous. No straw. I am new so trying everything, but I have to say the wool was an improvement over the polyfil, but the PTBs are even better. IMHO
Anyway, the wool is a big improvement over the polyfill or whatever comes in the carts. I do blow in it now and then. Did not clean it first. Pulled a few little sticks out. Still considering whether to clean it or just go ahead and smoke sheep poo. Can't be worse than a cigarette, right?
I also orderd 2 oz. of the wool nibs for only @2.24 including shipping. Loving the cheap mods.
I am also using the q-tip straw method in the flat carts for 510. Seems to help, and after trying several sizes, the q-tips seem correct (and so cheap).
I sure appreciate these forums. Soon I hope to be off anologs for good.
Valerie
Edited 8/30/09 to add:
Today I tried the Lipton Pyramid Tea Bags, and they are tremendous. No straw. I am new so trying everything, but I have to say the wool was an improvement over the polyfil, but the PTBs are even better. IMHO
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Isn't there some residual lanolin left in all wool? I've definitely noticed it in the fiber I use for dying (mostly ashland bay merino or sweetgrass thargee). I don't notice it when spinning, but I can see the grease in the dye pot.
I guess there probably isn't much of a difference in the dust level of wool vs poly fill, but it still would freak me out a little because I know it's there. There is so much dust in the wool I've used. It's very noticeable anytime I put anything through my drum carder. I'm probably just paranoid though.
Anyway, I think it's kinda neat that there are other vaping spinners
I can't say I have ever noticed any lanolin in my dye pot, or on my fibre (even the stuff I wash at home) Alden Amos' method from the big book of hand spinning is very thorough, most of the other fibre I get is from a wonderful UK supplier (I buy from him direct and from other dyers who also use his fibre)
are you on Ravelry? if so perhaps we need to start an e-smoking group over there
CG, I haven't had that problem, but have a couple of thoughts about it:
Maybe you need a little more material in your cart? Or, do you pull apart the nibs (like the video that Terraphon made, and I hijacked to post here) before re-folding it to fit in your cart, and then use a paper clip (or something) to push it all the way to the bottom of the cart?
You didn't say which model you're using, but my usual is an 801 pen-style, and I can always tell when it's going dry by the taste. There never seems to be any "puddle" at the bottom of the cart when I pull out the used wool. I know that there's a certain amount of waste, no matter which filler material that you're using. A blank 801 cart, filled with wool, takes 30-plus drops (if using those standard dropper bottles that juice typically comes in), and I usually top them off when they're about 12 drops low. But I vape them a little dryer at the end of the day ... plus the juice that's left in the atty, which is another 4-6 hits. I don't remember now how that compares to poly.
I ordered samples from Near Sea Naturals. Got cotton too, but don't know how that has gone for others.
Anyway, the wool is a big improvement over the polyfill or whatever comes in the carts. I do blow in it now and then. Did not clean it first. Pulled a few little sticks out. Still considering whether to clean it or just go ahead and smoke sheep poo. Can't be worse than a cigarette, right?
Hi, Valerie. As I said earlier, my wool nibs order was for 8 oz. ... I had NO idea that I was going to get a whole pillow! The point being that I got quite a large bag full, and I don't see one, single stick or any dirt in it. It seems to be really clean - not like the stuff described in a few of the other posts here.
What do you mean by, "I do blow in it now and then."?
I can't say I have ever noticed any lanolin in my dye pot, or on my fibre (even the stuff I wash at home) Alden Amos' method from the big book of hand spinning is very thorough, most of the other fibre I get is from a wonderful UK supplier (I buy from him direct and from other dyers who also use his fibre)
are you on Ravelry? if so perhaps we need to start an e-smoking group over there
Yep, I'm on Ravelry. I haven't been on there too much lately though. I kind of got out of the fiber arts mode when I went back to school full time.
My name is WickedWool on there
Melinda09: I think the reason you haven't had many takers on your offer of samples is that the price and shipping is SO extremely reasonable on the site you recommended that it makes more sense to go ahead and order a small amount. I ordered 6 ounces so I could share with my sister and friend who followed my example and switched to e-cigs from analogs. Thanks for taking the time to share your great find with us by starting this thread.
I'm sure that you're right about that, Kaye. I've had just 6 people ask for a sample now, including 1 who asked how much they owed me. I didn't want anything ... only, like you said, to share the info. It only cost me an envelope and a Forever stamp. I was just surprised, because I was gearing up for a deluge of requests - especially after the first time that I noticed the "hits" on the thread (the first one that I ever started), and there were over 900!
I had spent hours reading different threads about "what's the best fill", when I first started vaping. I concluded that there would always be different ideas from different people about that ... and maybe some of the different models work differently with different filler. I dunno, but I found my "best", and can skip over those threads from now on.
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