I'm boiling my organic cotton balls for wick and it's turning yellow?

[zeus287]

This is my first time using cotton balls on my igo-l. Is it supposed to turn yellow when you boil it, or am I burning it somehow?

 

[Fortyniene]

This seems strange. Unfortunetly all the advice I can give on this is when I boil cotton there is no yellow color created. Sorry hopefully someone might have an idea of whats going on. All I can come up with is your pot was dirty or you misread something and are boiling your cotton in urine.

 

[zeus287]

I'm boiling it in a brand new stainless steel pot. It is somewhat of a small pot, so it may be possible that when the cotton is being swashed around in the boiling water that it is touching the bottom of the pot occasionally. Do you usually use a large pot. Also, do you keep it on high. Maybe I've got the heat turned up too high, or maybe I need to use a larger pot?

 

[HughDaHand]

The cotton may be absorbing minerals out of your water. I am not totally sure that cotton will do that but it sure seems likely. I usually don't bother to boil the cotton balls that I use.

 

[Rickb119]

Try it again using bottled DI or distilled water. I'm betting it's the minerals in your tap water.

 

[Chas F.]

I use a large pot and keep the heat at med/high, just enough for a rolling boil. Did you boil them more than once? What kind of cotton balls did you start with?

 

[zeus287]

I used 100% organic cotton balls from Wallgreens. When I boiled the same water, then poured it into a bowl and let them soak, they didn't turn the slight yellowish color like they did boiling in the pot, so I don't think it's the water. I'll try with a larger pot on medium high and report back. Thanks guys!

And Agavehound, yes I boiled them a few times. The first time, some parts had a slight yellow tone, then with each subsequent boil, more areas turned yellow. Since only certain parts on the outside of the balls turned color, I'm thinking it may have been too much heat in a small pot, thus they may have been "cooking" by touching the bottom in some places. I'm trying it now with a larger pot and will report back in a few minutes. Thanks again!

 

[zeus287]

Just tried it with a large pot and.... no yellow. I guess I was toasting them. How many times do you recommend boiling them for optimal flavor?