Just don't remove the atty wick. (510)

[Sallana]

So a few months back I was ranting and raving over how awesome vaping was without the atomizer wick in there. Well, I just wanted to come here and officially take it back.

When an atomizer would start getting clogged up on me, I would remove the wick and that seemed to always give them a sort of renewed vigor. juice would taste better, it would have a stronger bit, and greater vapor production. So naturally I thought that removing the wick was a great answer to a nearly dead atomizer.

But here's the truth... It's not.

I've got this old ashtray that I call my atty graveyard. And god forbid Zbasspro reads that line, I'll be in court for a week.

Anyway, today I decided to pull out the 3 dead LR's that were in there. 2 of which had had the wicks (bridges.. things) removed. I was taking some very good advice about cleaning out dead atomizers by boiling them, thread end up, for about 2 - 3 minutes each. Upon completing the process, I blew out each atomizer and then dry burned them (I know I know, bad me) until they lit up bright red ("Omg, this girl just loves to kill atomizers!"), then I went ahead and primed them.

The one with the bridge still in it worked like new.. In fact I'm using it now, it works BETTER than new, so I think I'm just going to boil every atomizer I get from now on.

The ones without the bridge lit up bright red, so one would think they would work... But I couldn't get any vapor or hit from them.. they're just goners. (Seriously, I'll just put the handcuffs on myself.).

So lesson learned.. Don't dissect your atties.

 

[WomanOfHeart]

I've tried de-wicking and the only difference I noticed was a remarkable decrease in wicking (obviously...duh.) It didn't change the taste or the performance. I've also tried de-bridging and didn't notice a change in anything except now I had an atty that could only be used for dripping. Not a great loss since I drip most of the time. Now I just leave them alone. I soak my attys at least once a week in 91% Iso Alc and let them dry overnight and that's it. No de-wicking or de-bridging. I still get plenty of vapor and great taste, but none of what I consider to be pointless hassle.

 

[Aaeli]

I learned this one right off the bat unfortunately. I knew something was wrong but it wasn't that I needed to dewick/debridge. I just needed a bigger battery. After I bought an Ego battery, my dissatisfaction problem was solved. I have a worthless atty to show for it LOL.

 

[MadHatter]

I learned this one right off the bat unfortunately. I knew something was wrong but it wasn't that I needed to dewick/debridge. I just needed a bigger battery. After I bought an Ego battery, my dissatisfaction problem was solved. I have a worthless atty to show for it LOL.

I have one atty that I debridged, but I don't consider it worthless. I use it to test new flavors. It uses just one drop to cover the coil and it's easier to clear out the different juices between tests.

 

[DC2]

I'm guessing the dry-burning had a lot more to do with getting them to work like new again.
But getting them bright red is dangerous, and I never go further than bright orange.

 

[Raynen]

I do dry burn with lots of success (when changing flavors, and it's only for a few seconds. On new attys, I can't even get the coil to turn orange with a three second burn. On broken-in attys, they turn orange really quick). I haven't tried any atty surgery, and I don't know if I will, since I don't drip.

 

[Israfil]

Honestly i've had a lot of success with taking the bridge off, scraping the gunk off the coil and wick, then using it as a drip atty. Currently performing experiments with cartomizers (so much cheaper if I screw up...)

 

[icemanx3]

Yes, you just need to place one/two drops onto the red coil, filling the small ceramic cup that surrounds it. If your droplet misses the center of the atty, it will seep down the sides to the metal mesh material that surrounds the base of the ceramic cup and you wont get vapor.

As for me, I stick with fully bridged and wicked now. The bridgeless and de-wicked are very AWESOME for getting a true flavor test of a liquid though, as MadHatter suggested. It's pure juice sitting on the hot filament...so you can discern the nuances of each liquid. Plus you get MASSIVE clouds and flavor explosion. I stopped using them as much though because I tended to over fill them and had leaking now and again.

Here are some high magnification pictures of what it looks like when you remove the bridge and filler if you were interested.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ess-atomizer-looks-like-under-microscope.html

ice

 

[warbdan]

Let's start a petition to get Phee and the others to take down those misleading atty dewicking/debridging videos. All it does is turn your atty into a useless straw. Seriously, if you like leaky atties I recommend you dewick everyone you own. zzzzzzzzzz

 

[Sallana]

ahahahaha. Yeah, it does make them super leaky, but you really don't need more than one drop ones the bridge has been removed, so it's easier to flood them

 

[thefreak48324]

I'll post my 2 cents. I removed the wick on my 510 6 months ago. Atty is still working better than ever. Great taste, tons of vapor. Coil sizzles and gets nice and warm (hot). I will agree removing the wick is NOT for everyone. I wouldn't remove the posts, it was the best advice I ever got as a vapor. Most of the posts I have read said, "not recommended for everyone".

 

[WomanOfHeart]

I wouldn't remove their posts, either. It's a personal preference. Some people who drip really like using a de-bridged atty. I'm just not one of them because I didn't really notice any difference in vapor or flavor compared to attys that I've cleaned.

 

[Jiggity-J]

I've dewicked and debridged two of my attys and so far I like them. The fact that I can change out flavors with ease is why I'll stick with it. Key Lime Pie flavor was a bi*** to remove!! One atty badly burned the wick and was really forced to do something or keep puking. I only drip with the 510s anyways. I also looked to Phee's video as a guide. He says himself it is a preference thing and wasn't forcing it upon anyone.

 

[Aaeli]

No, no one should have their posts removed for saying they like it that way. I just didn't. Maybe I just have no skill at dripping in the exact spot, LOL. I hate tobacco flavors too, that doesn't mean people who like them are "wrong". Everyone's different, I can respect that.

 

[Belhade]

I converted to dripping and de-wicked my atties a few months back; now they won't work at all. That makes me a sad panda.

 

[Israfil]

Generally when I dewick an atty it's because it has entered the FUBAR realm of damage. If cleaning and such won't work, a bridgeless atty is better than no atty after all, regardless of preference. ^_^

 

[Aaeli]

Well, that's true! I also used the advice given earlier in the thread and pulled mine out to try a sample without filling a carto with it.

 

[warbdan]

Errmm, I was kidding about the petition. I didn't like it though.

 

[Hawkins]

I have had pretty good luck de-bridging and de-wicking attys. I never do it to new ones, I usually wait till they are a few weeks old.

I think the best thing I have done to make attys last longer is to stop cleaning them so often, the religous routine cleaning really shortens the life IMHO. I'll only clean atty's now when the taste is really off. With the LR306's I use now, even drastic flavor changes don't require a cleaning.

 

[hairball]

My atty's get cleaned once a week with white vinegar. If you want a good atty to drip with, use the LR306's by Cisco. Other than Cisco's, I de-bridge my 510's. No problems with them, I just prefer de-bridged. Now with 801's and 901's, I leave them alone and use them intact.

For stuck on stubborn gunk, white vinegar will remove it. Let them soak overnight. Rinse with hot water. Quick dry burn. Tap lightly on desk to knock off the white burnt on stuff. Will come right out.

If, after cleaning, you still have a leftover hint of a flavor, drip a couple of drops of straight unflavored VG onto atty and vape it off. For some reason, this will get the flavor out. I use alot of oily cinnamon flavorings and they are the worst to get out but this does the trick.