Yea I hope the tracking updates appropriately. Otherwise there is a good chance I will be asleep. I work nights, and go to sleep before the mail runs, unless I know something is coming.
Mark Bugs Bottom Feeding Rebuildable Atomizer (prototype) initial impressions
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Yea I hope the tracking updates appropriately. Otherwise there is a good chance I will be asleep. I work nights, and go to sleep before the mail runs, unless I know something is coming.
FYI for those that are interested in using cotton in your Chalices, I just got this in today and have used it to re-wick a Vivi Nova with great results. Its the easiest wicking material I've used to date, just cut a piece and wrap your coil (after you've boiled and dried the whole length). Its cheap, readily available, has a neutral taste and is very easy to use. It is roughly the size of the 3mm silica wick used in Mark Bugs and GG attys, and its what I plan to use in my Chalice.
Actually I got the exact same thing from eBay today, and can confirm that it is incredible. Great flavor, stiff enough to make rolling coils easy, easy to cut and doesn't really fray...
Actually, from eBay you can get it for 6.75 for 20 yards and free shipping. The amazon listing you point to is 7.99 for only 10 yards. Square Braided 100% Cotton wick 6/0, 4/0, 2/0, 1/0, #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 | eBay In the options choose #1/0. 10 yards is only 4.45 with free shipping.
I hope people will post when their Chalice arrives. I guess they are all in NY now. I am not sure when it says "processed", does it mean the item arrived, or left the Postal Center?
It will say Departed when they leave NY, assuming the tracking gets updated appropriately. I will definitely post when mine arrives!
What's this about? Is it for hygiene purposes, or does the boil somehow 'prime' the cotton for better function?
Boiling gets rid of "stuff" that might be on it when it comes to you new. I don't bother boiling mine. I just put together my coil and wick, wet with PG, and perform similar to a dry burn, but keep it wet with PG. Anything that might hurt ya is burned away.
I am using 3m GG wick in my Phoenix, and I like it. But the price is better on the cotton for sure. Not noticing any flavor changes on my wick and I didn't boil it.
I got a tracking # that doesnt show on my PP acct and it doesnt work with CP or USPS 
The boiling is mentioned and recommended in this thread http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/modding-forum/284030-wick-materials-safe-vs-dangerous.html for the purpose of removing the 'sizing' that most cotton materials have applied at the factory, including those that are "100% natural, pure, organic, what have you."
I can't prove any of this myself, but most of the folks on that thread claim it works and since its a simple, one time (per roll) operation I figured better safe than sorry.
I can't prove any of this myself, but most of the folks on that thread claim it works and since its a simple, one time (per roll) operation I figured better safe than sorry.
Just putting this out there for the ones wanting to try a SS mesh wick on their Chalice... I just put one on my Mark-T for the first time since I started working with cotton and this is what I have to say about it...
Screw cotton! SS Mesh takes about 10 minutes to set up the first time cuz of oxidizing and stuff, but once it's there it last for weeks or longer. If it gets nasty just rinse it, dry burn and continue. Flavor is completely pure. I think I may have to lower my NIC again.
Screw cotton! SS Mesh takes about 10 minutes to set up the first time cuz of oxidizing and stuff, but once it's there it last for weeks or longer. If it gets nasty just rinse it, dry burn and continue. Flavor is completely pure. I think I may have to lower my NIC again.
I'm planning on trying SS mesh when mine arrives. Would you mind explaining a bit more on how you set it up? What dimensions of mesh did you start with? How tight did you roll it? (what diameter did it end up being) Hollow or solid roll?
Thanks!
I had someone on reddit ask me recently if you could take a mesh wick and stick it vertically in the feed hole. Forgive my naivete', but isn't that the only way a mesh wick would work in this arrangement? With cotton or silica, you can have dangly bits that hang out the ends of the coil (which doesn't touch the floor of the atty) that would hang down and suck up the juice on the floor. With a horizontal mesh wick, how does the juice actually get to it?
I start with a 1" x 1" piece of 400 SS Mesh. Then I fold over 1mm on one of the edges and smooth it flat. Then I roll starting from the opposite edge so the folded edge is on the outside, around a small screwdriver or needle. Then I slip it of the screwdriver and roll between my thumb and middle finger till it's as tight as I can get it. That creates a nice tight roll without any frayed edges on the outside.
Then I use a small pair of vice grips and clip the last 1/8" of one end to hold it. Heat it up with a lighter or a butane torch till it turns bright orange. Put a couple drips of juice on it, and heat till it's orange again. Then drip some more juice on it and hit it with a lighter and let it burn itself off. I do that about 5 times. (It is nice if you have PG or VG so you don't have to use your good juice for this part.)
Now wrap your coil around it. I find it easiest to just leave the Mesh roll in the vise grips for this part. Put it on your atomizer, snip the extra coil wire but not the excess mesh roll, drip some juice on it, and test. If you get no glowing spots then snip the excess and enjoy.
If you do get glowing spots, slide the mesh over(you have about 3/4" to play with, after all) and try again. You may need to drip juice and burn with a lighter another time or two. You may need to use a toothpick to shift the coil wire a little bit. Once you get it to not glow, snip off the excess mesh roll, and enjoy.
It usually doesn't take that much toying if you oxidize it right, but sometimes it does. Luckily SS Mesh doesn't have to be changed that often.
Simple. Surface tension and cohesion. Take a drop of water and drip it on a countertop. The bubble it makes is like 1/8th to 1/4" tall. With the coil/wick setup in the Chalice, it will probably be about 1/16th" from the floor of the atomizer. All it takes is for the liquid to come in contact with the wick, and the heat pulls it right up. I'm using a horizontal SS Mesh wick right now in my Mark-T and fired it without the top on, just so I could test that theory.
Then I use a small pair of vice grips and clip the last 1/8" of one end to hold it. Heat it up with a lighter or a butane torch till it turns bright orange. Put a couple drips of juice on it, and heat till it's orange again. Then drip some more juice on it and hit it with a lighter and let it burn itself off. I do that about 5 times. (It is nice if you have PG or VG so you don't have to use your good juice for this part.)
Now wrap your coil around it. I find it easiest to just leave the Mesh roll in the vise grips for this part. Put it on your atomizer, snip the extra coil wire but not the excess mesh roll, drip some juice on it, and test. If you get no glowing spots then snip the excess and enjoy.
If you do get glowing spots, slide the mesh over(you have about 3/4" to play with, after all) and try again. You may need to drip juice and burn with a lighter another time or two. You may need to use a toothpick to shift the coil wire a little bit. Once you get it to not glow, snip off the excess mesh roll, and enjoy.
It usually doesn't take that much toying if you oxidize it right, but sometimes it does. Luckily SS Mesh doesn't have to be changed that often.
Simple. Surface tension and cohesion. Take a drop of water and drip it on a countertop. The bubble it makes is like 1/8th to 1/4" tall. With the coil/wick setup in the Chalice, it will probably be about 1/16th" from the floor of the atomizer. All it takes is for the liquid to come in contact with the wick, and the heat pulls it right up. I'm using a horizontal SS Mesh wick right now in my Mark-T and fired it without the top on, just so I could test that theory.
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OK, let me see if I'm following you. You are starting with an inch long roll and rolling it solid (not hollow like a straw). Then once your wick is "right" clipping off around a quarter inch --leaving a 3/4" wick.
Is this correct? I'm familiar with the folded edge, oxidizing the mesh, quenching, etc to look for hot spots. I just trying to get an idea of how large of a piece of mesh, how large a wick, etc. to start with. I'm sure it will be easier once I have the Chalice in my hand to play with.
Thanks for the advice!
Is this correct? I'm familiar with the folded edge, oxidizing the mesh, quenching, etc to look for hot spots. I just trying to get an idea of how large of a piece of mesh, how large a wick, etc. to start with. I'm sure it will be easier once I have the Chalice in my hand to play with.
Thanks for the advice!
No. When the wick is in the vice grips it crushes like the last 1/4" of the wick. So get your wick and coil working properly before snipping the excess wick... You have about 3/4" of the wick to work with that way, so you can slide it over and find a spot where it won't short. You know the trick of using a toothpick to shift the coil to stop the hot spots. This just gives you another way to handle that. Once you have your wick/coil working perfectly, snip off the excess on both sides. Considering the size of the Chalice, the wick will probably be 5/16", maybe 3/8th" long...
I will do a little picture tutorial later, but my husband is about to fire up the grill outside, so it'll be a couple hours.
Ahh. I see. Sorry to be dense--my only experience with SS wicks are the vertical ones in the Gtank US. I can get those going just fine, but I had very detailed instructions at first
So, let me try again. You are rolling a tight wick an inch long to give you room to hold onto it with visegrips, hemostats, etc. Wrapping your coil and getting it firing well then trimming off the excess from either end. (i don't guess there is an exact length so long as it fits in the atty body)
I certainly wouldn't mind seeing pics if you get the time--but there doesn't seem to be a rush as they appear to still be in Customs.
I'm guessing we should get our shipments the same day. (I'm in the Cape Girardeau area) Thanks again for your posts in this thread!
Ahh. I see. Sorry to be dense--my only experience with SS wicks are the vertical ones in the Gtank US. I can get those going just fine, but I had very detailed instructions at first
So, let me try again. You are rolling a tight wick an inch long to give you room to hold onto it with visegrips, hemostats, etc. Wrapping your coil and getting it firing well then trimming off the excess from either end. (i don't guess there is an exact length so long as it fits in the atty body)
I certainly wouldn't mind seeing pics if you get the time--but there doesn't seem to be a rush as they appear to still be in Customs.
I'm guessing we should get our shipments the same day. (I'm in the Cape Girardeau area) Thanks again for your posts in this thread!
That's awesome! I'm actually staying with family in a little town called Advance, like 30 minutes south of Cape. We will almost definitely get ours the same day. First its gotta get through the Hazelwood Sort Facility, then the Cape Girardeau Sort Facility, THEN it'll get to the local post office.
And yea you make it the exact same way as a vertical wick. I just have my own way of putting together a SS Mesh wick that has proven to be the easiest way for me. I have tried a hundred different ways to do this, and all others lead to hot spots that I can't get rid of.
Oh, one other thing. when you trim off the excess, make it short enough that the ends don't touch the body when you screw it back on. For some reason if the frayed ends of the mesh contact metal, it doesn't matter how well you oxidize it, it will short.
I know Advance very well--you're about 20 minutes away. Good to know about touching the sides. Thanks!
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