OK, this is "the big one". I tried to do my best to trim down quotes to conserve space while still leaving the context. Should be all caught up, if not this'll have to do.
Bought the
kayfun here specifically for nets.
Way I look at it, when indoors I am happy to rewick every 4-5 hours, when out and about I opt for less coil gunking nets so I don't have to rebuild.
Have read others say the same and others say different. But that is my experience.
The SVM Kayfun Lite clone off of FT was good until I broke the opaque plastic holding the drip-tip in place, loved it for NETs. I use an Avocado 24, Magma, and two Plume Veil clones now. How often one rewicks seems to be related to how sensitive your tastebuds are and how gunky your setup is/gets.
I get about 8-15ml depending on flavor percentage, doesn't seem to be directly related to power since I vape at 0.3-0.5Ω, 38.5-45w
I really feel that I need to make an "out and about" box that includes mixes at 5% & 10%, though.
I think a lot of folks find NETs better at lower power. I do most of mine at 15-16 watts on a 1.5 coil (give or take). Really high power and sub-ohming, I think, just burns the long-chain flavor in an NET. I don't have any science to prove that, just my own thinking.
I loved them at lower power and I love them at higher power. Back when I was using the VAMO v5, I could hardly get enough vapor to taste what I was vaping and was dry-burning ReadyXWick (heat-cleaned Nextel XC116, which should never be used without heat cleaning) wicks crammed into re-coiled kanger EVOD/T3 heads. Sometimes I'll go for a higher Ω build and drop the wattage, though if it spits I'm ramping it up.
Jonni my initial foray into the world of home made NETs didn't really work out. I was so keen I threw myself into it and made a big batch of about 15-20 bottles of extract from 4 different cigars and one pipe.
I think I leaped too early into this area because as I continue to sample my liquids and understand what went wrong I realise now that every elements has to be done right. One purchase of bad Pg/Vg or bad nicotine can ruin the whole batch. It also a product of pot luck to macerate an untested cigar or pipe. Often, the chosen tobacco just doesn't work well in a home made NET juice. You also have to make sure the chosen tobacco is fresh.
I also had the misfortune of buying flavorless Pg/Vg nicotine juice from health cabin that seems to have understated the nicotine content because it is making nicotine high. So all the home made NET I mixed with that nicotine went down the drain.
Luckily I have extract which I can use to make a new batch but I am noticing the extract is lifeless and flavorless.
Some cheap blends just don't really have much character, and as you mentioned, it
is important they are fresh. The "crispy" blends I extracted came out harsher in the end extract, as if I had taken the over-dried tobacco and smoked it.
Also, never trust just one website's nicotine/juice calculator for your math. Always double check with a calculator and make sure your nicotine is correct and well shaken before use. For example, when steam engine suggested that I put 3.33ml of nicotine into a 30ml bottle, I knew the number was wrong because I always use 1.5ml of nicotine to get 3mg.
And yes, there's a bit of luck involved. My first extracts were "meh", while this last round came out good. I have a feeling that part of it is
probably because I called P&C and asked for their recommendations before ordering, though.
My first was all me, and I produced one (maybe two) "good" juice out of a
huge amount of extract that made "Just ok" juices with TH/mouthfeel and little flavor.
I have to give a lot of credit to Clay here. If I hadn't tried his blends I wouldn't have as much of an idea as to what I actually liked.
I've extracted all of the American Spirit Tobaccos. Perique ( black Package ) is my favorite followed by the original. All the rest taste the same to me.
I have some of those sitting around here somewhere. I just hope they're not crispy.
Things seem to happen at the state level, for now. I think it was Indiana that barred online purchases. Quebec did something too. I'm not that up to speed, just stuff overheard.
I believe that at this time, the Indiana vaping ban has been overturned. I'm not sure whether that reinstates online purchases, though I don't see why it wouldn't.
On another note and arguably net related...why is it thinner wire, smaller coil diameter and less spacing between wraps means quicker gunking. I have always read it is, and seem to be experiencing this right now...
Always questioned it as myth, thinking surely it all evens out in reaching a given resistance e.g more or less wraps.
I would just opt for 3mm + diameter, macro coils etc. but my kayfun lite and goblin mini seem to prefer and be manufactured for smaller diameter coil, and without my coil master (micro coils only) I am lost with wrapping a coil.
I really can't explain it, either. I tried 1Ω, 1Ω duals, single spaced, contact, ect, and somehow ended up with a completely gunked coil in half the time at half the wattage I'm vaping at now.
Other times, micros will gunk up super fast for no real apparent reason. I try to keep my wicks at 3mm and taper them a bit, since my tank has what I believe are 2.8mm wick-holes. It seems like every time I start using a new tank I end up having to re-learn the basics of wicking all over.
While I had a CM, I find that using a computer screwdriver works pretty well for wrapping contact coils.
My take on it is that tighter tolerances (smaller, unspaced coils) tend to hold high heat and liquid together in close proximity, in effect "cooking" it, in addition to providing a lot of nooks and crannies for build-up to start. What you build on has a lot to do with it too, I think. Tightly enclosed build decks with narrow chimneys and limited airflow, such as on a Kayfun, basically act like little ovens once the airflow stops. Compare that to your garden variety RDA, like the Velocity clone in my hand at the moment, where I can look down into it and see the coils, so it's not dependent on vacuum (ie: drawing on it) for airflow. Just sitting there, it's being cooled by air currents in the room, which isn't possible with coils that are buried inside tanks like a Kayfun.
So while I think some of it has to do with the gunk potential of a given juice, it also has to do with the style of atty, mainly how efficiently it dissipates heat, and coil build. Heat, heat, heat. Have you ever seen a dual coil build that's been firing unevenly? The hot coil is the one getting all the build up.
At this point I have really limited experience with NETs, but I'm finding that they seem to perform better in RDAs than tanks, and for some odd illogical reason, with Clapton builds. The "Black Cavendish" stuff I had (and loved) pretty much wrecked havoc on the 24 g 2.5 id unspaced dual build in my Aromamizer, which has a REALLY tight, enclosed build deck. 5 mls of the Cav and it was shot, requiring a toothbrush scrub to remove tarry residue and full rebuild. For some reason the dual 2.5id spaced Claptons (0.3 ohms) in my Griffin fared better, and my Velocity RDA (build identical to the Griffin except 3mil id) just needed a quick dry burn/rewick. Strange, I'd have thought Clapton wire would gunk quicker, but it's the opposite (thicker wire, spaced = better heat dissipation??).
So, try dual builds on an RDA or Griffin-esque tank, and experiment with Clapton wire.
I'll add to this, that using SS 316L will have a shorter ramp-up time, which can be helpful if your device takes forever to heat up Claptons (this was my initial problem with them).
However, as an alternative to Claptons, you can also twist two equal-length strands of wire (same gauge) together using a drill chuck and pair of pliers and produce a similar vape. It's not going to be exactly the same as a Clapton, but it's pretty awesome in and of itself.
Cavendish is pretty much a notorious coil-wrecker. However that makes it easy to tell when it's time to change the wicks because of how distinct the flavor is. Dry-burning after then pulling the wicks, smells like a cake exploded.
And this is why we share our DIY NET experience. You can't really describe taste as we're all different but comparisons and techniques are helpful to the less experienced.
Helpful to experienced home extractors too!
Absolutely. Without this and the extraction threads, I would still be lost and probably vaping TINOs and Peanut Butter Cup at 18-24mg.
I use these in the 5 micron size. I get a 12x12 sheet and cut a circle slightly bigger than the press on my French Press coffee maker. I get many filters out of 1 sheet.
Small-Particle-Filtering Felt Sheets
McMaster-Carr
I know in the past some have used lab filters in smaller microns, just too expensive for me
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006H8WOQC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Hope this helps! I am sure others can tell you what they use.
I use:
15cm diameter 3 micron Ahlstrom filter paper.
I get about 4 aeropress-sized filters per paper, so there's a total of 200 for me to cut out/mess up in the process.
I've found our crock pots to be pretty hot, even on "warm". I ended up switching to a hot plate to have better control. I might suggest getting a cooking thermometer to monitor the temps and I try to keep it around 125-130 F. I do the cycles over five days and then let them sit in a drawer for a couple of weeks. I use the Aeropress with two of their coffee filters for the first pass and found 7cm Ahlstrom filters (I think 2.5 micron) on Amazon that I don't even trim for the final filtering, warming in a microwave for 30 seconds prior to keep it moving. This is for cigars, for pipe I'd only go three day cycles and cooler temps, maybe 115 F.
Checking your warmer's "keep warm" temp is always good advice, some are just right, and others will simmer off what you put in them.
The not having to trim those filters part sounds nice... perhaps I'll look into it, but I've got a ton of this filter paper left. The
ones you're using look a little more appropriate for NETs than mine are, but it'd be nice to find a pack of 6.4cm ones (2 1/2", or the exact size of the aeropress filters) just for convenience. Any difficulty getting the aeropress to close up on the bottom with that filter size?
Anyone into extracting NET's and Arduino or Raspberry PI take notice that there are Shwartzer vacuum pumps for filtering on eBay for $25. Just sayin' you know?
Tempting, because that would allow for faster multi-stage filtrations.
Unfortunately, me and PayPal ended our relationship. Long story short, they'll never get access to a primary checking account of mine ever again. Maybe a virtual card...maybe.
Would it help to set up paypal account. I pay some of my lead vendors in my buis through paypal with CC
I dont know much about it but I would guess that is a way around it
I think PayPal has a "no tobacco or tobacco products" policy. I don't know whether this has been expanded to cover more things as of the announcement of the deeming regulations, as I have not used PayPal since December of last year.
I am right in the middle of what was you folks just eluded to about your vaping techniques. what concerns me is, after thoroughly enjoying the first few vapes of the day, I get vaper's mouth. I can't taste the very vape I have been enjoying and if I keep vaping fairly hard I can't taste food so well either. I change out coils after a few cc's/milliliters of liquid, but still end up on the loosing end. Going to a different flavor works for just an even shorter time! Any suggestions are welcome.
I have this problem less now that I drink lots of dark coffee. Sometimes a tongue scraper can help. Yes, it sounds disgusting, but tongue crud
is disgusting, and can sometimes coat the tastebuds. Vape a mint flavor in another tank, or perhaps eat some dark chocolate.
Interestingly enough, I find that Virginia tobacco is a tricky one to taste on its own. Perhaps it's because it's added into so many blends, that I'm just used to it being "kinda there" and almost don't notice the flavor? I don't experience this problem with Anniversary Kake mixed to 25%, but....that's
25%.
I picked up two of the varietals blowout boxes at MVJ which contain the Indonesian varietals and broadleafs.
I am a big fan of burley so I got the varietal blowout boxes that contain the cubed burley and aged burley and uncut burley. Can't wait to mix those and see how they taste.
I am quite interested in how the Burley turned out for you, as well. I love Burley in general.
Seen on NET.com's Front Page:
-No new products after August 7th!
-No free samples starting August 8th! (sigh)
Age verification is required!
Explains that rash of new blends...
It's a shame that free samples will no longer be able to be given out, but perhaps this opens the door for "dollar samplers" or something along those lines. Knowing the FDA, they've probably got plans for a ban on "discounted tobacco products", whatever they feel like that is on a given day. I have only read summaries of the deeming regulations, so I'm not one-hundred-percent on that one.
Also upsetting is the discontinuation of time-limited or seasonal blends. Something's got to give, because people need a little variety in their lives without Big Bro telling them what they can and cannot do or buy.
Well, let's see! I've had and loved Patriot but, I can only vape it in small doses now before it becomes cloying. I'll try the Analog.
Thanks!
Interesting. You've probably mentioned what you're vaping on, but I've read so much of this thread in the last few days it's all running together. How long has your Patriot steeped? This can go a long way towards bringing out the delightful nutty character of Burley and rounding out the edges of other robust tobaccos.
VanillaLytening said:
That taste is attributed to virginias which are light and high in sugars. If you are looking for a cigarette taste that has a smokier rather than sweet flavor. I suggest vapetruebacco.com _ amsterdam classic which has dark fired kentucky. Or their balkan bliss which is an english blend that contains smoky latakia.
The Amsterdam Classic sounds a lot like
Peter Stokkebye #83 Amsterdam.
I tip my hat to you, sir.....
can't even begin to imagine a 10% mix of N Rustica!
It more or less confirms how much our tastes change as vapers, and when you put individual preferences in the perspective, it's even more challenging to say there's a one-size-fits-all juice or NET. I would have never imagined mixing a NET at 25% and enjoying it so much a year ago.
Three or four years ago, I never would have imagined vaping Latakia and liking it (One of my first NETs was London from W2V's Vapenstein line. Come to think of it, I still have an 18mg bottle that has been sitting around for about that long) and at the time I tried it I was using cartos and Ikenvape & Gotvapes atomizers with drip shields around the outside.
There was also a time where the
only juice I would buy was WTA. If it weren't for finances, maybe this would have never changed... but I am thankful for the journey that NETs have began me on. Despite whatever the FDA decides to do, I'm not halting my enjoyment of NET anytime soon.
After all, each time I think I have something about NET figured out, I learn something new.
3-4 years now, I feel unlearned and am enjoying every minute of it.
It's thanks to everyone here, and these two threads, that I was able to get started on this path. So, since I haven't came out and said it before...
...Thank you all very much!
