New Carto Cleaning Experiment...

[Esoterica3]

New Carto Cleaning Experiment.

So, decided to try Rave's carto cleaning method today. But in the meanwhile I'd been doing some thinking, and thought I'd revise it a bit.

(bit of history)

Bought some "Atty Cleaner/Flavor eraser" at $4.99 for 10ml. (seems standard at the 2 places that sell it) last summer sometime, but always suspected it was PG (Propylene glycol) which can be had at many places.

I Purchased a quart from amazon, sold by Essential Depot (respected name in the industry) for $4.95 and free shipping over $25 at AZ, (On their website, Essential Depot will sell you 2 gal for about $53 with free shipping, you can even get 1gal PG and 1 gal VG for the same price).

Anyway,
Supposedly this "Atty Cleaner/Flavor eraser" was only supposed to work on attys, and it does...but so does my PG.

So Thought I'd try it in a carto. Most everyone is familiar with the syringe style cleaning? So I took that method, and just replaced the water (or alcohol) with PG. Plunged in and out a few times etc. Problem (or not ), since it's not water (or vodka etc)...no DRY time .

Tried it on a carto that had a HEAVY extracted juice in..could hardly draw anymore...When I topped off and blew out the excess, the excess was black. Most would throw a carto out at this point...not me (with limited funds).

This is the one I tried the PG on. Worked WONDERS! Very nice results on that one! after the Syringe process W/PG... Was able to go back using it right away. Keep in mind that the carto WILL have mostly PG in it when re-filling, so give it some several good pulls and add a few drops of your niquid periodically to get it back to full flavor.


With Raves method, I'm using the Denture cleaning tabs overnight, Will rinse out with water, let dry and rinse thru again w/ PG, and test them for draw before adding new liquid...will let you know my results


Thanks for reading

T

 

[thatick]

wow sounds great. i love goofing around and trying to clean my cartos sort of a hobby. keep us updated

 

[cindycated]

I think that atty cleaner/flavor eraser thing is PG + PGA (I think this is what SteelJan uses when she cleans) and maybe some other stuff. Tried that. My experience was that it was good at getting old flavor out, but didn't really do much to remove the crud from the coil. But maybe if soaked for a week or two (either in PG+PGA or Rave's denture tabs or some other type of solution), it would thin the crud down a bit. Hmm...may have to revisit that...

I soak, shake like crazy daily (repeating the mantra "I am a washing machine, I am a washing machine"), run them through the ultrasonic cleaner a few times, blow them out with the oral syringe (I like seeing the tiny black crud nuggets in the discharge), then repeat the whole thing with hot water. Takes weeks, but just don't have the cash to buy new ones right now. Some of my cartos are over 6 months old and they still work. Even the newer ones I have were gently used ones that were gifted to me by SI Volt Angels...(thank you, Angels!) I'm really broke!

 

[Esoterica3]

LOL Cyndy!

But there was no alcohol odor in what I purchased...trust me, I would know LOL

And w/the crud...hoping the denture clean thing will help...don't have an ultrasonic cleaner but maybe when I start making more money again.

And like I said, this one was a doosey, but w/just a PG bath...seems OK.

But I try not to draw SO hard as to keep heat in the bottom if the carto, I have many batts w/cartos so I switch out often

The other "Plus" I'm looking for when these are clean...is that they will be full of PG, so I can test the newly cleaned cartos without wasting any new juice(done that far too often).

And most of mine last as long as they are in the carto...Halo Prime...About a half year on that one, not so well on others, but If I do not get at least a month on one carto...I get a bit .......

Which is the reason for trying this .....

 

[Esoterica3]

Geeez, hope that didn't come off as too much

 

[cindycated]

LOL Cyndy!

But there was no alcohol odor in what I purchased...trust me, I would know LOL

Thanks, the +PGA came from a little research I did on that stuff when I was doing my own little experiments. Glad the PG is working for you. The denture tabs are pretty effective, with or without an ultrasonic cleaner. But since I have one...

Just to share what I've learned, the crud, like Konstantine mentioned, is carbon-based, like the stubborn burnt-up crud you get after baking. Did a little research on this too, and it seems that the way to clean this stuff off is with a solution that's more on the alkaline side (rather than acidic) that won't harm the metal or melt the adhesive. Took a quick look at the ingredients in denture tabs and I think that's what they are. It seems to be pretty safe, so it's pretty much all I'll ever mention...the other things I've tried may not be so safe. Wouldn't want to start up any debate or kill anyone so...

 

[ThreadKiller]

I wonder if Alka-Seltzer would work? Just asking...

 

[Konstantine]

Thanks, the +PGA came from a little research I did on that stuff when I was doing my own little experiments. Glad the PG is working for you. The denture tabs are pretty effective, with or without an ultrasonic cleaner. But since I have one...

Just to share what I've learned, the crud, like Konstantine mentioned, is carbon-based, like the stubborn burnt-up crud you get after baking. Did a little research on this too, and it seems that the way to clean this stuff off is with a solution that's more on the alkaline side (rather than acidic) that won't harm the metal or melt the adhesive. Took a quick look at the ingredients in denture tabs and I think that's what they are. It seems to be pretty safe, so it's pretty much all I'll ever mention...the other things I've tried may not be so safe. Wouldn't want to start up any debate or kill anyone so...

NaOH?
Denture tabs have some acids, preservatives and bases.

There is no way to dissolve Carbon except maybe Chlorosulphonic acid or sulphamic acid (the second one will just for a colloidal suspension).

You could use molten iron to create a mixture of molten iron and carbon.

Usually if carbon reacts with oxidizers (oxygen) it forms carbonates or carbonites and maybe that is why the dental tabs work.

 

[rave]

NaOH?
Denture tabs have some acids, preservatives and bases.

There is no way to dissolve Carbon except maybe Chlorosulphonic acid or sulphamic acid (the second one will just for a colloidal suspension).

You could use molten iron to create a mixture of molten iron and carbon.

Usually if carbon reacts with oxidizers (oxygen) it forms carbonates or carbonites and maybe that is why the dental tabs work.

It doesn't dissolve it. The chunks just break off. I've never used any other method that produces these kind of results.

 

[Esoterica3]

Cool,

thanks for the added and extra advice all...turns out I got lazy again so just rinsed out the cup-O-Cartos, refilled the H2O and dropped in another DC tab (figured it would give me another day of Lazyness LOL).

Happy Easter everyone !

 

[cindycated]

It doesn't dissolve it. The chunks just break off.

Exactly! Some of it, anyway. But just as the cleaning agent turns brown when you're cleaning a dirty oven, I think it does thin it down a bit too. Not to pristine/virgin condition though.

Wasn't gonna go here, but most of the active ingredients that I've found for cleaning blackened, burnt up food/sugars in ovens (much like what we're dealing with) have been alkaline (e.g., potassium carbonate, an active ingredient in oven cleaner). Even when I pulled cruddy coils from dead cartos and soaked them in different solutions, I only had visibly good results with the alkaline ones (baking soda, Dawn, etc.). Nothing happened to them at all with rubbing alcohol, vodka, vinegar, etc... NaOH is not acidic. It's a base that's just as dangerous as a really strong acid (it's lye). That's why I'd recommend rinsing the heck out of cartos afterwards.

Now, would I ever go out and get Chlorosulphonic acid or sulphamic acid and use them on something I'm gonna vape from? Probably not. I would think most people would wanna clean with regular household stuff...

 

[Esoterica3]

Hmmm, baking soda.....but wonder if it would leave them tasteing like soap (ikk)

 

[Konstantine]

Not really, baking soda is also an acid neutralizer..

 

[Esoterica3]

tasted like soap when I tried it for my teeth once LOL!

 

[Konstantine]

tasted like soap when I tried it for my teeth once LOL!

AAAhahahahaha

Sodium bicarbonate can be used as a toothpaste (paste made with 3% hydrogen peroxide), cleaning agent, soap, fire extinguishing, ant reppelent and many many other things.

 

[Voltron]

I have tried several cleaning methods, and the one that has worked the best for me involves a 5ml plastic syringe with an adaptor. I got one from the pharmacy one day, and was surprised that Volt cartos fit snuggly into the adaptor.

So I soak them in vodka for a couple of days, then attach each carto to the syringe's adaptor by the draw side. I then repeatedly run the vodka in and out through the carto and syringe, letting some air through it as well.

When there are residues inside the cartos, the vodka turns milky white. I then change the vodka and repeat the process until the vodka comes out clear. I then rinse them with water, blow through them, and let them dry for at least a week. This method seems to rid the carto of all residual smell and taste. It works for me but YMMV.

 

[cindycated]

Hmmm, baking soda.....but wonder if it would leave them tasteing like soap (ikk)

If you don't completely rinse it out (it's a pain - it builds up and gets caught in the filler), it's like sanding drywall without a mask. You get that talc-like feeling/taste that kinda dulls flavors. Plus I think it does something funky to the silica fibers that the heating wire is wrapped around - like a slimy film or something - but this goes away with heavy rinsing as well. But oh, man - the rinsing-off part was a PITA!

 

[sze5003]

I've also found the syringe method with attachment to work well. I just soaked mine in water for a couple of minutes, really hot boiled water. Then I would just use the syringe to pump out the rest. Let them dry on the counter or pop them in the oven for 20 minutes or so. By the time they get refilled a few days have gone by so they are ready and I don't mind the taste, doesn't taste bad.

Edit..I broke the plastic syringe and finding another one, seems only Rite aid has them, its tough. They have the baby pipets but no syringes, probably try a different store.

 

[Konstantine]

Picture of how your coil looks under the microscope. Not too much magnified but you get the picture.
This pic is taken AFTER it has been passed through an ultrasonic machine. Nothing changed.

 

[440BB]

Some older posts talked about cleaning attys by loading them with baking soda then introducing vinegar. I'm wondering exactly how to use baking soda to release the carbonites - will time do it or is pressure or bubbling also needed? A box of baking soda is so cheap I'd like to use it if possible. I'm going to try a hot water+baking soda solution in my next syringe cleaning, but wonder if a soak is in order and for how long.

This is a great thread by the way - I've been cleaning cartos over a year now (vodka soak, then vodka syringe and hot water syringe), and although my fillers last seemingly forever it's the coil buildup that limits them eventually. Thanks to cindycated and Konstantine for your helpful insights! Still learning on ECF - I feel like a perpetual noobie and that's OK!