Once you go cotton...

[SpinDr480]

Once you go cotton wick, you will never go back. I honestly didn't notice the difference when I started rebuilding my coils with cotton wicks, but I just had to switch one to a silica wick because I rebuilt mine poorly, and I must say the taste in a cotton wick is so much better. With the silica it tastes so bad.

Anyway, wrapping your own coils may not be for everyone but if you are on the fence about it I highly recommend it. The process is easy for many clearos and the reward is worth it.

 

[djtonyb]

One of my first attempts at rewicking a Protank was cotton... worked great, but now I have to master getting the same results consisitently. SS mesh was a PITA, and not worth the trouble of multiple torchings and endless fiddling to get rid of hot spots and shorts.

 

[Glen Snyder]

I boil my silica wick for 5 minutes then let it dry before installing it. Others torch silica to clear any unwanted residue. I'll probably experiment with cotton some day, but for now I've got a good stock of silica and a method that works for me.

 

[kimbo55]

Just started with cotton. Do you guys find that a break in time is needed to get the best results?

 

[Ken_A]

I've used cotton. String, wick, yarn and cotton balls.
I will stick to silica. I went back.

 

[BlueMoods]

I Use cotton wicks, I agree best, cleanest flavor (assuming the cotton wick is clean to start with and you give it a few minutes to get saturated once installed.

 

[crxess]

Cotton is interesting.
Guess most do not realize the so called Better Flavor is actually More e-liquid Vaporizing due to High saturation.
May give it a try in an IGO-L - Good test bed for wicks/coils/juices

Everything I have read about EkoWool looks positive.
Hollow core will allow more flow.
Braiding allows better channeling to coil

 

[Crash Moses]

I've yet to be able to taste the difference between cotton and silica (or even silica and SS) most likely due to the abuse of my poor taste buds over the last quarter century (I still need extra flavor shots in my juice to get good flavor).

That said, what I like about cotton is that it is so easy to re-wick (especially micro-coils...I've yet to make a decent micro-coil with silica...it just doesn't play nice). A cotton wick will last me three or four days (very dependent on juice...some folks re-wick every day...RMMV) and it takes just a minute or two to throw in a new one. This means the awesome coil I perfected doesn't get tossed in the trash as soon as the wick goes bad (although silica IS very easy to keep clean and will last quite awhile...a month or so on most of my builds).

For best results, less cotton is more. A little goes a long way. If I use too much cotton I can definitely taste the difference. If you have been nonplussed by cotton try using a little less. Makes a big difference.

And now for the obligatory gratuitous self-promotion.

My first micro-coil. 10ish wraps of 30awg Kanthal (using a 16 gauge needle) for 1.5 ohms on my Reomizer...absolute heaven.

 

[MetalRaven]

Lol, yeah I've switched to doing micros with 32g on protank rebuilds. Love them so far vs traditional coils.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

The only rebuilds I did were using braided cotton candle wick or cotton cheesecloth. The latter saturated better but was harder to work with. The former saturates well but is a lot easier to work with.

I quit rebuilding after my fourth rebuild (the first was an unmitigated disaster). I do like the flavor and performance, but it just isn't worth my time.

However, anytime I replace a coil in my Evod's or MT3S tanks, I replace the silica flavor wicks with slightly thicker, slightly longer cheesecloth wick.

 

[BlueMoods]

I have used cheesecloth when I was out of candle wick but, I prefer leaving it to the wine making and pickle brine making if I can. Still beats silica IMHO. Even a flour sack towel will work, inf that's all you can get to make a wick from.

 

[Signal30]

I was told that when using cotton, you have to rebuild it everyday.

 

[hawkizefan]

I was told that when using cotton, you have to rebuild it everyday.

I find it doesn't even "break in" for a day or 2.
My last cotton wick went 10+ days.
My cotton ball should wick me into 2014 easily...

 

[Crash Moses]

I was told that when using cotton, you have to rebuild it everyday.

Do you mean re-wick? Possibly. It depends on the juice. I like fairly simple clear juices (strawberry menthol, root beer, blueberry, etc.) and I can go several days without re-wicking. Someone using more complex juices (especially darker juices) with multiple flavors will likely have to re-wick more often.

 

[HughDaHand]

I was told that when using cotton, you have to rebuild it everyday.

On my evods I get about 10-15mL before the performance of the wick starts to drop off. It is so easy to pull a new wick through the coil that this is not a big issue for me. I just keep about 10 extra coils ready for a swap and every couple of weeks I spend about 30 mins dry burning and feeding new wicks.

 

[Snickerfritz]

You won't be forgotten?

 

[SpinDr480]

I use the #1/0 Square Braided Cotton Wicks exclusively now in my ProTank and Evod heads. For me, they seem to be the perfect thickness to fit in the head, and they solid enough to easily wrap my 32 Gauge A-1 Kanthal Wire around. It is thick enough that I don't need to add any flavor wicks, and they don't flood. I actually just ordered these on Monday to resupply: Square Braided 100 Cotton Wick 6 0 4 0 2 0 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 | eBay

I tried the Peaches and Cream cotton yarn, and it was just too flimsy for me to get a good wrap around. Also, they kept on flooding after a few vapes even with some flavor wicks inside. I would have to let it cool down before hitting it again, which is not easy for a chain vaper.

I would say my square braided wicks last me about a week before I change them. I usually have them in about 4 tanks that I rotate during the day, so if I was just using one clearo/tank then I would probably change them more often. I also have about 5 or so as backups, that I will rotate in if I switch a juice. I also am big on keeping them clean. I will probably soak them in vodka or warm water once a day on the weekend, and maybe once every two days during the week.

 

[Kdizzle]

I also am big on keeping them clean. I will probably soak them in vodka or warm water once a day on the weekend, and maybe once every two days during the week.

So after you clean the cotton how do you dry it? This might sound silly but do you let it air dry, or do you put it in the dryer? I was going to start messing with cotton this weekend, but this cleaning part is the only thing I'm unclear of.

 

[SpinDr480]

So after you clean the cotton how do you dry it? This might sound silly but do you let it air dry, or do you put it in the dryer? I was going to start messing with cotton this weekend, but this cleaning part is the only thing I'm unclear of.

I actually had originally purchased a 5 pack of replacement heads before trying to rebuild, and the Kanger ProTanks came with two heads already. So basically, I have a lot more heads than tanks/clearos.

It's not necessarily this formal, but here is a habit I have started doing. After work, I will take my heads out of any tank/clearos I have been vaping hard on during the day. I will then take a new head and put it in the tank/clearo so I can keep vaping. Since it is bottom coil (ProTank/Evod) I can do this even if the tank is still full of juice.

For the dirty head, I will then soak in vodka until I am about to go to bed. If I don't have vodka handy, I will bring water to a boil then turn off the stove and put the heads in there until the water cools. If I make my way back into the kitchen, I may do this one or two more times but I am usually good with just one cycle. Then before I go to bed I will take my heads out of the water or vodka and let them dry on a paper towel overnight. Once they are dry I will put them back in my Ziploc bag to be rotated back in the cycle for the next time I take out a dirty head.

On Sunday, I will then take any of the heads I did use that week and just rebuild them. Some probably don't need it if they weren't used in rotation heavily, but when I'm on a rebuilding roll I just tend to knock them all out at the same time. Once I finish a rebuild, I will soak them again before using. I don't know if it's needed, but I figured it wouldn't hurt in case there was any residue on the wick or even if my hands were dirty when I was touching the wick.

 

[Heavyrocker]

Once you go cotton wick, you will never go back. I honestly didn't notice the difference when I started rebuilding my coils with cotton wicks, but I just had to switch one to a silica wick because I rebuilt mine poorly, and I must say the taste in a cotton wick is so much better. With the silica it tastes so bad.

Anyway, wrapping your own coils may not be for everyone but if you are on the fence about it I highly recommend it. The process is easy for many clearos and the reward is worth it.

With cable,you will be able.