Oxidizing questions

[ANONeSKILLZ]

(HOPE I DONT CONFUSE ANYONE lol)

Hi all,

I just received my AGA-T2 (first rba) and was wondering, does anyone oxidize just the upper part of the wick and leave the bottom portion as is? I know some people either oxidize the whole wick or none of the wick, but would oxidizing just the part that the coil touches not be the best option? From what I've read online and the videos I've seen, the juice changes color and might be hazardous do to the carbon thats on the wick if im understanding everything correctly. Or does it add up to the same thing if you oxidize part of the wick or all of the wick because the juice still travels up to the coil which is oxidized?

And if it is ok, do I wash the mesh with warm water and soap and then roll?

Thanx in advance!

 

[eratikmind]

Although, I do not have a lot of RBA time under my belt, my e juice has remained clear and light colored, and I oxidize the complete wick. This after some 5 tanks of e juice.


- Andy . . . Challenge in lieu of being challenged.

 

[Rule62]

With mechanicals, I don't oxidize at all, other than a quick torching of the mesh, before I roll it. With my vv and vw devices, I oxidize from the top, down to where the wick clears the wick hole in the deck. The part in the tank is left unoxidized.

 

[zero7starz]

Can I ask, if the op doesn't mind, why do we oxidize? Especially on vv/vw?
I just always accepted it as the practice, never questioned the reason lol.

 

[Judge Dredd]

Can I ask, if the op doesn't mind, why do we oxidize? Especially on vv/vw?
I just always accepted it as the practice, never questioned the reason lol.

When stainless steel reacts with oxygen, an oxide layer is formed that protects the metal underneath. That might be a reason but I'm not sure.

 

[Thompson]

What Dredd said. It creates a layer that prevents short circuiting.

I only oxidize the top of my wick. No need to over do it imo. I would just pulse but the provari doesn't seem to like it & I've got no mechanical (yet).

I make sure to rinse everything I get. Some parts have been covered in some resilient machining oil. Primer on silica wicks etc.

As for darker liquid leeching back into the tank, I vape unflavored & I oxidize my wicks...I never get any darker color in mine. This makes me believe the oxidation layer isn't to blame, it's flavoring agents, sweeteners & NET additives that causes this, mainly dark liquids too.

Whenever I did/do vape liquids containing those, I will get leeching & a dark layer on top. Especially with heavy NET (ie A+ Devil Dog).

Faxed in on the Mojo Wire

 

[ANONeSKILLZ]

Thanx everyone!

@zero7starz, from what I gather it's done to build a layer of carbon on the wick, which makes it less susceptible to shorts. Atleast thats why I think it is lol.

Maybe someone more familiar could answer in detail, if they dont mind.

 

[Rule62]

Without getting too scientific about it, heat creates a carbon layer on the surface of the mesh. This carbon layer acts as an electrical insulator.

 

[cricque]

I haven't got that much experience with genesis style ones, but I have an aga-t2 myself. First I used the mesh that came with it.. BUt wicking wasn't all that. Then I used my bought 400 and 500 mesh. I just hold it in a lighter flame very quickly and thats about it. I put it onto an ego twist batterty and I started pulsing at 3.2 v. As the coil start to glow, i slightly turn up the voltage and make my pulses start longer. So far I have done 5 wicks (not that it was needed, but just as learning experience). And they all turned up great. Try it like that I would say. If it doesnt work for you, you can still torch the mesh and go from there on

 

[Kemosabe]

before finding out about unoxidized builds, i always oxidized the entire wick. heavily. scorching, torching, quenching, you name it.

then i found out about unoxidized builds and was excited to try it out. it kinda worked, but hot spots kept coming up. one of the hotspots actually even burned a hole right through my mesh. then i found out that i deeply discharged my battery by using it on a mech mod with no protection. it went down to 2.58v. so ive temporarily given up on the unoxidized build. i dont know how to not deeply discharge my battery. i wouldnt want to use a fully charged one because thats too many volts. im at a loss.

oh and my liquid does change color. it gets darker and darker the longer its in the tank. true of my completely oxidized wicks and also my top-half-oxidized wick. it did take the half-oxidized wick muh much longer to become dark. if i had vaped it at my normal pace, it wouldnt have gotten a chance to darken but it just happed to be sitting around for a long time as i started slightly disliking the juice i put in there.

 

[Rule62]

Just about everyone seems to be oxidizing their wicks less than we were just a couple months ago. The old standard used to be to torch the mesh 3 or 4 times to glowing reddish orange, quenching in water in between each time; then 3 or 4 juice burns. Nowadays, maybe due to the Cr concerns, or just maybe because it's been found that all that torching and quenching wasn't necessary, most of us aren't doing it anymore. As far as the unoxidized, pulsing method vs only oxidizing the section of mesh under the coil, both accomplish the same thing. There seems to be a "coolness factor" to pulse oxidizing, but the end result is the same. The area beneath the coil gets oxidized, either way. Pulsing is fine, and it's fast, on mechanical mods. I do it all the time. It's difficult to impossible on vv and vw mods, because of the protection circuits; and it will kill an ego type battery. The point is that a certain amount of oxidation must take place, in order for an RBA to work. But there is a point where it can become overkill, which will affect the quality of the vape, as well as the wicking.

 

[Euphonious Nonsense]

I pretty much have to oxidize my wick very thoroughly for this setup or I end up with shorts.

 

[jjs4269]

This is an awesome setup!!! Never seen ss mesh setup like this!!!

I pretty much have to oxidize my wick very thoroughly for this setup or I end up with shorts.

View attachment 198662View attachment 198663

 

[Euphonious Nonsense]

It is SUCH a vast improvement over silica. At least for me... I only drip and I like a rather warm vapor though. =D

 

[matcas]

I've been putting this off but Im going to attempt my first build soon but I want to be clear on the pulsing technique.
Do I have to have a mechanical mod or can I use my provari set to 3.2 to oxidize it?

 

[donnah]

I've been putting this off but Im going to attempt my first build soon but I want to be clear on the pulsing technique.
Do I have to have a mechanical mod or can I use my provari set to 3.2 to oxidize it?

I use rbas with Provari's all the time. You will need to torch at least the top part of the coil. Pulsing an unoxidized wick with a Provari will get you a lot of E1 codes. I have a mech and I still torch the top part of the wick. It's easy and quick and to me, easier than trying to pulse the coils to oxidize the mesh. Like Rule said, in the end, whether you oxidize with a torch or pulse with a mech, the wick ends up oxidized. No need to stress your batts if you don't have to.

 

[st0nedpenguin]

Roll it, torch it for about 20s or so, wrap a coil.

I fail to see the benefit of faffing around pulsing when I can achieve the same results in 20s with a torch.

 

[Lyle Devine]

On a provari, the pulsing method is pretty difficult, not impossible, but a huge waste of time. I don't torch either, however, I boil the mesh for a few minutes to remove any oils from manufacturer, then role it up and put some juice were the coils will eventually be, I use a natural tobacco e-liquid that after and few juice burns (with just a lighter) gives me some good crud on the mesh. I wrap the coils, put in the wick, test fire it up. The crud acts like an electrical insulator, start vaping and once it seems like the coil has stabilized, gentally clean off the excess crud. Juices turn dark depending on the juice.

 

[CaydenChance]

I have a Provari also and pulsing is pretty much a no-go because of the circuit protection.

I agree with others that a short torching (half or all) of the wick will make it work great. However, I still strongly recommend doing one juice burn before you're ready to wrap. When I forget to do a juice burn, I will get error messages from the Provari.

 

[mikewill45]

With mechanicals, I don't oxidize at all, other than a quick torching of the mesh, before I roll it. With my vv and vw devices, I oxidize from the top, down to where the wick clears the wick hole in the deck. The part in the tank is left unoxidized.

Hate to show my ignorance but here goes. Why do you treat the mesh differently based on rather you are using it in a mechanical or a VV/VW?