With your rubber air tube seal removed, does the air tube sit flush against the heating coil base?
Protank Cotton Rebuild, the way I do it
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With your rubber air tube seal removed, does the air tube sit flush against the heating coil base?
Organic is not needed, but it's available at any Walgreens for about 3.50 for enough to rebuild about 10,000 protanks. I do not boil it, I figure that if it is clean enough to apply products to your skin it is likely clean enough for wicking material. I will post up any issues if they arise.
I use 2mm hollow ekowool and slide a pin through the hollow for a solid work surface and with 5 wraps of 32 kanthal I get @ 2 ohms, I also put a 1mm silica flavour wick into my protank rebuilds. I also tried .4 ribbon along with the 2mm wool and with 4 wraps I got 1.4 ohms, 5 wraps 1.7 ohms, 6 wraps 2.0 ohms but 6 wraps of ribbon in a protank fills it up real good almost like a solid wire coil. It's been almost 2weeks, 4 dry burn cleanings and my 6 wrap ribbon coil is still going strong. Once you use the ekowool, you'll never go back to silica. I like to keep my vaping in or around 2 ohms cause my kicks are set up and it IMO gives me longer battery life before recharging.
The ekowool is well worth the extra bucks spent.
The ekowool is well worth the extra bucks spent.
I've never messed around with ekowool, may be something I need to try out. Cotton is just too easy to get locally and not to mention super cheap both were the driving fact that got me to start dabbling with it. Now that I have a RSST, all my protanks and a cheap RDA set up with cotton it is hard to see how it could get better (that is not to say that it can't get better, just really satisfied with my results)
Thanks for the input
I'm messing with an ekowool setup in my protank (mini) for about a week now, wicks great, lasts a long time, but the taste is kinda harsh, make sure you fire up the ekowool real good before using it, or it tastes even worse.
Cotton tastes the best in the PT, but burns up quickly
Cotton tastes the best in the PT, but burns up quickly
This is exactly how I just built my Mini Protank head. I wish I would have seen this thread yesterday because after trying a few different things, this is identical to how mine is now. I love this setup. More flavor and vapor than the stock setup, for sure. I was initially going to use silica, but I ended up having a problem with it and thought I'd give cotton a go. It's crazy how much of a difference it makes. Great write-up.
I don't have any organic cotton but I saw somewhere that those make up pads will do good. Also I'am extremely new to rebuilding coils so I have ran into some issues.
Can anyone tell me why my cotton/silica gives me this awful metallic taste? I did torch the silica a little bit before I used it but still...
Can anyone tell me why my cotton/silica gives me this awful metallic taste? I did torch the silica a little bit before I used it but still...
Metallic taste in a protank or similar is usually caused by poor wick to coil contact that would cause a hot spot. If you are using silica you can pull the chimney and dry burn the coil and check for hot spots, with cotton DO NOT DRY BURN you will need to inspect the wick for gaps that the coil is not in contact with the wick which will allow it to heat up more than the rest of the coil. Also make sure your coil is as low in the cup as possible while still being able to thread the wick properly to avoid a "hot leg" going to the connections.
I did check for hot spots, I spotted one and fixed it even before I tried it.. And before inserting it into the protank I dropped 1 drop on top of the coil it self and the coil was wrapped tight around the silica, still its just tasting so damn nasty..... I'm sooooo desperate atm.
What are you using for resistance wire? Kanthal? nichrome? What gauge? What is you resistance at?
Try replacing the drill bit with 16ga Blunt Tip syringe needle, insert cotton into needle hold on to tip of cotton and pull needle out of coil.
Takes me two or three to make coil & insert cotton and done.
Also makes changing wick a snap.
I dry burn coil then insert needle again hold cotton in my fingers and twist needle until cotton is inserter and pull the needle through coil done. Easy on the eyes less stress for me. Takes me two min to burn and re-wick.
Since cotton cost is nothing I re-wick almost ever day.
Takes me two or three to make coil & insert cotton and done.
Also makes changing wick a snap.
I dry burn coil then insert needle again hold cotton in my fingers and twist needle until cotton is inserter and pull the needle through coil done. Easy on the eyes less stress for me. Takes me two min to burn and re-wick.
Since cotton cost is nothing I re-wick almost ever day.
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Update on ekowool scenario,
Using 2mm ekowool with 10 wraps 28awg kanthal (1.2 ohms) now, found that torching the ekowool till it glows, repeating 3 times then washing it, completely takes away any bad taste, and works fantastic now, and lasts a long time
Using 2mm ekowool with 10 wraps 28awg kanthal (1.2 ohms) now, found that torching the ekowool till it glows, repeating 3 times then washing it, completely takes away any bad taste, and works fantastic now, and lasts a long time
I used kanthal A1, 28 AWG, 1.5 resistance. tried using 32 AWG too, 1.8 resistance but still...
that all seems fine, and if you are getting good coil to wick contact then there really should not be any reason to get a metallic or weird tast from it. Would love to be more helpful but if all those items are good I really have no other advice for you unfortunately.
I will give it another go later today and if that does not work I do not know what to do :S
EDIT: OK so I rebuilt it, 5 wraps 32 AWG, This time I wrapped it more tight and closer to each wrap and a different juice.... and success!!
I can't taste any metallic taste at all now!
Thanks for the help
!
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I will give it another go later today and if that does not work I do not know what to do :S
EDIT: OK so I rebuilt it, 5 wraps 32 AWG, This time I wrapped it more tight and closer to each wrap and a different juice.... and success!!
I can't taste any metallic taste at all now!
Thanks for the help
Glad you got it figured out, I am one that enjoys the challenges and successes of this hobby but I can understand the frustration when you just can't seem to get it right. I will tell you, of the people that I have taught to rebuild protanks, they all had some sort of issue with the first build but after 4-5 they were nailing it every time.
sent in a scroll hidden in a .45acp hollow point
I finally got cotton to work for me by wrapping 32g kanthal around a 3mm piece of silica and inserting it into the head with the silica still intact. I took out the silica carefully, strand by strand so i wont ruin the coil, then i slid a strand of organic cotton and made sure the strand laid snug inside the coil but not too tight. No flavor wicks. I am getting a phenomenal vape right now with all my juices. Hopefully it will hold up with no leaking issues.
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