PTB Straw Mod: PTB Made Easy!
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Kristen,
You are the best!! This is absolutely the best mod I have used since I have started on e-cigs in January. I have tried a lot and not one has given me this type of juice economy (drains almost dry every time!), taste, vapor production, ease of use, and simplicity. I can't say enough about this mod, it's the greatest
One small request, could you possibly post some instructions for 901 carts?
Kristen, you rock
The 901 is done just like the 510. Same straw size, same notches, same amount of PTB.
Thanks again, Kristin.
This is a simple mod which works really well and is probably safer than the Scotch Brite plug.
I bought some carts someplace that came with what was called a PTB mod but the material wasn't from a tea bag.
They just had the material rolled up and stuffed into a cart with a big hole down the center. It didn't work all that great either so I set them aside. I believe they were made in China
On discovering this PTB mod I grabbed one and removed the material and re-stuffed it correctly inside the straw. It works great now. I'm still uncertain as to why the straw helps but it sure seems to.
I Googled "pyramid tea bag material" and found a post from somebody at another type forum concerned about it's biodegradability who wrote Lipton to ask what the material was that they use. Here's the response:
"The translucent Pyramid tea bag is made of PET, the same food grade material clear water and juice bottles are made of. As with any plastic, it would not be considered biodegradable. PET is completely safe and is 100% recyclable within the plastics waste stream. Hope this information is helpful. Kind regards,Your friends at Lipton"
PET or Polyethylene Terephthalate is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family according to Wikipedia.
You can buy large mesh sheets of this stuff from McMaster-Carr. The trouble is I can't figure out how to identify the mesh size. It may not be too critical as long as it's close. I'd rather buy it from an E-Cig vendor cut to size like you can with the blue foam. (I forgot who that was) I should approach them about this.
This is a simple mod which works really well and is probably safer than the Scotch Brite plug.
I bought some carts someplace that came with what was called a PTB mod but the material wasn't from a tea bag.
They just had the material rolled up and stuffed into a cart with a big hole down the center. It didn't work all that great either so I set them aside. I believe they were made in China
On discovering this PTB mod I grabbed one and removed the material and re-stuffed it correctly inside the straw. It works great now. I'm still uncertain as to why the straw helps but it sure seems to.
I Googled "pyramid tea bag material" and found a post from somebody at another type forum concerned about it's biodegradability who wrote Lipton to ask what the material was that they use. Here's the response:
"The translucent Pyramid tea bag is made of PET, the same food grade material clear water and juice bottles are made of. As with any plastic, it would not be considered biodegradable. PET is completely safe and is 100% recyclable within the plastics waste stream. Hope this information is helpful. Kind regards,Your friends at Lipton"
PET or Polyethylene Terephthalate is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family according to Wikipedia.
You can buy large mesh sheets of this stuff from McMaster-Carr. The trouble is I can't figure out how to identify the mesh size. It may not be too critical as long as it's close. I'd rather buy it from an E-Cig vendor cut to size like you can with the blue foam. (I forgot who that was) I should approach them about this.
I couldn't find the pyramid bags at my local wally world, so I used some tulle fabric instead. I did everything else the same and I tell you WOW what a difference in my 510!
I can put in about 15 drops without it flooding the atty and it wicks perfectly. Thanks for the mod!
Mike
I can put in about 15 drops without it flooding the atty and it wicks perfectly. Thanks for the mod!
Mike
I used to love this mod, but after a couple of days I started getting juice in the mouth, hard draw and the bags have never wicked totally dry. I don't know what I'm doing wrong after all the success stories here.
That sucks! Occassionally I get this problem but normally I attribute the flooding, etc to over-filling.
How are you refilling? If you are removing the filler, filling the cart then re-inserting the filler you are not filling correctly.
To refill, I suggest the following: Remove the filler from the straw and dry the filler with a paper towel. Re-insert into the cart. Fill with 8 - 10 drops.
Hope this helps.
You shouldn't have to remove the filler to refill.
Urbancowboy - what you are describing to me sounds like the atty needs maintenence, not the cart setup. Is the atty running a bit hot, as well?
Clean and blow out the atty or switch to a new one. You're atty is gunked up and can no longer vaporize the liquid efficiently, hence the mouthful of liquid, hard draw & liquid not being used up.
Urbancowboy - what you are describing to me sounds like the atty needs maintenence, not the cart setup. Is the atty running a bit hot, as well?
Clean and blow out the atty or switch to a new one. You're atty is gunked up and can no longer vaporize the liquid efficiently, hence the mouthful of liquid, hard draw & liquid not being used up.
Hello Kristin,
I'm trying this mod out and the juice seems to flow out a bit too easily and flood the atty. I did it exactly how you said for the 510. I am using Halo juice, not sure if that is too watery for this mod, but it sounds like it is supposed to work with a lot of different juices. Oh, and I also tried using two pieces of the PTB instead of one and that didn't seem to work either. Any more tips?
At first I thought that was it, but I have tried the carts on a brand new atty and I get the same thing. Also, when I put the carts with the standard filler material on the same atty, I don't have any problems with difficult draw.
I'm beginning to think that I just did something wrong making them. The other day I had one on my pv and i pulled it out of my pocket pouch and it was covered in juice. Maybe I made the straw too short and the PTB is going too far down and not sealing right and then not wicking right.
larktdl, no I do not remove the material to fill. Generally I will use a safety pin to fluff the PTB material up a bit, then drop right into the material. I usually get about 6-7 drops before it is full, but like I said, I am having issues with the material retaining some liquid.
If you are only getting 6-7 drops, something isn't set up right. Doublecheck this troubleshooting list I posted a couple of pages back and see if that helps:
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Hi Kristin here is a link to a local website here by us in South Africa that explains all about the safety of the material called PET the same material according to Lipton used to make their PTB. Hope you guys find it helpful.
Regards
Martin
PETCO
Regards
Martin
PETCO
I'm still using this mod for some reason. I guess it works well enough. I don't drip and haven't yet tried the ZFM.
Using a low res 1.5ohm atty, my experience has been that I never want to vape the filler dry. It starts to get that burnt dirty sock taste near the end although the vapor is huge for some reason at that point.
When I get that taste I immediately refill but it will usually only take about 8 to 10 drops depending on the liquid. Some liquid is thicker so not all drops are equal.
Pulling the filler out and press drying in a paper towel as was mentioned earlier is a good restart. Be sure to also swap out the bottom of the cart as well. Then refill with up to 16 drops, depending. Don't forget to blow out the atty and re-prime for a complete fresh start.
Ah....life is good again.
Just curious if the 3 sheet PTB, sans straw, is still working out well for your wife?
I've been using Kristin's PTB method on my eGo w/a 901 tip for almost 2 months now and I LOVE it! Best thing since the 510 was invented!
Recently, I got a LR 801 atty to perk up an old 3.7v device. Love it, but there are times I want to take it out and not have to fuss with dripping. Needless to say, using just a straw & 1 pc of the PTB isn't cutting it LOL I had forgotten how much I dispise leaks! LOL
I did a quick scan of all 32 pages here, and you're I think was the only one that mentioned the 801.
THANKS!
It does indeed work well. 3 half-sheets seems to be the sweet spot for the 801. Any less and it leaks - any more and it's too hard to pack in. I'm not sure you'll ever find a straw the right size, but if you do it would probably work even better. As it is it does a good job... much better than the stock filler.
Schweet!!! And thanks for the quick response!
Since it does hold a lot more juice than a 510/901 cart, I figured I'd check first so nothing goes to waste.
About the straw issue -- since the bottom of the cart is kind of funky at the bottom, I wonder if just slipping a notched coffee/stir straw along the side would do the trick?
But heck, if 3 sheets is doing the trick so far, I'm completely happy with that!
Tried the mod last night on my Ego and loved it! It started to become less efficient this morning, and I pulled it out just to take a look.
The PTB square had shrunk in size. Is that normal, and would it be a cause for concern regarding heating up that fabric?
The PTB square had shrunk in size. Is that normal, and would it be a cause for concern regarding heating up that fabric?
According to the MSDS I've read, it is safe when heated - considering it gets put in boiling water that makes sense. It said that the material can give off a chemical when heated to much higher temps than our ecigs create (basically, if you start it on fire.)
Are you sure the whole thing shrank or did the atomizer bridge just push it further into the cartridge? I haven't had it shrink ever, but I use a 510 and not a high voltage device. I believe users have tried it on HV devices and haven't had any issues.
How did it "become less efficient?"
Are you sure the whole thing shrank or did the atomizer bridge just push it further into the cartridge? I haven't had it shrink ever, but I use a 510 and not a high voltage device. I believe users have tried it on HV devices and haven't had any issues.
How did it "become less efficient?"
Kristin I just gotta jump in here and say that this is still the best cart mod I've found and used for my 510. I now cut and fit them exactly as you have described. Every few days I clean them when they appear to have darkened in color and the visible portion of the PTB feels a little hard. I pull the PTB out, open it up completely, run it under warm tap water while working it thoroughly between my fingers. I then flatten it out and tap it dry with a paper towel and have found that when I re-install it in my carts that I may have to trim a little here and there but this only seems to improve its fit and performance.
I've been using the same PTB's for months now and never have a flooding problem at all, not even close. I can take the atty off of my battery and there's barely any fluid on top of the connector.
Simply the best cart mod there is in my opinion.
I've been using the same PTB's for months now and never have a flooding problem at all, not even close. I can take the atty off of my battery and there's barely any fluid on top of the connector.
Simply the best cart mod there is in my opinion.
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