Recently i punched a whole in my boge carto and it already had a slot in it now the draw is way stiff and seems unusable as it does not even fire? also i may have flooded it when priming it and oh ya it goes in a Billet Box. Any suggestions on what i may have done wrong?
Punched a hole in my boge
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Adding an extra hole in a cartomizer should not have rendered it unusable. It might have slightly increased the risk of flooding the carto, especially if you're using very thin, mostly PG ejuices. Some people, who use thick juices, do punch an extra hole to improve wicking.
Make sure there is no eliquid in the center airflow tube--grab a tissue, put it at the bottom (threaded end) on the carto and blow gently through the carto, from the top, to remove any excess juice. THe draw should improve after a few draws--if the problem is over filling.
However, if your carto doesn't fire at all, you may have damaged the atomizer coil (or the carto was DOA). If that's the case, there's nothing you can do. Grab a new one.
Make sure there is no eliquid in the center airflow tube--grab a tissue, put it at the bottom (threaded end) on the carto and blow gently through the carto, from the top, to remove any excess juice. THe draw should improve after a few draws--if the problem is over filling.
However, if your carto doesn't fire at all, you may have damaged the atomizer coil (or the carto was DOA). If that's the case, there's nothing you can do. Grab a new one.
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Hello roob47,
The only thing I can imagine that may keep that carto from firing is that the slotted casing shorted to the coil inside when you punched it. Maybe you punched it too deep and damaged the coil, depending on what you punched it with, or maybe the casing went inside and touched the coil, shorting it out to ground. What would make the draw stiffer is beyond me, from the information you have given. It would seem that a punched hole would give a lighter draw.
Flooding issues can be cleared by using a rolled up paper towel or tissue to draw out some of the juice before you insert it into your Billet Box, or if it floods during use. Once the majority of the flooding has been cleared, vaping with a light draw should use up the excess and prevent too much from coming back in before it is cleared enough. Flooding will also happen if your carto hole/slot is too big. Pre-punched cartos are available for PG and VG. For a PG/VG mix, I'd say to use cartos for PG first, and see how well they work. If you are buying slotted cartos, try some with holes instead. They make single, dual, and triple hole cartos.
If the size of a pre-punched carto hole doesn't suit you or your juice, then maybe you can try this. Lets say one is too big and another is too small. I had been using no-hole cartos and barely denting them with a carto punch, so a drill bit would have a place to catch. I have a drill press and a drill press vice. I'd clamp the carto in the vice, just tight enough to hold it, and position the vice under the drill bit for perfect alignment with the dent in the carto. I vape 100% VG, so I used a 1/16 inch drill bit to make a single hole. By using a drill press, I could control the depth of the drill bit after the hole was made, and not poke the drill bit so far in that it damaged the coil. Even if the drill bit doesn't hit the coil, if it goes too far in, it can catch the fibrous material inside and spin it, and still damage the coil. If a carto hole isn't big enough for your juice, you already have a hole for the drill bit to catch, so you could drill it out this way. But hand tools don't allow you enough control.
It's a process that I used with a drill press, but I didn't like the way my carto punch dented the carto. A carto would be dented so badly that it would not slip through the end caps of my carto tank, even though the punched hole was only about 1/16 inch. I have one like this that doesn't work to my liking . . .
Here is an ECF thread on punching . . . http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...hing-carto-without-denting-4.html#post7210905
In case a badly dented carto would be a problem in your Billet Box, there are also dentless carto punches out there (no dent punch).
Supco BPV31 Bullet Piercing Valve - Amazon.com
SUPCO BPV31 OR TJ90BPV31 GENUINE FACTORY OEM ORIGINAL BULLET PIERCING VALVE FOR 1/4", 5/16" AND 3/8" TUBING - Amazon.com
Line Tap Valve by Sealed Unit Parts Co., Inc.: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
There are others at e-cig vendors, but the ones above work very nicely, and they are much cheaper. You should also be able to find them in town at hardware stores, like Lowe's and Home Depot. By the time you pay S&H, it may be cheaper in town.
I hope this helps, and Good Luck.
The only thing I can imagine that may keep that carto from firing is that the slotted casing shorted to the coil inside when you punched it. Maybe you punched it too deep and damaged the coil, depending on what you punched it with, or maybe the casing went inside and touched the coil, shorting it out to ground. What would make the draw stiffer is beyond me, from the information you have given. It would seem that a punched hole would give a lighter draw.
Flooding issues can be cleared by using a rolled up paper towel or tissue to draw out some of the juice before you insert it into your Billet Box, or if it floods during use. Once the majority of the flooding has been cleared, vaping with a light draw should use up the excess and prevent too much from coming back in before it is cleared enough. Flooding will also happen if your carto hole/slot is too big. Pre-punched cartos are available for PG and VG. For a PG/VG mix, I'd say to use cartos for PG first, and see how well they work. If you are buying slotted cartos, try some with holes instead. They make single, dual, and triple hole cartos.
If the size of a pre-punched carto hole doesn't suit you or your juice, then maybe you can try this. Lets say one is too big and another is too small. I had been using no-hole cartos and barely denting them with a carto punch, so a drill bit would have a place to catch. I have a drill press and a drill press vice. I'd clamp the carto in the vice, just tight enough to hold it, and position the vice under the drill bit for perfect alignment with the dent in the carto. I vape 100% VG, so I used a 1/16 inch drill bit to make a single hole. By using a drill press, I could control the depth of the drill bit after the hole was made, and not poke the drill bit so far in that it damaged the coil. Even if the drill bit doesn't hit the coil, if it goes too far in, it can catch the fibrous material inside and spin it, and still damage the coil. If a carto hole isn't big enough for your juice, you already have a hole for the drill bit to catch, so you could drill it out this way. But hand tools don't allow you enough control.
It's a process that I used with a drill press, but I didn't like the way my carto punch dented the carto. A carto would be dented so badly that it would not slip through the end caps of my carto tank, even though the punched hole was only about 1/16 inch. I have one like this that doesn't work to my liking . . .
Here is an ECF thread on punching . . . http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...hing-carto-without-denting-4.html#post7210905
In case a badly dented carto would be a problem in your Billet Box, there are also dentless carto punches out there (no dent punch).
Supco BPV31 Bullet Piercing Valve - Amazon.com
SUPCO BPV31 OR TJ90BPV31 GENUINE FACTORY OEM ORIGINAL BULLET PIERCING VALVE FOR 1/4", 5/16" AND 3/8" TUBING - Amazon.com
Line Tap Valve by Sealed Unit Parts Co., Inc.: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
There are others at e-cig vendors, but the ones above work very nicely, and they are much cheaper. You should also be able to find them in town at hardware stores, like Lowe's and Home Depot. By the time you pay S&H, it may be cheaper in town.
I hope this helps, and Good Luck.
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