Punching cartos?
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depends on what kind of juice you use. For high pg juices 1 small hole is usually fine.I prefer 2 for my Ave juices which are high in VG and a lot thicker.
Agree with what zapped said above. To find out where to punch the hole, lay the carto down next to the tank. Make a mark a little bit above where the bottom cap is. You want to allow for some deforming of the carto. It's going to take a few tries to get it right. I went through about 5 carto's before I got my punch set where I want it.. I've got 6 IB Tanks and 2 Phiniac tanks. I hope your as happy with your IB Tank and I am with mine.
Thanks for the replies. I sure hope it doesn't take 5 tries to get it right. I only ordered 5 cartos and won't have the money to restock for 2 weeks.
If you are using the little ring punch thingy, the kind with a little screw and a wing nut on the top...I've found for a single punch that is big enough to allow juice in good, but not so big as to warp the carto that I position the tip of the screw thing until it's firm against the side of the carto. Then I make 3 full 180 turns of the screw and LISTEN with it up close to my ear. When I hear a faint "pop" noise I then continue turning just barely over a quarter turn. That usually is about right. If in doubt, I'll take a sharp dental tool or sturdy needle and put it in the hole made to be sure it's gone through. Took me a few cartos to get it right, too! lol! I had some I made the hole way too big and I couldn't use them in certain chrome capped tanks because the carto was too warped...but I could use them in the Smoktech black capped kind. It's definitely a learning curve, but easy once you get it!
I haven't punched holes since I've purchased my carto's pre-punched. The 2 holes on mine are 1.0 mm (1/32") diameter, and 10 mm (13/32") from the edge. I measured with a mechanical engineer's steel scale. I use 70/30 juice, and the hole size I mentioned works for me. The greater the VG used the larger the hole(s) need to be. I feel 2 small holes punched in opposition is better than one larger one. 100% VG may require 3 holes, but that's a guess.
It would also be a good idea to have an OHM tester just in case you get one that is DOA. Mad Vapes has one for $20. You can get a multimeter if you want. I know there's other brands, but I prefer Fluke, and those don't come cheap!
It would also be a good idea to have an OHM tester just in case you get one that is DOA. Mad Vapes has one for $20. You can get a multimeter if you want. I know there's other brands, but I prefer Fluke, and those don't come cheap!
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first, apply a tight revoultion of making tape around the bottom of the carto (not the threads) this will hold the carto in the punch snugly and also prevent too much deformation.
to line up the hole in the correct spot, hold the bottom tank cap next to the carto. make a dot on your masking tape where the cap ends.
punch the hole by listening for the pop, like mentioned above. after you hear the pop, make another 1/2 to 1 and a 1/2 more turns, depending on how large you want the hole. for me, i go with 1 more full revoultion on the first hole, and then i make another hole with only 1/2 addition revoultion after the pop.
my juices are 65/35 for the most part and they wick well with this method.
another tip to assembling your IB Tank si to lube the orings and the carto as well with ejuice. the o-rings from IB are nice and snug, but can be a real pain to install when brand new without some adequate lube.
also, get a tank filling funnel, or a slap-yo-mama type device like the one sold at IBTanked. it not only helps with filling, but it protects your o-rings from the sharp edges of the carto.
to line up the hole in the correct spot, hold the bottom tank cap next to the carto. make a dot on your masking tape where the cap ends.
punch the hole by listening for the pop, like mentioned above. after you hear the pop, make another 1/2 to 1 and a 1/2 more turns, depending on how large you want the hole. for me, i go with 1 more full revoultion on the first hole, and then i make another hole with only 1/2 addition revoultion after the pop.
my juices are 65/35 for the most part and they wick well with this method.
another tip to assembling your IB Tank si to lube the orings and the carto as well with ejuice. the o-rings from IB are nice and snug, but can be a real pain to install when brand new without some adequate lube.
also, get a tank filling funnel, or a slap-yo-mama type device like the one sold at IBTanked. it not only helps with filling, but it protects your o-rings from the sharp edges of the carto.
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I use a saddle valve to punch my cartos. There are two main styles of saddle valves, one is far superior to the other as it prevent the carto from being deformed and is easier to use...
I vape 50/50 in single coil cartos and double punch them.
I vape 50/50 in single coil cartos and double punch them.
I've tried punching my own cartos. I'm not impressed. Perhaps my punch tool (phiniac's siam mods tool) is dull or my technique was poor, but most of my cartos would become distorted, out-of-round to the point that they were difficult to pass through the end caps. That couldn't be much good for the o-rings. I hated the inconsistancy and frustration, and returned to buying prepunched cartos for my tanks.
Factory punched cartos provide me with consistancy with every carto. Using these just removes a factor of human error that can result in either a positive or negative experience with carto tanks. I get 1 and 2 hole cartos if available. Juices with 50% or less Vg get the 1 hole cartos, juices with 60% or more of Vg get the 2 hole cartos. This has worked great for me.
I have a list of direct links to vendors that sell single coil pre-punched (laser drilled) cartos in one of the blog entries under my screen name/avatar, should your experience be similar to mine.
Since you asked, Phiniac made an excellent video demo on how to use their punch tool.
Factory punched cartos provide me with consistancy with every carto. Using these just removes a factor of human error that can result in either a positive or negative experience with carto tanks. I get 1 and 2 hole cartos if available. Juices with 50% or less Vg get the 1 hole cartos, juices with 60% or more of Vg get the 2 hole cartos. This has worked great for me.
I have a list of direct links to vendors that sell single coil pre-punched (laser drilled) cartos in one of the blog entries under my screen name/avatar, should your experience be similar to mine.
Since you asked, Phiniac made an excellent video demo on how to use their punch tool.
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I use boge single coil 3ohm xl cartos with one hole. I use a mix of 70%PG 30%VG and they work perfectly in a plain ole' dctank. I first bought a couple prepunched cartos to see where the hole was and then I started punching my own with a hammer and long, sharp screw. I condom fill my cartos before they go into a tank. Never a dry hit, never any flooding. They only problem I have is that I can sometimes taste the filler inside the carto 
My juice from AVE is 10/90 PG/VG and two pre-punched holes work fine for me.
I logged on really ...... as I just wasted 4 cartos and some 50/50 pluid...your post answered my question. THANK YOU!!!!
I use a saddle valve to punch my cartos. There are two main styles of saddle valves, one is far superior to the other as it prevent the carto from being deformed and is easier to use...
I vape 50/50 in single coil cartos and double punch them.
I haven't tried the punched cartos (link above) but I highly recommend the Boge Laser Drilled cartos
(ElectronicStix.Com · Single Boge 510 Blank Laser Punched Cartomizer For Tank Systems)
They are the same carto as the punched Boges but instead of punching them the cut the hole with a laser so the carto doesn't get bent at all. Still perfectly round. Also, the hole is 2.5mm, if I remember correct, and I would assume that should be good enough size for even a 50/50 mix but I won't know until tonight or tomorrow when I try my RAWR samples
I use those in my J-Tank and they work fantastic for me ( I vape a 70% PG/30% VG mix). I haven't had any dry hits since day 1 and I vape a lot. I "chain vape" often taking 10+ toots back-to-back and still, not one dry hit.
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I use a saddle valve like shown in the picture marked 'dont use'. The trick is to punch it quickly, doing so results in less deformation of the carto. If you wind it down really slow & punch slow you're gonna really bend up the carto. Just do a quick snap turn to punch it quick and you shouldn't get any/much deformation.
Got my tank today, gotta say it's beautiful. It took 2 tries, but I think I got the holes right. First time I tried 2 holes and it turned out they were too small. Second try I went with 3 sorta big ones and it's vaping like a champ.
I'm wondering though, can I leave a carto tank on it's side like I can my Vivi Nova?
I'm wondering though, can I leave a carto tank on it's side like I can my Vivi Nova?
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