Quartz as wick?

[SingedVapor]

And the Reos come back into the discussion!!! I guess I just need to suck it up and order one!

Nah don't worry I'm not her to take over the thread I love the thought of a new wicking substance. I might make the plunge myself depending on your experience. I'm sure the first person to use cotton was thought to be crazy... Until he was successful. Sometimes innovation comes through risk

 

[edyle]

Does calling it 'quartz' really mean its going to cost you more than if it's just called 'glass' ?

 

[jaxgator]

Does calling it 'quartz' really mean its going to cost you more than if it's just called 'glass' ?

Unfortunately, in a word, yes. But then is it really going to cost you? My common sense, not so common anymore BTW, tells me that quartz (glass) wicks will last indefinitely or at least until broken.

I guess we'll see after the experimenters (read GMayberry ) find out for us.

 

[garpt01]

I first brought up the Reo because these seem so well suited. It would be so easy to re-juice the quartz, and be fairly difficult to flood these wicks, but this is all supposition at this point. And is one inch going to be too long? Maybe OK for some horizontally placed wicks in some attys? But I'm thinking a vertical wick like my pics might work better?

Lot of questions, not many answers- yet....

 

[Dconnor]

I first brought up the Reo because these seem so well suited. It would be so easy to re-juice the quartz, and be fairly difficult to flood these wicks, but this is all supposition at this point. And is one inch going to be too long? Maybe OK for some horizontally placed wicks in some attys? But I'm thinking a vertical wick like my pics might work better?

Lot of questions, not many answers- yet....

I have not tried quartz, but have played with ceramic stones in a Reo. They can be made to work well, but be prepared to squonk on every hit. Since it does not "hold" any juice, the draining action will pull a good amount of the juice back down into the bottle and off the wick.

Awhile back (I think it was in the ceramic wick thread), there was a member that worked in a lab somewhere that used broken pipettes to build the kind of wick you are discussing. Might be an easy source for you.

 

[ForeverDiving]

I am searching for micro quartz tubing, and I am seeing some high priced options. It seems like this stuff is widely used for fiber-optic applications, so I wonder if there is something common to us that uses this that we could "repurpose"....

You just gave me an idea! How about optic-fiber thread? I must have some old pieces of the stuff that I used to fire underwater strobes as slaves for a small uw-housed p&s camera. It comes sheated in plastic but an exacto knife should get rid of that and it can be bundled and even twisted...

Hmmm, lets scramble the odds & ends bin but the rest of the family is asleep (daughters and grandchildren visiting for the summer).

 

[rurwin]

Does calling it 'quartz' really mean its going to cost you more than if it's just called 'glass' ?

Quartz is not glass. Quartz glass is not quartz. Quartz is a crystalline mineral that naturally grows as rods. It is a semi-precious stone but in the sizes needed for a wick it should be dirt cheap. If you wanted a flawless point, six inches long and two inches across, then you would pay.

 

[WharfRat1976]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhFRJG-BUrA

 

[GMayberry]

Does calling it 'quartz' really mean its going to cost you more than if it's just called 'glass' ?

Yes. If it is just "called glass" it has about 30% lead. I will take my glass unleaded please.

Also, quartz is much more resistant to high temeratures than glass is, and since we will be wrapping a coil around this, I am pretty sure this may be of importance.

Another noteable difference is that glass in an insulator, while quartz is a conductor.

 

[GMayberry]

Quartz is not glass. Quartz glass is not quartz. Quartz is a crystalline mineral that naturally grows as rods. It is a semi-precious stone but in the sizes needed for a wick it should be dirt cheap. If you wanted a flawless point, six inches long and two inches across, then you would pay.

Look back at the Amazon links I posted. They are 10-packs of small points, under $10. The pricey pieces I am trying are actually tempered quartz capillary tubes, just for uniformity. I am also trying the small points from Amazon to compare.

 

[GMayberry]

I first brought up the Reo because these seem so well suited. It would be so easy to re-juice the quartz, and be fairly difficult to flood these wicks, but this is all supposition at this point. And is one inch going to be too long? Maybe OK for some horizontally placed wicks in some attys? But I'm thinking a vertical wick like my pics might work better?

Lot of questions, not many answers- yet....

The samples I have coming are an inch or more, but I am going to cut them down to the size in your pictures to cluster them together in the exact same fashion. And you are right, not many answers YET. Once they arrive, you will see a post with pictures and some initial results the same night.

 

[Verb]

Yes. If it is just "called glass" it has about 30% lead. I will take my glass unleaded please.

Also, quartz is much more resistant to high temeratures than glass is, and since we will be wrapping a coil around this, I am pretty sure this may be of importance.

Another noteable difference is that glass in an insulator, while quartz is a conductor.

While, quartz does exhibit the Piezo Effect and has some neat electrical properties; it is an insulator.


The Quartz Page: Physical Properties

 

[rurwin]

Another noteable difference is that glass in an insulator, while quartz is a conductor.

No it isn't.

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2004/JenniferSchanke.shtml

In fact it is more of an insulator than glass is, by a factor of up to ten million.

 

[exnihilo]

Does this mean that I can use my Timex to vape with?

 

[twgbonehead]

ABR Imagery has fused-quartz rods in several different diameters (I think I bought their last 1mm rod). Got 2mm, 3mm, and 4mm (they were out of stock on the 1.5 and 2.5). Very reasonable prices ($2.07 for a 1mm by 4 foot rod) although the shipping is a little high.
Advanced Search Result - Buy from Abr Imagery, Inc.

(I get borosilicate tubing from them for replacement tanks, too). Nice guys.

 

[TomGeorge]

ABR Imagery has fused-quartz rods in several different diameters (I think I bought their last 1mm rod). Got 2mm, 3mm, and 4mm (they were out of stock on the 1.5 and 2.5). Very reasonable prices ($2.07 for a 1mm by 4 foot rod) although the shipping is a little high.
Advanced Search Result - Buy from Abr Imagery, Inc.

(I get borosilicate tubing from them for replacement tanks, too). Nice guys.

What is your eat on them? I am eagerly awaiting a review I think these will work better and be simpler to use

 

[edyle]

Quartz is not glass. Quartz glass is not quartz. Quartz is a crystalline mineral that naturally grows as rods. It is a semi-precious stone but in the sizes needed for a wick it should be dirt cheap. If you wanted a flawless point, six inches long and two inches across, then you would pay.

This is what bothers me.

How is the buyer going to know if the thing is real quartz or just glass??

I see ft in china has kayfun 'quartz' tanks on sale, but I'm assuming is just a mistranslation and it's just probably glass tanks, so if there becomes a demand for 'quartz' wicking, I expect there's going to be a bunch of glass passing for quartz, just as there's a lot of soldered nr-r-nr being passed around as 'welded' wire.

 

[edyle]

Look back at the Amazon links I posted. They are 10-packs of small points, under $10. The pricey pieces I am trying are actually tempered quartz capillary tubes, just for uniformity. I am also trying the small points from Amazon to compare.

Can you tell from looking at it that it IS quartz and not just glass?

 

[ckquatt]

I got with my wife and she said the person that makes her crysral jewelry sources itcalready cut from different soueces, so no quartz scraps... dang! But she did say #what about Hobby Lobby?" In the bead section there is a tube of small maybe 1/2 long hollow glass tubes.TINY! About as big around as a syringe needle.Ill take a pic when I get home. It could work. Il test.

 

[twgbonehead]

What is your eat on them? I am eagerly awaiting a review I think these will work better and be simpler to use

Just ordered them today, but ABR has always shipped fast; good possibility they will be here Fri, if not, Mon or tues.

This is what bothers me.

How is the buyer going to know if the thing is real quartz or just glass??

I see ft in china has kayfun 'quartz' tanks on sale, but I'm assuming is just a mistranslation and it's just probably glass tanks, so if there becomes a demand for 'quartz' wicking, I expect there's going to be a bunch of glass passing for quartz, just as there's a lot of soldered nr-r-nr being passed around as 'welded' wire.

A gas stove will melt nearly all glass if it's fine enough (including pyrex). So will a nichrome coil (completely dry). Shouldn't be able to melt the quartz, though.