Rayon Wick - Better Flow, Flavor, Longevity, and Nic Hit!! - Pt.2

[DavidOck]

Anyway, how do you guys and gals get the right amount for your size coil?

Like Heart says, depends on your coil ID.

I usually cut the coil into about 2" sections, long enough for anything I build and also long enough to be able to handle it, trim ends and so on.

Pull off of that strip a bit more than you think you need, and "roll" it between your fingers to compress it longitudinally. Twist one end (wetting can help) to feed through the coil. If it's too thick, pull it out and pull off a few strands, taper and try again.

As with any wick material, practice makes perfect

 

[bask]

Thanks. Yeah, it's a tiny learning curve I guess. But squeaky sound, got it.
It has not squeaked in both a 2ID micro, nor in a 2.5ID MTL fused clapton.
Although I'm sure I'll get it squeeking at some point!

 

[TrollDragon]

Anyway, how do you guys and gals get the right amount for your size coil?

The size of the strand can vary in the box itself and between batches, so you have to get a feel for it though use. I have the 3lb box and fill a medium zip lock bag for use, recently I am able to use the whole strand in a 3mm - 3.5mm coil where it use to be too big. You adjust accordingly as you go and I always end up with more trimmings than actual wick.

My coils are either 24ga, flat wire or some sort of multi core Clapton. I twist up the end or the Rayon and feed it into the coil, then putting a thumbnail against the coil's edge I haul the Rayon through.

If you think there is no way that would work as it's way too tight, it's not. Rayon is not cotton and what would choke off a cotton wick works perfectly with Rayon. The biggest mistake people make with Rayon at the start is they try to use it like cotton and it just doesn't work that way.

Next I fluff with a pick and thin the density of the tails by half, picture a bowtie with a mullet on each end, the mullet part is what you put into your juice wells. This is different for every atty and will take practice getting it right. Some will work perfect with 50% of the wick tail trimmed off, other might need less. Smaller builds at low wattage you might be able to get away with not thinning the tails at all. Rayon will transport juice from the least to the most dense part of the wick, so you can actually pull juice away from the coil.


Here is the Origen BF 16 with a 2.5mm 28ga build, bowtie with the tails running between the posts to the back of the deck. Sorry for the dirty coil and bad web cam, it's my salt nic tester here at the shop. I'm going to put an Ekowool wick in it one of these days so it can be just dry fired and rinsed without having to rewick.

 

[bask]

Thanks so much @Heartsdelight, @DavidOck & @TrollDragon. You're all so kind and helpful and I really appreciate it. This is one of the nicest and kindest forums around.

"roll" it between your fingers to compress it longitudinally

If you think there is no way that would work as it's way too tight, it's not.

Yeah, I think that is the thing that I need to practice; the compressing.
The problem is pulling the whole thing apart.

putting a thumbnail against the coil's edge

This might be the trick.

Rayon will transport juice from the least to the most dense part of the wick, so you can actually pull juice away from the coil.

Interesting property.

picture a bowtie with a mullet on each end

Business in the middle, party at the sides. Got it!

Smaller builds at low wattage you might be able to get away with not thinning the tails at all

The wicks definitely seem to work. Dvarw16 2mmID, 0.3mm KA1 @ 1.7ohms - 13 watts, I think it's a bit too thin, but it's working pretty well. Definitely some taste difference with cotton, but at first the vapor was much lighter. Not less vapor, little bit less taste, but very full. Super strange. But I think I can do better with that one. It was my first.
The 2.5mm MTL fused clapton @0.81ohms - 18.5 watts: the rampup is a bit slow, but meh, it's fine, it seems to perform fine. I'm noticing I can vape it a lot dryer without any yucky shenanigans. Problem is the juice is too strong, but when it runs out (it's in an RDA) it actually tastes good.

it's my salt nic tester here at the shop

I thought it didn't look like a 16mm atty until I saw it was a Mini Volt.
Ekowool would be an ideal solution. I agree.

 

[TrollDragon]

Thanks so much @Heartsdelight, @DavidOck & @TrollDragon. You're all so kind and helpful and I really appreciate it. This is one of the nicest and kindest forums around.

We don't suffer the drama that other threads do. There's an awesome crew in here and we chase away the "your vaping plastic" heretics quite quickly.

If you are having trouble getting the density tight on smaller spaced builds because it deforms the coil too much, there was a Double Insertion method we used to use with the 30ga Ni200 builds.

Take the strand of Rayon that you were going to pull through the coil and split it in half, twist up the ends separately and cross thread them in the coil using one piece on each side. When you pull them both through at the same time they will tighten up in the middle of the coil. This helps keep small gauge coils spaced so they only need a minor tweaking after wicking.

Cutting off the twisted ends leaves you with a nicely thinned wick. YMMV and it still takes practice.

I only build contact coils so the thumbnail process works for me.

 

[bask]

When you pull them both through at the same time they will tighten up in the middle of the coil.

Brilliant! Thanks!

YMMV and it still takes practice.

Haha, obviously.

 

[vapdivrr]

Sooooo, I figured I'd immediately continue the experimentation with rayon and rewicked my Etna with it.
Dumped some Element - Key Lime Cookie in it, which I hadn't touched for months and totally forgot that it was mixed too strong, so I'll need to add some base. [emoji38]
Anyway, how do you guys and gals get the right amount for your size coil? The stuff almost disintegrates when you look at it, so I'm still at the phase where I use 20% and throw away 80.

What type of rayon did you get? The Sally's rayon I have doesn't break apart like your describing. Maybe other types are different.? As for the amounts, it just takes time to know the exact amounts, but after a while you will have it down. My guess is about 15 percent more then cotton, but that depends on how much cotton you used. When I used cotton, I think I used more then the average person used, so for me, I just use a little more then I did with cotton. I hear you cannot use to much rayon, but that is simply not true, at least in rtas. If you do use too much, flavor will suffer, but using too little will result in dry hits. One common thing is trimming tails, which definitely helps...

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[AngeNZ]

I build with 28 gauge ss316l, so I've had a bit of practise with fiddly coils also agree with @vapdivrr above about overstuffing rayon.

First few times I used it, I under stuffed:

Ugh, I can barely look at that build

I then learnt from doggy RTA gurus @bigbob2322 and @vapdivrr that rayon wicking needs strong beefy shoulders, and mine were a tad puny

My next attempt was to overstuff:

But hey, my shoulders sure weren't puny

Finally found the middle ground and got it right:

I usually use a slightly thicker wick in rayon than I would've with cotton - it's all trial and error however

 

[CaveFurby]

Ok, I've made the plunge. After vaping for several years I still hadn't tried the rayon. I was kind of put off by the large boxes I'd seen for sale....but thanks to this thread found out about the Tidi rayon balls, and that sounded interesting. And you folks seem to like those, so should be in the mailbox soon. Looking forward to it.

 

[vapdivrr]

I build with 28 gauge ss316l, so I've had a bit of practise with fiddly coils also agree with @vapdivrr above about overstuffing rayon.

First few times I used it, I under stuffed:
View attachment 796521
Ugh, I can barely look at that build

I then learnt from doggy RTA gurus @bigbob2322 and @vapdivrr that rayon wicking needs strong beefy shoulders, and mine were a tad puny

My next attempt was to overstuff:

View attachment 796525
But hey, my shoulders sure weren't puny

Finally found the middle ground and got it right:
View attachment 796527

I usually use a slightly thicker wick in rayon than I would've with cotton - it's all trial and error however

I know they are just wicks, but they look alive. It's funny how a poorly wicked coil looks sad and defeated, like a person who has had a really bad day. On the other hand a great wicked coil looks proud and strong...

 

[bask]

a poorly wicked coil looks sad and defeated

That is exactly what I thought! It looks so sad and depressed.

 

[Hoggy]

What type of rayon did you get? The Sally's rayon I have doesn't break apart like your describing. Maybe other types are different.?

Thanks! I though I was going crazy every time he mentioned that and no one else was saying anything. I thought I remember he got it from Sally's - so that puzzles me.

Here too, Sally's rayon doesn't break apart easily at all.

 

[BillW50]

Maybe they mean it pulls apart easily.

 

[vapdivrr]

Thanks! I though I was going crazy every time he mentioned that and no one else was saying anything. I thought I remember he got it from Sally's - so that puzzles me.

Here too, Sally's rayon doesn't break apart easily at all.

Strange, right?

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[stols001]

If you get rayon-y taste and you dislike (I do) just shove your rayon through the coil and get it nice and saturated and burn off some of the eliquid. Gets rid of the taste every time and honestly (once it's in the coil more or less, it's easier to manipulate when wet anyway (in my humble opinion) and you will have a better sense of whether you have over wicked or underwicked and just what your tails are gonna do when you fill it up.

I even have some of that ReadyX ceramic wick and I got a shorty bit but I refuse to try it because rayon has been so good to me, why should I NOT be good to it. Etc.

Cotton's creepy it belongs plugging up a jar of Senna laxatives or something. There, I said it.

All hail rayon.

Anna

 

[bask]

I thought I remember he got it from Sally's

As tempting as it sounds I am not going to swim 3600 miles across the ocean to get to a Sally’s.

Maybe they mean it pulls apart easily.

I do. I brush 2 times and the ends are thinned.

When I pull it apart it looks like this:

Anyway, it performs fine. I’m not having a religious experience yet, but it performs fine. I’ll just need some time with it. It’s not in my regular tanks yet or with my regular juices and since I’m of the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” persuasion I’ll sit my current wicks out until it’s wicking time.
I am already considering selling all my unopened packs of flash wick, so no worries, I’m definitely not trying to hate on rayon. Remember that cotton is my reference.

It does seem to perform very well in the Dvarw 16. Which I haven’t had crazy long, so it kind of limits what I can say about it.

What i like about it is the easy availability, the price and the amount you get. I could get a bag, split it with 16 others and still have a year’s worth of supply.

Anyway, I’ll spend some time with it, experiment and get to know it and I’ll report back.

 

[bask]

every time he mentioned that and no one else was saying anything. I thought I remember he got it from Sally's

they mean

Strange, right?

Also, I'm right here. You can just talk to me.
*mumbles something about rude ... americans*

DISCLAIMER: My crude sense of humor doesn't carry well on forums, but just to be sure; I love you guys! Some of my best friends are Americans, so I'm not a racist!

 

[bask]

If you get rayon-y taste and you dislike (I do) just shove your rayon through the coil and get it nice and saturated and burn off some of the eliquid.

I have not. Pleasantly surprised about it. No break-in time, no funky taste, just vapey goodness.
But thank you for the tip, I will most definitely keep that in mind.

 

[vapdivrr]

Also, I'm right here. You can just talk to me.
*mumbles something about rude ... americans*

DISCLAIMER: My crude sense of humor doesn't carry well on forums, but just to be sure; I love you guys! Some of my best friends are Americans, so I'm not a racist!

I did just try to talk to you and no reply , others were curious too. No argument on the rude part

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[stols001]

Uh, love you too but you'd be a Xenophobe, not a racist. LOL. American is not a "race" that I know of in fact it used to be called a great melting pot only then like all this racial stuff happened.

At rock bottom, there is no racism it all started with Xenophobia. And slavery has been around as long as black people potentially longer. God was not super nice to Adam and Eve if you ask me. LIke: OOh look tree of knowledge, DON'T eat it nanana. Then, cast out of heaven, dude has to work the whole time and the worse punishment: childbirth. Not really that nice,.

But yes, the race card gets thrown around in the USA as if it were the ace of spades, and you had three others to spend in your hand: probably sexism, OMG the alphabet people, and Muslims.

Yep.

Also reverse racism, which I find DEEPLY confusing and it emerged when I grew up. I think it means "white folks want in on the deal" but I'm not ENTIRELY SURE.

Should probably eat, but you will have to swallow ALL that to even be properly Xenophobic at all. Good luck, carry on oh ho.

Anna