Reservoir Straw & Plug Mod (RSP Mod)

[kristin]

LMAO! This thread had me cracking up, lol!

OK, day 4 of the straw and buff stuff (sounds less girly than "puff," lol) and still no reduction in the performance!

Scott, my husband is like your wife - no fuss is best. I may try a full cart of buff stuff for him. He has been using the same coffee straw mod (the original one someone else invented) I set up for him months ago, lol! I trust you're kidding about getting jumped??

I don't think I'm going to bother with the fish tank stuff. I've been following all of the threads that use that for various cart mods and it seems the majority of people end up with leaking after a couple of days? I haven't had that with the buff stuff at all yet. That "accordian" property of the material really makes a difference!

The only drawback is having to remove the plug to refill. If I prefill 3 carts in the morning, though, that's about 6-8 hours of vaping. Put one on the atty and the other two in the PCC and you're good to go!

 

[Scottbee]

Yes... I was kidding about getting jumped. A little old hunch-backed lady took a swing at me with her Walgreens bag.. but that was the extent of it... ;-)

(I'm convinced that Walgreens and Walmart are the hang-out for all the poorly disguised aliens.... kinda like a scene from MIB)

FYI: I made up a standard cart for the wife using the buff-stuff and a traditional straw-mod. Took me a couple of tries with the amount of fill.... the compressibility of the buff-stuff has a huge effect on how much liquid it will hold, and how it feeds it to the bridge. But I ended up with a cart that she currently loves. Gonna keep my eye on it and see how it fares on the long-haul.

 

[Scottes]

I got the right Buff Puff today - a special trip to Walgreens. No hooligans involved this time. I have to wait until tonight to play with it - heading out for several hours.

 

[Scottbee]

OK... since I couldn't upload pics here.. I went ahead and got a Photobucket account <grumble>

Someone had asked about my "Blue Plug Factory".. where I use the 5/16" punch and the flush cut side-cutters to make the plugs for the 901 carts. Here's a quick pic:

 

[kristin]

Ok, hopefully this helps.

This is for a 510 cart using the buff puff material.

The top and bottom of the pad have no flow. The side of the pad has the accordian properties. So, the side of the pad will be the top of the plug.

Cut a 5mm strip from the pad. Cut a 4mm piece from that. You will have a strip 5mm X 4mm X 1". Turn it sideways and you'll have a long, skinny accordian strip. Trim it to fit in the cart - about 8mm. Squeeze it together like an accordian and hold with a tweezers. Slip it into the cart. When you release the tweezers, the piece will open back up and fill the space - you may need to nudge it a bit with the tweezers to open more and fill the rounded ends.

The 5mm deep cart is resting on the straw for support. If some of the material still sticks out the end , just trim it flush with a scissors.

For simplicity, I just drew the main lines - there are also cross fibers. But once you get a piece in your hands and cut, you'll see what it represents.

 

[kristin]

Scottbee - I just made a cart with the buff stuff as full fill for my husband. I told him to let me know how well it refills for him!

 

[Scottbee]

You sure do make purdy pictures..... ;-)

 

[fanofwalt]

Just came home with my Walgreens Facial Cleansing Sponges (generic Buff-Puff), and it certainly does behave nicer than the white Fluval pads I was using before. So far, niiice vapes with no probs.

Here's a question: the package label says the sponge is polyester fiber, with a polyurethane binder. Do we (and be "we," I mean, any of you) know whether polyurethane is a concern to heat up and inhale?

Oh, and thanks for the tip on the TW 5-port charger. Think I'll pick one up.

 

[a2dcovert]

I've been reqading through the various experiments with plug material. I don't see anyone mention what type of liquid is being used by the different testers and the different types of material. The wicking success of any material will change acording to the viscosity of the liquid and the density of the plug. Plugs that work well with liquids containing VG will leak, or pass the liquid faster if the liquid is mostly PG.

Kevin

 

[Scottes]

I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I've mentioned it several times. That's one of the reasons why I keep suggesting that people cut a plug, and test it, and trim a little if it won't wick, and start over if it leaks. I've also mentioned that it's easier to adjust a juice than a plug, but sometimes that juice does work with the atomizer correctly, so you must adjust the plug.

Sorry, you must have missed the 5 or 6 times I've mentioned this stuff.

But since we're talking about cart mods, every one must be "invented" by 3 different people before it really counts, so maybe Scottbee will step up and remind us both that he mentioned this stuff ages ago...

 

[eclypse]

Just came home with my Walgreens Facial Cleansing Sponges (generic Buff-Puff), and it certainly does behave nicer than the white Fluval pads I was using before. So far, niiice vapes with no probs.

Here's a question: the package label says the sponge is polyester fiber, with a polyurethane binder. Do we (and be "we," I mean, any of you) know whether polyurethane is a concern to heat up and inhale?

Oh, and thanks for the tip on the TW 5-port charger. Think I'll pick one up.

Polyurethane might just be a health hazard inhaled.. i'm no expert but i gave it a quick read.

 

[a2dcovert]

You can go ahead and toot your own horn. I just overlooked the posts you mentioned. Got to admit that there are a lot of posts about this plug. They seem to combine and then seperate then combine again. I agree that the liquid is easier to change.

Kevin

 

[fanofwalt]

Polyurethane might just be a health hazard inhaled

Er...this doesn't look too good. This is from that Wikipedia reference (emphases are mine):

Polyurethane polymer is a combustible solid and will ignite if exposed to an open flame for a sufficient period of time.

Granted, an atomizer is not an "open flame," but I do wonder whether it gets hot enough with direct contact to possibly cause combustion. Even without combustion, I should think that extreme heating of the material might be sufficient to release some of the nasties described next:

Decomposition products include carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, and hydrogen cyanide. Firefighters should wear self-contained breathing apparatus in enclosed areas. Polyurethane polymer dust can cause irritation to the eyes and lungs. Proper hygiene controls and personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, dust masks, respirators, mechanical ventilation, and protective clothing and eye wear should be used.

Liquid resin blends and isocyanates may contain hazardous or regulated components. They should be handled in accordance with manufacturer recommendations found on product labels, and in MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) and product technical literature. Isocyanates are known skin and respiratory sensitizers, and proper engineering controls should be in place to prevent exposure to isocyanate liquid and vapor.

Hm. Sounds like some of the same stuff we were glad to be rid of when we left the ol' analog ciggies. Mebbe I'll stick with the Fluval, or check into the Scotch Brite pads. At least I can use the Buff Puffs to achieve glowing, clear skin.

 

[kristin]

It doesn't get hot & it doesn't have little fibers that get stuck to the atty that can burn. Since the plug stays moist and there is only a small piece of it, I can't imagine it gets hot enough to produce anything toxic. I get no residual flavor from it at all, so it's not mixing with my vapor, that I can tell. Every other filler I've used had a bad taste when it got dry. This seems to resist heat better - maybe because it stays wet. The fibers themselves are polyester. The binder is what is polyurethane.

I was just vaping on it and then pulling off the cart to feel the filler and the liquid is just slightly warm.

Day five and this plug is still working like a champ.

 

[kristin]

I just looked up possible health hazards of polyurethane glue (binder) and found that it's listed as being completely non-toxic when cured and releases no toxic fumes as either a liquid or dry and contains no carcinogens (this is for Gorilla Glue, which is 100% polyurethane.)

I did find that the glue is dangerous while liquid, per the MSDS of Elmer's Probond glue, but seems to become inert once cured. "If material is heated, sprayed or otherwise dispersed, may cause irritation of nose, throat and lungs." But that is for liquid glue. It's environmentally safe once cured and used in making food-safe products.

It is heat resistant to 200-220 degrees.

Liquid vaporizes at 188 degrees, but the atomizer can get up to 300 degrees if you run it too long. The key is to keep the plug wet - which is just what this mod does!

 

[kristin]

I've been reqading through the various experiments with plug material. I don't see anyone mention what type of liquid is being used by the different testers and the different types of material. The wicking success of any material will change acording to the viscosity of the liquid and the density of the plug. Plugs that work well with liquids containing VG will leak, or pass the liquid faster if the liquid is mostly PG.

Kevin

I'm using Nhaler High Voltage which is PG and pretty thick.

I think you would be able to just use a little more filler to make it a bit more dense to handle a thinner liquid.

 

[a2dcovert]

I'm using Nhaler High Voltage which is PG and pretty thick.

I think you would be able to just use a little more filler to make it a bit more dense to handle a thinner liquid.

That is what I did Kristin. I was more converned about the novices that were trying the mod and giving up because of leaking. My normal liquid is a custom mix where I use 30% VG in the mix and it works perfectly. Straight PG liquid I tried would leak on the blue plug mod. Increasing the density of the plug corrected it.

I was thinking that some mention about this should be included in the description of the mods as most novices will be using commercial juice.

Kevin

 

[Scottes]

It is heat resistant to 200-220 degrees.

Liquid vaporizes at 188 degrees

Are these both Celsius?


And you're right about the poly once dried. I think it's the solvents that are really dangerous.

 

[fanofwalt]

I just looked up possible health hazards of polyurethane glue (binder) and found that it's listed as being completely non-toxic when cured and releases no toxic fumes as either a liquid or dry and contains no carcinogens

This is cheering news! Thank you for digging deeper. Guess my facial skin cells will have to make do with my usual apricot cleansing scrub. Back to the buff!! (Good -- I've been dealing with separated, burning fibers today -- ehh.)

 

[Stehle]

Kristin:

Many of us went through the same thing in the early days of PTB last summer (and their various mods) at that time it was PET plastic and the corporate letters and phone conversations with the Lipton® Co., etc... then the "green" screens,"rusty" springs, etc... I could go on, but won't. The point being no matter what the filler or cart mod there always seems to be some risks pointed out by some prudent member(s).

It didn't stop rhoneil with his numerous wonderful PTB mods and hopefully will not phase you.

We all have to choose our own comfort zone, our own "acceptable risks". 'nuff said on that.

===================

Thank you very much for all your efforts I think it is a great mod!

I'm currently and so far using the RSP-BS (buff stuff) very successfully on a few of my 510's, M401's, a couple of generics (that never produced satisfactorily until your mod) and am only having difficulty with my favorite 084's. (Probably because of the diminutive cart size with them.)

I can't seem to get the plug thickness right on such a small plug. Its also very hard to see the weave or which way grain runs. Any suggestions would greatly appreciated. (Time for the magnifying glass again!)

For all the juice folks... I have the best results with Vermont Vaper which are a thick VG blend and the worst luck with commercial import juice which is primarily PG.

Someone should make a video of the RSP-BS! (hint, hint, hint)

(The diagrams were a big help... thanks Kristin!)

I'll be Lurking....


The Perfect 510 Case... for about a $1.50