The “Cola” Method Taken to Another Level That Works

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ISAWHIM

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Apr 15, 2009
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www.isawhim.com
When it comes to mixing chemicals... You have to ask yourself what you are trying to achieve?

Unless you are creating a "New chemical compound", by mixing two chemicals... do not mix them. (Eg, if mixing eggs and flour creates super-clean, then you are just washing with eggs and flour. Wash with eggs first, and then wash separately with flour. You are not saving time mixing two chemicals, just creating a potential hazardous compound.)

Never mix any two unknown chemicals unless instructed for dilution. If alcohol cleans OK, and water cleans OK, mixing the two will not clean BETTER, it will still just clean it OK. Don't create a situation where there is only more danger or less danger. The key word there is "Danger".

If you mix an "Acid" with a "Base", you are 100% going to get a chemical reaction. You will create "Water" (H2O), and the remainder of the two chemicals which will be left after the neutralization has occurred. This could be pure arsenic and pure mercury, now mixed with water. Though you started out with eggs and flour. (Severe, but realistic, dramatization there.)

For those afraid to try the cleaner solution. The option of using "Club soda", which is pure seltzer-water (tonic), is the better alternative. (There is no syrup/sugar in club soda.)

Seltzer is Water (H2O) and Carbon-Dioxide (CO2). We breath both those elements every day, in high volumes. Though we desire an adequate level of (O2) to offset the (CO2) and (H2O).

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2)2 (One Hydrogen per One Oxygen), will quickly break-down into (H2O)2 & (O2) under heat and in UV exposure. (Water and Oxygen) This is why you store H2O2 in a cool dark place, in an opaque bottle.

Alcohol (90%+), is flammable but it will evaporate at room temperature, within a 48 hour period. Alcohol can be saturated/diluted with warm water, and will evaporate in minutes. (Do not use in large volumes, in an enclosed area, or near any exposed flames or pilot-lights.)

For the ice-cleaner... it is food-safe, only when used as instructed. 1:50 mixture, in an ice-machine, with the first batch thrown out. You don't clean an ice-maker every week/month. If you used 100% undiluted mixture, you would have to throw out 50 batches of ice, since the mixture would be 50 times stronger. (Just for example.)

Personally, I would try the hot water first, followed by the alcohol (90%+) second, followed by the seltzer-water (Tonic) third, followed by the ice-cleaner citric-acid for nickle fourth, followed by the ice-cleaner phosphoric-acid fifth. Each time between washings, using water to flush-out any remaining chemicals. Ultimately keeping the vaporizer stored on a sunny window-sill, to ensure it is 100% dry in a few days.

One thing is clear. The use of acids and alcohol to clean these devices, indicates that there is still an undesired level of oils and sugars within our juices. It is also clear that the coil is getting up to the temperature of combustion at times. (Not that it is always at a combustible temperature, but it does carbonize some of these oils and plastics.)

Hopefully in the future, they will add some temperature control to these devices, and most gunk will easily be removed with alcohol, and not carbonize. (It is the expanding carbonization which is lifting the elements off the solder-board. This would also not happen if the elements were crimped from behind, and then soldered.)

If the Americans don't do it, the UK guys will... and then the Chinese will just copy it, and do it cheaper. However, if you don't voice your opinion to the sellers, and the manufactures... they will keep making this stuff disposable, and selling it to you at top-dollar prices. Apparently, they stuff the money in their ears... so the less you give them to stuff... the more they hear you!

When it comes to disclaimers, I know what you are saying... I had someone ask me why they couldn't inject bleach into themselves, to rid them of aids... They had read an article which said that bleach is used to kill aids. (Kills aids on floors and counters, not inside humans.)
 
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Sun Vaporer

Moved On
ECF Veteran
Jan 2, 2009
10,146
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Florida
When it comes to mixing chemicals... You have to ask yourself what you are trying to achieve?

Unless you are creating a "New chemical compound", by mixing two chemicals... do not mix them. (Eg, if mixing eggs and flour creates super-clean, then you are just washing with eggs and flour. Wash with eggs first, and then wash separately with flour. You are not saving time mixing two chemicals, just creating a potential hazardous compound.)

Never mix any two unknown chemicals unless instructed for dilution. If alcohol cleans OK, and water cleans OK, mixing the two will not clean BETTER, it will still just clean it OK. Don't create a situation where there is only more danger or less danger. The key word there is "Danger".

If you mix an "Acid" with a "Base", you are 100% going to get a chemical reaction. You will create "Water" (H2O), and the remainder of the two chemicals which will be left after the neutralization has occurred. This could be pure arsenic and pure mercury, now mixed with water. Though you started out with eggs and flour. (Severe, but realistic, dramatization there.)

For those afraid to try the cleaner solution. The option of using "Club soda", which is pure seltzer-water (tonic), is the better alternative. (There is no syrup/sugar in club soda.)

Seltzer is Water (H2O) and Carbon-Dioxide (CO2). We breath both those elements every day, in high volumes. Though we desire an adequate level of (O2) to offset the (CO2) and (H2O).

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2)2 (One Hydrogen per One Oxygen), will quickly break-down into (H2O)2 & (O2) under heat and in UV exposure. (Water and Oxygen) This is why you store H2O2 in a cool dark place, in an opaque bottle.

Alcohol (90%+), is flammable but it will evaporate at room temperature, within a 48 hour period. Alcohol can be saturated/diluted with warm water, and will evaporate in minutes.

For the ice-cleaner... it is food-safe, only when used as instructed. 1:50 mixture, in an ice-machine, with the first batch thrown out. You don't clean an ice-maker every week/month. If you used 100% undiluted mixture, you would have to throw out 50 batches of ice, since the mixture would be 50 times stronger. (Just for example.)

Personally, I would try the hot water first, followed by the alcohol (90%+) second, followed by the seltzer-water (Tonic) third, followed by the ice-cleaner citric-acid for nickle fourth, followed by the ice-cleaner phosphoric-acid fifth. Each time between washings, using water to flush-out any remaining chemicals. Ultimately keeping the vaporizer stored on a sunny window-sill, to ensure it is 100% dry in a few days.

One thing is clear. The use of acids and alcohol to clean these devices, indicates that there is still an undesired level of oils and sugars within our juices. It is also clear that the coil is getting up to the temperature of combustion at times. (Not that it is always at a combustible temperature, but it does carbonize some of these oils and plastics.)

Hopefully in the future, they will add some temperature control to these devices, and most gunk will easily be removed with alcohol, and not carbonize. (It is the expanding carbonization which is lifting the elements off the solder-board. This would also not happen if the elements were crimped from behind, and then soldered.)

It the Americans don't do it, the UK guys will... and then the Chinese will just copy it, and do it cheaper. However, if you don't voice your opinion to the sellers, and the manufactures... they will keep making this stuff disposable, and selling it to you at top-dollar prices. Apparently, they stuff the money in their ears... so the less you give them to stuff... the more they hear you!

When it comes to disclaimers, I know what you are saying... I had someone ask me why they couldn't inject bleach into themselves, to rid them of aids... They had read an article which said that bleach is used to kill aids. (Kills aids on floors and counters, not inside humans.)


ISAWHIM--Great Post!!!----Sun
 
ISAWHIM--Great Post!!!----Sun

No, just a rehash of other people's posts as though something original, and some textbook stuff. Nothing interesting at all.

One thing: when you do your laundry, say, do you want to put it through 10 times or just the once with a wasking powder with a combination of chemicals that all do different things? In the end, people will want something which comes in one jar.
 
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Well... I am certainly interested! Particularly on point 2...

Luckily these are not diificult things to investigte.

2) start with a new atty. Clean (soak) every night in cola, vinegar / acetic acid, lemon juice / citric acid, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide; one or more of these (if more than one, only one at a time, but cycled each day); report how coil looks after a week or two and final wash.

1) test more juices for the quantity of dry deposit and store the info. There might be a few components in there that will vaporize at 200C but not at room temperature, but the great majority of dry deposit is going to stay in the atomiser, and over time it much of that will decompose on the heater coil, getting ever harder to remove. To what extent decomposition of VG (and perhaps also PG) contributes to these deposits, and what breakdown products are inhaled in the process, is not known for sure, but there probably will be a certain amount (more information on this will be posted by others soon, following a simple test i devised some time ago). PG I have not studied; for VG it is unavoidable - though the dangers might be miniscule, they cannot be zero.
 

StoneE4

Full Member
ECF Veteran
Mar 20, 2009
65
2
Chicago
Luckily these are not diificult things to investigte.

2) start with a new atty. Clean (soak) every night in cola, vinegar / acetic acid, lemon juice / citric acid, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide; one or more of these (if more than one, only one at a time, but cycled each day); report how coil looks after a week or two and final wash.

1) test more juices for the quantity of dry deposit and store the info. There might be a few components in there that will vaporize at 200C but not at room temperature, but the great majority of dry deposit is going to stay in the atomiser, and over time it much of that will decompose on the heater coil, getting ever harder to remove. To what extent decomposition of VG (and perhaps also PG) contributes to these deposits, and what breakdown products are inhaled in the process, is not known for sure, but there probably will be a certain amount (more information on this will be posted by others soon, following a simple test i devised some time ago). PG I have not studied; for VG it is unavoidable - though the dangers might be miniscule, they cannot be zero.
Good ideas, kinabaloo. Even though they are, "just a rehash of other people's posts". ;) :D

But seriously... This information is off topic to this particular thread. You should really start another so that the information is easier to find.
 

surbitonPete

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Jan 25, 2009
2,915
5
North Yorkshire UK
I don't know whether I should mention this yet.....but last night out of frustration I decided to try topping up my cart with a few drops of white vinegar to see if it could revitalise my failing atty if I vaped it with the juice (I couldn't find anything to make me feel it wouldn't be safe, although who knows when it's mixed with juice) anyway it made no difference to the vaping (it actually tasted o/k though). ......this morning I rinsed the atty out with warm water and baked it dry for an hour in the oven at 75 centigrade.. (nothing unusual) I do that to clean out the unvaped oily juice that might be in the wicking mesh and it does sometimes help to makes it vape a little bit better for a while.....anyway I topped my cart right up, put it back in and started vaping it had a really awful taste and I puffed away for a little bit trying to vape away the taste....it wasn't vaping very well I took the cart out to put some more juice in and then managed to flood it...so I rolled up a tissue and put it in the atty tube and blew through the battery end to clear out some of the juice ....the juice that was on the tissue was 'really' dark brown...so I kept repeating the flooding and vaping for a while untill the juice in the tissue stopped being such a dark brown colour and looked clean again......anyway once I had finished my atty started vaping like new again and has done so for the rest of today......I am not sure if there is anything to get excited about, it could be a fluke or something but nothing I have ever done before has brought an atty back to that much life, it really is like new at the moment. I wish I could see the coil but I can't get a look at the coil on these penstyle attys while they are still working.
 

exogenesis

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Mar 1, 2009
877
16
UK
You'll vape anything, won't you Pete.

Sound interesting though, at the worst it implies that juice
didn't rinse out completely (& got denatured in the oven).
Best would be the heated vinegar in the unrinsed-out juice did a
cleaning job of freshening/cleaning things.

Hope you didn't use too much fresh juice flushing the naff stuff out.

Actually maybe you've started a new trend - sweet & sour vaping.


Seems Kinabaloo hasn't posted since the above,
hope he's not gorn orf in an 'uff.
 

surbitonPete

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Jan 25, 2009
2,915
5
North Yorkshire UK
You'll vape anything, won't you Pete.

Sound interesting though, at the worst it implies that juice
didn't rinse out completely (& got denatured in the oven).
Best would be the heated vinegar in the unrinsed-out juice did a
cleaning job of freshening/cleaning things.

Hope you didn't use too much fresh juice flushing the naff stuff out.

Actually maybe you've started a new trend - sweet & sour vaping.


Seems Kinabaloo hasn't posted since the above,
hope he's not gorn orf in an 'uff.

Hey exo......yes I should have thought to vape some plain vg to flush it out, it's easy to forget just how expensive this juice is......I expect it was all just some kind of fluke but fingers crossed.

Yes ..I am not sure what happened with Kinaba perhaps he was having an off day or something.
 
OK last week I bought the small bottle of NuCalgon acid and tried it on 2 901 atty's. I wanted to see if I could "sleeve" something over the battery end of the atty (including the hole) and fill the atomizer so I would use minimal acid. I did this with what is essentially a thin 1/4" rubber tubing tied off at one end and slid snuggly over the battery end and covering the hole. Picture a long, thin balloon...like a balloon a clown would use for balloon animals. Only a little thicker rubber.

I stood them in the square end of a couple 1/2" socket bits which held them quite nicely and for the most part pretty securely. I set the socket bits containing the atty's in a little tupperware container and then filled them with NuCalgon to a point where the wick was submerged and let it sit for about 16 hours. After that, I drained them and let them sit in the tupperware under running cold water for 5 minutes. No noticeable debris was found in the solution. I have read others make the same observation.

Then I took distilled water and let them soak in it for a few hours until finally I took a syringe and flushed distilled water thru them at the battery end. Then dried overnight.

They appear brand new and produce good vapor. But their vapor production wasn't bad to begin with. But they do seem better. I use PG liquid and cannot get a good look at the coil to see how it looks.

Now maybe this is me just me but I'm thinking that a little agitation while soaking would be a good thing. I think some shaking and stirring now and then would only help the cleaning process. But the way I did this didn't really allow for me agitate the acid inside the atomizers. Does that make any sense?

So in an effort as to not waste the NuCalgon acid, I thought of another way. I bought a small plastic 15ml bottle with scew on cap and the mouth is big enough to drop in a 801 atty. There is enough room in this bottle to fit 4 901 atty's. Or maybe 3 801's.

I have an 801 and 901 atty that's been soaking for 24hrs and what is nice is every hour or so (whenever I walk by) I just pick it up and shake around a bit. Turn end over end a dozen times or so...whatever you need to get fluid movement in and out of the atty's. After 24 hours, there was a slimey, snot like debris floating around in there. And when I dumped the contents into the tupplerware container for the 5 minute tap water rinse, there were dark particulate in the remains.

After tap water rinse, I will rinse and flush with distilled water with a syringe and let dry overnight. Next time I do this, I can take some pictures if anyone is interested.

Sorry for the long post!
 

DaDuke

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Apr 14, 2009
202
3
Las Vegas
Back a few pages ago i suggested using a small jewelery ultrasonic cleaner using the nucalgon to get that agitation effect while soaking.

Someone else (cant find post now) said they had a tatooist ultrasonic bath they were gonna try (used for cleaning the needles) but haven't seen a results posts yet. also, don't know if they will try it with nu-calgon).

If that works then a test of the cheapo jewelry ultrasonic cleaners would be nice since they would be very affordable (about $50).
 

DaDuke

Senior Member
ECF Veteran
Apr 14, 2009
202
3
Las Vegas
Ok, i read up a bit on ultrasonic cleaners and they do seem to work. They recommend the ones with built in heaters though. They also say the main diff between the larger more expensive models is just size and durability, so for atyys small with a heater should be perfect.

Even if this doesnt work on really corroded attys, maybe a couple times per week would prevent it from ever building up in the first place.
 

ShMiGgY

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ECF Veteran
Apr 24, 2009
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i'm probably going to get yelled at for this, but, this thread involves using concentrated acids to clean organic and possibly inorganic residues, so here goes.

I have access to a basically endless supply of aqua regia and conc. nitric acid from where i work (I work in the ICP-MS field). We use it to soak glassware to remove ALL contaminants, be it metal, or organic (so obviously i will work with a dilute solution).. We used to have to buy the glassware for our instruments (VERY special nebulizers and atomizers) at thousands of dollars per pop until we were able to perfect cleaning them ourselves with this formula. Granted, in it's current state, it will probably melt my atty into a blob, but with some tweaking, who knows??

I have a 3 week old atty with some buildup and that burnt plastic taste we all know and hate... It needs an experiment

This will be not something anyone would be able to use, except for a remote few, but, hell worth a shot. Believe me, it will be cleaned endlessly in DIUF water baths until all traces are removed... We also have an ultrasonic cleaner (lab grade), so i may through it in there with a working solution...

I love science,, heh ,heh..
 
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