LMAO "snot sucker ball thingy " ....if we had kids we know what those are from infant stage ....
wanna hear an infant scream and tell you STOP IT ? LMAOWho cleans cartos?
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LMAO "snot sucker ball thingy " ....if we had kids we know what those are from infant stage ....
wanna hear an infant scream and tell you STOP IT ? LMAO
You are not really scraping. The Boge and other cartos I have taken apart, have the coil wrapped around a center of wick material with a hole through the center. This material swells up, and some juices even leave a residue.
The slanted, sharpend point of a syringe needle does a good job (sometimes) of re-opening the hole. You might also end up breaking the coil if the wick twists around the needle. If the carto draws hard, it's trashed anyway. At least this way, you might get some more usage out of it. I always do this before flushing them out with my condom/syringe so that any bits and pieces get washed out.
The slanted, sharpend point of a syringe needle does a good job (sometimes) of re-opening the hole. You might also end up breaking the coil if the wick twists around the needle. If the carto draws hard, it's trashed anyway. At least this way, you might get some more usage out of it. I always do this before flushing them out with my condom/syringe so that any bits and pieces get washed out.
So you're not merely putting the needle through the air wick tube, you're actually getting into the 'tube' that consists of coil/wick with sock wrapped around it?
Although I'm sure I brush or rub up against the coil and possibly sock, I'm just trying to open up the passage. If I knock some carbonized juice off of the coil , it's a bonus. If I see some I normally re-clean to get any out that's come off, but I don't expect to get much of that off - it's hard to get off of any coil.
I feel your pain, dude. Got my 2012 Cadillac CTS-V listed in Autotrader today. Bummer.
I have my nissan skyline, fully decked out with NOS, turbo, cool air intake, racing exhaust, everything on this baby on autotrader... It is sad, because I loved that car...
Cyrus I use the syringe/pill bottle adapter.... Even use it for drying.... I can clean a carto and be using it in 5 minutes... No food processer necesary. 1.00 at the grocery store
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I've been vaping some unmentionable carts exclusively and I feel terribly guilty. Like infidelity guilty...
I may have to learn to clean cartos. I've been using the same 30 cartos for 3 or 4 weeks now. (I used to buy filled ones and (gasp) throw them away.) I have to refill 8 or 9 sets (of each of 3 flavors) every few days. (I know; at 9 cartos of 36mg per day, I'm probably vaping too much.)
At any rate, some of the cartos won't hold 20 drops anymore without leaving a standing puddle of juice on top of the filler. I suspect clogging by burnt juice. (I do not use ANY sweet juices!) Will cleaning (any kind of cleaning) fix a carto clogged by burnt (or maybe dried out) juice?
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I am also seeking therapy for overuse of parentheses (but that's another story). (
)
At any rate, some of the cartos won't hold 20 drops anymore without leaving a standing puddle of juice on top of the filler. I suspect clogging by burnt juice. (I do not use ANY sweet juices!) Will cleaning (any kind of cleaning) fix a carto clogged by burnt (or maybe dried out) juice?
--
I am also seeking therapy for overuse of parentheses (but that's another story). (
)
Hey pwmeek, it's no so much burnt juice as it is a type of carmelization. The sugars in the juice start to build up a residue on the polyfill material and the atomizer. Over time this basically affects the atomizer ability to produce heat and the process feeds on itself.
Here is a video you might want to take a look at, you can skip ahead to the 2:12 mark to see the inside workings of a Burnt Cartomizer followed by cleaning instructions:
Vapor4life Tips, Tricks & Fixes for Cartomizers - YouTube
One key to successful cleaning is starting with Cartomizers that aren't burnt. If you start to top off a Cartomizer and it leaks after a few drops, it's burnt and needs to be tossed. Even if you clean the Carto it will leak when you go to fill and the juice will taste burnt.
Hope this helps....
Here is a video you might want to take a look at, you can skip ahead to the 2:12 mark to see the inside workings of a Burnt Cartomizer followed by cleaning instructions:
Vapor4life Tips, Tricks & Fixes for Cartomizers - YouTube
One key to successful cleaning is starting with Cartomizers that aren't burnt. If you start to top off a Cartomizer and it leaks after a few drops, it's burnt and needs to be tossed. Even if you clean the Carto it will leak when you go to fill and the juice will taste burnt.
Hope this helps....
Snow, that's an excellent explanation showing the distinction between burned and clogged cartos.
pwmeek -- if you're not sure whether a carto is burned or not, I'd guess that it's likely not. I've scorched a few and the taste is definitely not pleasant. Even a small burn can cause the juice to taste funny. If you're looking to learn how to clean cartos, you're definitely in the right place. People like Snow pretty much have it down to an art. Personally I've never had much luck. Most of my "cleaning" attempts end with cartos coming out worse than before... I'm just not very good at it. Or patient enough. My brother OTOH can make a pack of 5 last for months. I'm pretty sure he uses some form of magic to get them clean.
You're not alone, brother. I spend more time removing parentheses from my posts than I actually do composing them.
pwmeek -- if you're not sure whether a carto is burned or not, I'd guess that it's likely not. I've scorched a few and the taste is definitely not pleasant. Even a small burn can cause the juice to taste funny. If you're looking to learn how to clean cartos, you're definitely in the right place. People like Snow pretty much have it down to an art. Personally I've never had much luck. Most of my "cleaning" attempts end with cartos coming out worse than before... I'm just not very good at it. Or patient enough. My brother OTOH can make a pack of 5 last for months. I'm pretty sure he uses some form of magic to get them clean.
I am also seeking therapy for overuse of parentheses (but that's another story). (
You're not alone, brother. I spend more time removing parentheses from my posts than I actually do composing them.
I haven't kept accurate track, but my guess is that I have filled this set of 30 cartos (two have been replaced from my stock of fresh ones because the originals quit working - burnt out or broken heaters) at least 8-10 times. Note that this is without cleaning of any kind. Only on the last few fills do some of them seem less-than-able to take a full charge of 20 drops.
I don't think it's caramelized sugar (at least I hope it isn't). I avoid all juices that are described as, or even hinted at, being sweet. "Cordial" and "cobbler" are signs to me that I wouldn't like them. It may be that ALL juices have sugar, but I hope that this is not so. With the juices I use, a drop on the tongue (as when a carto is a bit juicy and spits a little liquid) does not taste sweet to me, but any sweetness may be masked by the strong taste of the raw juice.
I also avoid juices that suggest any oiliness: "chocolate", "buttery", "cappuccino" and the like. My feeling is (besides taste) that sugar and oil are likely to result in "dirty" cartos after repeated fills and uses.
I use V4L Sour Cherry (V4L is currently out-of-stock - sob), Sour Green Apple, and one of the Menthol juices which has no "sweet" in its description - all in 36mg strength. I use red, green, and blue cartos to keep track of which carto has which flavor. It also helps me rotate them (RGB, RGB, RGB, ...) to give them time to cool off between uses. Otherwise they get unpleasantly hot on the lips. (90F is hot, but OK; over 100F is unpleasant. I just checked with an IR thermometer.)
A set of 3 flavor cartos lasts me 4 or 5 hours before running dry (a bit less if I'm really hitting them) so, a little over 80 minutes per carto. (About 180 drops of 36mg per day.) I switch to fresh XL batteries each time I change cartos. (This requires 9 batteries and 6 chargers.)
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Oscar Wilde once said: "Today I spent [a short time] putting a comma in; I spent all day taking it back out." Perhaps parentheses are similar. (I totally mis-remembered this quote. He actually said: I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again. )
I don't think it's caramelized sugar (at least I hope it isn't). I avoid all juices that are described as, or even hinted at, being sweet. "Cordial" and "cobbler" are signs to me that I wouldn't like them. It may be that ALL juices have sugar, but I hope that this is not so. With the juices I use, a drop on the tongue (as when a carto is a bit juicy and spits a little liquid) does not taste sweet to me, but any sweetness may be masked by the strong taste of the raw juice.
I also avoid juices that suggest any oiliness: "chocolate", "buttery", "cappuccino" and the like. My feeling is (besides taste) that sugar and oil are likely to result in "dirty" cartos after repeated fills and uses.
I use V4L Sour Cherry (V4L is currently out-of-stock - sob), Sour Green Apple, and one of the Menthol juices which has no "sweet" in its description - all in 36mg strength. I use red, green, and blue cartos to keep track of which carto has which flavor. It also helps me rotate them (RGB, RGB, RGB, ...) to give them time to cool off between uses. Otherwise they get unpleasantly hot on the lips. (90F is hot, but OK; over 100F is unpleasant. I just checked with an IR thermometer.)
A set of 3 flavor cartos lasts me 4 or 5 hours before running dry (a bit less if I'm really hitting them) so, a little over 80 minutes per carto. (About 180 drops of 36mg per day.) I switch to fresh XL batteries each time I change cartos. (This requires 9 batteries and 6 chargers.)
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Oscar Wilde once said: "
Thumbs up for quoting Oscar Wilde. (I'm fairly certain he would not have bothered cleaning his cartos!
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I've noticed some juices (Stogie and Gunslinger in particular) I can only refill 2 or 3 times before they actually get clogged. I found a small allen wrench (3mm IIRC) poked gently up the hole from the batt end will push out what appears to be outright carbonized matter, thereby restoring airflow for 20 puffs or so. Even with cleaning (everclear soak or water, 15mins to 24 hrs, followed by pressurized water from a syringe connected to the carto via tightly sealed vinyl tubing) seems unable to remove this, and even after cleaning it will only refill 1 or 2 times before clogging again. It appear to require some sort of mechanical force to remove that carbon. I'm imagining some super-teensy bottle brush that could get in that hole. I've also considered putting a series of knicks and notches in that allen wrench to give it a more abrasive quality and to trap the carbon as it is withdrawn. Any thoughts/suggestions on removing this carbon?
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It must have been a 1.3mm allen wrench, as that would be the largest hexagon that will pass through the 1.5mm hole in the battery end of a V4L carto.
You can get "bottle" brushes that small (0.059"/1.5mm) but they might not be stiff enough for your purpose.
This company makes brushes down to 1mm diameter, but I suspect that their minimum order is in the hundreds or the thousands.
You can get "bottle" brushes that small (0.059"/1.5mm) but they might not be stiff enough for your purpose.
This company makes brushes down to 1mm diameter, but I suspect that their minimum order is in the hundreds or the thousands.
Wow, great site! Thanks for the 411. They come in 12 packs ranging $65 to $130, minimum order $100. Cheaper to toss cartos after a couple uses.
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