1.burning silica does not clean it, it melts it.
2. you don't really dont want to be burning silica.
3. think about it.
regards
mike
Why oh WHY is my Silica Wick shredding?!?!?
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2. you don't really dont want to be burning silica.
3. think about it.
regards
mike
1.burning silica does not clean it, it melts it.2. you don't really dont want to be burning silica.
3. think about it.
regards
mike
If you have Anything that is Supposed to be Pure Silica that Melts when you put a Flame to it, THROW THAT MATERIAL AWAY ASAP.
1.burning silica does not clean it, it melts it.
2. you don't really dont want to be burning silica.
3. think about it.
regards
mike
BTW - If you are Using Pure Silica Wick Material, which do you think will Melt First?
Nichrome 60 or Pure Silica?
It is possible to melt silica with a blowtorch, have you ever seen people making those little glass animals? But it isn't easy; those torches are focused to a tiny pencil point. I doubt a creme-brulee torch would get hot enough to melt silica, but it might get hot enough to make it brittle.
On the other hand, a gas-stove has no chance.
On the other hand, a gas-stove has no chance.
I suppose Anything is Possible. I have a Friend who has an Oxy-Acetylene Torch ( ~ 6,000F) who likes to tell people that he Can Melt just about Anything.
But in the Realm of what the Average Person would use, their Coil Wire is Going to Melt Before a Pure Silica Wick is.
Now that is Not Say'n that there aren't Materials out there that People/Sellers call "Silica" that are Not Pure Silica. But these should NEVER be used in my Mind.
A Pure Silica Wick will turn Angry Orange when put into a Flame. But then will Rapidly Cool Down to Room Temperature when the Heat is Removed. And it will be Snow White with No Sign of Burning. And it will be Basically as Pliable as before the Heat was Applied.
BTW - Stand Silica Wicks will many times Fall Apart even if No Heat is Applied to them. Look for Pure Silica Woven of Braided Rope. They are Much More Durable and Pliable.
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@zoiDman, It isn't a matter of melting before the coil, the OP was talking about torching it. I have seen one or two YouTube videos where torching is recommended, but I've never done it.
@Giraut, I don't use deionised water either. If I'm boiling equipment I use tap water, and even if I'm thinning eliquid I only use boiled tap water to avoid limescale.
As P Busardo says, I never boiled a cigarette. And I'm not aware of any saunas that use deionised water either.
@Giraut, I don't use deionised water either. If I'm boiling equipment I use tap water, and even if I'm thinning eliquid I only use boiled tap water to avoid limescale.
As P Busardo says, I never boiled a cigarette. And I'm not aware of any saunas that use deionised water either.
I would Always Recommend doing a Quick Dry Burn on a Clearo. Or Putting a Freshly or Pre-Made Wick/Coil into a Flame to Clean it.
Many Times the Silica can be Contaminated with Oils from Manufacturing. Which can Taint the Taste of the Wick.
The whole thing about Melting came about in Post #21.
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Personally, I gave up on silica for many of the same reasons. Use cotton. It works. Follow the link:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/tips-tricks/463771-protank-cotton-rebuild-way-i-do.html
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/tips-tricks/463771-protank-cotton-rebuild-way-i-do.html
Sorry I've been away for a while...took a trip to the Bahamas with my wife and her nephews...her Christmas present to them.
Anyway, after a three day cruise, I am hear to report the coils I made before I left worked out great. As for specific comments...
I will have to find the exact make and model of the multimeters I have. I had a digital Ideal jaw type multimeter that was continuously giving me 4 or 5 but it's automatic and I cannot change the settings at all. All it has is a "Hold" button. So, I went out and bought an analog type, the old fashion kind with the needle so I can SEE what it's reading. I picked that up at Radio Shack. I will have to look at the model and let you know what settings I'm using.
As someone eluded to, I torched the silica because I saw it recommended in several places. I also saw the suggestion to boil it but me being an impatient person
, I decided torching would be faster. Aside from the video, my logic is most manufacturers put SOMETHING on the wick to preserve it, at least during shipping. And although they are probably REALLY smart, I doubt they've added preservative chemicals to the wick ONLY where I will be burning it. So, I figured I am better off torching the entire length of the wick which will be soaking up eLiquid and in turn moving it's way up the wick to the wire coil. So, like I said, better safe than sorry...torch the whole thing. The difference is, I torched it AFTER I wrapped the wire around the wick. Initially, I tried prior to wrapping as I read it makes the wick more firm and easier to work with. However, since I realized, as another poster stated, that I was wrapping it too tightly, THAT was more the culprit for it falling apart than the wick itself.
Bottom line, it seems to have worked great. I did have one wick taste REALLY nasty...come to find out, it was one of the last two pre-made/manufacturer's heads...lol. So, all in all, I think it was a success. That being said, I will definitely watch the video about using the multimeter and I will report back what I find.
Thanks for ALL you help.
Peace
Mike
Anyway, after a three day cruise, I am hear to report the coils I made before I left worked out great. As for specific comments...
I will have to find the exact make and model of the multimeters I have. I had a digital Ideal jaw type multimeter that was continuously giving me 4 or 5 but it's automatic and I cannot change the settings at all. All it has is a "Hold" button. So, I went out and bought an analog type, the old fashion kind with the needle so I can SEE what it's reading. I picked that up at Radio Shack. I will have to look at the model and let you know what settings I'm using.
As someone eluded to, I torched the silica because I saw it recommended in several places. I also saw the suggestion to boil it but me being an impatient person
, I decided torching would be faster. Aside from the video, my logic is most manufacturers put SOMETHING on the wick to preserve it, at least during shipping. And although they are probably REALLY smart, I doubt they've added preservative chemicals to the wick ONLY where I will be burning it. So, I figured I am better off torching the entire length of the wick which will be soaking up eLiquid and in turn moving it's way up the wick to the wire coil. So, like I said, better safe than sorry...torch the whole thing. The difference is, I torched it AFTER I wrapped the wire around the wick. Initially, I tried prior to wrapping as I read it makes the wick more firm and easier to work with. However, since I realized, as another poster stated, that I was wrapping it too tightly, THAT was more the culprit for it falling apart than the wick itself.Bottom line, it seems to have worked great. I did have one wick taste REALLY nasty...come to find out, it was one of the last two pre-made/manufacturer's heads...lol. So, all in all, I think it was a success. That being said, I will definitely watch the video about using the multimeter and I will report back what I find.
Thanks for ALL you help.
Peace
Mike
Actually, I considered it. But I never found a video for my device and every video I saw was for making a wick in a clump that was really tiny. Plus, I use Q-tips to clean the mechanism in my coffee mug and the cotton just falls apart. So, why on earth would I want to use something that is going to fall apart every couple of days. At least with the silica, I can reuse it...lol
Cotton doesn't fall apart every couple of days. I've never had it fall apart or even look like it was going to when set up in a coil, cotton balls can be unwrapped and cut or pulled apart along the fibers and not against, then loosely roll the aprox thickness needed and it will be fine. I use a 5/64 drill bit for most builds so it's about the same as my silica builds as far as diameter. The beauty of cotton is it wicks well and when using a microcoil you don't have to recoil every time. When it gunks up just remove cotton, dry burn the coil if needed, replace cotton and done. Quick, easy and cheap. As long as it's wet it will last as long as silica without needing to be changed and the coil will last indefinitely with dry burning.
Silica can take heat and be cleaned to white again and again with a dry burn but each time it's heated dry the fibers stiffen up a little and become more brittle over time so there is a limit on the amount of times it can be reused when dry burning before it starts not to not wick as well, probably the issue were having with the fibers breaking at first with it, giving it to much heat before it was coiled.
They both have their place and I use both for different builds but overall for many applications I find cotton is easier and cheaper to use.
Ok. So, I've pulled out my Radio Shack Analog Multimeter and touched the two needles to each other to get a base reading. The base reading shows 3 Ohms....
Then, I took the needles and placed them against two spots in two different orientations on the coil itself and then a third time on the base as well...
All three locations give me the SAME exact Ohms reading as I have BEFORE - 3 Ohms.
Unfortunately, I could not balance the two needles, the coil and the camera to take a picture of the coils and the multimeter, take my word for it...all three showed the exact same location.So, am I touching the needles in the wrong place on the coil or base? When I tried this with a digital multimeter that did not have decimal places, it just said 4 before and after. I've tried it on the analog at both x10 and x100...both gave me the same reading before and after.
It can't REALLY be zero resistance, can it? Have I done something wrong? They all seem to work just fine, at least those I've used so far.
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It can't REALLY be zero resistance, can it? Have I done something wrong? They all seem to work just fine, at least those I've used so far.
WOW! You have Achieved the Holy Grail of Atomizers. Zero Ohms! LOL
Seriously though. No, something is Not Right.
Could be that the Battery in your Meter is Low.
There is no way that a correctly reading meter could give the same reading on x10 and x100. Even if it was reading a dead short, which in at least one case it was. Even the dead short should be ten times different between the two readings. That's the whole point of reading the short, so you know how much resistance there is in the leads, not so you know how erroneous the meter is.
From those scales though, I can reason that the readings you are getting are 30 ohms (x10) and 300 ohms (x100). Those are way outside the range of coil resistances, so it isn't surprising that you can see no difference with and without a coil.
Just out of interest, I assume the 1k range reads the same?
I'm sorry, but you need a better meter.
From those scales though, I can reason that the readings you are getting are 30 ohms (x10) and 300 ohms (x100). Those are way outside the range of coil resistances, so it isn't surprising that you can see no difference with and without a coil.
Just out of interest, I assume the 1k range reads the same?
I'm sorry, but you need a better meter.
Sarcasm aside...it's not 30 ohms worth resistance...it's the before and after are the same. THAT is the point. Common sense says...measure beforehand with the needles touching directly. Then measure with the needles touching the device I want to measure. The difference between the resulting measurements should represent the amount of resistance in ohms I am getting...right? So, based on the readings I am getting with my POS Radio SHack Analog multimeter AND my Ideal Digital Split-Jaw Smart-Meter, BOTH with brand new batteries....I am getting the same reading before and after. So, as people have said..I doubt I am getting ZERO resistance...does that mean I have touched the needles to the wrong part of the coil head or the wrong part of the base? It just seems odd...I've done everything I can think of short of buying a digital multimeter that will cost me a couple hundred dollars. I think I spent $125 on the Ideal...that seemed like enough for me...lol
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