Wick Material Question

[rojo]

I like the sound of all this, but i'm slightly concerned about exposure to silica and developing Silicosis, which is very serious. I don't know if there is any risk of that with silica rope.

I doubt it. What causes Silicosis? According to Wikipedia, it's caused by inhaling silica dust. It doesn't seem likely that silica dust would be released from silica rope, as the fibers cut cleanly. It's certainly no more dangerous than fiberglass, which can also cause a form of Pneumoconiosis if it become airborne. Really, I would say there's less danger of inhaling silica than there would be inhaling microscopic bits of a cigarette filter, as cigarettes are neither wet nor have to endure a twisty, turny (also wet) path to get from their origin to your lungs.

The probability of inhaling wick fibers is infinitesimal. When you're twisting a wick up, you will snip the fraying ends off after inserting the wick, ending up with a Darwin-ish bunch of the fittest fibers in your PV. Even if not, if you are sloppy and leave a few fibers sticking out of the twists, these fibers will still be pretty much glued to whatever they contact first by your juice, unable to become airborne.

The probability of burnt / decomposed fibers is even slimmer, since the point of volatility of silica is about 2300°F. I think your coil will burn out before the silica does.

There's a good chance your atomizers already use silica inside the twists of the coil. From what I've read and observed, I'm pretty sure that's what's in OEM Joye eGo-T attys anyway -- not just the wick, but the coil as well.

 

[ScroungerLee]

I ordered and received 1/16 fiberglass rope from here: 1/16" Glaswik

I know some don't want fiberglass, but I see no problem with it. It's just glass so I am not worried.

Heating it with a lighter has no effect on it at all. I can heat it with a much hotter butane torch and it doesnt give off any smell or smoke. Keep the torch on it to heat it more and it glows and melts into a clear ball of glass. I rebuilt an atty with it and have it touching the coil I made from Kanthal 32 gauge. I can keep the coil heated bright orange and the fiberglass doesnt change at all, it doesnt even change color.

The taste is great, no problems at all. Since it is woven rope its way easier to use than picking apart larger woven sleeves/ropes that I already had. After I get the fiberglass in place I do run my torch across it on each side to get rid of any stray fibers that may be sticking out so that they dont break off and float around, although once it is wet that seems unlikely.

One cool thing is that I can heat the end of a piece until it fuses into solid glass and then use that end to thread through a small opening without it fraying, then just cut off the fused end. For example I can thread it through the bridge on a 510 atty without taking the metal part of the bridge off.

I hope this helps.

Lee

 

[atty]

Reading the posts on stainless steel mesh got me to thinking......know of anyone that has tried stainless steel wool?

 

[BigBulli]

Reading the posts on stainless steel mesh got me to thinking......know of anyone that has tried stainless steel wool?

It works as a great cartridge filler.

 

[atty]

Seems that if a mesh would work as a wick, the wool ought to, as well. Not sure of the grade. I would assume Fine, as in 00#, maybe even 000#. Temp. rating is 700°C, but it may have a tendency to fall apart after a few heating cycles. I could see those fine hairs getting pretty brittle in a hurry.

 

[Teach]

As a genesis wick it could be a combustion problem. While tuning my coils I sometimes get a flame on the mesh – also a short in the coil might be enough to ignite it. I’d suggest test and retest before sticking in your face. Here’s a Popular Science article Burning Metal.

 

[TUS172]

So... What I've gathered thus far is that some are using the fiberglass and others are using the silica rope. Has the Fiber glass worked out? I am going to be using a Iatty and since it is going to be wicking the juice I thought of trying the fiberglass... I figure since it is damp/wet and is only fired for 6 seconds or so at a time it should hold up alright... Thoughts?
The only silica rope I could find is quarter inch at the least. What they show on Clouds of Vapor looks to be 1/8" rope and they say it is silica...

 

[BigBulli]

So... What I've gathered thus far is that some are using the fiberglass and others are using the silica rope. Has the Fiber glass worked out? I am going to be using a Iatty and since it is going to be wicking the juice I thought of trying the fiberglass... I figure since it is damp/wet and is only fired for 6 seconds or so at a time it should hold up alright... Thoughts?
The only silica rope I could find is quarter inch at the least. What they show on Clouds of Vapor looks to be 1/8" rope and they say it is silica...

Fiberglass works great the only difference between glass and silica is that glass contains some the same materials used in ceramics plus silica. You are not getting near 1000 degrees(the max temp of most fiberglass rope). In fact I've seen smaller diameter silica rope rated at 1000 degrees. The rapid evaporation cools the wick and resistance wire. This is why if you do a dry burn the coil glows red and if the wick is wet it will not. I think people are either a)overly cautious or b) uninformed as to what the differences between the two are

 

[TUS172]

thanks for the response... I will go with the Glaswick (fiberglass)...

 

[WillyB]

Fiberglass works great... This is why if you do a dry burn the coil glows red and if the wick is wet it will not. I think people are either a)overly cautious or b) uninformed as to what the differences between the two are

Well there is more than just 'one' fiberglass. Actually there are a few formulations that fall under the category.

And the simple fact is you can take a gunked up piece of CE2 wick and torch it back to completely white and clean again. Ain't happening with fiberglass.

 

[BigBulli]

Well there is more than just 'one' fiberglass. Actually there are a few formulations that fall under the category.

And the simple fact is you can take a gunked up piece of CE2 wick and torch it back to completely white and clean again. Ain't happening with fiberglass.

You are right that you can't just "torch" fiberglass and it will be white again. But I and most people interested in wick material are more interested in using this in a repairable atty of some sort. In that case it is easier/better imo to just replace it.

Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk

 

[MickeyRat]

You guys give up on ceramic too fast. Here's a thread in the GG forum discussing wicks for the iatty. They are looking at Nextel Braided Ceramic Very High Temperature Sleeving. They are looking at the XC-116. It comes in 25 foot lengths which is probably enough to last the rest of your life. It's also illegal to export. So, it's only available in the US. it does have sizing (the binder stuff mentioned previously) but, it can be burned off with a torch. Those guys really seem to like it.

Now someone make me a good rebuildable atty so I don't have to wait for an iatty.

 

[slimest]

Ceramic sleeve is a very interesting, but it's inavailable for people outside US because of export restrictions.

 

[mj64]

Well, I haven't given up entirely on ceramic wick but my initial results were unfavorable as well. I'll try some variations later.

 

[BigBulli]

I have used it and was not that impressed with it. It might help with flavors. I vape, menthol and did not notice any improvement over fiberglass or silica.

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[VPJUNKIE510]

So... What I've gathered thus far is that some are using the fiberglass and others are using the silica rope. Has the Fiber glass worked out? I am going to be using a Iatty and since it is going to be wicking the juice I thought of trying the fiberglass... I figure since it is damp/wet and is only fired for 6 seconds or so at a time it should hold up alright... Thoughts?
The only silica rope I could find is quarter inch at the least. What they show on Clouds of Vapor looks to be 1/8" rope and they say it is silica...

although COV says its silica, it resembles fiberglass to the t . The silica rope I have is to thin to compare , I would like to get a thicker one to see for sure what it is. I'm almost positive its fiber instead of silica .

but I could be wrong

 

[WillyB]

although COV says its silica, it resembles fiberglass to the t . The silica rope I have is to thin to compare , I would like to get a thicker one to see for sure what it is. I'm almost positive its fiber instead of silica .

Well MR. GG says the next batch of wick he is sending out to COV is the CE2 wick. He says it is from the same supplier.

You could go with some fiberglass of different widths.

Ten yard hank of #1284 round braid fiberglass wick. Diameter is approximately 1/8". Used for oil lamps. - WickStore.com

Ten yard hank of #1376 round braid fiberglass wick. Diameter is approximately 1/16". Used for oil lamps - WickStore.com

I had originally bought the silica rope that was recommended (from a couple years ago).

Kinda tough to work with as it would pull apart, and flaming it did not return it to white like the CE2 wick.

Nicotime a very accomplished modder and atty builder uses this, which he takes apart.

MSC Item Detail

His latest endeavor here.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-mod-warning-graphic-intense.html#post3875166

 

[kcofohio]

WillyB, took you suggestion on the 1/16" wick.

Ten yard hank of #1376 round braid fiberglass wick. Diameter is approximately 1/16". Used for oil lamps - WickStore.com

Got it yesterday, redid an 810 today. It doesn't seem to have any adverse flavor to it. I don't get the crackling sound from it like I do with silica fiber. 3.2 ohms @ 5v, so far so good. Will do a follow-up later.

BTW, $17.70 with shipping and tax.

 

[lexi60]

I dont want to start a new thread for this, I hope its ok to ask. If not please delete.
would there be a interest in buying a whole roll of a wick? and splitting it up. fibreglass. 1mm. same stuff very popular vender in EU uses.
800 meters for aprox $120 shipped.
I have a few friends wanting some, but this is alot of wick.. Just throwing this out there to see.

 

[quendelyn]

Try the wick material from nhaler for the atomiser. You get a handful. What I do is take 3 of the little strands and make a tiny braid. Works great, no bad taste. But I always torch my wick material first. You get the wires with it to. Which come in handy, in a pinch. Anyway, using it the way I do, it's gonna last well over a year.