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A better way to clean dirty coils?

OBDave

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So I'm using a lot of sweet juices, which tend to gunk up pretty easily - I'm re-wicking every other day, or even daily when I'm using my mech all day and avoiding my Vamo/clearo setup.

Problem - after 3 or 4 re-wicks, my coil is retaining so much gunk that it's just not dry-burning off. Coil is still good and fires up nice and red, but cools and there's tons of gunk that's not burning off, which just means that my new wicks are gunking up after 3-4 re-drips.

Anyone doing anything beyond dry burning to refresh their coils? I guess I could just re-coil every few days, wire's cheap and it doesn't take all that long, but I'm psychotically anti-waste and don't want to invest an extra 15 minutes unless I have to.

BTW, I'm using an Igo-M with twin 26g coils of 5/6 wraps, roughly 0.4 ohm resistance, if that changes anything...
 

MrScaryZ

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what coil wire
So I'm using a lot of sweet juices, which tend to gunk up pretty easily - I'm re-wicking every other day, or even daily when I'm using my mech all day and avoiding my Vamo/clearo setup.

Problem - after 3 or 4 re-wicks, my coil is retaining so much gunk that it's just not dry-burning off. Coil is still good and fires up nice and red, but cools and there's tons of gunk that's not burning off, which just means that my new wicks are gunking up after 3-4 re-drips.

Anyone doing anything beyond dry burning to refresh their coils? I guess I could just re-coil every few days, wire's cheap and it doesn't take all that long, but I'm psychotically anti-waste and don't want to invest an extra 15 minutes unless I have to.

BTW, I'm using an Igo-M with twin 26g coils of 5/6 wraps, roughly 0.4 ohm resistance, if that changes anything...
what coil wire are you using?
 

OBDave

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I'm using an Igo-M with twin 26g coils of 5/6 wraps, roughly 0.4 ohm resistance, if that changes anything...
It's Kanthal A1 from LightningVapes, wicked with cotton. Hopefully that clarifies a bit more.
 
Try this to clean your coil. When time of changing your wick, when wick is out, burn the coils & when they get red hot. Just dip the coils in cold water. That should remove majority of gunk. If there are some left over gunk, repeat the step. But when you do this, make sure you just dip the coils. Not entire atty. Other thing, after you dip the coils, blow the coils with your mouth to remove excess water. Then you can hit the switch to dry the coils.
I hope this will help you. Happy vaping! Last thing, please do not hold the switch done when you dip the coils. That will make short!!!!!!!!!!
 

OBDave

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Interesting idea Max, but I'd have to dip the atty pretty far into the water to submerge the coils - the screws and tops of the posts would get wet too. Is that a problem?
 

jae

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I use a tiny flathead screwdriver to scrape the bejesus out of my coil, before and after torching the fuck out of it and blowing on it hard. Lately i've been super lazy and just left it on my device (Taifun/Kayfun/RSST), but i know someday i'm going to melt an O-ring that way. (Note: if you do this (and i would not recommend it), always disconnect the battery completely first!)
 

OBDave

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I've thought about this one too, but to really go to town I'm thinking I'd have to remove the coil, and if I do that it's only another 30 seconds and two cents' worth of Kanthal to just build a new one...and removing the battery is also valuable seconds wasted. Still, appreciate the suggestion and hope they keep coming!
 

Ace

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Like max said. But i use running faucet. Really bad gunk may have to do it 2x. It'll makem look and act new. You just want to avoid getting water into the mod. Water anywhere above the deck is cool. Shake blow heat to dry rewick.
 

OBDave

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Okay, with two votes that's what I'm gonna try as soon as my wicks dry up...
 

jae

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I should mention that i use READYxWICK, so torching it also cleans the wick up really nice. I practically never have to re-wick. Taking the coil off the posts (ugh soooo difficuuuuuuult) at least keeps the bends where you want them so there's not much fooling around to get it back into place, at least if you remove it cleanly. So really there's not much time lost. It's actually pretty quick that way. I did my Taifun a little bit ago and it probably only took about ten minutes, tops, and it's just about like new now. And no mucking about with various methods of drying it out so you don't get a gross, minerally water-hit.
 

OBDave

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I should mention that i use READYxWICK, so torching it also cleans the wick up really nice. I practically never have to re-wick. Taking the coil off the posts (ugh soooo difficuuuuuuult) at least keeps the bends where you want them so there's not much fooling around to get it back into place, at least if you remove it cleanly. So really there's not much time lost. It's actually pretty quick that way. I did my Taifun a little bit ago and it probably only took about ten minutes, tops, and it's just about like new now. And no mucking about with various methods of drying it out so you don't get a gross, minerally water-hit.
I'm going to have to start experimenting with different wicking media - I know some people worship boiled cotton balls but it's really just not that wonderful for me...
 

jae

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Try that READYxWICK from RBASupplies, it's fantastic. Expensive, but worth it, especially considering that just a few inches could conceivably last a whole year. Maybe more. Torching it cleans it perfectly. It's seriously unreal. And practically no flavor of its own.
 

OBDave

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So I can dry burn with the wick still in place? Don't own a torch, but the whole fire-and-dip-in-water solution was less than effective, despite the fact it removed a bit more crud than otherwise...
 

jae

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Yeah, it's ceramic, so it ain't burning with anything Earthlings can get ahold of.
 

FyrPrf1

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So I can dry burn with the wick still in place? Don't own a torch, but the whole fire-and-dip-in-water solution was less than effective, despite the fact it removed a bit more crud than otherwise...
Check out the short video on rbasupplies(dot)com. It really is awesome how this material is made & how it dry burns right back to white & brand spankin' new... every time! (so lasts pretty much forever) .. A little hand-held torch is ideal, however.. pulsing the device & dry burning with the fire button will accomplish the same thing-- just might take a second or two longer to get there (not too many seconds more tho, OBDave, so no worries- ya won't be wasting too many of 'em. :D In fact, I'd guess it probably takes less time overall... than the "dunk-tank" method. :p LOL) Agree with Jeremy tho- this stuff rocks! The cleanest flavor (well non-flavor, that is) from a wick material so far! + the whole dry-burning thing & no need to constantly change out the wicks! A close 2nd tho, is Cellucotton 100% rayon fibers from SallyBeauty (tip: unlike cotton, want to handle/compress/roll as little as possible.. it needs to be fed thru wick fairly tightly, since once wet it'll sag not expand. & If u get a metallic taste.. not using enough) followed by Japanese KoGenDo... then 100% organic cotton balls/strips/whatever.. - Until the next big thing to use is discovered by someone. LOL PBusardo did a great video recently comparing the wicking.... of most of these! Super informative. Well, :cool: LIVE LONG -er & VAPE ON, PEEPS!
 

Kemosabe

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So I'm using a lot of sweet juices, which tend to gunk up pretty easily - I'm re-wicking every other day, or even daily when I'm using my mech all day and avoiding my Vamo/clearo setup.

Problem - after 3 or 4 re-wicks, my coil is retaining so much gunk that it's just not dry-burning off. Coil is still good and fires up nice and red, but cools and there's tons of gunk that's not burning off, which just means that my new wicks are gunking up after 3-4 re-drips.

Anyone doing anything beyond dry burning to refresh their coils? I guess I could just re-coil every few days, wire's cheap and it doesn't take all that long, but I'm psychotically anti-waste and don't want to invest an extra 15 minutes unless I have to.

BTW, I'm using an Igo-M with twin 26g coils of 5/6 wraps, roughly 0.4 ohm resistance, if that changes anything...

i use these little brushes to clean my coils after a dry burn (just make sure the coils not still hot or it will melt the little brush fibers!) the coils come out so nice looking- its like you spit-shined them. seriously!

https://www.fasttech.com/p/1461600

at first i was going to suggest more air flow. more air decreases the speed at which coils gunk in my experience. but with the igo-M, welp, thats pretty much the airiest stock rda in existence. perhaps place your coils closer to the air slot.
 

OBDave

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Thanks, Kemosabe. Added those brushes to the massive FT shopping cart I've let grow so big I'm now too cheap to pull the trigger on - once I get a few (hundred) bucks spare I'll snag some.

And yeah, I'm running all 6 holes on that Igo-M wide open, so airflow isn't the issue...I've also got the coils set up so they're right in front of the airflow.
 

UncleRJ

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Not into sub ohms myself and I tend to build my coils right at 1.9 ohms with 32 gauge Kanthal.

When the resistance drops by 0.2 to 0.3 ohms, I do a dry burn and re-wick with Ramie. I am then good for another 2 to three tanks on my Kayfun and I vape tobacco, fruit, coffee and chocolate so I can accumulate gunk from a few different sources.
 

Kemosabe

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Thanks, Kemosabe. Added those brushes to the massive FT shopping cart I've let grow so big I'm now too cheap to pull the trigger on - once I get a few (hundred) bucks spare I'll snag some.

And yeah, I'm running all 6 holes on that Igo-M wide open, so airflow isn't the issue...I've also got the coils set up so they're right in front of the airflow.

youll liek those brushes. great little scrubbers. in lieu of one, use a new $1 Store toothbrush if you want. another solution would be to try some cellucotton. it wicks so well your coil has no chance but to stay clean. its really quite remarkable in that regard.
 

Garemlin

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I was watching a PBusardo vid one time and he broke out this little round dental brush to clean a coil. Works great because it can do the outside and inside. A mascara brush would work really good too.
 

Gonzi

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I mainly do the dry burn and run the coil under running tap water while still glowing, got the idea from a Rip Tripper's video, and it works great. NET's and sweet juices need a little scubbing though after 2 or 3 re-wicks, and for that I use a small dental brush that I got in a 20 pack from my local Walgreens for like $5, learned that from a PBusardo video, like Garemlin said.
 

OBDave

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youll liek those brushes. great little scrubbers. in lieu of one, use a new $1 Store toothbrush if you want. another solution would be to try some cellucotton. it wicks so well your coil has no chance but to stay clean. its really quite remarkable in that regard.
Just got some Cellucotton, will be trying it when I re-wick today. Also have some Ekowool on the way to try out as well...and finally pulled the trigger on that FT order, so I should have the brushes in a month or three.

Thanks all for the myriad suggestions!
 

pdxvapes

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Hey OBDave, I don't think I saw this previously stated in the thread other than "blow on it hard."
If you happen to have a can of compressed air, try heating up your coils and giving it a good blast from the can!
 

OBDave

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Pdx - another good idea, thanks!

DWDawg - I'd have to pull the coils to put them in a cleaner, at which point I might as well just re-coil. My builds aren't so advanced that they take more than 5 minutes and 10 cents' worth of wire to recreate. Might work well for some of those fancy, multi-wire twisted freaks of nature I've seen on Youtube that involve a lot of effort to get started and are thus worth preserving...
 

KKen

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As Gonzi mentioned, the dry burn/tap water method is as easy as it can get:
 

CaFF

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I was watching a PBusardo vid one time and he broke out this little round dental brush to clean a coil. Works great because it can do the outside and inside. A mascara brush would work really good too.

I have these things I got at a yard sale, they work nicely without being too stiff. No idea what they were intended for. The bristles are about 1.25" long and the width is 2", so handy size.

5bJlhiZ.jpg


ed054zl.jpg
 

jae

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I have these things I got at a yard sale, they work nicely without being too stiff. No idea what they were intended for. The bristles are about 1.25" long and the width is 2", so handy size.

5bJlhiZ.jpg


ed054zl.jpg
That's from the Janitor Barbie playset. It came out a few years ago, when jobs got real scarce and Barbie had been laid off for awhile. Her unemployment ran out and she didn't have a degree, so she had to do what she could to keep the house. Sadly, she had to get rid of the Corvette and ended up with a beat-up old Subaru. She mostly takes the bus these days.

Personally, i prefer the Hitler-style moustaches you can get for these things. They sell them separately. I think it's 4 for $10.
 

brad527

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Do we have a verdict if it is ok to dry burn the new aspire bvc coils? I think I read somewhere that you should not dry burn the old bdc coils. But with the ceramic wick in the bvc..... What's everyone's thought?
 

VapDrak

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That's from the Janitor Barbie playset. It came out a few years ago, when jobs got real scarce and Barbie had been laid off for awhile. Her unemployment ran out and she didn't have a degree, so she had to do what she could to keep the house. Sadly, she had to get rid of the Corvette and ended up with a beat-up old Subaru. She mostly takes the bus these days.

Personally, i prefer the Hitler-style moustaches you can get for these things. They sell them separately. I think it's 4 for $10.

Lolz... I actually clicked the link, good thing we are not on VF anymore , or i would need some eye bleach :D

...Anyhow, READYxWICK, huh???
As I stated on another thread: Gimme a break, Guys!!!
I live far away and just managed to smuggle some organic cotton into this country. I'm preparing to smuggle some Japanese cotton for the end of this month... and now there is: READYxWICK!!!... You will make an "Al Capone" out of me!!!
 
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WiSilverVape

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Lolz... I actually clicked the link, good thing we are not on VF anymore , or i would need some eye bleach :D

...Anyhow, READYxWICK, huh???
As I stated on another thread: Gimme a break, Guys!!!
I live far away and just managed to smuggle some organic cotton into this country. I'm preparing to smugglr some Japanese cotton for the end of this month... and now there is: READYxWICK!!!... You will make an "Al Capone" out of me!!!


If you aren't in the US, can't get ready-x.....it's protected US technology and cannot be exported period
 

VapDrak

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So I'm using a lot of sweet juices, which tend to gunk up pretty easily - I'm re-wicking every other day, or even daily when I'm using my mech all day and avoiding my Vamo/clearo setup.

Problem - after 3 or 4 re-wicks, my coil is retaining so much gunk that it's just not dry-burning off. Coil is still good and fires up nice and red, but cools and there's tons of gunk that's not burning off, which just means that my new wicks are gunking up after 3-4 re-drips.

Anyone doing anything beyond dry burning to refresh their coils? I guess I could just re-coil every few days, wire's cheap and it doesn't take all that long, but I'm psychotically anti-waste and don't want to invest an extra 15 minutes unless I have to.

BTW, I'm using an Igo-M with twin 26g coils of 5/6 wraps, roughly 0.4 ohm resistance, if that changes anything...

Sorry for hijacking your thread... :oops:
This can be useful for you:


I did it... and it worked :)
 

VapDrak

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If you aren't in the US, can't get ready-x.....it's protected US technology and cannot be exported period

Yeah... but ya know "found the law, found the way around", told me my grampa!!!
... I do have an adress in Miami too... :)
 

GargoyleK1

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Yeah, it's ceramic, so it ain't burning with anything Earthlings can get ahold of.

Since you use this stuff I figured you'd be a good guy to answer this question…

How does readyxwick do with flavor swapping?? Like lets say I don't take anything apart and just flip flavors. How long does it retain the old flavor assuming the tank is dry of course.
 

Ellipsis

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Since you use this stuff I figured you'd be a good guy to answer this question…

How does readyxwick do with flavor swapping?? Like lets say I don't take anything apart and just flip flavors. How long does it retain the old flavor assuming the tank is dry of course.

totally dependant on what eliquid you have (cinnamon, menthol/mint, heavy tobaccos).
wattage you vape at, amount of wick you have.
in a kayfun/russian at 17 watts , cinnamons, mints, tobaccos take about 5-7 hits to diminish.
in an rda (trident) i just rinse the wick/coil in water,pulse burn the water away and move to new flavor. never tried to vape through old flavor in an rda.
also remember you can just hold down the fire button and vaporize it dry, then start with your new flavor.
fruit flavors like mr. e-liquids jade tiger and siucide bunny mothers milk will leave an rba in 3,4,5 hits @17 watts
hope that helps
your milage will vary and may not resemble mine
 

GargoyleK1

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totally dependant on what eliquid you have (cinnamon, menthol/mint, heavy tobaccos).
wattage you vape at, amount of wick you have.
in a kayfun/russian at 17 watts , cinnamons, mints, tobaccos take about 5-7 hits to diminish.
in an rda (trident) i just rinse the wick/coil in water,pulse burn the water away and move to new flavor. never tried to vape through old flavor in an rda.
also remember you can just hold down the fire button and vaporize it dry, then start with your new flavor.
fruit flavors like mr. e-liquids jade tiger and siucide bunny mothers milk will leave an rba in 3,4,5 hits @17 watts
hope that helps
your milage will vary and may not resemble mine
Thanks!!! Exactly what I was looking for. :D



Sent from that squirrel, in that tree, watching you.
 

EthelMaltol

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My taifun coil is really gunked. I'm afraid to change it as it is working so well and I am not the worlds best coil builder. I tried zvapers method and it did get a lot of the gunk off the coil.
 

OBDave

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A couple weeks into rayon use and I've got to say it's been a game-changer...last coil lasted 2 re-wicks and then I fubar'd it removing the wick (if I didn't do that I'm confident I could've lasted a month or more). I think I've found my solution, though all of the feedback here is great, hopefully this thread ends up being a resource for others going forward...
 

VapingJunkie

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Yeah, it's ceramic, so it ain't burning with anything Earthlings can get ahold of.
Challenge accepted. Thermite + RxW. :)

Sent from the Otter Box around my Galaxy S4.
 

VapingJunkie

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I use Rayon, and the cold water method. Almost all my recipes have fruit and EM, so mine gunk up hella quick.

Sent from the Otter Box around my Galaxy S4.
 

RoofMonkey911

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Depending on the coil setup, you probably DON'T want to dry burn it for 10 seconds like RipTrippers says/shows.... Unless you want melted insulators. I dry burn and dip in water too but have NEVER gotten the coil to look as clean as the one he did in the video.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Ryedan

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Depending on the coil setup, you probably DON'T want to dry burn it for 10 seconds like RipTrippers says/shows.... Unless you want melted insulators. I dry burn and dip in water too but have NEVER gotten the coil to look as clean as the one he did in the video.

Yup, I only held the button long enough for the coils to glow red, probably around four seconds. I repeated the process three times and the coils were cleaner than I could get them by dry burning alone, but also not as clean as in the video. Still pretty good.
 

KKen

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Yup, I only held the button long enough for the coils to glow red, probably around four seconds. I repeated the process three times and the coils were cleaner than I could get them by dry burning alone, but also not as clean as in the video. Still pretty good.

Yeah, works very well, but I noticed you can only do it once or twice; meaning a full cleanup of the coil where it will go back to the original Kanthal color. After doing this for the 2nd or third time, you will notice that the coil will look more like ZVaper's coil, sort of "rusty."

At that point, I just build a new coil ;)
 

BlueRay

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After dry burn and water method dry burn the coil let it cool down then use an old toothbrush and brush off any remaining residue. They works great for cleaning your coils!
 
After dry burn and water method dry burn the coil let it cool down then use an old toothbrush and brush off any remaining residue. They works great for cleaning your coils!


I totally agree with blue ray. after the dry burn, rinse with water and go to town on it with a toothbrush, then dry burn, re-rinse, and scrub again.
Dry burn, water rinse, and toothbrush scrub is the onlyest way to go!!!
 

Cessnapix

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Try a different brand of juice as well. some do not gunk up nearly as bad. I can go a month no problem with out cleaning a coil maybe 2. i will rinse the readyx in hot tap water if i am changing flavors but the coil is still not gunked up. Try some Inawera flavors, no joke!
 

muth

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Do we have a verdict if it is ok to dry burn the new aspire bvc coils? I think I read somewhere that you should not dry burn the old bdc coils. But with the ceramic wick in the bvc..... What's everyone's thought?
I'd like to know the answer to that myself. I tried a dry burn on one of my bvc coils and I could have cried! Smell like shit. But maybe I just over did it.
 

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