Become a Patron!

Cotton issues

Krashking405

Member For 4 Years
I've been using cotton bacon for a while now on my Mutation V2, my standard build is 2 coils of 26 gauge kanthal wrapped on a 2mm screwdriver 6-7 wraps. My mod is a Kanger Nano, usually set at 40w. My issue I'm having is that the cotton, for lack of a better term, is wearing out in a day or 2. I've tried using more cotton, less cotton (diameter), longer ends, shorter end, etc and I still only get a couple days out of it. Is this normal? Am I calling too high of wattage? Too low? Any ideas to help me get a little more life out of the cotton would be great!

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk
 

KarmicRage

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Sounds odd that, like it's degrading well too quickly. It's not a high wattage really. What do the coils ohm at? Unless you've got a hot spot that is destroying the cotton I'm unsure what it could be

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
 

HondaDavidson

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
What's the juice..... Fwiw 2 to 3 days on a wick is about average for me..... is why I use RBA in the first place.

Might try spaced coils with larger ID... this allows the juice to wash the coils a bit. Imo. I know I get more wick life from spaced coils. And longer life from a 3mm I'd vs 2... don't know what atty your using though.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
 

Krashking405

Member For 4 Years
Sounds odd that, like it's degrading well too quickly. It's not a high wattage really. What do the coils ohm at? Unless you've got a hot spot that is destroying the cotton I'm unsure what it could be

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Ohm is at 0.5.

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk
 

champton

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I've heard of certain juices making your cotton dirtier faster, but I've never heard of juice wearing out your cotton faster. For example, I've noticed that my 0nic circus coconut cake will gunk up my cotton something awful within a day or two. Are you sure the walls of your RDA aren't rubbing against your cotton? It's pretty tough to get a lot of cotton to sit right inside a 24mm RDA. I've noticed that when the walls of my RDA rub up against the cotton from not wicking the coils properly, it will tend to degrade a lot faster, and I often find myself pulling off small chunks of cotton from the sides of my deck after a while when that happens. I'm using the exact same cotton you're using.
 

KarmicRage

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Even at .5 40 watts isn't alot to push through the coils so I'd be of the mind that either there's a problem with the coil or the cotton. I've never had a wick break down that fast :/

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
 

Krashking405

Member For 4 Years
I was doing dual twisted 26 gauge and the cotton lasted a few days longer, but I've gotten lazy on making it in the last month or so. I don't think the cotton is touching the sides, all of it is within the deck. I might try some triple twisted tonight and see where that gets me.

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk
 

KarmicRage

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Hopefully that helps with the wick problem. If not you might want to try a coil build where the wire acts as a wick as well. Might help keep the wick saturated and help make the cotton last longer. Let us know

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
 

Krashking405

Member For 4 Years
Hopefully that helps with the wick problem. If not you might want to try a coil build where the wire acts as a wick as well. Might help keep the wick saturated and help make the cotton last longer. Let us knoe

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Any pointers on where to find a video for that? YouTube would be great as I can download them.

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk
 

KarmicRage

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
If you can put the time into learning staggered fused claptons they work great at saturating juice and they're not overly complicated. YouTube staggered fused clapton and look at videos by ohm boy Josh, squidoode and twisted messes. They all have good tutorials. Make sure to watch "staggered fused clapton technique they don't you to know" by ohm boy Josh as well, teaches you to loosen up the clapton wire to make fusing easier.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
 

champton

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Using Ohm's Law, .5 ohms at 40 watts would put you at around 9 amps. I can't imagine that tearing up your cotton that quickly, as I can easily push three times that current through that same cotton, and my wicks usually last 3-4 days. I'm of the same mind as Karmic. You might have gotten a bad batch of cotton. It happens sometimes.
 

Krashking405

Member For 4 Years
It has really just started towards the bottom of the package, could be a combination of the cotton, juice, and different coil than I would normally use.

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk
 

KarmicRage

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
I've never used cotton bacon myself. Only ever used organic cotton balls, Muji or Koh Gen Do and haven't ran into that problem as of yet

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
 

joeyboy

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Mutations used to be my main rda. I never went lower than 2.5 id. I would try a 3.0 id and make sure you wick it well. I would do a dual 6 wrap.
 

The Cromwell

I am a BOT
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
40 watts on .5 26 ga can be a bit hot at the coil. Depending on coil position and airflow.
Might try 24 ga.
 

Krashking405

Member For 4 Years
Try a single 3.0 ID 9 wrap at 26 watts.
Gauge? I have 26 and 28 on hand.

I just threw in a 7 wrap 28 gauge, 0.8 ohm 3mm ID, dual coil in my Mutation V2 clone. Flavor is much better, 40w it is a bit muted, but shines at 45w. I tried a 3 core twisted 6 wrap on my actual Mutation V2, flavor was almost non existent, ramp up was too slow. Guess I'm just happier with a regular single wire coil. Could be my mod, which I'd like to upgrade soon (kids come first), but will play around with some other coil types see what I get.

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

JuicyLucy

My name is Lucy and I am a squonkaholic
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
VU Challenge Team
Member For 5 Years
If you're getting to the bottom of the bag, it could be accumulated oils on your hands building up inside the lining of the bag, contaminating the cotton
 

joeyboy

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Gauge? I have 26 and 28 on hand.

I just threw in a 7 wrap 28 gauge, 0.8 ohm 3mm ID, dual coil in my Mutation V2 clone. Flavor is much better, 40w it is a bit muted, but shines at 45w. I tried a 3 core twisted 6 wrap on my actual Mutation V2, flavor was almost non existent, ramp up was too slow. Guess I'm just happier with a regular single wire coil. Could be my mod, which I'd like to upgrade soon (kids come first), but will play around with some other coil types see what I get.

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk
26g kanthal. That all I used in the mutation x3.

Edit. I hated 24g. I like 22g kanthal at 7 wrap 3 ID. That also works on a Mech single coil real well.

Edit 2. If you were using 24g kanthal I would do a dual 7 wrap at 3 ID. But, I ready don't like 24g, others love it. I jumped from 26g to 22g once I got into mechs but that was with 22mm RDAs only. Only use comp vape 22mm RDAs for mechs. A little school but it works and it tastes good.
 
Last edited:

joeyboy

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
If you're getting to the bottom of the bag, it could be accumulated oils on your hands building up inside the lining of the bag, contaminating the cotton
Interesting, never heard of that. I'll have to remember that is i have issues.
 

zafirovp

Member For 2 Years
No way to contaminate the cotton with your hands...

Well maybe if you build coils while changing oil on cars.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Carambrda

Platinum Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Do you close the ziplock properly? No tiny fluffs of cotton sticking in between the ziplock or anything like that? I always run my fingertips along the entire length of it to make absolutely sure that it's sealed perfectly tight everywhere, and in fact I also keep the packet in a ziplock (deep freezer) food bag to hold the exterior of the packet clean because I thoroughly scrub my hands with just running tap water─not using smelly/perfumy soap or stuff like that─and let them dry before I even touch the packet. Also, don't let any polluted air in... even the fume of most detergents/deodorants/perfumes/airfresheners/toothpastes/hairproducts/lotions, etc. just wrecks all the flavor for me so I tend to treat those like they must be chemical weapons of mass destruction (which most of them factually are).
 

The Cromwell

I am a BOT
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Yep cotton absorbs everything.
oils odors, etc.
I keep mine in a glass apothecary type jar.
 

r055co

VU Donator
Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
No way to contaminate the cotton with your hands...

Well maybe if you build coils while changing oil on cars.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Wrong, even just basic natural oil from your hands will contaminate the cotton. Always wash your hands before touching the cotton.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
 

David Wolf

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
ECF Refugee
Wrong, even just basic natural oil from your hands will contaminate the cotton. Always wash your hands before touching the cotton.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
I think the natural oils on your hands is one of those things commonly said with little merit, one or two puffs and any oils are long gone. It's common sense to have clean hands when to wick.
 

Carambrda

Platinum Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
I think the natural oils on your hands is one of those things commonly said with little merit, one or two puffs and any oils are long gone. It's common sense to have clean hands when to wick.
Yeah but "clean" has different meanings depending on who you ask. I don't go near the cotton if my hands are smelling like the type soap that just stinks up the house─cheap chemical perfumes get added to pretty much anything and everything, even kitchen trash bags these days, I mean... would you believe you're in the middle of cooking a juicy steak with green pepper cream sauce and french fries the Belgian way, when all of a sudden the neighbors who live across the street decide to spray another overdose of that atrocious deodorant inside their own home, and, despite that they live across the street, the deodorant just demolishes your culinary art creation. This is Belgium. Where vaping in public indoor places is punishable by law, yet, chemical weapons of mass destruction are getting used every day. Go figure... Trump was right. Brussels is a hellhole. But I'll tell ya: so is the rest of the country.
 

r055co

VU Donator
Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Yeah but "clean" has different meanings depending on who you ask. I don't go near the cotton if my hands are smelling like the type soap that just stinks up the house─cheap chemical perfumes get added to pretty much anything and everything, even kitchen trash bags these days, I mean... would you believe you're in the middle of cooking a juicy steak with green pepper cream sauce and french fries the Belgian way, when all of a sudden the neighbors who live across the street decide to spray another overdose of that atrocious deodorant inside their own home, and, despite that they live across the street, the deodorant just demolishes your culinary art creation. This is Belgium. Where vaping in public indoor places is punishable by law, yet, chemical weapons of mass destruction are getting used every day. Go figure... Trump was right. Brussels is a hellhole. But I'll tell ya: so is the rest of the country.
For me I use unscented hypo-allergenic soap. I've actually been using those soaps (body, dish, etc.) for a very long time because I can't stand scented shit.

Oh, worst I ever experience is someone bathing in perfume "especially" when they're trying to cover up the fact they don't like to bath ................
 

zafirovp

Member For 2 Years
No way to contaminate the cotton with your hands...

Well maybe if you build coils while changing oil on cars.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I must admit that I am wrong if so many people think so.

But what about the tools that you use while rewicking. Do you wash them as well before every use? What about the premade coils? Im sure that they are made in not so clean environment?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

The Cromwell

I am a BOT
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I must admit that I am wrong if so many people think so.

But what about the tools that you use while rewicking. Do you wash them as well before every use? What about the premade coils? Im sure that they are made in not so clean environment?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That is why you pulse your coils before wicking.
 

Krashking405

Member For 4 Years
Tools I use are just for my coiling, brand new and washed before first use. I do pulse the coils, how else do you find hot spots and fix them? I don't use premade coils though, and with 4 kids running around I keep the kitchen table (glass) rather clean, and build on a clean paper towel (clean up is easier).

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk
 

joeyboy

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
This is what I use to stroke my coils and squeeze them, if they are contract coils. They are non conductive and have multiple uses.

VCTT10-3.jpg
 

r055co

VU Donator
Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I must admit that I am wrong if so many people think so.

But what about the tools that you use while rewicking. Do you wash them as well before every use? What about the premade coils? Im sure that they are made in not so clean environment?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  • Tools I use for wicking are only used for wicking, nothing else and I do clean them every now and again
  • I don't use premade coils, they suck
  • Every coil I build I run through the ultrasonic before I use install them
 

Krashking405

Member For 4 Years
So I built some new coils, 7 wrap 26g kanthal, and changed juice. Cotton seems to last almost twice as long, may have been the juice, as I'm wicking the exact same way I was.

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk
 

VU Sponsors

Top