There are lots of different ways to prime a cartomizer. This is the way that works for me.
When I first heard about the “condom method” for filling cartos, I just heard about it, I didn’t see it demonstrated. Since I mostly use flanged cartos, I assumed the top went into the condom. I later learned the bottom goes in (so it won’t work with flanged cartos anyway), but I was already proficient at doing it wrong. I call it The Upside Down Condom.
This was difficult to photograph and makes it look much harder than it is. You can do it in under a minute if you’re trying to set a speed record. I use it to fill both flanged and unflanged cartos (like the one pictured). Note: While the pictures illustrate filling a carto for a tank, the same steps can be used for a regular carto.
Before we start, for reference purposes, a cartomizer is an atomizer (the heating element) and a cartridge (that holds the e-liquid) combined in one unit. The filler material is saturated with with juice that is vaporized when it comes in contact with the heating element.
The inside of a single-coil carto:
A carto can be vaped as it is by just putting on a drip tip, but that doesn't seem to be popular anymore. Most people using cartos these days use a carto with a hole punched in it inside of a tank. The liquid leaches in through the hole where it saturates the filler material.
Now on to priming that carto!
Step #1: Fill a condom about 2/3 up.
Step #2: Put the carto in top down. I have the attention span of a guppy, so I push it all the way down after a couple of seconds.
Step #3: Flip it right side up and flick it like a syringe. Little bubbles will rise to the top.
Step #4: When there is one big bubble, take the condom off.
Step #5: It will look slushy.
Step #6: Wipe it off with a paper towel, and then grasp the top (there should actually be paper towel around the bottom as well to catch droplets) and shake it like a thermometer a couple of times. This distributes the liquid throughout the filler.
Step #7: The filler will still be wet, but you can see the airflow tube is clear (light shows through it).
***I usually do the above steps twice; perhaps three times if it looks too dry.***
>>>This is a new thing I've been doing lately, but it's hard to described without sounding rude. Once the big bubble appears, I put a condom over the connection end (so there is a condom over each end) and then pump the top condom up and down a few time. The vacuum forces the juice into all of the filler. When juice comes out of the side holes I stop. This is with flangeless cartos. If you're using a flanged carto, you can hold a paper towel tightly over the air holes at the bottom when you pump the top. It works, but is messier.<<<
Now back to the steps.
Step #8: If the carto is too slushy or the airflow tube is flooded, I gently blow from the top down into a paper towel to collect the excess juice. I suppose you could blow it into a condom to save the extra juice, but I’ve never blown out enough to make it worth the effort.
I also may roll up a piece of paper towel and slide it up the battery connection to blot the excess juice while I go rinse out the tank or let the cat in. I don't leave it for long.
Step #9: If I've let it sit couple of minutes, when I put it in the tank it can look dry.
Step #10: If it looks dry, I add a couple of drops.
Step #11: If it looks too slushy or is pooling, I’ll shake it like a thermometer again. You can shake it while it's in the tank, just get a good grip on the tank and the carto.
Step #12: It should look like the picture below; slushy (like a snow cone), but not enough for the liquid to pool and when held up to a light the airflow tube should be clear.
After the carto is primed and in the tank, you need to fill up the tank. These are just a few ways:
You can fill it through the side screw, if it's like the tank in the pictures; or use a tank tool to push the carto down:
.....
Or you can carefully pull the carto partially out.
Although not pictured in these, I use a blunt needle cap bottle when I fill my tanks.
When the tank is filled and the drip tip on it, I do a couple of cold draws (no power) and listen for gurgling. It should gurgle a bit, I just flooded it. If it’s just a little gurgle, I gently blow the excess out through the drip tip into a paper towel. If there is a lot of gurgle, I roll up a piece of paper towel, slide it up the batter connection blocking the airflow, and then gently draw through the drip tip against the resistance – this will force the liquid to blot into the towel.
There is usually still a slight gurgle when I put it on the battery, so I vape a few soft draws until the excess is vaporized.
It’s not as hard as it looks. You don't have to be precise - it doesn't matter if some liquid gets down the airflow tube. If it looks dry, put drops in; if it gurgles or you can't see through the airflow tube, blow it and/or blot it. It's not rocket surgery.
Vape On!
When I first heard about the “condom method” for filling cartos, I just heard about it, I didn’t see it demonstrated. Since I mostly use flanged cartos, I assumed the top went into the condom. I later learned the bottom goes in (so it won’t work with flanged cartos anyway), but I was already proficient at doing it wrong. I call it The Upside Down Condom.
This was difficult to photograph and makes it look much harder than it is. You can do it in under a minute if you’re trying to set a speed record. I use it to fill both flanged and unflanged cartos (like the one pictured). Note: While the pictures illustrate filling a carto for a tank, the same steps can be used for a regular carto.
Before we start, for reference purposes, a cartomizer is an atomizer (the heating element) and a cartridge (that holds the e-liquid) combined in one unit. The filler material is saturated with with juice that is vaporized when it comes in contact with the heating element.
The inside of a single-coil carto:
A carto can be vaped as it is by just putting on a drip tip, but that doesn't seem to be popular anymore. Most people using cartos these days use a carto with a hole punched in it inside of a tank. The liquid leaches in through the hole where it saturates the filler material.
Now on to priming that carto!
Step #1: Fill a condom about 2/3 up.
Step #2: Put the carto in top down. I have the attention span of a guppy, so I push it all the way down after a couple of seconds.
Step #3: Flip it right side up and flick it like a syringe. Little bubbles will rise to the top.
Step #4: When there is one big bubble, take the condom off.
Step #5: It will look slushy.
Step #6: Wipe it off with a paper towel, and then grasp the top (there should actually be paper towel around the bottom as well to catch droplets) and shake it like a thermometer a couple of times. This distributes the liquid throughout the filler.
Step #7: The filler will still be wet, but you can see the airflow tube is clear (light shows through it).
***I usually do the above steps twice; perhaps three times if it looks too dry.***
>>>This is a new thing I've been doing lately, but it's hard to described without sounding rude. Once the big bubble appears, I put a condom over the connection end (so there is a condom over each end) and then pump the top condom up and down a few time. The vacuum forces the juice into all of the filler. When juice comes out of the side holes I stop. This is with flangeless cartos. If you're using a flanged carto, you can hold a paper towel tightly over the air holes at the bottom when you pump the top. It works, but is messier.<<<
Now back to the steps.
Step #8: If the carto is too slushy or the airflow tube is flooded, I gently blow from the top down into a paper towel to collect the excess juice. I suppose you could blow it into a condom to save the extra juice, but I’ve never blown out enough to make it worth the effort.
I also may roll up a piece of paper towel and slide it up the battery connection to blot the excess juice while I go rinse out the tank or let the cat in. I don't leave it for long.
Step #9: If I've let it sit couple of minutes, when I put it in the tank it can look dry.
Step #10: If it looks dry, I add a couple of drops.
Step #11: If it looks too slushy or is pooling, I’ll shake it like a thermometer again. You can shake it while it's in the tank, just get a good grip on the tank and the carto.
Step #12: It should look like the picture below; slushy (like a snow cone), but not enough for the liquid to pool and when held up to a light the airflow tube should be clear.
After the carto is primed and in the tank, you need to fill up the tank. These are just a few ways:
You can fill it through the side screw, if it's like the tank in the pictures; or use a tank tool to push the carto down:
Or you can carefully pull the carto partially out.
Although not pictured in these, I use a blunt needle cap bottle when I fill my tanks.
When the tank is filled and the drip tip on it, I do a couple of cold draws (no power) and listen for gurgling. It should gurgle a bit, I just flooded it. If it’s just a little gurgle, I gently blow the excess out through the drip tip into a paper towel. If there is a lot of gurgle, I roll up a piece of paper towel, slide it up the batter connection blocking the airflow, and then gently draw through the drip tip against the resistance – this will force the liquid to blot into the towel.
There is usually still a slight gurgle when I put it on the battery, so I vape a few soft draws until the excess is vaporized.
It’s not as hard as it looks. You don't have to be precise - it doesn't matter if some liquid gets down the airflow tube. If it looks dry, put drops in; if it gurgles or you can't see through the airflow tube, blow it and/or blot it. It's not rocket surgery.
Vape On!
