Lubing O-rings with petroleum jelly?

[Giraut]

I have this RDA with super-tight O-rings. I barely manage to take the bell off the base with both hands. Anybody knows if it's safe to lube the O-rings with pure petroleum jelly? I'm concerned that it'll mix with juice eventually and degrade into nasty shit when hitting the coils.

 

[State O' Flux]

Petroleum jelly comes in a variety of grades. "Vaseline" brand is suppose to be a "highly-refined, triple-purified and regarded as non-carcinogenic", as opposed to various other, lower grade variations. Read the labels.

Beeswax, coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter, assorted chap-sticks, Pam cooking spray and cocoa butter... and my personal favorite, food grade silicone grease, as used in the food industry for among other things, lubricating o-rings... might be better choices.

 

[CaFF]

I just a bit of straight VG on mine..works fine.

My Copper TOBH is like that, it's ridiculous to take the tube off without some lube.

 

[Zamazam]

Don't use petroleum based products on the rings unless you plan on vaping it, it will eventually migrate with heat into the deck and dissolve with PG/VG.. Petroleum jelly can degrade rubber o-rings unless they are synthetic. You should only use VG or PG for lubrication of the o-rings.

 

[hazozita]

If VG is not providing enough lubrication, try something such as this: http://www.avidvaper.com/food-grade-o-ring-lubricant/

or: amazon.com/Food-Grade-O-ring-Lubricant--Tube/dp/B00CTM3IFQ

 

[CaFF]

If VG is not providing enough lubrication, try something such as this: http://www.avidvaper.com/food-grade-o-ring-lubricant/

Interesting. They don't say what it is though. Only that it is NSF-H1, which is rated for incidental contact with food.

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/445/food-grade-lubricants

I sincerely doubt that the NSF is up to speed on what might be safe for vaping though.

If VG isn't cutting it, use thinner/smaller o-rings, IMO.

 

[MD_Boater]

I agree with VG only. Vaping ANY petroleum product can not be good for you.

 

[Giraut]

Thanks for the reply guys. I do have pure Vaseline here at home, from the chemist. But I'm not terribly confident about using it anywhere near the juice. Still, VG doesn't provide nearly enough lubrication - since it has little lubrication power: that greasy feeling on the fingers is due to it absorbing moisture.

As for replacement O-rings, they seem to be rather hard to find. And I can't really use a smaller diameter and stretch it around the base, because the O-rings are in the bell itself.

 

[Zamazam]

You can try to lightly sand them with 300 grit sandpaper, rinse, lube, and test till you get a good fit.

 

[Giraut]

Yeah I thought of that - perhaps with finer grit sandpaper. But I'm worried about the seal. Have you tried it?

 

[MD_Boater]

I just realized that the coil in your avatar spelled "vape". Cool...

 

[Zamazam]

Yeah I thought of that - perhaps with finer grit sandpaper. But I'm worried about the seal. Have you tried it?

Yes, as long as you are consistent with removing the same amount of material all the way around.

 

[wally]

PG or Vg only!

 

[hazozita]

I'm going to try the food grade lubricant from Amazon. I had a $5 credit due to a shipping mistake they made when sending out my Christmas orders, so the total out of pocket was all of 25 cents. Plus, they still have the "no hurry" shipping promo so I get a $1 credit for digital purchases. Going to test it out on a couple of 26650-size drippers that have o-rings that grip so hard I have to use pliers to get them apart.

Should get to me in early Jan and I'll post my impressions. Alternatively, if you don't see a post from me by mid-Jan, you can assume it's toxic....

 

[fq06]

OP...
Are there 2 orings making the seal? Or 1? If it's 2, try remove one and see if you are getting the seal needed but with 50% less resistance taking the cap off.
My clt2 upper cap was real tight and removing one of the two orings gave me the resistance I wanted... but that's not sealing any juice or anything. Not sure what atty you are talking about so just throwing an idea out.

 

[Giraut]

OP...
Are there 2 orings making the seal? Or 1? If it's 2, try remove one and see if you are getting the seal needed but with 50% less resistance taking the cap off.
My clt2 upper cap was real tight and removing one of the two orings gave me the resistance I wanted... but that's not sealing any juice or anything. Not sure what atty you are talking about so just throwing an idea out.

Yeah I've though about removing one of the O-rings. The atomizer is a Manta v2:

Only the top O-ring seals in the juice. But what happens is this: the top O-ring is right at the top edge of the deck's wall, so that no juice gets between the bell and the wall. So as soon as the bell sits sideways, it pops off - or at least starts leaking. The bottom O-ring ensures the bell stays upright, and also increases the friction so that it doesn't get knocked off too easily. Without the bottom O-ring, that happens quite easily, because the deck's wall isn't very tall. So both O-rings are needed, just not that much friction.

I guess I could sand down just the bottom ring to decrease friction enough to make it easier to remove, yet maintain the O-ring's function.

 

[fq06]

Oh yeah, totally different than the clt. This is what I was thinking which doesn't have to seal any juice... just hold the cap.


What about one of the 100 orings you've got from other atty's? Like a kayfun tank oring. Maybe one of them will have a better fit. Last resort... sanding with a fine grit wet sand paper like 800 or something.

 

[Neunerball]

Usually e-liquid does the job for me.

 

[hazozita]

The food grade lube came in from Amazon a couple of days ago. Works really well -- I like it better than using VG since the effects are longer-lasting. Just a tiny amount applied with a toothpick is needed, so a 1oz tube will last forever.

 

[Woodsman]

State o flux gave a list. I just used a tiny amount of olive oil rubbed lightly inside my RDA cap and now my cap slides on smoothly. It only takes a very small amount!!

 

[sdotremo]

First post on Vaping Underground! I realize most of you guys are all speaking of RDA's but I found this (

) video on youtube a while ago and trust me it DOES NOT work unless you are able to dry the coil out very quickly like an air vent like this guy does which I don't have the convenience of in my house so I let them air dry...if you are LUCKY and dont let them dry too long...most of the inner coils rust and turns the cotton brown. The everclear also dries out the cotton on the coil and makes it very hard to wick up any juice...I tried this on LOTS of coils. And how hes getting 3500 puffs at 100+ watts boggles my mind. I can barely get 1000 at 80 watts.

But my main question as to you guys using different types of lubes and oils for your o-rings. I stole this guys everclear method and now take all my tanks apart...(which I have about 35 of...just started on my RDAs) and take them all apart and soak all the parts in the everclear for about 24-48 hours depending on how bad each one needs it. Then I give them a good rinse with Hot water (I was letting them sit in water too for about 24 hours...but certain cheaper tanks have a tendency to get a little rust on them. The main thing I noticed was that once the everclear strips the tanks and threads of all oils and juices they get real touchy. So I took an old 60ml dripper bottle and filled it with vegatable oil..which I usually put on a qtip to lube all the threadings and close the tank air flows and drip a few drops into the airflow and wipe off the excess. This gets the airflows and everything moving better than even brand new. But I just did a batch of tanks for a friend and I oiled them up and they sat for about a month before he picked them up. When I went to move the airflow control on the tanks they wouldnt budge. I had to re-veg oil them. It looks to me like the veg oil kinda gums up a little bit and was wondering if you guys had any ideas of a better (food grade oil if possible and definitely not olive oil). I was thinking maybe mineral oil to try out? Sucks now cuz all my tanks that I've oiled and stored away are also not going to budge now so I'm going to have to figure out a better longer lasting oil to use.

 

[The Cromwell]

I use straight PG for all my atty lube needs.

 

[VapinMoody]

I used VG for a long time...OK but not slippery enough and would bind up in my opinion.

Then I have been using Bert's Bees lip balm for quite a while (used by a long time vape reviewer)...good stuff, but even the vanilla bean type which really has no flavor is hard to get only on the o rings.

Just bought some Dow Corning Molykote 111 O ring / Valve Lubricant / Sealant, Sealant for vacuum and pressure systems. Rubber and plastic O-rings, gaskets and seals. This stuff is used for water piping, reverse osmosis o rings, It prevents gaskets from sticking to metal and resists weathering and water washout. It only takes a tiny bit and is very slick....FDA approved, no flavor, and a food grade lubricant.

My Kayfun 5 juice flow control o ring was leaking off and on and this stuff is really good at sealing and gives a smooth slide when adjusting....$6.00 on Amazon for a little tin that will last a lifetime..... my $.02

 

[minimag03]

Never use petroleum jelly on a oring without knowing the material of the oring. Petroleum based lubes can degrade certain orings over time, especially buna orings, which are the most common material used in the most common type of orings. I know this from using high-end paintball guns for years. The most common lube we used in paintball guns was Dow Molykote 33. I would suggest it over Dow/Mol 111 for performance, however I dunno if it's considered a food grade lube (just checked and I believe the entire Dow line is food grade)

Also, if any of you guys have a favorite RDA that has loose orings and you just cannot seem to find a set that fits correctly, buy some Dow/Mol 55 and lube the orings with it a couple times. Within a day or two the orings will swell slightly, enough to make it a snug fit. You can wipe off the extra Dow/Mol 55 and use it normally then.

Paintball websites might be a good place to buy small portions of these lubes.

 

[Synphul]

Not only would I not want to vape/taste petroleum jelly, it's usually not the greatest for rubber seals/orings. If anything it's liable to make them swell which will only make the fitment worse rather than better. Things like motor oil, gasoline etc (petroleum products) make seals swell and turn gummy over time.

 

[Pastorfuzz]

I use Astroglide. It's water soluble.
Anybody who uses it can tell you it won't hurt you if you get some on your mouth!

 

[SteveS45]

If it says Petroleum Product it does not go near my vaping equipment. The only lubricate I have ever used was water.

 

[NWOVaper]

Check out hemplights, they sell pure beeswax and it's also in the USA. It wouldn't taste nearly as bad as if vaseline leeched into your tank lol