Wicking, Is Less More ?

I'm wicking organic cotton on RBA, RDA and soon to be joining the RTA club.

I haven't as yet seen a scientific, or even definitive metric for wicking, or more specifically the amount of cotton to use.

Presumably, the diameter of the coil comes into it, and how much you need trailing off either side. With my Kanger RBA for instance, never quite sure how much I should trim off. Cut it flush with the case I've never done, always make it a few mm longer, and poke any excess in with the end of my coil tool.

What are you experiences, is it just something that you do, you vape, you do, you vape, indefinitely, until one day you wake up and you "get it"? Or did I miss a science'y YouTube video along the way ?

 

Good question actually, but I don't think there is any real research done on the subject. Otherwise there would not be so much contradicting non-sense posted on Youtube.

loose wicking: more crackle, higher throughput, DL, bigger cloud
tighter wicking: quieter, less cloud, M2L

The rest is up to your personal preference. I personally cut the Kanger Subtank Mini after installing the round tube part onto the mounting deck just a few mm above the upper edge.

 

What @peter-k said its up to your own preference.
I have 6 kanger subtank mini. After hours of searching, reading, youtubing about wicking and a lot of trials and errors. My preference is :

1) 26g 3.0mm 7 wraps = 0.91ohm
2) cotton width : 6mm +-
3) peeled off a thin layer of the cotton, roll it back and forth gently with your hand over a non linh cloth.
4) push it through the coil, if it takes a great effort to push through, then probably the cotton is too thick. (go back to step 2)
5) make sure both ends of the cotton are equal length then put back the RBA chimney, screw tight it. Trim the rabbit ears 2-3mm above the chimney, gently tuck it down (enough to cover the holes on both sides) . Put the chimney cap back on.
I don't prime it anymore cuz it floods my RBA deck thus cause wasted juice running out from the airholes. IMO I found out that by letting it sat and soaked for 25 minutes produces better taste too.

 

Yep, I was wondering already if I'm the only one. Didn't want to mention 'cause didn't want discussions about those good'ol traditions again.

 

Ok. Lets give you my 2 B worth.

Wicking, obviously, changes with EVERY type of tank. If you have no idea how to wick that tank you hit youtube or other source and get the info available. Pick a method you like the look of and have a go at it. Once you have tried it out you then start to adjust the wicking to change what you feel is wrong with it.

Now you will here a LOT everywhere that with cotton "Less is more". My question is always this. If less is more than how much did you start with? That for me has always been the problem with learning to wick from a video. You don't REALLY know how much cotton was there to begin with. How thick it was, how dense the square. Howe tightly it is rolled for insertion. How much tension is needed to pull it through the coil. And so on and so on. So as i say. Find a method for the tank that looks good to you. Take a guess at the unknowns and then adjust your wicking to try and fix the things you don't like ab out the previos one.

Sorry to ramble but there are too many variables to really teach someone over the net. Only show a method.

 

Thanks Etlava. Only just started with the Subtank RBA, and using the supplied coils. I'm not (yet) interested in extreme sub ohm DTL cloud chasing. You've done the work, and now I've got a good starting point.

 

I'm still a rebuilding noob but I usually follow a simple rule; the width of the cotton I cut is twice the width of the coil it is going in. It work out fine (so far) for my Griffin RTA as well as Crown and iSub RBA. The length of the wick is different for each tank though.

 

With organic cotton or others such as rayon, Fiber Freaks or Vaper's Choice cotton, it sometimes depends on the atty with my usage. Only thing that remains constant within each type is the amount I have inside the coil relative to coil size. Somewhat snug with any of the cotton varieties, slightly more so with Fiber Freaks and much more so with rayon (to the point where the coil itself could be moved or distorted if not careful). Wick tails have the greatest differences depending on build deck, juice slots etc. Usually trim the rayon tail much more than with cotton.

 

There is so much at play when wicking. How thick your juice is, the temperature, wattage, coil type, how aggressively you draw. I try to find a place where I'm not flooding but not dry hitting either. This will be different for everyone on every device. With that being said, the Griffin is probably the easiest RTA to wick. Just barely let the cotton rest behind the ring and your'e gold. No flooding, no leaking, no dry hits.

 

I would also add the Aromamizer RDTA, Serpent and Hurricane to the list of easiest to wick. No-brainer stuff wicking them.

 

That's about what I do with Kanger RBA, the cotton I push down, then it kinda curves up at the edge to cover juice holes ...

Can't remember the coil's gauge that's in there, I think it was 2.5mm ID coil same as the example coil supplied, plus I think I used less wraps ...

I'll give your method a try, it's quite specific !

No worries, rambling suits me fine ! ... and yes good question, I think mainly I was wondering if I'm using too much cotton, so hence the question "is less more" ? ... seems to me though there's too many variables, would depend on juice consistency also, so a combination of advice, research and personal experience, which can only be got via actually doing it.

Yup, seconded ... I get fairly good clouds from kanger RBA, keeps me satisfied and not bothered at all about cloud chasing, in fact the opposite in LOS, where I'm trying to be a little discrete in public.

I really like that rule of thumb, simple and easy to remember ... so basically twice the ID of the coil

My Griffin has arrived, so will be coiling and trying it later today.

So, you like the cotton (or wicking) to be fairly tight inside the coil, so there's some friction moving the wick from side to side ?

Makes sense, one size doesn't fit all ! ... Just got my Griffin today, so I'll see how that goes once I've decided on coil wire and diameter, planning a kanthal dual coil, for simplicity.

 

Yes. It's slightly tight and not just slipping through the coil with absolute ease. You can feel it is occupying and pressed against all the inner areas of the coil and there is resistance when pulling it through the coil but not very much.

 

I understand

 

I found that I got more burnt hits with lose cotton or rayon through the coil. I now always have very tight through the coil and then less down to touch a deck. I get thick vapor from all my builds and quantity dependent on power and airflow.

 

So more like more is more (and better), rather than less is more