Become a Patron!

Soaking Old Coils in Everclear...

BrokenChef

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I've seen guys post videos on youtube saying they clean their old coils and use them again.

I am currently soaking 2 wotofo .18ohm coils in everclear for a few days....stir/shake them a couple times a day and will then let them air dry or maybe blow them out with air.

Might try a little light scrubbing of the mesh inside to see if that helps.

Just wondering if anyone else does this, how you do it and what your results are???
 

Pastorfuzz

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
VU Patreon
That isn't going to do anything if your cotton has been burned.
Also heard of this method but what I've seen, the rinse with water after the Everclear.
Don't forget, that stuff is flammable.
 

WPMac

Silver Contributor
Member For 1 Year
Unlisted Vendor
That isn't going to do anything if your cotton has been burned.
^^^This^^^
The majority of the time prefab coils go bad is because the cotton is burned or deteriorated. No amount of cleaning fixes that. You better off to learn how to dismantle the coil and rebuild/rewick it.
 

WPMac

Silver Contributor
Member For 1 Year
Unlisted Vendor
And if your going to go that far you might as well just get a good RTA and build your own anyways. But, if your just in love with your sub-ohm tank, and want to get more mileage out of your coils, then you should do a little google. There's a tutorial, somewhere out there, on how to rebuild damn near all prefab coils.
 

PoppaVic

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Aside: I know it's a waste, but don't drink the everclear after ;-)

Yes, you can rebuild subohm trash - but yer just plain further ahead with an RBA/RDA/RTA/RDTA - and I have 2 triton rebuildable kits that lack a tank. There is nothing about those stupid throwaway-heads that trumps rebuilding - unless you are damaged by arthritis or whatever and simply can NOT manage 3-4 loops of wire, a couple setscrews, and wicking.
 

jwill

The Great King of Nothing
VU Donator
Platinum Contributor
Member For 2 Years
VU Challenge Team
Reddit Exile
VU SWAT
The cost in time of trying to rebuild those stock coils is not worth it unless you are sitting if prison with nothing else to do. What ^^^^^^^ Said is the right answer. Even if you do soak them in Everclear they always taste like everclear (shit) afterwords. I use to use a little bit of it in my ultrasonic cleaner and even in my RTA's it would leave a bad taste sometimes.
 

PoppaVic

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
The cost in time of trying to rebuild those stock coils is not worth it unless you are sitting if prison with nothing else to do. What ^^^^^^^ Said is the right answer. Even if you do soak them in Everclear they always taste like everclear (shit) afterwords. I use to use a little bit of it in my ultrasonic cleaner and even in my RTA's it would leave a bad taste sometimes.
Hey! Hey! Hey!...
Don't diss everclear - it's the best buy around - I just can't afford these local fucking TAXES on it. ;-)

In his case, I would try everclear rinsing once; and can't afford a usonic cleaner anyway - but if the rinse didn't work it was certainly going to be wicking. I can get months out of a coil with dryburning and rewicking.

I love people that can't grok the near zero cost of wick, and subminimal cost of coils - they keep the chinee in biz. Biz is Good.
 

Pastorfuzz

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
VU Patreon
Hey! Hey! Hey!...
Don't diss everclear - it's the best buy around - I just can't afford these local fucking TAXES on it. ;-)

In his case, I would try everclear rinsing once; and can't afford a usonic cleaner anyway - but if the rinse didn't work it was certainly going to be wicking. I can get months out of a coil with dryburning and rewicking.

I love people that can't grok the near zero cost of wick, and subminimal cost of coils - they keep the chinee in biz. Biz is Good.
I know that shit is high dollar around here also.
I soak my tanks and RDA's in it.
Made 3 cookie sheets of Jello Shots last year with it and damn!
Nobody could stand up after a few hours. (Yeah, we did them all in a few hours)
Never again! I had the worst headache in my life the next day!
 

jwill

The Great King of Nothing
VU Donator
Platinum Contributor
Member For 2 Years
VU Challenge Team
Reddit Exile
VU SWAT
I know that shit is high dollar around here also.
I soak my tanks and RDA's in it.
Made 3 cookie sheets of Jello Shots last year with it and damn!
Nobody could stand up after a few hours. (Yeah, we did them all in a few hours)
Never again! I had the worst headache in my life the next day!

Everclear is high dollar where you live? Thats drain cleaner in Texas.
 

Pastorfuzz

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
VU Patreon
Everclear is high dollar where you live? Thats drain cleaner in Texas.
Yeah, it was $25 for a 5th last time I saw it a few weeks ago.
It does clean tanks and RDA's though. Just remember to take all the O-rings off.
I left some silicone ones soaking overnight by accident. Didn't work out to well.
 

PoppaVic

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Wow. I never heard of everclear being expensive. I think I can get a gallon of it here for about $25.
Yep, and when I was in texas I was earning about 1/2 what I am now. So, I won't repeat that thrill. And, while I liked AZ weather as well and have fond memories of AIT, the left-leaning VU members there have insured I won't return there either.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
I have never used anything but Hot Tap water to clean a tank out. For bottles I do wash them with Dawn and Hot water but I do leave them soaking for a really long time in just water with multiple rinses and have never tasted any soap in my DIY e-Liquids. The only Alcohol I consume is my Villa Armando~ !
 

PoppaVic

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Hey, I did it once - once was enough to suggest: "waste less everclear in WASHING" - aka "don't drink the wash-water".

And yes, I've used vodka - more waste..
And, isopropyl - at least I wont drink iso. NEXT?
 

BrokenChef

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Lol...

I was thinking more along the lines of removing build up, cotton clogged with juice, etc.

I vape at 20-30 watts so there shouldn't be any burnt cotton issues but maybe I'm wrong.

Didn't think about the orings, these might be toast...

I'm only using a shot to soak 2 coils, not a fifth so at $5 a coil, 50 cents worth of ever clear sounds like a deal... If it works.

When I was using the little nautilus 1.8ohm coils, I'd be lucky to get a week out of them but for $2, no biggie.

I am going to get an RTA and have posted several threads asking for help/suggestions so if any of you would be so inclined as to help, I'd appreciate it!
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
I vape at 20-30 watts so there shouldn't be any burnt cotton issues but maybe I'm wrong.

One puff with a very low tank can burn coils unless you are using TC. I have a TC coil in my Rafale for like a month with all day usage and no gunk on the coils at 60W and 460-480°F.
 

BrokenChef

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
One puff with a very low tank can burn coils unless you are using TC. I have a TC coil in my Rafale for like a month with all day usage and no gunk on the coils at 60W and 460-480°F.

What is TC?

In order to keep from getting a nasty burnt hit, I typically keep tank full, refill at half, occasionally 1/4 if I get stuck somewhere without juice.

I am puzzled how ppl are getting month(s) out of a coil, mine are clogged after a week, thus the desire to soak in ever clear.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Years ago I tried cleaning coils and after soaking a bunch in water, I said to myself well that was a waste of time. At $2 a coil my time is worth more.......
 

Pastorfuzz

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
VU Patreon
Hey, I did it once - once was enough to suggest: "waste less everclear in WASHING" - aka "don't drink the wash-water".

And yes, I've used vodka - more waste..
And, isopropyl - at least I wont drink iso. NEXT?
ISO is great mixed with Nyquil:vino:

(Just kidding in case anyone gets offended)
 

PoppaVic

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ISO is great mixed with Nyquil:vino:

(Just kidding in case anyone gets offended)
You realize we got folks that will scream you die for BREATHING isopropyl? It's enough to find a clock tower.

Lol...

I was thinking more along the lines of removing build up, cotton clogged with juice, etc.

I vape at 20-30 watts so there shouldn't be any burnt cotton issues but maybe I'm wrong.

Didn't think about the orings, these might be toast...

I'm only using a shot to soak 2 coils, not a fifth so at $5 a coil, 50 cents worth of ever clear sounds like a deal... If it works.

When I was using the little nautilus 1.8ohm coils, I'd be lucky to get a week out of them but for $2, no biggie.

I am going to get an RTA and have posted several threads asking for help/suggestions so if any of you would be so inclined as to help, I'd appreciate it!
YEah.. Um, you can burn cotton easy.. even like 5w.

#1: I've learned - by goddamned experiences - that cotton is not as good as Rayon. m'kay? I paid my dues... Yes, SS mesh is better, (but I knew that when gennies were 'hot' - it's just somewhat of a pain).

#2: A lot of us spent a lot of money down a lot of paths to reach our own little spacetime of "best"... I recommend a single-coil to start with for cheapness and simplicity. In no particular order:
  • The Intake RTA, (based on reviews);
  • the obs Engine Nano (discontinued);
  • Elfy rta, (KISS, I have one);
  • RSA's - you'd need to SQUONK - screw 'dripping' - DRIPPING is for seniors that need to wear a catheter.
#3: I have no real duals I would recommend - all my experiences are they are too much trouble or use too much juice. Some will recommend them and decry the prior comments - s'ok - Don't.Care.

#4: Squonking lets you focus on some "cheap" RDA/RSA devices and stop worrying about it. Problem is more picking a mod you can live with with a lifespan worth a damn. I've 3 different rsa's I can LIVE WITH, but my regulated squonker died (surprise) and my mechanical is all I have left.

Pick a nice single coil; pick a few sufferable RSA's, pick a decent regulated mod for either - SHOP AT LEISURE for mechanicals in those spaces. I can assure you: every chinee mod will eventually die on you, forget warranties. Some mechanicals you can just plain "fix", some regulated just plain "work" (dna) - but afaik only Evolv in the USA has a warranty worth a damn.

YMMV
 

BrokenChef

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Years ago I tried cleaning coils and after soaking a bunch in water, I said to myself well that was a waste of time. At $2 a coil my time is worth more.......

I can't imagine water would do anything, it would take a solvent of some sort and Ever clear is food grade so...

The coils I'm using are $5 each, so after 2 month of 1 coil a week = $40

If $1 worth of ever clear will revamp those coils $39 saved... 6 times a year = $240.

While that might not seem like much to some ppl, I am disabled and live on $1200/month so if I can save $200/year, that's a considerable amount.

All the various hacks I use to skimp on stuff is the difference between eating 2 meals a day instead of only 1.

If I had all the money back that I wasted in my life, I'd be much better off now.

I never thought I'd be in this situation but when you rupture 5 disc's in your back, life changes.. A LOT!
 

PoppaVic

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Those coil prices are just the price of disability - so, if you have arthritis or cataracts, something that gives you the shakes - it's worth every penny.

If you simply are complaining because you don't want the "effort", then you are in a world of hurt.

No joke: I am starting to suffer arthritis issues in my hands, and they claim I REALLY need trifocals, (and yer developing cataracts) - and I make and install my own coils and wicks. Once I get so screwed I can't make coils, I'll need to pay someone to twist them for me. If I can't wick, then I can only hope I find a FRIEND or a store that realizes word-of-mouth matters and can rewick for me.

You simply don't get to reuse "coil heads" w/o rebuilding them. Period. Ever.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
The coils I'm using are $5 each, so after 2 month of 1 coil a week = $40

You need to shop a little smarter or more efficiently in my humble opinion. Sure coils would cost that much when I first started vaping but have not paid more than $3 in a very very long time for authentic.
 

zephyr

Dirty Pirate Meg
VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Unlisted Vendor
Wow. I never heard of everclear being expensive. I think I can get a gallon of it here for about $25.

That's nuts! Would be like $40 here - Gem Clear (off brand) maybe $25/gal

I was completely kidding, of course. ...But I used to actually mean that anything beyond simple twisting. Although that was also more out necessity at the time. Now that I can afford it, I'm simply going all in - even if for nothing more than enjoyment. I also have some heavy hording tendencies, so now that I can afford it, I'm just getting all kinds of wire to play and experiment with. ...Also the reason why I ended up stuck with ~130ft of Fasttech 2mm silica wick that I try to use up from time to time. :D And the FDA ban-happiness certainly doesn't help with wanting to get rid of hording tendencies. :(

But yeah, I don't see much point to making simple claptons - especially when it now seems that fused holds on to the wire better and would provide much more surface area. I'm not sure If I'll get into aliens or more advanced stuff yet. Anything beyond fused seems more like coil-art/build-enjoyment territory to me. Aliens would probably be the furthest I might go to, if I do. But who knows, with the boat load of wire coming in here. :)

What I used to do is force alcohol through the coil (shaking the hell out of it), scrub or q-tip wipe, shake again in alcohol, repeat til it looked okay - then rinse it with super hot water to remove most alcohol, then put them in the oven (in pyrex bowl) at the lowest heat to speed dry

Did 3 or 4 at a time to make it more worth it
 

Just Frank

Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
The coils I'm using are $5 each, so after 2 month of 1 coil a week = $40
You're the guy with the Flow tank right? If so these will do the trick-https://www.fasttech.com/p/8024400. I'm not sure if you're familiar with FT tho. They take about three weeks to get here (from China). So maybe when you have a few bucks and time to wait you can consider them. I use them all the time. They work good and last just as long as any name brand that style.
 

carlthess40

Member For 1 Year
I clean my coils with Everclear alcohol
And I get to reuse my coils about 5 to 12 times. You just need to do this before you burn the coil and cotton
I soak them for three days in the alcohol but first I rinse them in very hot water to get as much of the oil out and then I put them in the Everclear and let them soak and when I pull them out I take a chopstick that is made of wood and scrape the inside of the coil to get any particles out and then I rinse them with hot water for about 10 minutes and then I blow as much of the water out as I can and I let them sit on top of a very small fan on low for two days and I honestly can get up to 12 times out of my smok coils
This pic is only after 24 hours. And the were black.
09bea4c49d8ce181c204b2560d8e87be.jpg
 

gbalkam

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Reddit Exile
By and large, it just isnt worth the hassle of cleaning prefab coils. However, you can make them last longer by vaping at lower wattage.
As suggested, you would be far better off just buying a nic RTA or RDTA or RTA and building your own coils. It literally cost pennies to make coils. Fasttech even sells spools of "fancy" coil wire like clapton and alien wire.
example.. 10 feet of premade wire costs about $4.00. say 4 to 6 inches per coil.. lets say 6, that is 20 coils for $4.00. Cotton is cheap. You can also replace the cotton in the coil easily without having to use a new coil. I change my coil every 10 to 14 days, and just do a dry burn to get the crap off when I change the cotton.
 

carlthess40

Member For 1 Year
By and large, it just isnt worth the hassle of cleaning prefab coils. However, you can make them last longer by vaping at lower wattage.
As suggested, you would be far better off just buying a nic RTA or RDTA or RTA and building your own coils. It literally cost pennies to make coils. Fasttech even sells spools of "fancy" coil wire like clapton and alien wire.
example.. 10 feet of premade wire costs about $4.00. say 4 to 6 inches per coil.. lets say 6, that is 20 coils for $4.00. Cotton is cheap. You can also replace the cotton in the coil easily without having to use a new coil. I change my coil every 10 to 14 days, and just do a dry burn to get the crap off when I change the cotton.

Try doing that crap with major crippling arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands
 

gbalkam

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Reddit Exile
Try doing that crap with major crippling arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands
Have you tried?
Use a twist tie and a penny nail..so it doesn't cost you anything. I mean, if you don't want to, that's a perfectly valid reason as well.
I keep thinking of my Grandfather, making rollies from tobacco and papers, and him with only 2 fingers and 3 nubs on one hand, 3 fingers and 2 nubs on the other. (lost them by an accident with a blasting cap), so give it a try, all it costs ya is a twist tie. Right?

Or don't. Up to you. Just making suggestions to give you a better and less expensive vape. And a bit of encouragement. And as I said, lowering your wattage a bit (if you can) would help make your coils last.

ohhhh...
putting a nail in a vary speed drill, trap the wire end in the chuck and press the button.. voila..1 coil. You might have to untwist a wrap or 2.. but that's easy enough. (after thought)

(Have I mentioned that sometimes I am rather lazy?)
 

Izanagi7

Bronze Contributor
Member For 1 Year
Dude I just use 50% rubbing alcohol solution soaked overnight, then rinsed in water for 5 mins and air dried over a heater for maybe 4 hours. Vapes just fine with no residual alcohol smell or flavour. Mind you I do purge the first 3-4 puffs to clear out any potential residue.

Incidentally my TFV8 comes with an RDA and my dual alien coils outperform any of SMOK’s prebuilt coils. Though it might be interesting to try and rebuild their quad chimney coil with alien wire. Hmm... I’m tempted.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

carlthess40

Member For 1 Year
I use the everclear and it works great
For god sacks do t use rubbing alcohol that crap will poison you

I get to reuse my coils over ten times
I first run them under hot waters and just dry it off some. Then I place the in a bottle with some everclear and let them soak for one or two days
Then run them in hot water in a cup for about 10 minutes
Dry off as much of the water as I can and then let them set for about two days on top of my cable box , the low heat helps dry them
Then I use them again and again
I will do a start to finish photo log for you to show you how clean I get them and show how burnt and dirty they are before I start the cleaning
Please , please DONT use rubbing alcohol
It will hurt your lungs. And you can’t get it all out of the cotton, as with drinking alcohol
it will wash off 100% with water

dafa3e5504d5de2cc8659146188a3ac1.jpg
f2a8a5cb1998f890fffa80960dfeb875.jpg
9f1397a7ae1e6bbd16621c03f3742036.jpg
7767b41d87db735e0f7c8f4f1aa2c52f.jpg
62b91ad7ee64c253bb4b428b00cb8fd1.jpg
 

VU Sponsors

Top