Wicking RBC in a tank.

[omnipotentduo]

So I picked up my second mod after a nic-stick. Kanger Kbox Mini (subtank mini). I started working on rebuilding my RBC that came with my tanks. I see tons of how to's and stuff like that but no tricks of the trade. I know that information comes with experience. And out of my experience, I'd like to piece together a completely incomplete guide of FAQ's. So far I've got the e-go pretty complete now I'm working on the tank part.

Down to brass tacks, I keep getting dry hits after 3-4 seconds of drawing. I have a couple of theories because I'm horrible about if a little is good a shit ton has to be that much better. Right? Well, problem is I don't know and I can't find the answer.

When I'm wicking am i using too much cotton? I'm using the cotton that came with the tank and I also have some Koh Gen Do.

I'm following the guides and approximate measurements of the wicking process (like priming and not blocking juice channels). But is it possible that my cotton inside the coil is too tight? Or is that not a thing?

Because if i need light and fluffy cotton to run through my coil I'm more than happy to make that happen, if its not then what would you suggest?

I'm thinking that my wick is too tight inside the coils and juice isn't flowing there. I picked up extra prefab coils to get by while I play with the wicking and get it right so I don't put myself in a position where I'm frustrated with no way to enjoy my vape.

 

[omnipotentduo]

Alright, lesson learned. Its not about the wick in the coil as much as it is around the coil. Naturally you don't want the cotton in the juice ports but you do need it around the coil.

When rebuilding for a tank, I've found that a vertical coil gives a much smoother draw and less restriction. But, too loose of cotton will allow the juice to pass from your tank to your air intake, which is no fun at all. So my issue was not related to the cotton inside the coil at all.

 

[Rekonball]

I had trouble with dry hits to in the beginning. The whole arty is base on suction. You sucks and it pulls the e liquid up to the wick and heated at the coil the wick needs to be loose eough to pull the e liquid in the first plase. If the wick is loose it might be the air holes of you atty. If you can't control the air holes then that's that.

 

[omnipotentduo]

I had good luck rebuilding the *non*rebuildable coils from kanger but still haven't been able to rebuild their RTA (oh well). At least i have an option that's working really well.

 

[omnipotentduo]

Also, I have decided that wicking is black magic that is ancient Chinese secret.

 

[parmacrafter]

If you are getting dry hits on the Subtank mini it's most likely the cotton. You need fluffy cotton and don't overdo it. If you pack too much in there it can't wick. On mine I tend to make a coil on a 3mm screwdriver. That way you can get a good amount of cotton in there. After you pull the wick through the coil you want to cut it so that it's just barely sticking out past the sides of the base. After you put the RBA tube back in place gently push the wick down so it covers the holes. That should do the trick. If you are using a juice that is high in VG you might need to give the coil a tad longer to wick up between draws.

 

[bondo]

Regardless of the wick material or coil ID,one trick that I've found is to get a feel for the inner diameter of the coil by rolling the next smaller drill bit,screwdriver or whatever you wrapped on in your fingers and try to replicate that feeling with your wick. Don't pinch or twist it,just gently roll it and try to get as close as you can to a step down from the ID of the wound coil.
this will give you a general idea of how much wick to use without being too tight (dry hit) or too loose (collapsed wick).
That's step one in the voodoo spell that makes for a perfect wick...

The second step(tail trimming/tucking)is all about the viscosity of your juice.
50/50 is like water compared to max vg so if it goes without saying that you're going to want more tail in the chanels with 50/50 to reduce the ammount of juice delivered to the coil, vice versa and everywhere in between.
If your atty has small channels(kayfun,1st vers.kanger sub rba,etc)then you'll want a sliver of tucked tail or just resting on top for 50/50.
On the otherhand,you'll want a princess leia/pancaked tails for max vg.

If your atty has larger channels(2nd vers.kanger sub rba,Cthulhu,etc) then you'll want to increase the ammount of tail wick.
you can find all kinds of opinions but I don't think that there's a single perfect wicking solution to any of it.
you just have to take a little common sense and keep trying until you find what works between your atty, juice,coil and preferred power.
Once you hit that sweet spot a couple times though you'll be able to hit it with your eyes closed.

 

[omnipotentduo]

So if I understand you both, looser spread on my cotton for higher VG, most of what I vape is around 70VG.

 

[bondo]

It's more of a balancing act between tail trimming and how tight the wick is through the coil.
the wick through the coil is priority,viscosity doesn't effect this nearly as much as it does the tails.
it does to an extent but your tails and their positioning relative to the size of the chanels and juice viscosity are what seperate leaks and dry hits.

 

[omnipotentduo]

Playing with a wick on a RDA I snagged the other day and I found that peeling a layer off the Ko Gen Do made a huge and more pleasurable difference in my vapablity. So I tried it in my RTA but it leaked everywhere after about 15 minutes of not being used, I was kind of bummed about that but the vapor production and flavor was good.

 

[bondo]

Playing with a wick on a RDA I snagged the other day and I found that peeling a layer off the Ko Gen Do made a huge and more pleasurable difference in my vapablity. So I tried it in my RTA but it leaked everywhere after about 15 minutes of not being used, I was kind of bummed about that but the vapor production and flavor was good.

I might be way off base here but my experience with kgd hasn't been as much about layers but more about that "hard edge" created by the scissors.
I've peeled layers and it just seems to me that when you cut kgd or any other layered wick it compacts the ends into a tight edge and it compromises it's ability to effectively wick juice.
I've also noticed it with loose chop like organic and reyon but not to the extent that layered does.
when you cut your wick and you see that brighter(hard edge) white tip,bend a spare bit of wire into a hook,hold the opposite side of the wick and start rat tailing it to loosen up the fibers.

Try this,take a sliver of the kgd and peel a single layer. How big of a difference is there between that layer and the one under it?
It may seem tighter than the layer underneath but keep in mind,you just essentially rat tailed (seperated the fibers)the entire length of the underlying layer.

 

[omnipotentduo]

I will have to try that next time I wick, probably tomorrow because I'm playing with it so much lately. I might even try a different coil set up as well.

 

[bondo]

Fwiw,if you're tank is leaking through the airholes then you're either too loose in the coil or too loose in the channels and the vacuum is flooding the barrel.

 

[omnipotentduo]

Oh i never thought about the pressure differences.

I'll look at that much closer tomorrow. I'm going to the vape shop to pick up some different kanthol and more cotton.

I figured if I'm playing with all of the options for everything might as well check out something other than 28ga

 

[bondo]

I will have to try that next time I wick, probably tomorrow because I'm playing with it so much lately. I might even try a different coil set up as well.

Believe me man,I've been there.
my dumass chose some of the most finicky,attention whore tanks to try to learn on.
I've gone through yards of wick and yanked out handfuls of hair and the conclusion that I've Come to is that different kinds of wick DO offer different results to a certain degree but 90% of efficient wicking comes down to the atty, the juice and the technique.

 

[omnipotentduo]

Sounds like my favorite thing in the world, a tinkerer's nightmare