The Silica Wick Thread

[Raindance]

Not much on this wicking material on the forum so thought to start a thread where we can discuss our opinions and experiences.



Bought some today and although it is too early to make judgement, my first build with it seems to deliver on expectation.

Using it in a dripper used for flavor testing. I was hoping that it would ease the change over between tests by allowing me to rinse, burn and re-drip without having to change the wick each time.

It is a weird sight to see a glowing coil containing a wick that's not in flames but this stuff seems to stand up to such treatment with a smile. Also did not observe any "burn in" taste.

Anybody else try this stuff?
Any advice, warnings, comments?

Regards

 

[antonherbst]

Not much on this wicking material on the forum so thought to start a thread where we can discuss our opinions and experiences.

View attachment 113595

Bought some today and although it is too early to make judgement, my first build with it seems to deliver on expectation.

Using it in a dripper used for flavor testing. I was hoping that it would ease the change over between tests by allowing me to rinse, burn and re-drip without having to change the wick each time.

It is a weird sight to see a glowing coil containing a wick that's not in flames but this stuff seems to stand up to such treatment with a smile. Also did not observe any "burn in" taste.

Anybody else try this stuff?
Any advice, warnings, comments?

Regards

I will definately watch this thread as i am about to order some myself.

 

[JB1987]

I haven't used it in years, in my early days of vaping, before the use of cotton became a thing, silica was all we used. It was the only wicking material I used in my Kayfuns and Russians. I remember that it was very easy to clean as you can just rinse and dry burn. Wow... this makes me sound like an old man talking to his grandkids

 

[Silver]

I did try silica a few years back in my RM2 with tobacco juices but stopped using it because I preferred the taste on cotton slightly. Also on my dark tobacco juices I recall it getting very gunked up so I decided it was better to just rewick. Didnt use it for that long though. Also tried it with ribbon wire on the RM2 as @johan used to do. Was quite a challenge wrapping the coil around the wick. Lol.

Nowadays I use the stock silica 1.8 ohm coils in my little Evod. Have tried the stock cotton coils too but prefer the taste on the silica coils for my juice in there (VM Berry Blaze plus menthol drops). The silica somehow gives me a sharper menthol taste and makes the fruit a bit more sour, which i like. So I am a daily silica user (not rebuildable but stock coil)

 

[Andre]

I haven't used it in years, in my early days of vaping, before the use of cotton became a thing, silica was all we used. It was the only wicking material I used in my Kayfuns and Russians. I remember that it was very easy to clean as you can just rinse and dry burn. Wow... this makes me sound like an old man talking to his grandkids

Hehe, same here @JB1987. Pulled out an old picture of the RM2 being wicked with a double strand of silica pulled through with a re-purposed paper clip.

 

[Silver]

Hehe, same here @JF1987. Pulled out an old picture of the RM2 being wicked with a double strand of silica pulled through with a re-purposed paper clip.

@Andre, i remember your posts back in the day explaining how to pull it through the coil
Lol, feels like decades ago!

 

[Raindance]

Hehe, same here @JF1987. Pulled out an old picture of the RM2 being wicked with a double strand of silica pulled through with a re-purposed paper clip.

@Andre, i remember your posts back in the day explaining how to pull it through the coil
Lol, feels like decades ago!

Where did you purchase it from and what form did it come in? From the picture above it looks different to the braided form which is all I have knowledge of.

Regards

 

[JB1987]

Hehe, same here @JF1987. Pulled out an old picture of the RM2 being wicked with a double strand of silica pulled through with a re-purposed paper clip.

I remember the paper clip trick, used it often

 

[JB1987]

@Raindance , it used to be available at almost any vape shop. The braided came a bit later, it was more a twisted "string" type silica that we used.

 

[Andre]

Where did you purchase it from and what form did it come in? From the picture above it looks different to the braided form which is all I have knowledge of.

Regards

As at @JB1987 says above. No clue where I bought it from at the time.

 

[Raindance]

Never thought of Silica wick as something that has already come and gone. Vaping technology does evolve at an astonishing rate, even just looking back over my two years a lot has changed.

 

[Seemo.wm]

Not sure if this is the same material I am about to mention, but when i just got into vaping, i used an old ego ce5, 4 years ago.
The wicking material looks to be the same, and the flavour was very average, nowhere near what you get from even a subohm tank today. After a week it would taste like well cooked and char grilled tyre with a sprinkling of greese.
Absolutely hated them and stopped using the old ce5 until I had a proper vape last year.
Would be very interested to hear your opinions on it and if it has changed any bit

 

[SmokeyJoe]

I didnt know silica was still a thing. Havent seen them in vape shops for a very long time

 

[Raindance]

I didnt know silica was still a thing. Havent seen them in vape shops for a very long time

From this thread I learned that silica is in fact "old" technology, something I never knew. Have it running in a RDA at the moment and have scheduled maintenance for four atomizers today. 2 BB's and two Engine RTA's. Will do one of each with cotton and one each silica and work from there.

Regards

 

[BATMAN]

Thank you for this thread.

I actually never even know that this material existed.

 

[Raindance]

Thank you for this thread.

I actually never even know that this material existed.

That's the thing with this fast moving development, us newer generation vapers missed out on a lot of tried and discarded technology. But whom knows, maybe this stuff was not that great in the atties of yesteryear but might just be the bees knees in the latest stuff?

Worth a review, anything for the sake of science. Lol

Regards

 

[Rob Fisher]

Just never could get to like Silica Wick... horrible stuff...

 

[Genosmate]

Before I got myself some Ready X Wick,Silica was just about all I used and TBH if I only had RDA's then I'd use Silica over cotton 100%.

 

[Genosmate]

Thought I still had some,so out with the blowtorch and whack it in some fancy clacton coil.

 

[Raindance]

Thought I still had some,so out with the blowtorch and whack it in some fancy clacton coil.
View attachment 113697

@Genosmate, what is the blowtorch for? If using this involves blowtorches I am obviously skipping a step or two...

Regards

 

[Silver]

@Genosmate, what is the blowtorch for? If using this involves blowtorches I am obviously skipping a step or two...

Regards

As far as I recall you can blowtorch the silica to singe the ends so it doesn't fray - to help getting in the coil.
I think blowtorching it a bit was also supposed to "run it in" - but I never tried that.

 

[Raindance]

As far as I recall you can blowtorch the silica to singe the ends so it doesn't fray - to help getting in the coil.
I think blowtorching it a bit was also supposed to "run it in" - but I never tried that.

Phew! Was worried someone was going to tell me that it is poisonous if not heat treated to a temperature of 1500 degrees or something like that. If it were, I'd be in trouble and it would also explain why I have been feeling under the weather all weekend...

Still have not done my pitstops, except on BB but that is running Rayon.

Regards and thanks.

 

[Genosmate]

@Genosmate, what is the blowtorch for? If using this involves blowtorches I am obviously skipping a step or two...

As @Silver said ; it does help to stop it fraying when cut.But i blowtorch a piece say 4cms long (not cut from the roll) then cut what I need for the wick.Try it you'll see a big difference in the wick.

 

[johan]

Still using silica wick, but I don't eat them like @Silver - (I vape and don't taste ).

 

[Raindance]

Just rewicked my BB Insider with this wick. Cut a 2Cm piece off and reduced it to individual strands. Hooked half the volume thru the 2mm coil and cut to just reach the top of the juice channels.primed the wick and replaced the chamber. Now used my scissor points to place the wick ends correctly, there is no way those buggers were going to stay in place any other way.

This is the cleanest and purest vape i have ever had on this juice. A litchi menthol still under development. I will see how it ages but for now i am impressed.

Regards