Blowing Out Atomizers

[J0T]

This is a Koh-I-Noor pressure bulb for cleaning technical pens:

The threads of a 510 atty are just slightly finer than those of a technical pen tip, but a 510 atty will screw into the bulb securely. I attached one and squeezed the hell out of the bulb over and over again, juice went everywhere. The important thing though is that the juice did come out, and I mean a lot of juice, I didn't know there was that much juice in it! I wiped the atty off with a damp paper towel and screwed it into my VP2, everything seemed pretty good. I really went to town on this thing and I feel like I get a lot more air coming through now, maybe it's just me, I don't know and I'm not sure if that's good or bad yet, probably shouldn't have been so rough with it.

It seems like you can only get this bulb in a kit with pen cleaning solution and the kit costs around $20. I bought mine years ago to clean technical pens so I got my money's worth, other people probably don't want to pay extra for pen cleaning solution they'll never use... A long time ago there was a lady on eBay selling just the bulb for $7 but I took a quick look and didn't see her.

Anyway, I just figured I'd throw this out there in case anyone wants to give it a try, I'll probably try it again, a little more gently next time.

[kitsune]

very nice gadget !!!

compressed air works as well. Just be careful with either--the pressure can cause the metal bits on the bridge to break off. Had that happen to 3 attys.

Now, I just stick to using a papertowel or kleenex pushed into the open end of the atty and let sit for a few minutes or hours or over night (depending on where I am and how badly I need to use the atty).

[TheGreen]

Here's an idea for it. Fill it with hot water an push the water through after blowing it out. I also heard vinegar works good as well.

What do you all think?

[Brandon]

Excellent idea JOT! Sometimes I get so worked up and frustrated trying to blow out my attys that I end up seeing stars. I may look for something like this in stores.

I also heard vinegar works good as well.

I can vouch for this. I've used a lot of vinegar lately b/c some of my newer flavors just will NOT leave an atty even after blowing them out and switching flavors for several hours. It seems to work very well. I put them in a small jar of vinegar for a few hours, swish them around really good about 2 or 3 times during the course of their soak. If you hold it up to the light while doing this, you can see the juice dissolving into the vinegar (it looks like heat waves, or convection currents floating out of the atty). Rinse them really well in hot water and let them dry overnight. Works like a charm, and the nylon fiber wicks coming down from the bridge come out pure white as if they were new.

Vinegar can actually disolve zinc plating, so I'm not sure if this should be done with all attys. I only have Joye510s, and the vinegar has no affect on the brass threads or the steel insides. I'm not sure if other attys like 801s or something have zinc plating on any of their parts, but due to the relatively high heat generated by an atty, I seriously doubt that any of them do have zinc.

[DAYVAPE]

Excellent idea JOT! Sometimes I get so worked up and frustrated trying to blow out my attys that I end up seeing stars. I may look for something like this in stores.

I can vouch for this. I've used a lot of vinegar lately b/c some of my newer flavors just will NOT leave an atty even after blowing them out and switching flavors for several hours. It seems to work very well. I put them in a small jar of vinegar for a few hours, swish them around really good about 2 or 3 times during the course of their soak. If you hold it up to the light while doing this, you can see the juice dissolving into the vinegar (it looks like heat waves, or convection currents floating out of the atty). Rinse them really well in hot water and let them dry overnight. Works like a charm, and the nylon fiber wicks coming down from the bridge come out pure white as if they were new.

Vinegar can actually disolve zinc plating, so I'm not sure if this should be done with all attys. I only have Joye510s, and the vinegar has no affect on the brass threads or the steel insides. I'm not sure if other attys like 801s or something have zinc plating on any of their parts, but due to the relatively high heat generated by an atty, I seriously doubt that any of them do have zinc.

I also use a 50/50 mix of vinegar and distilled water to clean my atty's when they get to needing it. Otherwise, I just do nothing.

Edited March 4, 2010 by DAYVAPE

[Tektronik]

This is a Koh-I-Noor pressure bulb for cleaning technical pens:

The threads of a 510 atty are just slightly finer than those of a technical pen tip, but a 510 atty will screw into the bulb securely. I attached one and squeezed the hell out of the bulb over and over again, juice went everywhere. The important thing though is that the juice did come out, and I mean a lot of juice, I didn't know there was that much juice in it! I wiped the atty off with a damp paper towel and screwed it into my VP2, everything seemed pretty good. I really went to town on this thing and I feel like I get a lot more air coming through now, maybe it's just me, I don't know and I'm not sure if that's good or bad yet, probably shouldn't have been so rough with it.

It seems like you can only get this bulb in a kit with pen cleaning solution and the kit costs around $20. I bought mine years ago to clean technical pens so I got my money's worth, other people probably don't want to pay extra for pen cleaning solution they'll never use... A long time ago there was a lady on eBay selling just the bulb for $7 but I took a quick look and didn't see her.

Anyway, I just figured I'd throw this out there in case anyone wants to give it a try, I'll probably try it again, a little more gently next time.

The one atty that I modded to make it bridgeless finally gave out on me. I've had this thing for several months now. I think I bought this one back in November of last year. It didn't work on my old OEM 510 batteries, but started working again with my VP2 when I first got it. I made it bridgeless, then when it finally stopped working on my VP2, I used it on my 510 passthrough. It worked for like week more, than finally gave out for good! I say that because I don't have anything at a higher voltage than my passthrough.

I told you that to tell you this......I noticed that there is significant room under the white cup of the heating element. I guess that since the white cup is surrounded by that wire mesh, juice just saturates the white mesh even after keeping it in vinegar overnight. I went ahead and demo'ed the whole thing by pulling everything out with tweezers and saw through the hole at the very bottom- in the center of the threads- the center post. So, I suppose if you use that neat bulb to force air out, juice will keep running out of the whole thing as air goes through the post hole, through the hole in the bottom of the CENTER of the white cup, around the heating element, past the wick bridge, and out the business end.

I suppose if you really want to get and residual taste out of the atomizer assembly, you'll have to fill up the bulb with water or vineger (or both) and slowly squeeze it through the entire assembly. I don't think you could ever get it completely clean because there's still juice in the steel mesh surrounding the white heating cup.

You know what we need? a better atomizer design! I wonder what the inside of one of those fog machines look like. I mean there's pressure there to shoot out the vapor. I wonder how that PG that's in some kind of reservoir is shot past the heating element, vaporized then blown out of the machine. Maybe we can take the design of something much larger and apply it to our micronized version.

[Tektronik]

And I want one of those bulbs....I think that if I can't find one, I'll make one. I'll go to walgreens and pick up one of those snot suckers that you use on a baby's nose and cut the tip to fit an atty!

[Brandon]

You know what we need? a better atomizer design!

I'm in total agreement. If guys like Carlos can make a self-feeding juice box and atty mod (no offense intended to Carlos; it's just that I know it isn't his profession), just think what those guys getting PAID to do R&D work could accomplish! WTF is the hold up?

Obviously big battery mods are the first step b/c compared to designing an atomizer, it's *relatively* straightforward. But I mean c'mon, VPs have been around for like 5-6yrs now in Asia right?

Spartans! What is your profession?!

...right...

[DAYVAPE]

Yes, a better designed atty would be soooo nice. It gets kinda old carrying around a tissue to wipe off the leakin' little drops before it gunks up your battery, etc.!!!