Hello all! Just thought I'd share some of what I've learned fiddling with carto tanks.
As most of you may know, a cartomizer tank is a polycarbonate or plastic (even glass sometimes) tube with gasketed fittings on either end allowing it to be slid over a cartomizer while providing a snug seal. The tank holds the e-liquid, which surrounds the cartomizer and constantly wicks inside of it through holes or slits punched or cut in the cartomizer itself. This allows the polyfill to stay moist, and provides the user with a fresh, just-topped-off-carto flavor with each toot.
Carto tanks are provided in a few different shapes and sizes, and are available from many vendors. There are lots of posts on the different varieties and brands, so I won't go into them here, although my favorites are those sold by vaporescence.
Many vendors also sell pre-punched or slotted cartomizers. These are extremely convenient, and a great way to get started with tanks, but I found after using them for a while that there are a few ways to punch them yourself. These are my methods and tips.
Usually, I punch with a simple hammer and nail. A finishing nail works fine, provided it is thin enough. If you can find one with a slightly tapered tip, all the better, as you can control the size of the hole you are punching. I hold my cartos firmly on some carpet, using the same hand to position the nail, and then whack away until the nail punches through.
Many vendors punch holes on each side, although I find this is unnecessary. Once the hole is punched, I screw the carto into my pv of choice, then slide the tank on almost fully, making sure that the bottom gasket is above the hole in the carto, to prevent leaking while filling. Then I use a bottle, placing the tip on the inside of the top gasket. When you squeeze, the surface tension of the liquid will cause it to run down the inside of the tank, filling it. No syringe required! Once the tank is full, quickly slide it down over the carto, forming a seal on both gaskets.
Many users at this point recommend letting the tank sit for a half hour so the filler properly wicks, although this can be avoided by simply taking some short, quick dry pulls. If you see bubbles coming out of the hole in your carto, you're manually drawing the liquid into it! Pretty neat, I think. This also works well with thick juice which wouldn't normally wick. I find that if I press the tank down onto the pv, creating a seal, I can then dry draw (extremely hard) and see the liquid level in the tank go down. I do this until I can pop off my drip tip and see the filler is saturated. This way, I can still use 100% VG in a carto tank, no problem!
I hope this was helpful. It took me a lot of fiddling to learn to finesse these things, just thought I'd pass on my knowledge.
Happy vaping!
As most of you may know, a cartomizer tank is a polycarbonate or plastic (even glass sometimes) tube with gasketed fittings on either end allowing it to be slid over a cartomizer while providing a snug seal. The tank holds the e-liquid, which surrounds the cartomizer and constantly wicks inside of it through holes or slits punched or cut in the cartomizer itself. This allows the polyfill to stay moist, and provides the user with a fresh, just-topped-off-carto flavor with each toot.
Carto tanks are provided in a few different shapes and sizes, and are available from many vendors. There are lots of posts on the different varieties and brands, so I won't go into them here, although my favorites are those sold by vaporescence.
Many vendors also sell pre-punched or slotted cartomizers. These are extremely convenient, and a great way to get started with tanks, but I found after using them for a while that there are a few ways to punch them yourself. These are my methods and tips.
Usually, I punch with a simple hammer and nail. A finishing nail works fine, provided it is thin enough. If you can find one with a slightly tapered tip, all the better, as you can control the size of the hole you are punching. I hold my cartos firmly on some carpet, using the same hand to position the nail, and then whack away until the nail punches through.
Many vendors punch holes on each side, although I find this is unnecessary. Once the hole is punched, I screw the carto into my pv of choice, then slide the tank on almost fully, making sure that the bottom gasket is above the hole in the carto, to prevent leaking while filling. Then I use a bottle, placing the tip on the inside of the top gasket. When you squeeze, the surface tension of the liquid will cause it to run down the inside of the tank, filling it. No syringe required! Once the tank is full, quickly slide it down over the carto, forming a seal on both gaskets.
Many users at this point recommend letting the tank sit for a half hour so the filler properly wicks, although this can be avoided by simply taking some short, quick dry pulls. If you see bubbles coming out of the hole in your carto, you're manually drawing the liquid into it! Pretty neat, I think. This also works well with thick juice which wouldn't normally wick. I find that if I press the tank down onto the pv, creating a seal, I can then dry draw (extremely hard) and see the liquid level in the tank go down. I do this until I can pop off my drip tip and see the filler is saturated. This way, I can still use 100% VG in a carto tank, no problem!
I hope this was helpful. It took me a lot of fiddling to learn to finesse these things, just thought I'd pass on my knowledge.
Happy vaping!
