How much cotton to cut

[sydney68]

Hi all
A question I would like to ask is I use koh gen doh cotton pads how much do I cut in width.I have watched loads of videos but no answer to how much they cut can any body tell me is it half inch or quater please can some body help.I only use 3mm coils and I take the lever off each side of the cotton.

 

[Pittard9]

There are too many variables for anyone to give you answer. It depends on the tank, the coil, the power, the juice, personal preference, vaping style...The list could go on and on. It's trial and error until you find what works best for you and your setup.

 

[JohnnyAce]

This got me when I first started with rebuildables, I didn't have a clue how much cotton to use

Now, as a general rule, I cut double the width of the coil, 5mm strip of cotton for a 2.5mm coil or 6mm cotton for a 3mm coil

I take the layers off then if it does feel a bit snug in the coil I'll take another layer off

 

[oldhippydude]

Enough that it goes through the coil with little resistance but not too little that parts od the coil are not in contact with the coil.
It just takes practice.
Watch the videos again. That much.
The thicker the juice (ie. the higher vg) and the more watts you are using the better your wicking has to be.
With lower power and thinner juice I find I can get away with pretty sloppy wicking.

Someomne else with ocd might come along with a more precise size for you.

Welcome to the planet.
Good luck.
Enjoy.

 

[scrumpox]

Watching videos gives you the basics but wicking is about feel. Not just the feel of the cotton as it passes through the coil but how it feels when you vape. With practice you begin to feel instinctively when your wick is either too tight or too loose, when it's fast or slow. If you're getting dry hits or flooding then your wicking is way off, those are rookie errors. When it appears to be wicking well, you should still be inspecting your wicks to look for signs that it's not yet optimal. For example parts of the wick tail may be white ... juice is still reaching the coils but there's more wick tail than is really needed. What you want to see is good saturation, all the time. Under normal vaping conditions you might find the wicking is fine, but that you get an occasional dry hit when chain vaping. That's a good sign that your wicking can still improve a bit more.

When it's time to rewick, rinse the old wicks through gently and look for burning or singeing in the middle. This is the sign that the coil is either choking or you're running too hot. You may or may not have tasted that singeing, chances are you will have though the wicks then recovered.

My own learning curve was learning to wick with less and less cotton, to make the tails fluffly and filled with air so they will swell with juice. It doesn't answer your question about how much cotton to cut, sorry about that. Just feel your way.

 

[Arctic_Wolf]

It's definitely something that has a bit of an art to it and initially takes some trial and error, and practice . So don't become discouraged early on if things aren't perfect, it won't take you too long to get it right. With every build you'll learn something new and armed with watching as many tutorials as possible, 2 and 2 will eventually click to make 4 . As has been said, variables, there are quite literally hundreds involved. Use the tutorials as a guide rather than precise instructions .

After a while as @scrumpox has said too, you just eyeball it and with good preparation it feels right amd turns out exactly how you wanted it to . Remember the basics for wicking standard wattage coils. You want to feel some slight resistance as you pass the cotton through the coils, not too much, not too little .

You don't mention what you're specifically building with??. If you're building for a dripper, generally they are more forgiving and of course to rewick them just takes a few minutes if something isn't quite right. If you're building with a dripper, initially if you're struggling to get a feel for how much cotton to use, don't worry so much if the wicks may have been a little light and passed through the coils a little too easily. At worst, you may notice a slight metallic taste. If so, next time you'll know you can use slightly more cotton.

Muji and Koh Gen Do are good cottons, but obviously you do need to first judge how big a strip to cut, remove the outer shell and ensure you have sufficient remaining to make your wicks. If you cut off too little, total waste obviously. If you cut off too much, you can remove some as required, but still end up wasting some too. Whilst you get the hang of wicking;. You could consider getting some Shake and vape cotton (£7 for a very large bag). You just cut off a piece to the length you need to work with, after that NO cutting required and very little prep work needed . You just tease off a piece as required from the length you cut off, fluff it up, gently roll or shape it and put into your coils. You might find it a little bit easier to work with earlier on is all. Once you gain confidence, have another go with your Koh Gen Do. Shake and Vape is highly absorbent, great flavour from the start and it performs very well .

Cotton Bacon is also popular with new builders (or experienced too, it's good stuff) for precisely the same reasons, it's super easy to just tease away a piece as required, prep it and use it. But, it takes longer for CB to break in for full flavour, whereas Shake and Vape doesn't have that extended break in period which you might find more preferential .

Again, I'm not answering your questions directly either lol, but I can certainly recommend you some alternative wicking that's very easy to work with, little waste, vapes well with great flavour and it's good value for money . Otherwise, buy extra Koh Gen Do and try not to worry too much about waste, cotton is one of the cheapest aspects, so cut off larger steips if you need to initially, remove the outer shell and you'll soon get used to working with the right amounts .

 

[sydney68]

This got me when I first started with rebuildables, I didn't have a clue how much cotton to use

Now, as a general rule, I cut double the width of the coil, 5mm strip of cotton for a 2.5mm coil or 6mm cotton for a 3mm coil

I take the layers off then if it does feel a bit snug in the coil I'll take another layer off

Thanks for your advice