How to Wick a Coil: A Step by Step Guide

Although not as complex as building coils, wicking coils is a practice that does not get enough attention. After all, learning how to wick your coils properly will save you a thousand burned hits. While some people might not consider wicking an art, there is a right and wrong way to do it. 

Table of Contents

1. Supplies Needed To Wick a Coil
2. The Different types of Wicking Material
3. How To Wick A Coil: Step-by-Step
4. Conclusion

Supplies Needed to Wick a Coil 

Before beginning our guide, we have first to prepare our supplies to wick a coil. For starters, you'll need a Rebuildable Tank Atomizers (RTA) or a Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer (RDA). You'll also want to make sure that your coils have already been installed on your atomizer. This way, you do not bend them. Aside from the RDA or RTA, you will need:

• Scissors
• Wicking Material
• Small Tweezers
• E-liquid

Different Types of Wicking Material

There are many types of wicking material, and they all work the same way. They hold e-liquid that is later vaporized by the coils. Some of the most common wicking materials include Organic Cotton, Silica, and Rayon Fiber.

Organic Cotton

For a long time now, organic cotton has been the standard wicking material in the industry. It's easy to work with, it's inexpensive, and it's very efficient at carrying juice, and it does not alter the taste of the vape juice used. If you plan on using cotton, the cotton must be organic since non-organic cotton is chemically treated and not suitable to be vaped. However, the cotton sold in vape stores is highly processed, so there are no contaminants or organic and come from Japan. 

Silica

Another material that used to be used in vaping was silica, more specifically silica cords. They look like tiny white ropes; however, they are not as absorbent as cotton, but they have a longer lifespan since they are thicker and more robust and don't burn as quickly. 

Rayon Fiber 

Rayon fiber is a synthetic material that is similar to cotton. However, it does not burn at high temperatures, which is a plus. It also does not taste like cotton, which many people prefer. And because it's cost-effective, a lot of people swear and prefer to use Rayon Fiber.

How To Wick A Coil: Step-by-Step

For this guide's purpose, we will use Japanese Organic Cotton (which you can buy in our store), specifically Cotton Bacon, that comes in pads. Grab your RDA, and let's begin. 

1. You'll first want to cut a piece of the pad depending on the diameter of your coil. Most coils' diameter is around 3 millimeters so cut out a strip 3 millimeters wide out of the pad using your scissors.
2. Next, you'll want to cut for length. To do this, fold the piece you cut down the middle and then use the scissors to cut the piece in half. You should now be left with two equally long pieces of cotton.
3. The next step is to put the cotton through the coil. So the first step is to pinch and roll one side of the cotton pieces until it is extremely thin and small. Using the thin and small end of the cotton, put it inside one of the coils until it comes out the other side. Please make sure to pull on it until both sides of the piece of cotton are even. 
4. Once the piece of cotton is on the other side, you'll need to measure each end's length again to ensure it will reach the well at the bottom of the RDA. Use your scissors to push down one side of the cotton piece, take a mental note of where you should cut the excess cotton, and trim the end. Do this for the other side. 
5. Next, fluff out either end of the cotton so it soaks up all the vape juice. Rustle the end of the cotton until the cotton is wide and spread out until the ends look like triangles. Finally, scrunch them by pushing them toward the coil. 
6. Repeat steps three through five with the other piece of cotton on the other coil. During step 4, instead of measuring with your scissors, use the already cut ends as a guide to cut the two new ends. Once you're done, you should have four fluffed-out cotton ends inside and through two coils. It should look like this:

1. Once you finish step number six, you will need to saturate both the coils and the cotton ends with e-liquid. Saturate each end until it is no longer dry and start to thin out the ends.
2. This is important; make sure to saturate the coils more than soaking the ends. You want more vape juice in the middle and inside of the coils than on the outside. This helps relieve the cotton flavor you might experience on the first hit.
3. Apply vape juice to the coils and the middle of the cotton. Let it soak in and repeat. Do this until it takes a while for the liquid to soak into the coils and cotton. When the vape juice is no longer soaking in, you will know that you are finished applying to the coils' vape juice. 
4. After you're done applying vape juice, you'll want to use your tweezers to grab the cotton ends and put them inside the well. After you've set up the cotton inside the well, look for dry spots that might need vape juice on the cotton. They will usually be close to the ends since the middle will already be saturated. 
5. Finally, apply vape juice one last time on the coil to ensure that your first hit won't be burned. Apply liberally. 
6. Put your tank back together and pull on your brand new wicked coil; you should experience a great first pull full of flavor. 

Conclusion

We hope that with this step-by-step guide, you can start wicking with the best of them. And if you need any supplies to get started wicking, remember that EjuiceDB is your one-stop-shop for everything vaping-related, so browse our store stock up and supplies, and start perfecting your wicking technique.