How to Properly Wick Cotton Bacon for Your Vape

Cotton bacon has become a vaping staple for wicks due to its great flavor and longevity. But like any wick, cotton bacon performs best when installed correctly. Proper wicking allows optimal juice flow to the coil while minimizing leaking and dry hits. Let’s discuss proper techniques for wicking cotton bacon in your rebuildable dripping atomizer (RDA) or rebuildable tank atomizer (RTA).

Why Choose Cotton Bacon for Wicking

Before we get into the how-to let’s look at why cotton bacon is a top choice for many vapers

• Maximizes flavor – The tight weave and thickness holds juice well to maximize taste and vapor production. Less break-in time needed versus other wicks.

• Easy to work with – Cotton bacon comes pre-sectioned into strips for easy wicking. It has just the right amount of stiffness to thread through coils.

• Long lasting – The thickness and durability of the fibers allow cotton bacon to last longer than many other wick types before needing to rewick.

• Minimal break-in – Doesn’t require as much break-in as some wicks to reach full flavor potential. Starts tasting great faster.

• High juice capacity – Ability to hold substantial e-liquid allows fewer drips/refills than thinner wicks. Less wicking frequently needed.

Now that we’ve covered why cotton bacon is a winner, let’s get into the technique for proper installation.

Prepping the Cotton Bacon

Before threading your wick, you need to prep the cotton bacon strip properly:

• Cut to size – Determine amount needed for your coil size and RDA/RTA, and cut the cotton strip accordingly. You want enough to fill the coil, but not jam it densely. Err on the less-is-more side.

• Thin out ends – Taper/thin the ends that will be threaded through the coil. Pinch and pull some fibers from the end section. This allows it to thread through easily.

• Fluff up – Lightly fluff up remaining cotton to increase wicking efficiency before threading through coil.

• Wet with juice – Apply a few drops of your vape juice to the strip before installing. This helps prime it immediately.

Proper prep of the cotton bacon before wicking is key to prevent issues like jamming the coil too tightly. Now it’s ready to install correctly.

Threading and Inserting Your Cotton Bacon

Here are the proper techniques for threading your prepped cotton bacon into the RDA/RTA:

• Thread through coil – Thread the thinned cotton end through the coil, slowly pulling it through. Go slowly to avoid deforming the coil.

• Repeat through other side of coil – Pull the cotton strip through the opposite side of the coil so it’s threaded through the coil evenly.

• Trim excess cotton – Trim off any excess cotton so the wick ends sit flush with the deck, not hanging over or jammed into juice ports.

• Tuck into juice ports – Lightly tuck wick ends into the juice ports, keeping the pathway open. Don’t jam them in densely.

• Fluff ends – Using tweezers, gently fluff the ends of the cotton bacon in the juice ports to promote optimal wicking.

• Check coil alignment – Verify coils are still evenly positioned and cotton is not deforming or shorting out connections.

Threading the cotton bacon correctly ensures the coil stays evenly saturated without choking off juice flow. Now it’s ready for priming and juicing up.

Priming and Juicing Your Newly Wicked Cotton Bacon

Once your cotton bacon is wicked through the coils, you need to prime it with juice properly before vaping:

• Saturate cotton with juice – Drip juice generously over the cotton, allowing it to soak in. You want it fully saturated.

• Fire mod at low wattage – After juicing up cotton, fire the mod at around 20 watts. This helps the wick absorb juice.

• Reapply juice – Drip on more juice until the cotton is super saturated. Cotton bacon has substantial capacity.

• Check for hot spots – Fire the mod again briefly to verify your coils are heating evenly from center out, with no hot spots.

• Ramp up wattage slowly – Gradually increase wattage about 10 watts at a time, firing in between, working up to your desired setting.

• Refill tank/re-drip – Top off tank or re-drip juice to make sure wick stays fully saturated.

Priming ensures juice gets fully absorbed into the cotton before you start vaping at higher temps. Patience pays off with properly wicked cotton bacon!

Wicking Do’s and Don’ts

Keep these do’s and don’ts in mind for optimal cotton bacon wicking:

Do:

• Thin/trim cotton strip ends before threading through coil
• Fluff ends of cotton after tucking into juice ports
• Make sure coil is surrounded by cotton but not overstuffed
• Saturate cotton with juice and fire at low wattage to prime
• Gradually ramp up wattage 10W at a time

Don’t:

• Overstuff cotton tightly into coils
• Leave excess cotton overhanging deck and choking juice ports
• Thread whole cotton strip through coil without thinning ends
• Jam ends of cotton too tightly into juice ports
• Fire at high wattage on dry cotton

Follow these wicking tips and you’ll get the most from your cotton bacon for amazing flavor and vapor!

Signs It’s Time to Rewick

When using cotton bacon, expect to get 1-2 weeks of optimal performance before needing to change your wick. Signs it’s time for fresh cotton bacon include:

• Declining flavor and vapor production
• Darkened wick fibers
• Hardened, dried out cotton
• Coil gunk buildup
• Cotton not springing back fully when squeezed
• Getting a burnt taste on hits

Plan on rewicking once you notice fading performance or every 1-2 weeks to keep your vape at its best with fresh, properly wicked cotton bacon!

Perfecting your cotton bacon wicking takes some trial and error, but following these guidelines will set you up for success. The time invested in proper wick prep, threading, and priming really pays off in amazing flavor and vapor production. Cotton bacon’s thickness, longevity, and juice capacity makes it a top choice – as long as it’s installed correctly. Use these do’s and don’ts for wicking cotton bacon to maximize the potential of your RDA or RTA. Your tastebuds will thank you!