First and foremost, there's more than looks involved when you're cleaning up your device, especially when it's a mechanical. On any device, you want to regularly wipe out your atomizer connection. If you've never done that, go get a paper towel, napkin, or a tissue, twist it up, and spin it around on the threads a few times. I'll wait for you to do that.
Done?
See that black crap? It's your enemy. What exactly it is I'm not 100% sure. Some of it's eliquid, some of it's dust and dirt, and some of it's a tarnish. Probably dead skin too. Even on a device that never leaks, you'll get that gunk in there. You'll get it anywhere there's metal to metal contact. Basically what you're seeing is a side effect of electricity running through metal.
Other than being generally gross, the main reason you want to clean up your device is to reduce voltage drop as much as possible. That gunk impedes the flow of electricity between your battery and your atomizer, which leads to poor performance and angry, unsatisfied vapers. Also, it makes it shiny. People like shiny things.
I personally have two types of cleaning I do. For general upkeep, I use a microfiber cloth to buff up my mod a little bit and use paper towels to wipe out the atomizer connection. I generally do this daily when I fill my tank back up. It takes 5 seconds and keeps things looking alright. Once a month or so I do a more thorough cleaning for my mechanicals. It's a multi-step process that takes me about 45 minutes, but so far has been pretty effective, and you can do it with stuff just lying around the house, no special stuff or runs to the hardware store needed here!
DISCLAIMER:
Do not follow this word for word if you're using a regulated device (Vamo, Provari, and about a billion others these days). If you immerse your control head your device will stop working and you'll need a new one. You're probably ok to clean your battery tubes and end caps this way though.
First thing you want to do is assemble your supplies.
The next thing I do is disassemble my mod and immerse it in the solution for about 15 minutes.
After the parts soak, scrub the threads with a toothbrush. Get any other nooks and crannies that you can too. My Magneto has a Smok logo and some design on the top cap that get gunked up so I pay a little extra attention there.
Next, empty your container, fill it back up with clean water, and rinse out your parts. You don't need the salt hanging around on your mod, it can cause spots and possibly corrosion. Rinse thoroughly and set on a paper towel.
Blow out all the pieces where water can collect, like vent holes, end caps, and buttons. Now you've got two routes you can take. One, air dry. Two, an oven set to a low temperature. I have a toaster oven so I'm going to use that. I arrange my pieces thusly...
and put them in the oven, set at 150F for 20 minutes. (The baby spoon is not involved). Note: The button magnets seems to be glued in place on the Magneto here. In retrospect, I probably shouldn't put the bottom tube or the button in the oven, just in case. Live and learn.
After the ding, wait a few minutes for the parts to cool off, reassemble, buff with a cloth, and you're back to a nice, shiny piece.
Yes, I have a Protank on my Magneto. I still need to clean my RSST.
An optional step a lot of people take is to lube their threads with Noalox, a conductive lubricant, after they clean. A little dab will do the trick. I don't have any right now so I didn't do that.
Now lets say you've had your mech for a very long time and have never, ever cleaned it. If there's still a bunch of gunk on your battery contacts and your atomizer connection after the process, or want a super-deep clean, I have another tip. Make a solution as above, but mix in some all-purpose flour until you have a paste. Not too thick, just enough to stick to the parts. Coat the parts and let them sit for several hours or overnight, rinse off all the goop, scrub it with a toothbrush to get it all out of the threads, and see if that does the trick. If the paste is turning green/black, that means it's working.
There are a lot of ways people clean their devices. There's obviously store-bought metal polishes and polish rags, but I'm cheap and don't have any of them. As an added bonus, you can use this method to clean a lot of other metal objects you may have around the house.
Do you have a special way to clean your mod, get rid of that gunk, or want to make fun of my Protank on a Magneto? Leave it in the comments!
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