Micro coils

[Greigster]

Thought I would have a play today after watching some Youtube vids on Microcoils.

The first one I tried was on an Igo L.

Took a luer 14 gauge blunt needle and wrapped 9 very tight and close turns using .25 Kanthal.

Leaving the needle in the coil, I pulled the wire as tight as I could without breaking it, at the same time as keeping the coil in as tighter spring as I could by using the green plastic part of the Luer needle as a "stop".

I then slipped of the coil and lightly pinching it with some tweezers, I heated the coil to red hot (only takes about 5 seconds with a tiny gas pencil I got from Fasttech for less than £3) and kept the coil pinched for another 10 seconds whilst it cooled down, then repeated the heat and cool.

This had the effect of keeping the coils all touching each other, which is what you want. You end up with a little sleeve of Kanthal with a hole though the cente, which is where you will slip the wick through later. The reason that you want the coils touching (which I know we have always been told to keep the coils seperated), is that it lowers the resistance of the coil at the same time as allowing you to cover a larger area of wick with more turns.

I then re-inserted the blunt needle into the coil and installed the coil into the Igo. You can then ensure that the coil does not distort but still allows you to adjust/manoeuvre the position of the coil after you have tightened the posi/neg pole screws.

I then took a cotton wool ball and teased out a 50mm. length about the thickness of an analogue ciggy but very loose/not compacted. I then gently reduced the thickness by lightly pushing between thumb and forefinger ( it needs to be almost as light and fluffy as the vapour we exhale .

Then just moisten your thumb and forefinger and twist the end into a point, then feed through the coil.

Once into position, trim off the pointed end and cut the other end to the length you require, in the case of the Igo L, just enough to run round the inner wall.

Put on some juice and fire it up but make sure it is good and wet as the cotton wool will burn.

Fill up and vape.

With 9 coils, I ended up with 3.4 ohms.

My second attempt with the microcoil was on my new Taifun GT. I did 7 coils which came out at 2 ohms. This was the third time I have re-coiled/wicked the Taifun in as many days. The first was with 3/4 wraps of .20 Kanthal on 3mm. Ekowool, the second was with 3/4 wraps on SS mesh and now the 7 coils on cotton wool.
I have never has as much flavour and vapour as I have had today using Microcoils and cotton wool. The great thing is that the coil should last for months hopefully and the only maintenance will be removing the cotton wool when clogged, dry burning the coil and sliding in some fresh cotton wool.

By using thicker Kanthal, you end up with a lower resistance but a more resilient coil. The cotton wool costs virtually nothing, the coil lasts longer and it can be used on most atties perhaps with the exception of the Spheroid and similar due to the cotton wool being a bit too floppy but there is no reason why you could not use the microcoil and just thread some 1ml. silica through........I will give that a try sometime soon.

I think the Microcoil/cotton wool, could be a bit of a game changer

[chykensa]

Fascinating post, thanks for sharing. Could this be the next 'big thing' in RBAs?
Andy

[Balllsy]

Sounds extremely interesting, any pictures or video please Greigster ?

[Greigster]

Will do a vid over the next couple of days, trouble is wifey is away until Friday and I need a second pair of hands to hold the camera.

I am very impressed though with the quality of the vape.

[johnners]

Very interesting idea
Also very inconsiderate of your wife to go away at this time

[Greigster]

Yes johnners, that's what I thought. How dare she go away for a week to help look after our grandchildren whilst I am left at home where I can slob all day, go to bed at 3 am, get up at 10ish, eat fish and chips on the beach and ready meals from the freezer, doze, drink coffee, vape. leave the washing up then load the dishwasher just before she is due home...........how very dare she

Actually I will be very pleased when she does get home, there is a load of washing and ironing building up

[Greigster]

Here is the Vid that I followed, the principle will work on most atties. I have done my Igo-L and Taifun GT and I will do the same on my Kayfun when I next renew the coil/wick.

I will stress again that from a maintenance point of view, just to pull out the old cotton wick, rinse the coil and dry burn followed by the insertion of some fresh cotton wool will take no longer than a couple of minutes. Even if I had to replace the cotton wool every couple of days, its no biggie but I should think it will last longer than that. Time will tell!

Also from what I have read/seen so far, it would appear that with the quantity/thickness of cotton wool used for the wick, less is more.

I have spent a fortune on different wicking material including silica, mesh and expensive Ekowool, when all the time I had cotton wool available. Just make sure that the cotton wool is the sterile type from the chemist rather than a cheap one that may have other things in. Also make sure your hands are clean when making the wick so as not to contaminate the wool,( dont go chopping onions or garlic or................well you get the idea.

There are several vids on Youtube, just search under "microcoils"

Enjoy and perhaps update us with your opinions after you have had a go

[Perpetua]

Is there a tip to winding 9 coils neatly Greigster?


That would be my undoing I think . . .

[blakey]

I did this a while back, works great till you burn that cotton which is worryingly easy to do
Good for dripping atties without a doubt but ONE dry hit when you're out n about with a kayfun or the like and it's game over till you can strip and replace the cotton.
I can't knock its performance but I can't trust it when I'm far away from the ability to re-wick easily.

[jeffc]

Greigster. Does this work with `silica wicks` I know you said you`ll try it with 1mm silica.

Any info on that yet ?

[lenny59]

Jul 31, 2013 15:28:01 GMT jeffc said:

Greigster. Does this work with `silica wicks` I know you said you`ll try it with 1mm silica.

Any info on that yet ?

Yes I'd like to know this as well . . .Not too keen on using cotton wool .... Its bleached isn't it ?

[Greigster]

Jul 31, 2013 13:42:46 GMT Perpetua said:

Is there a tip to winding 9 coils neatly Greigster?


That would be my undoing I think . . .

Perpetua

Hi Perps, I think 9 coils are too many, my second one was 7 coils that gave me 2ohms.

Just by pre heating the wire as normal and then winding it around the 18 gauge needle as you would with a piece of Ekowool but with more tension....a bit like strangling your wick if you get it too tight
Then with the coils on the needle, just use a pair of pliers to pull each leg whilst pressing on the coil between thumb and forefinger.

The Vid below shows me making a coil......not a perfect coil but I am not used to filming myself cos I am two hands short.

What I also did with my second coil was to mount it in the position that I wanted and then fired it up and it glows from the centre of the coil outwards. Once it was red hot, I released the fire button and quickly but gently squeezed the coil together for about 10 seconds using some tweezers whilst it cooled and repeated a second time. This makes the coil even closer together to the point where they are all touching.

[Greigster]

Jul 31, 2013 15:28:01 GMT jeffc said:

Greigster. Does this work with `silica wicks` I know you said you`ll try it with 1mm silica.

Any info on that yet ?

jeffc
Have not done that yet Jeff.......been a bit busy dozing and drinking coffee all day

[Greigster]

Jul 31, 2013 15:37:39 GMT lenny59 said:

Jul 31, 2013 15:28:01 GMT jeffc said:

Greigster. Does this work with `silica wicks` I know you said you`ll try it with 1mm silica.

Any info on that yet ?

Yes I'd like to know this as well . . .Not too keen on using cotton wool .... Its bleached isn't it ?

Dont know the answer to the bleached cotton wool but I have just googled and there are many organic versions available. Or there is sterile medical gauze available from Boots that I have seen being used.

My reason for trying the above coil and cotton wool was to get the best wicking and flavour. It may be that other wicking materials could struggle keeping up with the Microcoil, as every vid I have seen using Microcoils have also used cotton wool although it could also be for the ease of threading through the very small hole within the coil.

[Greigster]

Jul 31, 2013 14:24:39 GMT blakey said:

I did this a while back, works great till you burn that cotton which is worryingly easy to do
Good for dripping atties without a doubt but ONE dry hit when you're out n about with a kayfun or the like and it's game over till you can strip and replace the cotton.
I can't knock its performance but I can't trust it when I'm far away from the ability to re-wick easily.

You need to get yourself a Taifun GT blakey, you can rewick easily without emptying the tank. Just turn it upside down and unscrew the base