Aga do - do - do

[davetherayon]

... push torch button, burn the steel. Steel mesh wick that is, yes I made my first working Aga wick today (small tear of pride). It wasn't too horrible - took 3 wirings to do before I got one that didn't burn the wire out. Try 1 was a 'clever me can pulse a wire onto bare un-carbonised wick can't I? oops nope'.

That was yesterday, and today having got a wee tiny torch from Maplins (powered by a ciggy lighter, ooh the ironing, using cigarette accessories to facilitate continued non-smoking) I took that wick and BURNT IT TO A CRISP! Well, the top couple of inches of it, leaving the bottom half untorched. It was a nice auburn colour... so being the sort to act in haste I, acted hastily, threading the wick - and this time, hmm it looks ok, but couple of hotspots, lets move the wire. While it was still hot. With a metal watchmakers screwdriver. Power up - twannnggg! That was try 2.

So, a little knowledge and danger armed, I gave the wick even more of a toasting, it ended up black as a black dog underground at night. This time, took a bit more caution in wire winding, making sure they were as evenly spaced as poss - checked the resistance (yay Vamo doubling as an ohmmeter) - 2.8. Ok lets set the Vamo to 7.5 whats. Whats? Watts, that's what. Tickled the fire button and... all four coils lit up like a mini-Xmas tree decoration thingy! Alright!

Time to toke, so in went the RY5 (first batch, I was so happy with RY4 I'd decided to see what 25% more RY would be like) and...

HOLY SMOKE! So this is what they mean by clouds of vapour! Lovely lovely lovely. And the taste and hit from the RY is deevine dahling.

Inventory list : 1 Aga T2, some 400-(microns? kilometers? god knows) steel mesh, a roll of 0.16mm nichrome wire - all from safercigs; 1 teeny tiny iroda microjet butane gas torch (my real gas torch arrives Monday in the mail but I'm IMPATIENT dammit); 1 pair needlenose pliers; 1 pair wire clippers; 1 75mm crosshead screwdriver; 1 pair big pliers (for holding the wick in the flame); 1 paperclip (blagged from work, muahahaha), 1 top off a can of shaving cream, filled with water, dousing hot wick for the purposes of; paper towel, wet wick drying ftpo; and...

1 penlight torch, for finding the nut off of the top of the Aga that went flying when I pulled on the wire, making a bid for freedom rather than be part of my first Aga wicking. The ungrateful wretch is serving duty NOW as we speak, atop the Aga positive terminal post.

Almost forgot! Being in me 50s and with the sight of a myopic bat, I acquired a magnifying glass headband doodah, its a plastic head strap that has a flip-down attachment where magnifying plastic lenses plug in. Couldn't have done the coils with out it.

So for the sake of taking time to do a little bit of research (a few youtubes from Dave offa vapourtrails.tv, pbusardo, and of course the wonderful people here on aaec posting guides so simple even I'd be hard pressed to balls things up), and getting the equipment to hand - I'd say to anyone contemplating an Aga or other Genesis type rebuildable...

AGA DO DO DO IT!

and... Toot toot!

[markm]

congrats, you will be coiling them in your sleep soon

[chrisjw]

Thank gawd for that......I thought robby had been at the karaoke again...............

[davetherayon]

Captain Slog, supplemental. The resistance has dropped back to 2.0 after a few tokes, the thing is bedding in in some way. I was a bit frit when it came in at 2.8 tbh, having seen in the vids people getting 0.8 and 1.2 ohms type resistance, put it down to the use of nichrome wire versus the stuff they were using. But, it's important to know that it'll drop like that, so as not to overdo the power on your device I guess. I love this stuff, for me it takes vaping beyond just stinky abandonment into the realms of hobby, and everybody needs a hobby don't they!

[davetherayon]

Well this is a weird tale. My vamo-powered Aga of DOOM stopped vaping, this after it comfortably delivered a lot of GVC that was at least 3 months old - so syrup - with ease. I stared at it, as one might gaze in disappointment at a trusty hound that had weed itself on the floor, but unlike the trusty dog, I took it to bits and examined it. Turned out the earth wire had, with the heat, managed to work itself loose. So with trusty screwdriver in hand, I reanchored it and... 7.5 ohms! This is not normal. Still I toked on it and it smoked furiously, but has now recovered to 2.5 ohms. Probably the juice melting off. Weird things these self made coils are.

[chykensa]

Thanks davetherayon, you post is in equal parts educational, awesome and daunting. I really want to try an AGA-T but coiling using silica not mesh (don't think I'm ready for that yet!).
There seems to be a lack of vids around coiling using silica, but I'm pleased that you have managed to get yours to work. Will have to wait til payday at the end of the month before I pluck up the courage to try my hand I think!
Thanks for posting - love your style!
Andy

[Bluefish]

Resistance ie ohms will go up with use not down, if yours went down you probably had a false reading at first.

[davetherayon]

Update! The coil went all woozy on me today, probably down to my crappy refilling skills - trying to fill the aga without a syringe, is I've decided, a Bad Thing. Juice everywhere. Still, it kept going till about 1/2 hour ago, when the dreaded 9.9 resistance came up on the Vamo. So, back to work! Got my thinking head on, the one I don't use usually, and decided to *reuse* the wick. After all, it's carbonised and full o juice isn't it? Be a shame to waste. I wound another wire, much easier this time, it really does get simpler with experience. And... resistance : 1.8! First off! I was happier than a happy man in a Happy House eating a Happy Meal. Vaping it as I type (not literally of course).

The coil resistance has, after this intermission vape, gone DOWN from 1.8 to 1.5. And the vape gas, man the gas is gaseous. Running it at 8 watts on the Vamo at the moment. It's sublime.

So there you go, reuse your wicks! Unless someone more experienced can say not to? I'm probably sending my Aga to vaping Hell doing such things, I dunno.

Meanwhile... toot toot!

[punisher]

its fine to reuse a wick just burn it off then recoil it
im just running my first ss wire wick today once its warm i can get it up to 12 wats b4 i get burnt taste only a 2 mm wick couldt get the 2.5 to coil keept blowing it

[dazlarsen]

Just finished my t2 dual coils
.5 ribbon kanthal
Stainless steel wire
All built with a single piece of wire wrapped around a 2mm drill bit for perfect coils,vapes like a train

[markm]

Looking good, have you checked your Ohms as I would hazard a guess your
running a very low reading with that setup.
Could be as low as .5 Ohms

[punisher]

did you drill out the second hole ? looks impressive but i dont like the drill bit method arnt to raps suppose to sit nicely on the wick? and at the mo im running a vamo so 1.2 is the least i can coil and that drops out now and then shuts the vamo off

[punisher]

also looks like you using 7/19 wire hows it wicking ?

[Fagsareus]

Looks lovely ...... wish I could do that

[dazlarsen]

Jun 22, 2013 18:03:21 GMT markm said:

Looking good, have you checked your Ohms as I would hazard a guess your
running a very low reading with that setup.
Could be as low as .5 Ohms

your not far off .6 first sub ohm coil setup