Cotton problems

[babs]

I've been using a 1.8 jewellers screwdriver to build the coils. Then the cotton wool roll loosely and pull through until slight resistance fluff the edges to fill the holes don't get any leaks or gurgles yet. Hope this helps.

[djs]

May 31, 2014 15:42:19 GMT nelsonbloke said:

Will that not affect the coil resistance? I've found a sweet spot of 1.5 now on my home builds using silica.

Yes, it will. That's why I use thicker Kanthal.

You could always do one less wrap... how many are you doing?

t.b.h. there is no chance I could make your set-up work.

[nelsonbloke]

May 31, 2014 15:48:13 GMT djs said:

May 31, 2014 15:42:19 GMT nelsonbloke said:

Will that not affect the coil resistance? I've found a sweet spot of 1.5 now on my home builds using silica.

Yes, it will. That's why I use thicker Kanthal.

You could always do one less wrap... how many are you doing?

t.b.h. there is no chance I could make your set-up work.

I'm twisting .15 Kanthal with 3 wraps. I ordered the wrong Kanthal and have 23 metres of the stuff left, I'm not wasting it

Thanks for the advice though mate. All info is greatly appreciated.

[djs]

May 31, 2014 15:51:22 GMT nelsonbloke said:

I'm twisting .15 Kanthal with 3 wraps. I ordered the wrong Kanthal and have 23 metres of the stuff left, I'm not wasting it

Thanks for the advice though mate. All info is greatly appreciated.

Sorry not to be able to offer much. If it was me, I'd stick with the set-up (you can't go down to 2 wraps) and then roll up some little sausages of cotton wool and "cut" them to the right size to lay over the wick in the hole, but not over the entire wick.

I've done this with Taifun before. Just plug those gaps. You could even experiment with tiny off-cuts of cotton wool.

[Greigster]

If you are using double twisted .15 Kanthal, you will half the resistance of a single length of .15mm.
You will gain a little in terms of surface area but that will be short lived due to the twist getting gunked up.
If you use 9 wraps around a 1.5mm drill bit, you should end up with about 1.4ish ohms.
After the coil is mounted on the kanger head (having first done the pinching and heating), then pulse the fire button 5 or 6 times to make sure you have even heating and no shorts.
Once cooled, take some pulled cotton wool, twist the end into a point and thread through the coil.
To get the correct amount of cotton wool, you need to be able to pull it back and forth easily through the coil without feeling much resistance.
The cotton wool should be touching the whole of the internal coil circumference but move easily from side to side.
If you find that the wick is difficult to pull from side to side, then there is too much cotton wool.
After you have trimmed the wick just a tad bigger than the flange of the Kanger head, you need to "fluff up the ends"
Then just prime the wick with about 2 drops on each end of the wick and 1 drop directly on to the coil.
Pop the chimney and silicone cap back on, re-assemble your attie and leave to stand for a couple of minutes.
You should not get any leaks or dry hits.
Have a look at Super Shiney`s tutorial and you should not go wrong.
Also be aware that if you pull too hard when you take a toke or have the air control too far closed, you can pull too much juice through which will cause flooding.
Keep us updated, I am sure between us, we will sort you

Edit:- Also make sure that all your tank connections are air tight and silicon seals are not damaged. If air can get in then juice can get out.

[nelsonbloke]

May 31, 2014 16:38:01 GMT Greigster said:

If you are using double twisted .15 Kanthal, you will half the resistance of a single length of .15mm.
You will gain a little in terms of surface area but that will be short lived due to the twist getting gunked up.
If you use 9 wraps around a 1.5mm drill bit, you should end up with about 1.4ish ohms.
After the coil is mounted on the kanger head (having first done the pinching and heating), then pulse the fire button 5 or 6 times to make sure you have even heating and no shorts.
Once cooled, take some pulled cotton wool, twist the end into a point and thread through the coil.
To get the correct amount of cotton wool, you need to be able to pull it back and forth easily through the coil without feeling much resistance.
The cotton wool should be touching the whole of the internal coil circumference but move easily from side to side.
If you find that the wick is difficult to pull from side to side, then there is too much cotton wool.
After you have trimmed the wick just a tad bigger than the flange of the Kanger head, you need to "fluff up the ends"
Then just prime the wick with about 2 drops on each end of the wick and 1 drop directly on to the coil.
Pop the chimney and silicone cap back on, re-assemble your attie and leave to stand for a couple of minutes.
You should not get any leaks or dry hits.
Have a look at Super Shiney`s tutorial and you should not go wrong.
Also be aware that if you pull too hard when you take a toke or have the air control too far closed, you can pull too much juice through which will cause flooding.
Keep us updated, I am sure between us, we will sort you

Edit:- Also make sure that all your tank connections are air tight and silicon seals are not damaged. If air can get in then juice can get out.

Thanks for that Greigster . Some excelllent advice there and I will be taking it onboard for future builds

[nelsonbloke]

May 31, 2014 16:38:01 GMT Greigster said:

If you are using double twisted .15 Kanthal, you will half the resistance of a single length of .15mm.
You will gain a little in terms of surface area but that will be short lived due to the twist getting gunked up.
If you use 9 wraps around a 1.5mm drill bit, you should end up with about 1.4ish ohms.
After the coil is mounted on the kanger head (having first done the pinching and heating), then pulse the fire button 5 or 6 times to make sure you have even heating and no shorts.
Once cooled, take some pulled cotton wool, twist the end into a point and thread through the coil.
To get the correct amount of cotton wool, you need to be able to pull it back and forth easily through the coil without feeling much resistance.
The cotton wool should be touching the whole of the internal coil circumference but move easily from side to side.
If you find that the wick is difficult to pull from side to side, then there is too much cotton wool.
After you have trimmed the wick just a tad bigger than the flange of the Kanger head, you need to "fluff up the ends"
Then just prime the wick with about 2 drops on each end of the wick and 1 drop directly on to the coil.
Pop the chimney and silicone cap back on, re-assemble your attie and leave to stand for a couple of minutes.
You should not get any leaks or dry hits.
Have a look at Super Shiney`s tutorial and you should not go wrong.
Also be aware that if you pull too hard when you take a toke or have the air control too far closed, you can pull too much juice through which will cause flooding.
Keep us updated, I am sure between us, we will sort you

Edit:- Also make sure that all your tank connections are air tight and silicon seals are not damaged. If air can get in then juice can get out.

@griegster I just made a coil just as you suggested but I get 3.2 however, it vapes like a dream with cotton now and no heavy leakage

[Greigster]

Hmm. That seems very high. Are you pinching the coils together so they are all touching?
I know it seems a waste of wire, but you would be better just getting some .30 or .32 Kanthal rather than trying to make do.
I use.32 Kanthal and I get consistent 1.4 ohm coils using 9 wraps around 1.5mm drill bit on my Kanger heads.

[nelsonbloke]

May 31, 2014 21:24:02 GMT Greigster said:

Hmm. That seems very high. Are you pinching the coils together so they are all touching?
I know it seems a waste of wire, but you would be better just getting some .30 or .32 Kanthal rather than trying to make do.
I use.32 Kanthal and I get consistent 1.4 ohm coils using 9 wraps around 1.5mm drill bit on my Kanger heads.

I don't have a blow torch or flat tweezers yet so I made do with the wifes tweezers (she's gonna kill me lol) and the gas hob. I didn't get perfectly close coils but not far off. 2 wraps less than your guide and I'm getting between 1.5 and 1.8 everytime which is my sweet spot. Just can't believe how much better cotton wicking is compared to silica. The juice I used to think was horrible is now much more pleasant (except blueberry lol).

I have some wire coming soon mate so I'll update you then. Fantastic help though and very much appreciated

[Greigster]

Jun 1, 2014 11:31:17 GMT nelsonbloke said:

May 31, 2014 21:24:02 GMT Greigster said:

Hmm. That seems very high. Are you pinching the coils together so they are all touching?
I know it seems a waste of wire, but you would be better just getting some .30 or .32 Kanthal rather than trying to make do.
I use.32 Kanthal and I get consistent 1.4 ohm coils using 9 wraps around 1.5mm drill bit on my Kanger heads.

I don't have a blow torch or flat tweezers yet so I made do with the wifes tweezers (she's gonna kill me lol) and the gas hob. I didn't get perfectly close coils but not far off. 2 wraps less than your guide and I'm getting between 1.5 and 1.8 everytime which is my sweet spot. Just can't believe how much better cotton wicking is compared to silica. The juice I used to think was horrible is now much more pleasant (except blueberry lol).

I have some wire coming soon mate so I'll update you then. Fantastic help though and very much appreciated

That is great news Nelson, once you get your new wire and maybe a little gas torch to heat your coil up "cherry red", there will be no stopping you.

[Greigster]

Jun 1, 2014 11:31:17 GMT nelsonbloke said:

May 31, 2014 21:24:02 GMT Greigster said:

Hmm. That seems very high. Are you pinching the coils together so they are all touching?
I know it seems a waste of wire, but you would be better just getting some .30 or .32 Kanthal rather than trying to make do.
I use.32 Kanthal and I get consistent 1.4 ohm coils using 9 wraps around 1.5mm drill bit on my Kanger heads.

I don't have a blow torch or flat tweezers yet so I made do with the wifes tweezers (she's gonna kill me lol) and the gas hob. I didn't get perfectly close coils but not far off. 2 wraps less than your guide and I'm getting between 1.5 and 1.8 everytime which is my sweet spot. Just can't believe how much better cotton wicking is compared to silica. The juice I used to think was horrible is now much more pleasant (except blueberry lol).

I have some wire coming soon mate so I'll update you then. Fantastic help though and very much appreciated

The coils really do need to touch otherwise your resistance will be a lot higher than you are trying to achieve. It does make a real difference between having a low resistance micro coil and just having........a coil

[nelsonbloke]

I think I've learned that much Greigster. Just need to get my act together I think

[tomj777]

Jun 1, 2014 14:35:37 GMT nelsonbloke said:

I think I've learned that much Greigster. Just need to get my act together I think

Nope - not about getting your act together - simply the learning curve (which in itself is addictive).

[chykensa]

Jun 1, 2014 16:16:11 GMT tomj777 said:

Jun 1, 2014 14:35:37 GMT nelsonbloke said:

I think I've learned that much Greigster. Just need to get my act together I think

Nope - not about getting your act together - simply the learning curve (which in itself is addictive).

How right you are Tom, 4 months ago I avoided microcoils as they looked far too tricky. One evening I plucked up the courage, and voila, a coil which worked! The cotton wool business is also trial and error, but once you have the principles in place, you very soon learn just how much to use.
A year ago I wouldn't have even know what a Kayfun was if someone threw one at me; then I found out a bit more but once again recoiled (see what I did there!) in horror at the thought of attempting a build. Now I have two Kayfun-style clones and they are about all I use for 85% of the time, so it just goes to show what can be achieved by someone as technically unskilled as I

[tomj777]

Jun 1, 2014 17:45:49 GMT chykensa said:

Jun 1, 2014 16:16:11 GMT tomj777 said:

Nope - not about getting your act together - simply the learning curve (which in itself is addictive).

How right you are Tom, 4 months ago I avoided microcoils as they looked far too tricky. One evening I plucked up the courage, and voila, a coil which worked! The cotton wool business is also trial and error, but once you have the principles in place, you very soon learn just how much to use.
A year ago I wouldn't have even know what a Kayfun was if someone threw one at me; then I found out a bit more but once again recoiled (see what I did there!) in horror at the thought of attempting a build. Now I have two Kayfun-style clones and they are about all I use for 85% of the time, so it just goes to show what can be achieved by someone as technically unskilled as I

Alas, that learning curve never stops... nor does the thirst for it (at least I hope)...

Fortunately, there's always room for improvement in the search for The Vape of Perfection. 
And there's the stuff you think you've cracked and then... 

So... to prove my point: today...
One hand covered in Scopes Apple Pie as cotton had risen above the air hole on KF3.1 as I'd put a little bit too much very loose (low density) cotton on one side the night before....
Slightly dry but ultimately satisfying home made Apple Pie and Custard (my first successful mix) in my KFL+ as I have too much cotton between the coils (should be able to slide through without bunching but not too loose) 
One incredibly harsh hit from my Expromizer just as I clicked on "notifications" (let us call that an adverse serendipitous moment)... caused by... to be determined - was all working out just fine during the day as an occasional and I can see there's about three ml of Snake Oil in there... 

Now I always have these three atties live sitting on mods and never mind how consistent I can be over a week, there will always be days like yesterday (or today, when I see the results of me sitting down yesterday to change the cotton)...

And a friend of mine is going to come over tomorrow afternoon seeking help in building his first coil but it's only a dripper what he's just bought (turns out to be a Kraken clone which he wants to use as a dual coil auto-dripper)... Now I can only write the above because he's (to my knowledge) not on the forum.... so I shall re-watch a Youtube video and exude sham confidence