Coiling a genny for a heavy gunker

[monty]

Coffee, chocolate and my home steeped baccy all gunk badly and I need to remove the wick and dry burn the gunk off the coil every tankful. It can be a pain wrestling the wick out. There's a way of coiling that helps.

I bought a set of drill bits from ebay that way I always have the right size.

What you do Select a drill bit which is just a bit to big to fit in the wick hole. Use thick Kanthal 4mm is good and wrap the coils very close together - a little shy of being a micocoil. Roll the wick so that it is not a tight fit in the wick hole. Now there is a small gap between the wick and coil. Because the gap between the turns in the coil is so small and the gap between the wick and the coil is small the gaps will support capillary action - essentially the coil is wicking. The wick is much easier to remove.

[drunkenbum]

Do you not have trouble with hotspots with a gap between the coil and wick?

[monty]

No, the gap is filled with juice because of the capillary action which isn't the case with a coil that is more spread out.

[taffevans]

Will give that a try mate.. Always found gaps between the coil and mesh give me hotspots, and to clean the coil I just heat it until glowing and run it under a hot tap, a few times like that and they clean right off..

[jevans]

Sept 25, 2016 1:42:23 GMT monty said:

It can be a pain wrestling the wick out.

I may well be preaching to the converted...

Do you not pull the wick one way about 2-3mm, cut it off, and then pull the rest of the wick out the other way?

Jim

[yourgurnard]

monty
Pretty similar to wot I've settled with now:- 26g Nichrome coiled as a micro & then 'teased out' a bit. This gives a coil tuff enuf to withstand repeated 'ins & outs' of the wick. And, as You said, hotspots don't occur...even with un-meshed S/S rope.

[taffevans]

Have you tried getting the coil glowing hot, power off and stick it under a hot running tap while its still glowing nicely.

Works for me every time, and no need to pull the mesh wick..cleans it right up..at least that's my experience with it.