Attn: atomizer rebuilders

[crazyhorse]

Sun, the metal foam covering the metal bridge in my atomizers is all secured to the metal foam that wraps the pot. It comes off but it don't do so good at going back on. What I was talking about in that thought is making it removable and replaceable. It's now an old and superseded thought. Regardless, without popping the guts out, doing anything with the coil is next to impossible unless you have the skills and equipment needed for micro-surgery.

[Sun Vaporer]

Sun, the metal foam covering the metal bridge in my atomizers is all secured to the metal foam that wraps the pot. It comes off but it don't do so good at going back on. What I was talking about in that thought is making it removable and replaceable. It's now an old and superseded thought. Regardless, without popping the guts out, doing anything with the coil is next to impossible unless you have the skills and equipment needed for micro-surgery.

CrasyHorse---that is so true---I thought you where referring to just taking out the bridge---trying to but anything back in without the atomizer apart can not be done. It truly is "micro-surgery" I use a 10x jewerler's mag to work on them. Your idea sounds very interesting and I hope someone can follow though with it----------Sun

[500KV]

We are proally just pi$$ing in the wind here after all, unless we all wanted to take the micro-surgery course.
And then again, retailers aren't exactly chomping at the bit to develop a lifetime atomizer I'm sure.
I think I'll just suck it up and order another 10 or 15 new ones. Kinda like oil changes, they are expendable.

[crazyhorse]

KV, as long as I can get atomizers for less than $6.00 a copy delivered, I'm happy. I'll be even happier if they last a few weeks each. I don't really want to get into the politics but the price and availability can quickly change and we are the only ones who will change the reliability and longevity.

I won't be caught all dressed up with no place to go if and when ejuice is classified as an illegal drug and the ecig is determined to be paraphernalia. What we have now is a tiny and insignificant "cottage industry" just beginning to show on the radar of giants with deep pockets who can and will squash it like a bug.

I've already laid away enough of our favorite juices to last us for years and I intend to be prepared in all other ways too. As in all areas of life, self-sufficiency rules and dependency drools. In vaping, the atomizer is the weak link. If they go up to $25 each and they're nothing but the same old junk, I won't be happy.

Rebuilding these things can't be all that difficult. With enough good minds sourcing the few things we need and others doing the math, we can soon have ourselves a quick and easy rebuild.

Basically, all we need is a way to get rid of the bridge, the best thing to use for pluggable sockets able to accept a long-tailed coil and replace the flimsy wire (think copper cap tube), standardized measurements and methods for winding a coil and the best way to unitize the atomizer parts after doing the mod. With this accomplished, when we blow a coil we pop the guts, plug in a freshly wicked and wound coil (think threading a needle), put the unit back in the shell and go on about our business.

[500KV]

CH, I agree with your assessment about the good minds and the need to come up with an alternative option.
The speed bump is, to me anyway, the cost associated with building these plug-in replacements.
This would take a lot of resources wouldn't it?
Don't get me wrong. I know it can be done once the right method is developed. I just wonder who's willing to make the investment of time and money.
Might just be best to buy a hundred of the things.

[kinabaloo]

CH, I agree with your assessment about the good minds and the need to come up with an alternative option.
The speed bump is, to me anyway, the cost associated with building these plug-in replacements.
This would take a lot of resources wouldn't it?
Don't get me wrong. I know it can be done once the right method is developed. I just wonder who's willing to make the investment of time and money.
Might just be best to buy a hundred of the things.

High cost of materials? Far from it. Of course one can't buy one inch of nichrome or a pinch of fibreglass, but cost per unit would be a few cents at most.

It is tricky work though, even just a simple rebuild.

[crazyhorse]

How much can it possibly cost KV?

Small quantities of nichrome wire cost around 20¢ a foot, delivered. We need how much, maybe an inch per unit? Then add an inch of cap tube and a grommet. How much can that be with proper sourcing? How much can ¼" of wicking material be? I'm thinking stove rope would work just fine. This would cost a few bucks for enough to do hundreds of thousand of mods. I probably have enough for a lifetime supply for the entire forum left over from re-doing my wood stove doors back in 1999.

After that, it would be soldering, no brazing required. Then we need a final finish of some type of epoxy to unitize it so it could be twisted out or punched out.

Each dead 801atomizer appears to have at least one donor part that would directly cross over to the cartridge modification with no further ado. We sacrifice one dead atomizer so another can live on. That's not a big deal.

What am I missing KV? Oh yeah, the big thing. Developing the right method. Somebody has to do the math.

[500KV]

I agree, material costs would be a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of actually building/assembling the things.
Think machinery and equipment costs and/or lots of cheap labor to do any sort of mass production, this after the technology is developed.
You're still going to have to use a coil of wire,which is the weak link now, heated with a 4 volt source and some sort of wicking material.
And can these things be mass produced and sold for less than 6 bucks?
I know I'm playing the Devil's advocate so flame away.

[crazyhorse]

Oh jeez KV, we're discussing something for you and me and every other poor sot on this forum who wants an atomizer mod we can build on our kitchen table in an hour and quickly repair as needed. Who the hell cares if they can be mass produced?

Machinery needed? Maybe a flexi shaft tool or dremel to trim down the sockets and a soldering iron to mount them to the battery connector.

Getting a coil of wire isn't a stretch. One supplier sells 10' for $2.00 delivered. A monkey can wrap it around the proper form with the wick and trim it to length

[500KV]

O.K. CH, I'm on the same page you're on now.
Yeah I'd like to know how to do that, if possible.
You did notice I said if possible?
The coil part I could manage I think.
I'm too "quick" to solder a #48 wire though.
Maybe the wife could before she had her coffee.
I'm not contributing much here I'm afraid.