You roll a great Coil. As you’re mounting it through the hole, you tighten the screw down. Then…. SNAP!! The coil breaks off, and you have to make another one and repeat the procedure. It usually happens on rba’s in which you thread the Kanthal through the post holes, and then tighten the screw down.
It’s happened a few times on my RM2, and many other times on my Drippers. I spent an hour the other day trying to mount 4 coils; but however, each time resulted in a … ‘Snap’!! I knew what was causing it, but was hoping it would dull the screw each time it claimed my coil …to the point of allowing me to tighten it down more each time. But it didn’t happen. This particular screw just wasn’t budging. It snapped the wire as soon as I barely screwed it down into the post.
Cause:
The tiny screws were cut and rolled at the manufacturer, and then put through a threading process that leaves a sharp ring on the outer edge. This sharp edge can cause two common problems.
Solving:
Get some masking tape, and cut off an inch. Put a tiny hole in the tape, and push the screw through the hole (on the sticky side). Fold the tape around the screw so that it sticks together around the screw head. The tape will help protect the screw from scratching as you hold it with wire pliers. And will keep you off your hands and knees all night (unless you like that sorta thing) looking for the screw when it pops out of the wire pliers.
Take a Dremel, and smooth the edges. You just want to lightly touch the screw enough to smooth it. That’s all.
Problem solved!! You can tighten the screw as much as you want, and it shouldn’t snap the wire. It will BEND the wire inside the hole… instead of CUTTING it.
It’s happened a few times on my RM2, and many other times on my Drippers. I spent an hour the other day trying to mount 4 coils; but however, each time resulted in a … ‘Snap’!! I knew what was causing it, but was hoping it would dull the screw each time it claimed my coil …to the point of allowing me to tighten it down more each time. But it didn’t happen. This particular screw just wasn’t budging. It snapped the wire as soon as I barely screwed it down into the post.
Cause:
The tiny screws were cut and rolled at the manufacturer, and then put through a threading process that leaves a sharp ring on the outer edge. This sharp edge can cause two common problems.
- It will snap thinner gauge wire in half when enough torque is applied to the screw.
- Accurate Ohm readings can be affected because the screw works itself loose from the posts. This causes Ohm fluctuation, and could cause shorts as well.
Solving:
Get some masking tape, and cut off an inch. Put a tiny hole in the tape, and push the screw through the hole (on the sticky side). Fold the tape around the screw so that it sticks together around the screw head. The tape will help protect the screw from scratching as you hold it with wire pliers. And will keep you off your hands and knees all night (unless you like that sorta thing) looking for the screw when it pops out of the wire pliers.
Take a Dremel, and smooth the edges. You just want to lightly touch the screw enough to smooth it. That’s all.
Problem solved!! You can tighten the screw as much as you want, and it shouldn’t snap the wire. It will BEND the wire inside the hole… instead of CUTTING it.
