Heating coil as clean method - pics and a new discovery

[kinabaloo]

Would you recommend a lower voltage battery for this cleaning. By lower voltage, I mean one that is drained below 3.5v.

Definitely battery and not direct usb/mains powered adaptor. Probably best to keep to the standard 3.7 or less for the dry-burn. Perhaps higher in some cases, depending on the atty.

[kinabaloo]

Nice demonstration.

When heated above normal the wire should swell a bit, then shrink as it cools.
This would allow deposits to crack away and any cleaning, blowing should remove the debris.

As far as the solder receding...normally it would have air passing by it in a juice cup. Looking at your pic the solder joint and connecting wire , being larger, will act as a heat sink and I doubt it melts when drawing a puff.

Yes, nichrome wire will lightly oxidize on the surface and long term high heat and cooling will make the wire more brittle than new over time and cycles. As the cleaning occurs the carbon will pull some of the oxide off making a thinner weak spot as a new oxide layer forms.

You can buy 6% silver solder, lead free, at Radio Shack and other places.
It does have a higher temp rating.

Your test is a good one but I think its cooler than that when being used due to the airflow across it.

Tony

Air flow cooling - yes, but not always and not particularly where the solder blobs are. The connector leads i used are the standard 901 type, enamelled copper.

The dry burn is not designed to crack deposits (more likely to crack itself) but burn off a fine layer of deposit (such as just 1 day's use); carbon to carbon dioxide.

The dry burn is more likely to thicken the oxide layer than 'pull it off' (in best use practice, daily).

I think the solder blob does recede from the nichrome wire; though this does not seem to be a life-limiting factor; rather thermal stress is (plus deposit mechanical stress and thermal insulation leading to overheating if the deposit is allowed to build up.

[Taelon]

I've come back to burn-cleaning because of lazyness to use the steam-cleaner, too. But be careful with SLB DSE103 atomizers, they've got the heater cable standard electronics lead temperature soldered to the atomizer anode, not high temp soldered (brazed?), so it can get off after too much time under 4,5 V power, I had to repair one.

I use 5x 3 sec at 4,5V- / 20 sec air cooling duty cycle to clean a DSE103 atomizer and put it into 70% ethanol after that, then suck it dry with vacuum cleaner.

Has anyone found out about the heater element material? Is it PTC or classic?

[Vaporer]

In pic #4 you can see the heat sink effect. The hottest part of the coil will naturally be the middle. I compare the cleaning cycle to an ovens. These little coils arent nearly as durable. Some have stated using 6v to do a burn off. I'd consider that rough on it.
The max the battery can charge is 4.2v . I've cleaned my tough ones with 4 AA NiMH (5v) rechargeables by just touching the wires to the atty till I get a good bright red glow for maybe 2 seconds. Then let it cool. Thats hotter than a normal 5 sec puff will be. I may do this 3 times max then do my liquid cleaning. The gunk has formed because there wasnt enough heat to vaporize it, low battery , flooding..... Home recipies have oils and sugars in them and that just promotes trouble.
I don't think a drained battery would do much to clean it.
The oxide layer can only form as thick as O2 can touch the actual metal surface.

Good maint. is a good habit and should give the coil it best longivity. The more build up thats allowed to form takes more to remove.

[kinabaloo]

In pic #4 you can see the heat sink effect. The hottest part of the coil will naturally be the middle.

That's only true when the coil is dry. When the coil is wet, the hottest places are between the solder blobs and the wet coil, nearer to the blobs as the wet coil is the greater heat sink. And that is exactly where most often the nichrome will eventually 'break' - in one of the legs nearer to the solder blob that to the coil/wick.

If I took another picture with a wet coil, you'd see what i mean.

[Vaporer]

kinabaloo,

No need to take another pic. A wet wick with air being passed by would be cooler than the drop legs.

I clean when the atty feels hot and no or little vapor is being produced. Its right back to normal. If done regularly, a dip cleaning usually works well and no burn off is needed. I burn as a last resort.

In another thread it was discussed abt making a plug in coil. I just got some nichrome and will be working on that. I have a cold heat pen and am going to try to weld the connector or copper wire to the nichrome wire solderless.

I have a couple coils in a mini that have no wick and work fine.

[Vaporer]

Double post....sorry

[crazyhorse]

In another thread it was discussed abt making a plug in coil. I just got some nichrome and will be working on that. I have a cold heat pen and am going to try to weld the connector or copper wire to the nichrome wire solderless.

Very good! I'm awaiting delivery of supplies to begin my tinkering.

[Vaporer]

crazyhorse,

I just got the nichrome yesterday. I've designed/built micro rc planes/helis with circuit mods for yrs. They use lithium polymer batteries. Same max charge and min cutoff specs. I even have a simple charger that can be built low cost I plan to post soon.
I have the connector ends, even in gold plated. They are cheap and easy to obtain. Crimping the gold to the coil may eliminate any soldering.
I cant post a pic or links yet and I dont have any dud attys to actually mount it. The one I tried to take apart (my 1st) I busted the juice cup beyond repair.

I posted the place I got my wire from in the other thread. 10ft for $2 free S&H. I bought the 36ga (.005 dia) 20ohms/ft. 1 1/2" would be 3.37ohms.
I have a Blu and Janty Mini Fogger. The Blu atty is 3.4ohms and the Janty is 2.5 -2.7ohms (2 diff coils) so a 1mm core wrap ....length is good and resistance is in the right range.

I'm all for learning to make our own parts. Cheap, simple so most can do it.
Then we can maintain and design our own custom units.

[crazyhorse]

Sounds great Vaporer. If you don't mind, I would like to move this conversation over to the Attn: atomizer rebuilders thread. We can compare notes on this shared goal. I'll reply to you there later today.