Problems with rayon and kafun builds...

[ThrownClear]

I can't seem to get any longevity out of my rayon wicks... they either scorch / burn through at the coil, or else they completely discolor and I end up with a huge mound of gunk on the coil.

I feel like I'm using the right amount of rayon - tight fit, but it manages to squeak in without mangling the coil.

I typically vape my kayfun at about 11 watts. When I was building 1.2 - 1.5 ohm builds, the wicks were burning through (I'd take the chimney off, and either side of the wick would just fall out of the coil with a scorched bit in the middle). Now I'm building 2 ohm coils, and I don't seem to have the scorching problem, but I get all the gunk.

A quick note (I realize these variables might complicate matters...) - I typically use a 50/50 juice, usually either a butterscotch pudding or a vanilla cream custard (Bryce's e-juice). I typically use a nemesis with a variable wattage kick (I don't know how stable those really are as battery voltage depletes).

If there's some info you still need, let me know, if you have any advice, I'd be very grateful.

 

[State O' Flux]

I feel like I'm using the right amount of rayon - tight fit, but it manages to squeak in without mangling the coil. if you have any advice, I'd be very grateful.

Nope... tight is bad. It should pull through with a light drag. If it's squeezed down too tight, you choke off the capillary function.

 

[bholcomb22]

Yup I definitely agree with State.... Im definitely thinking you are using too much rayon. I accidentally put too much in the other night and had to do primer puffs before every hit.... I re-wicked last night with just a little resistance and it is wicking like a dream.

 

[jefsview]

Also, spaced coils cut down on gunking remarkably well.

I was going through the same issue as you, but by using the spaced coils and getting the hang of of density, I have had success! Going longer and longer on having to re-wick/rebuild instead of every week.

I vape mostly NETs and dessert/custardcreamy liquids.

 

[93gc40]

I know you say 1.2-1.5 ohm builds are burning but the 2ohm not. What gauge wire are you using? Could also be a too hot or maybe slow a coil.

 

[ThrownClear]

Nope... tight is bad. It should pull through with a light drag. If it's squeezed down too tight, you choke off the capillary function.

I will certainly give that a try... however I thought rayon had to be tighter than cotton. Doesn't rayon have a tendency to "shrink" a little bit with use?

 

[ThrownClear]

I know you say 1.2-1.5 ohm builds are burning but the 2ohm not. What gauge wire are you using? Could also be a too hot or maybe slow a coil.

Typically using 28 gauge. I'm not sure what a "too hot or slow coil" is... the coil doesn't have any visible hot spots or anything - nice glow from the inside to the outside.

After doing more research, I'm pretty sure that there's nothing I can do about the gunky buildup - that's just a side effect of my favorite juices - but I definitely want to get the scorching under control. I'm about to move away from my trusty kicked nemesis (farewell, old friend...) as a 50 watt iStick should be arriving today... I'm wondering if a full battery might not be too much for the kick.

 

[ThrownClear]

Also, spaced coils cut down on gunking remarkably well.

I was going through the same issue as you, but by using the spaced coils and getting the hang of of density, I have had success! Going longer and longer on having to re-wick/rebuild instead of every week.

I vape mostly NETs and dessert/custardcreamy liquids.

Interesting... I've been building squeezed-together microcoils for so long I'm totally out of practice trying to space them out... I will have to give that a shot.

I now have several things to test out - thanks guys!

 

[State O' Flux]

I thought rayon had to be tighter than cotton. Doesn't rayon have a tendency to "shrink" a little bit with use?

Tight and loose are different things to different people... especially when dealing with "soft" parts, like wicking materials. I make my living measuring down to one-tenthousandth of an inch tolerances... and can tell you, by feel, the difference in a fit down to .0005" and less.
I can't expect anyone, save for those who deal in precision fits daily, to have or understand that distinction... because it can take years to develop that level of consistent sensitivity.

It's a fair idea to wet rayon with juice, and install it into the coil with a very slight drag... and only a slightly tighter fit when dry. At least, that's how I do it. Sorry I can't be more specific... you may end up doing what I did, and just experiment with varying "reference" wick dimensions and fits, until you find satisfaction.

Typically using 28 gauge. I'm not sure what a "too hot or slow coil" is... the coil doesn't have any visible hot spots or anything - nice glow from the inside to the outside.

Click on my sigline hyperlinks below (they may not work with phones)... in particular Steam Engine and a SE "user guide". You will learn about coil temperatures ("heat flux") and coil lag or dwell times to functional temperature ("heat capacity"). In a perfect world, you can build to optimize heat flux, heat capacity, coil net surface area and leg power loss - against desired wattage - to arrive at a "perfect" vape. ;-)

After doing more research, I'm pretty sure that there's nothing I can do about the gunky buildup - that's just a side effect of my favorite juices - but I definitely want to get the scorching under control.

Not a damn thing. Some of my favorite juices are high VG, dark and semi-sweet. Depending on use, I have to replace wick and do a dry burn to remove all traces of juice solids residue and caramelization... every one to two days.

Doing a spaced wrap coil (as opposed to a compressed wrap) - with gaps about the width of the wire you're using - can add a little time to that... but that trick only works with a VW regulated mod, because you can offset diminished heat concentration by pushing wattage a bit past the Ohm's law formula value for a given resistance... that you're otherwise stuck with when using a mech.

I'm about to move away from my trusty kicked nemesis (farewell, old friend...) as a 50 watt iStick should be arriving today... I'm wondering if a full battery might not be too much for the kick.

Reading the second hyperlink and learning how to use Steam Engine to full effect will provide answers to all your questions.

Cheers

 

[kgs-wy]

Um, there is a whole thread dedicated to Rayon already. I know, that thread is huge, but JeremyR, the guy who started the thread, and many credit with starting whole Rayon craze here, has a blog here on ECF with quotes and links to relevant posts.

Rayon is a copper plated pain in the .... to master, but IMO it's well worth it. You don't necessarily want to hear a squeak, so much as 'feel' it. Just as a warning, rayon wicking with spaced coils are even more of a pain to master than close/contact coils; again, however, it's well worth it in the end (I got over 150 mL of juice through a dual coil build in a Rose V2 with spaced, rayon wicked coils, after all!).

Anyway, follow the links I posted above, maybe even post in the "Rayon wick, better flow, flavor, saturation and Nic Hit!" thread with your questions (be prepared if you're able to take pics of your wick 'n' coil, as you will likely be asked for some!), and more info about your atomizer (authentic, clone, etc.). The journey to rayon vaping is not an easy one, but, for many, it works out for beautiful vaping in the end. And perhaps rayon isn't for you, but organic cotton or KGD type cotton is. Everyone's different, after all! It's stayin' off of the nasty ... analogs that counts!

Anyway, keep on vaping, everyone!

-Laters...!
kgs-wy

 

[ThrownClear]

Um, there is a whole thread dedicated to Rayon already. I know, that thread is huge, but JeremyR, the guy who started the thread, and many credit with starting whole Rayon craze here, has a blog here on ECF with quotes and links to relevant posts.

Rayon is a copper plated pain in the .... to master, but IMO it's well worth it. You don't necessarily want to hear a squeak, so much as 'feel' it. Just as a warning, rayon wicking with spaced coils are even more of a pain to master than close/contact coils; again, however, it's well worth it in the end (I got over 150 mL of juice through a dual coil build in a Rose V2 with spaced, rayon wicked coils, after all!).

Anyway, follow the links I posted above, maybe even post in the "Rayon wick, better flow, flavor, saturation and Nic Hit!" thread with your questions (be prepared if you're able to take pics of your wick 'n' coil, as you will likely be asked for some!), and more info about your atomizer (authentic, clone, etc.). The journey to rayon vaping is not an easy one, but, for many, it works out for beautiful vaping in the end. And perhaps rayon isn't for you, but organic cotton or KGD type cotton is. Everyone's different, after all! It's stayin' off of the nasty ... analogs that counts!

Anyway, keep on vaping, everyone!

-Laters...!
kgs-wy

My first stop was the giant rayon thread, but due to sudden-onset-idiocy*, I wasn't able to find the "search in thread" option (it was right there staring me in the face), and as I didn't have a month to spend reading through all zillion pages, I went ahead and posted here.

I have had great luck with my new iStick 50W. I'm still on my first tank, but I can tell you right off that I haven't tasted any scorched rayon. I really think that, as awesome as the VV and VW kicks were a year-plus ago (my nemesis was SO much prettier than any of the other VW devices back then), I think it was sending too many volts when the battery was fresh, and too few once it got below 3.5 volts or so.

I'll post again once I have a look at my newest wick - but I want to thank you all for the recommendations. I used a little less rayon on my most recent build, which made re-wicking less stressful, and now that I've found the "search in thread" option again, I'll go look for some more advice in the rayon-thread behemoth.

*the idiocy returns... now I can't find the "search in thread" option again...
**nope. It's not me... some threads have a "search thread" option... some don't. I think that's... weird.