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rbferg

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Yup, that would do it, although I use 70vg with the new rba deck, I didn't mod it myself..Its great when its working well though.

I thought the juice channels in your pics looked enlarged compared to my stock RBA channels. I Dremeled mine out slightly larger than that. I basically used .... Kickers wicking technique and cut my KGD cotton about 3/8" wide for my 3mm coil and ran it TIGHT through the coil and thinned it a little less on the ends (basically thinned the remaining compressed layer) and trimmed at a angle. I also let a little more wick touch the deck and used a piece of Kanthal to clear the juice channel slightly (enough to see light). I can now chain vape at will if I want, no problem!
 

Taylor7617

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Easy, don't wind contact coils....leave spaces between the turns. Spaced coils never hotleg.....can't, because there are no shorted turns.

Still care must be taken when dryburning so you don't get the legs too hot and burn the insulator.

As far as wicking for the rba....wick it very heavy.

@cigatron - so, is there an easy way to ensure consistent ID and space between the coils? I'm thinking maybe a fine drill bit or screw.
What's your method of creating a quality twisted tensioned spaced coil?
Do you torch after creating the coil (pre-installation) or pulse after installation?

Got busy this past weekend so going to set some time for coil building this coming weekend - looking forward to your thoughts/comments.

Thanks,
 

cigatron

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@cigatron - so, is there an easy way to ensure consistent ID and space between the coils? I'm thinking maybe a fine drill bit or screw.
What's your method of creating a quality twisted tensioned spaced coil?
Do you torch after creating the coil (pre-installation) or pulse after installation?

Got busy this past weekend so going to set some time for coil building this coming weekend - looking forward to your thoughts/comments.

Thanks,

I use a 6-32 screw for tension winding spaced coils. The ID of the coil ends up at about 2.8mm and the spaces are perfect.

For single strand wire no torching (pre-annealing) is required. For twisted or any other multi-strand wire I always torch the wire to red hot a few times before winding my coil. Torching makes multi-strand wire easier to work with (less springy) and forms the oxide layer needed to completely electrically isolate the strands within multi-strand wire. Simply put, they will fire perfectly from the first pulse every time.

I use a propane torch to anneal and oxidize multi-strand wires. Bic lighters won't produce enough heat. I run the torch along the wire starting at one end and work toward the other end paying close attention to how hot the wire is getting. Moving the torch at a consistant speed ensures uniform oxidation. I don't torch the wire to bright red/yellow temps, dull to medium red is sufficient. It's really easy and fast to do. The result will speak for itself..... your coil will fire perfect from the first pulse and your resistance will not change after repeated pulses.

That said, pre-annealing (torching) multi-strand wire before winding coils does work excellent for rbas and rdas where the coil legs are terminated with screws but is not something I would recommend for wick heads with rubber/silicone insulators like the kanger OCCs. You could end up having problems making good electrical connection because the oxide layer is an electrical insulator and those rubber/silicone insulators often times cannot create enough pressure to break through the oxidation layer on the wire to make good electrical contact. For the OCCs I do not torch multi-strand wire before winding my coil, rather after, and then only the turns of the coil while keeping the heat away from the legs.

Hope this helps, let us know how things work out.
 

Taylor7617

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2.8mm ID coil .......... hmm, I was thinking of trying to use something in the 2-2.5 mm range but all I've got are drill blanks and I don't think these would work well to get a consistent spacing. I'm still experimenting with tensioned micro coils but this is another alternative in the search for quality vape!

Thanks for the guidance.
 

halfempty

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2.8mm ID coil .......... hmm, I was thinking of trying to use something in the 2-2.5 mm range but all I've got are drill blanks and I don't think these would work well to get a consistent spacing. I'm still experimenting with tensioned micro coils but this is another alternative in the search for quality vape!

Thanks for the guidance.
A 4-40 machine screw will give you a 2-2.2mm ID.
 

KenD

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Has anyone drilled a hole(s) in the rba sleeve? Saw a video on youtube where it was done to help wicking heavy vg juice.
I've done it (2 mm holes), but messed up a bit and got the holes a bit off center. No dry hits, but I do have some problems with leaking if I don't get the wick just right.
 
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cigatron

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Has anyone drilled a hole(s) in the rba sleeve? Saw a video on youtube where it was done to help wicking heavy vg juice.

I have never tried it, never had to because I vape 75vg or less juice at around 30w, but I understand the physics at work. It's not so much that larger juice channels or raised juice inlets on the chimney sleeve allow for juice to flow more freely as many assert but rather that air can enter into the tank easier (at higher pressure levels (less vacuum)). The easier it is for air to enter the tank the more juice will flow into the atty. It's the same reason why keeping the wick tails away from the juice channels works better, (unrestricted air entry into the juice channels). It's also why a leaking seal above the juice level in the tank will drain your tank into your pocket.

The idea to raise the point at which AIR can enter tank is solid and supported by the physics of sealed tank vaping but is also something that the engineers at Kangertech and others have undoubtedly considered in their designs. In their case (new designs) controlled by the height of the juice channels in relation to the air/juice entry point, the latter which is set as low in the tank as possible.

If I were to attempt a modification of the air/juice entry point on a chimney sleeve I think I would start by filing slots into the bottom of the sleeve a little at time with a 2mm round jewelers file. I would start by raising the air/juice entry point .5mm, then .5mm at a time with testing cycles in between. I would probably stop filing when I realized I had gone too far....lol. That's probably why I've never attempted it but it would be nice if my STmini RBAs flowed as good as my Lemos. Just sayn'
 
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tehmidcap

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Has anyone drilled a hole(s) in the rba sleeve? Saw a video on youtube where it was done to help wicking heavy vg juice.

I'm vaping really close to 95% VG (the only PG is from the Nic base which is 50/50) and I'm not having a single issue. Once you get the wicking down the juice flows just fine, IMO.

FYI -- In case anyone missed it, REPLACEMENT MINI RBA DECKS OFFICIALLY ON SALE. Get em at VapeSuperSaver for $6.95. I'll be ordering at least 2 in the near future.
 

cigatron

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I'm vaping really close to 95% VG (the only PG is from the Nic base which is 50/50) and I'm not having a single issue. Once you get the wicking down the juice flows just fine, IMO.

FYI -- In case anyone missed it, REPLACEMENT MINI RBA DECKS OFFICIALLY ON SALE. Get em at VapeSuperSaver for $6.95. I'll be ordering at least 2 in the near future.

Ok, but so we are on the same playing field, are you lung hitting? What wattage level? Tell us about your build and wicking. Comments about performance can be very subjective without enough info.

For example: If you're chain vaping max VG at 35-40w on the largest airflow setting with no probs I would like to know how you're getting there!
 
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tehmidcap

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Ok, but so we are on the same playing field, are you lung hitting? What wattage level? Tell us about your build and wicking. Comments about performance can be very subjective without enough info.

For example: If you're chain vaping max VG at 35-40w on the largest airflow setting with no probs I would like to know how you're getting there!

3mm ID. 24 gauge, 5 wraps, ~0.5 ohms, Japanese cotton. Fairly standard/simple. I generally stay between 20-25 watts on regulated but I do use a mech sometimes (just take it a little easier with the mech). I just rewicked, this is what I start with:

0511151759_1.jpg


Then I trim it down just a bit, but not much. I try to essentially fill all of the free space on both ends, then just take a little screwdriver or something and push it back in the center so that the juice channel on each side is nice and exposed.

0511151809a_1.jpg



I chain vape when I'm home but my chain vaping may not be as extreme as others. To me chain vaping means the equivalent of chain smoking cigarettes (like lighting one up once every 20 minutes) -- I am consistently hitting it but I do take a bit of time between puffs, whether it be 10 seconds or a few minutes. I generally take about 4 second puffs.

I'm no expert, in fact this was my first rebuildable and I'm only like 2 months in -- but this suits me just fine. I don't get dry hits, I only need primer pulls if I'm really power hitting it without pauses, and I have zero leakage.
 
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Govols

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Jan 15, 2015
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I'm chain vaping max vg at 25-30 watts, lung hitting, with no problems.... How I got there: A 2.5mm ID Clapton coil (32/28 gauge) at 1.2 ohms, wicked with rayon. :p
Sent with one hand, the other is busy vaping.

Have you tried max vg with the .5 OTC coil? I've been using 70vg but have been wanting to increase my vg....can the .5 OTC. be chain vaped with that much VG?
 

USMCotaku

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Have you tried max vg with the .5 OTC coil? I've been using 70vg but have been wanting to increase my vg....can the .5 OTC. be chain vaped with that much VG?
On the coil, the most I could chain vape was 80% vg... The rba can handle max vg if wicked right (specially using rayon)
 
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USMCotaku

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Any issues or burnt hits with the 80 on the OTC? Also, did you notice any significant coil longevity issues?
No dry hit issues, I usually got about a week before needing a rewick. The only time I'd get burning or dry hits is if I didn't get the wicking right...too much/too little, when done right worked like a beast. I've been solely using the rba heads lately to run my favored Clapton coils (even the v1 full size rba works amazing with a Clapton wicked with rayon :p)
 

Govols

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Jan 15, 2015
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No dry hit issues, I usually got about a week before needing a rewick. The only time I'd get burning or dry hits is if I didn't get the wicking right...too much/too little, when done right worked like a beast. I've been solely using the rba heads lately to run my favored Clapton coils (even the v1 full size rba works amazing with a Clapton wicked with rayon :p)

Sounds good...Did you ever pick up the Subtank Plus v2, and if so do you like it?
 
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