How to: sub ohm rebuild the Kanger OCC

[lamensterms]

Getting the wick right is a pain on these. I still miss up once in a while and I've rebuilt more than I'd care to know.

The reason I say not to use cotton bacon with Nichrome is a lot of people I know & myself find the combo has a bad flavor. Other people say they don't taste it so feel free to try for yourself and if it doesn't taste bad to you thats good as I prefer bacon otherwise.

Thanks for the reply. I've just rewicked two originall OCC coils (not rebuilt, only rewicked) with Cotton Bacon. On both I was getting a really foul taste (in the nose and in the back of the throat). I thought I might have been vaping too hard and getting dry hits, or even burning the wicks. But I broke down both coils and there was no sign of burning wicks or burned insulators (it was the stock coils - NR-R-NR, so the insulators should have been fine). I'm starting to think maybe I put too little bacon in there and perhaps the juice itself was getting burned. Have you ever experienced anything like that? Haha, it's a fine line. Next time i'm going to jam a bit more wick in and see if that helps any.

 

[iTiger]

I have rewicked a couple stock coils and when i did i used my torch to burn them clean before putting the fresh cotton and reassemble them.

You'll get a feel for wicking them as you go. Like i said in the first post you want snug but not tight inside the coil. And dont forget to cut it a little past the frame and tuck it back in how the stock coils were.

 

[raitizz]

I have rewicked a couple stock coils and when i did i used my torch to burn them clean before putting the fresh cotton and reassemble them.

You'll get a feel for wicking them as you go. Like i said in the first post you want snug but not tight inside the coil. And dont forget to cut it a little past the frame and tuck it back in how the stock coils were.

Can't one just dry-burn the coils the way you do with the RBA, with the old wick removed?

Thanks,
R

 

[iTiger]

Can't one just dry-burn the coils the way you do with the RBA, with the old wick removed?

Thanks,
R

No its not advised because the nr legs will still get got and can melt the insulators.

 

[raitizz]

No its not advised because the nr legs will still get got and can melt the insulators.

Alright, then. Torch it is.

R

 

[iTiger]

Ok as promised vertical coil build.

This is both harder and easier at the same time than the standard build.

Start by removing the top from the frame as you will need it off for this build.
As is my default for these OCC coils I started with a 6" long 26g Nichrome wire.
First wrap a tight coil on a 3.5mm or 9/64" bit (6/7 or 7/8 wrap. 7/8 is easier IMHO but has a higher resistance) I then torched the coil to burn off the machine oil and pinch it tighter together.

Bend 1 leg straight down (this will be your positive)

Then start a slight bend to the other leg (this will be your negative)

Now is where things get fun... Time to wick the coil. You'll need a length of cotton (figure 4" to start to be safe) and about the same width as the coil.
Pre wet the cotton with e-juice (I used unflavored 100% VG so it wouldn't affect the flavor of juice I put into it after building). Place one end on the coil under the negative leg. Then fold the negative leg down to hold the cotton.

Then continue wrapping the cotton around the coil. At this point its up to you to compare the wrapped coil to the hole in the frame and cut any extra cotton until when wrapped it will fit snug but not too tight inside the frame or it will not properly wick.

Slide the coil with cotton into the top of the frame.
It is not necessary that the coil is exactly dead center. Then finish bending the legs and assemble the bottom as normal. Then put the top back onto the frame.

My 6/7 wrap coils are right around 0.59Ω - 0.62Ω and my 7/8 wrap coils came out to 0.66Ω - 0.70Ω

I must say I'm way happier with these vertical coil rebuilds than the standard horizontal rebuilds & factory coils. The flavor is way better and still have good vapor. Also once I got the wicking right there has been no dry hits or flooding so far.

I'm still playing with other builds but I'm going to have to get more wire before I can try them more.

 

[Deathscythe]

I've just started rebuilding these myself with 4 or 5 wraps of 27g Kanthal and can't get under 1 ohm. Is the Nichrome suggested for getting to .5? If so i will order some right away.

 

[iTiger]

If you want .5Ω or close to it use Nichrome.

 

[John0278]

Silica Wick can be bad for you. Or so I've read. I stay away from it. Only Organic Cotton for me!

 

[John0278]

Nichrome!!!!! Love IT!

 

[iTiger]

Just wanted to let those that liked this know that I've switched to rayon for wicking these occ coils as it has better flavor and wicks better.
But be prewarned that you should wet and fire it a bit before using it or that fresh build weird taste will be crazy bad at first.

After I rebuild I wet the rayon with pure VG and fire it a few times then tuck them into little zipper bags.

 

[Diver9543]

Thank you iTiger. I just rebuilt two of my OCC coils and can't be happier. I was worried at first that it would be really difficult. Wow, was I ever wrong. Both turned out great and neither of them leaked a bit. Nice smooth draw and great flavor. I used two pairs of Craftsman Robo Grips and pulled the top off. It gave me plenty of room to work.

 

[iTiger]

Diver glad it worked well for you.

I use 2 pairs of pliers with electronic tape wrapped around teeth so I don't chew up the frames when taking the tops off.

 

[ashtrayogdc]

Diver glad it worked well for you.

I use 2 pairs of pliers with electronic tape wrapped around teeth so I don't chew up the frames when taking the tops off.

nice tip!

 

[StirCwazy]

I've always used kanthal, never tried nichrome. I own 5 subtanks, 3 mini and 2 nano, and always rebuild my coils. 5/4 wrap 26g and always got around .65-.7. Once I read your post I wanted to give nicrhome a shot. I purchased 50ft of Nichrome 80 from lightningvapes and I'll be honest, after numerous attempts I still can't get to .5~ Ω. I wrap a 5/4 standard coil, small gaps, on a 3.5mm rod and still I'm some how getting .65Ω+. It's starting to bother me, it's getting to me. What am I doing wrong

 

[iTiger]

That's a bit strange I'm questioning the wire you got.

Wrap your coil on a 3mm I'd.

 

[StirCwazy]

That's a bit strange I'm questioning the wire you got.

Wrap your coil on a 3mm I'd.

That's the first thing that I thought as well. It's almost like I got 26g kanthal instead. I'll try a 3mm, but enjoying 3.5mm due to the increase wick size which gives me a little more room to increase the wattage and still not get dry hits. I'll report back.

Thanks for the suggestion iTiger, good way to judge the wire.

 

[StirCwazy]

That's a bit strange I'm questioning the wire you got.

Wrap your coil on a 3mm I'd.

I contacted Lightning Vapes regarding the NiChrome 80 I purchased and was sent another spool. Oddly enough, same issue as before. I've tried several 5/4 spaced at 3.5mm inside diameter and continue to get higher than expected. After a few failed attempts I tried it at 3mm, as you suggested, and still it was around .67Ω. Something with the coil head maybe? I can't think of anything regarding the coil head that could cause that, but I'm fresh out of ideas.

 

[iTiger]

That's not right at all.
If you have a local vape shop you could always try getting 1 foot of Nichrome from them.

Only issue I've seen on the heads is the why are going through the insulator causing lo or no ohm

 

[StirCwazy]

That's not right at all.
If you have a local vape shop you could always try getting 1 foot of Nichrome from them.

Only issue I've seen on the heads is the why are going through the insulator causing lo or no ohm

Nobody carries it around here, already tried. The only thing I haven't tried, which was suggested by Lightning Vapes, is testing the nichrome I got from them and kanthal using a magnet. Nichrome should be noticeably less magnetic than the kanthal.