Merlin by Augvape and Roxy
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I stand corrected in my opinion that the Merlins seeping was oring problem, the kanger subtank oring swap didn't work. It seeped just as bad over time. Yesterday I took my Merlin apart and tried the page 62 and 63 take apart of the base to no avail, couldnt hit it apart then chickened out.
If I had of known that the Merlin was a pressfit atty I would have 2nd guessed buying them so I'm assuming the seeping is pressfit related and no amount of taking apart and hammering will fix the seeping, from my prior experience with kanger airflow adapter pressfit constantly coming apart, like mentioned earlier its the machining of the base.
My Merlin is black so its seeping where the black meets the stainless, getting between and no where near any orings to stop it and seeps out the bottom edge
I used a protank base oring, its small thin and can be stretched to fit the base. A lot of the orings I had were to thick and couldn't get the chimney to fit without almost forcing it on thinking you're buckling the oring.
Just slide the PT oring down to there the 2 pieces meet. Once in place the chimney went on very easily, you can feel the oring grab some but the chimney went on nice. The juice control is tight now and doesn't turn as easily as before but still turns and the holes don't align perfectly with the 2 pieces.
I did this yesterday afternoon and today still no seeping today. Its kind of a bandaid and chewing gum fix but hey the top of my hitter is dry.
If I had of known that the Merlin was a pressfit atty I would have 2nd guessed buying them so I'm assuming the seeping is pressfit related and no amount of taking apart and hammering will fix the seeping, from my prior experience with kanger airflow adapter pressfit constantly coming apart, like mentioned earlier its the machining of the base.
My Merlin is black so its seeping where the black meets the stainless, getting between and no where near any orings to stop it and seeps out the bottom edge
I used a protank base oring, its small thin and can be stretched to fit the base. A lot of the orings I had were to thick and couldn't get the chimney to fit without almost forcing it on thinking you're buckling the oring.
Just slide the PT oring down to there the 2 pieces meet. Once in place the chimney went on very easily, you can feel the oring grab some but the chimney went on nice. The juice control is tight now and doesn't turn as easily as before but still turns and the holes don't align perfectly with the 2 pieces.
I did this yesterday afternoon and today still no seeping today. Its kind of a bandaid and chewing gum fix but hey the top of my hitter is dry.
^^
Yeah…'thin' is the key for this o-ring….I tried with another one…it fit in diameter but I just couldn't get the deck to screw into place.
Yeah…'thin' is the key for this o-ring….I tried with another one…it fit in diameter but I just couldn't get the deck to screw into place.
I just jumped on the bandwagon and I like mine so far BUT,does anyone know where I could pick up replacement slotted or phillips screws to replace the grub screws?
Another source for just about any screw you could want (assuming you know the size) is McMaster-Carr
I totally understand the chickening out part as I too would be wary but according too cc it fixed his seeping problem.I know @ricks took one apart maybe he will jump in.I am pretty sure he just took his defective original base apart.Not sure if he tried to reassemble it.I stand corrected in my opinion that the Merlins seeping was oring problem, the kanger subtank oring swap didn't work. It seeped just as bad over time. Yesterday I took my Merlin apart and tried the page 62 and 63 take apart of the base to no avail, couldnt hit it apart then chickened out.
If I had of known that the Merlin was a pressfit atty I would have 2nd guessed buying them so I'm assuming the seeping is pressfit related and no amount of taking apart and hammering will fix the seeping, from my prior experience with kanger airflow adapter pressfit constantly coming apart, like mentioned earlier its the machining of the base.
My Merlin is black so its seeping where the black meets the stainless, getting between and no where near any orings to stop it and seeps out the bottom edge
I used a protank base oring, its small thin and can be stretched to fit the base. A lot of the orings I had were to thick and couldn't get the chimney to fit without almost forcing it on thinking you're buckling the oring.
Just slide the PT oring down to there the 2 pieces meet. Once in place the chimney went on very easily, you can feel the oring grab some but the chimney went on nice. The juice control is tight now and doesn't turn as easily as before but still turns and the holes don't align perfectly with the 2 pieces.
I did this yesterday afternoon and today still no seeping today. Its kind of a bandaid and chewing gum fix but hey the top of my hitter is dry.
ccwaters-AFC now correct/tighter, JFC a little tighter, Seeping now 100% gone. Overall after taking the Merlin apart 100%, I find the deck to be very well designed, easily user serviced by anyone with a modicum of mechanical ability.
I've taken one of mine apart several times -- mostly to figure out how to do it and to take pictures for those who were too scared to open theirs.
No issues getting it back together as well as no leaks that I didn't ask for.
I haven't opened a v2 yet to see if there are any differences in oring sizes. Maybe I'll do it and make a quick video to show how simple it is.
I tried the vice grip to crack the merlin open and no werky for me. I read that someone used a old mech tube. Remove the pin and insulator from the merlin. Look inside and see a ridge, make sure what your using to hit(drill bit) fits inside that ridge to the thread looking further down. Put the merlin posts down onto the mech and tap. It came apart quite easily...gotta love pressfit. 
I had to shelve all three of my Merlin's because of leaking, very sad, but bought a Tobeco Kafun 5 and all smiles again. The Tobeco Kayfun 5 airflow is the smoothest airflow I've ever had and no leaks at all. I loved it so much I had to get 4 more.
I have done my 3rd and final try at fixing my seepy merlin. If this don't work my merlins are ending up being shelved. I can't be bothered with a leaky atty.
It was splitting the base apart and seeing exactly how its seeping and the entire seeping issue is "pressfit", if its not machined perfectly neither oring'd its going to leak. My other attempts ended up as failures, eventually seeped overnight.
The knurled juice ring has a groove on the bottom that looks like it needs a oring, groove too deep and wide for the orings supplied. I bought a stash of orings from the auto store eons ago and they are much thicker than atty orings. I sized one up that was taller than the groove height but not big enough to sit in the groove without popping out so I put it on the post part of the assembly and pushed the JFC down and felt it force the oring into the groove and I can feel it grabbing as I'm turning the JFC.
Put the base on a socket then with another longer socket on top I tapped my merlin back together, both the AFC and JFC spin a lot less freely as before but spin nicely.
Built a .5ohm 24 gauge spaced rayon coil and wicked it like this video .Longer tails, having no wick showing inside the juice wells, having some of the rayon outside the juice well in the other open area to gather excess juice and having the JFC only open a smidgen, like I can't even get a pin into the opening. Its been vaping great all day. I have never closed the AFC nor JFC while filling but now with the added oring the JFC doesn't drift as I'm opening the top to refill.
This was yesterday morning and this morning not a ioda of seepage so maybe this is the ticket but see if it holds in time.
For what its worth I didn't like the dark glass, made it hard to see the juice holes. In my researching I read that someone scratched the black off the glass with a knife blade, so took a Olfa knife blade under running water and removed all the black and now I have a clear glass insert so I don't have to order clear glass now.
I have to do the other merlin but today is a full day for me (friends wedding) and prolly not get to it till my hangover settles sometime tomorrow.
I really, really, really hope this works cause these merlins are a super great atty and a shame to have to put them on the shelf for leaking.
It was splitting the base apart and seeing exactly how its seeping and the entire seeping issue is "pressfit", if its not machined perfectly neither oring'd its going to leak. My other attempts ended up as failures, eventually seeped overnight.
The knurled juice ring has a groove on the bottom that looks like it needs a oring, groove too deep and wide for the orings supplied. I bought a stash of orings from the auto store eons ago and they are much thicker than atty orings. I sized one up that was taller than the groove height but not big enough to sit in the groove without popping out so I put it on the post part of the assembly and pushed the JFC down and felt it force the oring into the groove and I can feel it grabbing as I'm turning the JFC.
Put the base on a socket then with another longer socket on top I tapped my merlin back together, both the AFC and JFC spin a lot less freely as before but spin nicely.
Built a .5ohm 24 gauge spaced rayon coil and wicked it like this video .Longer tails, having no wick showing inside the juice wells, having some of the rayon outside the juice well in the other open area to gather excess juice and having the JFC only open a smidgen, like I can't even get a pin into the opening. Its been vaping great all day. I have never closed the AFC nor JFC while filling but now with the added oring the JFC doesn't drift as I'm opening the top to refill.
This was yesterday morning and this morning not a ioda of seepage so maybe this is the ticket but see if it holds in time.
For what its worth I didn't like the dark glass, made it hard to see the juice holes. In my researching I read that someone scratched the black off the glass with a knife blade, so took a Olfa knife blade under running water and removed all the black and now I have a clear glass insert so I don't have to order clear glass now.
I have to do the other merlin but today is a full day for me (friends wedding) and prolly not get to it till my hangover settles sometime tomorrow.
I really, really, really hope this works cause these merlins are a super great atty and a shame to have to put them on the shelf for leaking.
I will gladly accept/foster unwanted Merlin's .
You can soak the glass in warm soapy water to assist in removing the tint.
You can soak the glass in warm soapy water to assist in removing the tint.
Ya tomorrow sometime I'll take pics of what I did but to the 2nd merlin, really not much else other than adding a thick automotive oring onto the bottom groove of the JFC, but you have to take it apart to see what I mean. The oring could be my fix or breaking apart and reassembling the atty could be the fix...I dunno. I don't see any metal to metal contact being able to seal any liquid from getting through eventually. Now that I have broken the factory pressfit bond its just that much weaker now and I am assuming in time its going to slowly come apart on its own so now every so often I'm going to have to reset the base as I had to do with the kanger AFC's that began to come apart.
If breaking the press fit bond is going to accelerate the weakening of the seal over time, I'd be leery of it.
Im also reading of people who have wicked a bit differently….putting some cotton in the area just beside the wicking cup…and just a bit of cotton down the actual cup so its just poking above the top of the juice holes. They are also opening the jfc just a quarter or a half of its full size…..I might just try that next time….nothing to lose.
Im also reading of people who have wicked a bit differently….putting some cotton in the area just beside the wicking cup…and just a bit of cotton down the actual cup so its just poking above the top of the juice holes. They are also opening the jfc just a quarter or a half of its full size…..I might just try that next time….nothing to lose.
Since I've been using Ekowool in my Merlins I have not a drop of liquid in the air chambers. When I used cottons or Rayon I would have to dry inside the chamber just about every other refill. It wasn't leaking, it was just wet in there. I thought it was just condensation also. Don't know how or why it's different???
I am currently on my 11th refill with the same wick and coil on both my Merlins so far with the Ekowool set up. Love these tanks...
I am currently on my 11th refill with the same wick and coil on both my Merlins so far with the Ekowool set up. Love these tanks...
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