My first freakshow build

[OlderNDirt]

Well, in spite of dealing with essential tremors, this old guy finally made an attempt at building my own coils. Although it took me a while (but time for me is in good supply ), it seems to have turned out OK. Here are a couple pics and your criticisms are welcome.

My build is kanthal A1, 24g, 9 wraps, 2.5 id and ohmed at 0.35. I am reasonably happy with vapor results, but flavor is a bit hard to determine since I used a new flavor this first time. Yeah, need to use something I am used to for checking that out...will do that on next wicking.

Anyway, as this is my first build, I would appreciate your feedback on this and any recommendations for changing anything for better results. Thx!

 

[McAnythingReally]

For a first time builder, and somebody who has tremors, those look phenomenal! Contact looks great, legs are nicely sized and very well bent to avoid a hot leg.
Only 2 points of constructive criticism that I can find for you:
1.) Your coil on the right in your photos(More specifically the 2nd) looks to be sitting a bit higher than the coil on the left, you want to try and get those even so that both sit nicely aligned with the air flow. It takes a bit of getting used to, but a nice glance from the side always helps to see if they are lined up
2.) Again with the coil on the right it looks like you may have been a little to light with the wick, as it seems to have a bit of a gap between the last wrap and the cotton, and this can create some spitting over time, you may also find that the coil on the right dries the cotton out quicker than the coil on the left due to this as well. On both coils I would probably recommend to trim the wicks a bit more, so that they're just touching the build deck(Bottom of juice well) The extra cotton down there can sometimes retain juice that wont move, and this leads to a not so nice tasting experience over time.

But as I stated in the beginning, for a first timer, this is phenomenal work, you can really tell the time and effort went into it. Keep up the great work, and as always stay safe and have fun!

 

[CharTech]

Looks great... much better than my first build.

 

[SLIPPY_EEL]

My ocd is kicking in
Sometime's in some atty's you might need to gain all the room you can between the end of the coil and the side wall of the atty, so as you don't end up with a wick that is being choked, a little tip is to either move your coil's to the opposite corner's(other post holes) or wrap your coil's in the opposite direction to what you have, having said this you look good and free from any choke.

 

[OlderNDirt]

For a first time builder, and somebody who has tremors, those look phenomenal! Contact looks great, legs are nicely sized and very well bent to avoid a hot leg.
Only 2 points of constructive criticism that I can find for you:
1.) Your coil on the right in your photos(More specifically the 2nd) looks to be sitting a bit higher than the coil on the left, you want to try and get those even so that both sit nicely aligned with the air flow. It takes a bit of getting used to, but a nice glance from the side always helps to see if they are lined up
2.) Again with the coil on the right it looks like you may have been a little to light with the wick, as it seems to have a bit of a gap between the last wrap and the cotton, and this can create some spitting over time, you may also find that the coil on the right dries the cotton out quicker than the coil on the left due to this as well. On both coils I would probably recommend to trim the wicks a bit more, so that they're just touching the build deck(Bottom of juice well) The extra cotton down there can sometimes retain juice that wont move, and this leads to a not so nice tasting experience over time.

But as I stated in the beginning, for a first timer, this is phenomenal work, you can really tell the time and effort went into it. Keep up the great work, and as always stay safe and have fun!

Thanks!

On 1.) I noticed when I was almost done before wicking, the leg on that side was hanging a bit funny and close to the base, so lifted it a bit. Probably should have started over, but was a bit anxious on my first build, LOL!

I had a feeling my wicking was a bit funky and will take your advice when I re-wick which will probably come soon. I was also wondering if wire gauge and/or inside diameter adjustments might make for improvement.

Thanks again to you and CharTech for the compliments!

 

[McAnythingReally]

Personally the setup you have on there right now is the one that I use for my Regulated Mod builds! I have found 2.5mm to be my sweet spot for most of my coils lately, gives me a nicer flavor and a smoother vape than 3mm for some reason. But that is what I prefer as I like a slightly warmer vape, and 2.5 seems to get me there easier. Seems to deliver the best blend of clouds and flavor for me.

When it comes to coil builds, the best thing to do is experiment. Grab yourself a few rolls of some wire, and have at with playing around. Using the calculator over at Steam Engine(Coil wrapping) will allow you to play around with different gauges and ID on coils.

 

[OlderNDirt]

My ocd is kicking in
Sometime's in some atty's you might need to gain all the room you can between the end of the coil and the side wall of the atty, so as you don't end up with a wick that is being choked, a little tip is to either move your coil's to the opposite corner's(other post holes) or wrap your coil's in the opposite direction to what you have, having said this you look good and free from any choke.

I hear what you are saying! I was a little conflicted on that since I watched a video suggesting aligning the edge of the coil with the edge of the air channel rather then centering. Others stressed centering, so I think I ended up with a "tweener" on that!! I also saw a video where they "pinched" the legs with a needle nose so they came out of the coil level, but I forgot that when building. Either way, I'll try reversing them next build. Thx!

 

[OlderNDirt]

Personally the setup you have on there right now is the one that I use for my Regulated Mod builds! I have found 2.5mm to be my sweet spot for most of my coils lately, gives me a nicer flavor and a smoother vape than 3mm for some reason. But that is what I prefer as I like a slightly warmer vape, and 2.5 seems to get me there easier. Seems to deliver the best blend of clouds and flavor for me.

When it comes to coil builds, the best thing to do is experiment. Grab yourself a few rolls of some wire, and have at with playing around. Using the calculator over at Steam Engine(Coil wrapping) will allow you to play around with different gauges and ID on coils.

I only use regulated, so that is good to know. I used steam engine to calculate my build, but only have 24 gauge kanthal that came with the Coil Master DIY kit. Will have to make do with that until I get to the city (rural living sucks sometimes) or have enough other stuff to order.

 

[Vaping!!!Jables]

GOOD job man,good job.

San Antonio,Texas

 

[rico942]

Well, in spite of dealing with essential tremors ...

As a retired mechanical engineer, those coils look much better than many similar ones I've seen in commercial non-vaping devices ...

I was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2014, and vaping has helped me immensely in controlling the tremors for short periods of time. Even my neurologist is on board with this ...

 

[TheRussianVaper]

Very nice, I bet the taste is good too