VAMO Owners - Pics, Tips, Tricks and Quirks

[Aurora-Oblivion]

Guess I'll have to consider this once mine starts looking like crap, will do in blue and black sparkle!
Carbon Fiber Effect airbrush *Tutorial* - TBCS Community Forums

Or, order a sheet of the fiber linked above? Not sure which would look better. Hopefully someone will get some of that and mod theirs then show us. That fiber is probably a better idea, since it would give some grip to the Vamo.

 

[jackbox]

Guess I'll have to consider this once mine starts looking like crap, will do in blue and black sparkle!
Carbon Fiber Effect airbrush *Tutorial* - TBCS Community Forums

Or, order a sheet of the fiber linked above? Not sure which would look better. Hopefully someone will get some of that and mod theirs then show us. That fiber is probably a better idea, since it would give some grip to the Vamo.

I've used the carbon fiber wrap on an Elegance in the past and it looked good.

 

[XfooYen]

Guess I'll have to consider this once mine starts looking like crap, will do in blue and black sparkle!
Carbon Fiber Effect airbrush *Tutorial* - TBCS Community Forums

Or, order a sheet of the fiber linked above? Not sure which would look better. Hopefully someone will get some of that and mod theirs then show us. That fiber is probably a better idea, since it would give some grip to the Vamo.

I wouldn't use acrylic paint on something that was going to be in my hand all the time. It'll just wear. Better to just skin it. Vamo skinz coming soon.

 

[XfooYen]

Yeah. Like that.

 

[Aurora-Oblivion]

Ya, but that's not the same as what's linked a page or so back right? Isn't that slick sticker style, I mean with no real "Feel" to the carbon effect?

It looks good though, so ya no matter how you get it done it's going to look better than the splotchy black once they start to wear off!

 

[Aurora-Oblivion]

I wouldn't use acrylic paint on something that was going to be in my hand all the time. It'll just wear. Better to just skin it. Vamo skinz coming soon.

I'd use enamel, and 3 coats of clear, then seal wax it after a week or so. I think it would stay on there good and not wear, but it would be a lot more work to tear it all down as opposed to just skinning it with a sticker or carbon film.

 

[jackbox]

Ya, but that's not the same as what's linked a page or so back right? Isn't that slick sticker style, I mean with no real "Feel" to the carbon effect?

It looks good though, so ya no matter how you get it done it's going to look better than the splotchy black once they start to wear off!

Picture I posted is 3M carbon fiber adhesive sheet with real carbon fiber. It has a tactile feel also. Very nice but expensive. Small sheet costs around $10 with shopping.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Aurora-Oblivion]

Sorry, thought it looked like paint or sticker, might just be the light or pic itself.

Is the top the same as the bottom in that pic, or just the bottom is the carbon fiber sheet with tactile feel? Does it have a good gripping feel to it, I mean just better/easier to hold than the original slick surface of the Vamo? I was thinking about some diagonal pin-striping with the carbon fiber, just thin strips for grip purposes, until I saw how easily the black comes off

 

[jackbox]

Sorry, thought it looked like paint or sticker, might just be the light or pic itself.

Is the top the same as the bottom in that pic, or just the bottom is the carbon fiber sheet with tactile feel? Does it have a good gripping feel to it, I mean just better/easier to hold than the original slick surface of the Vamo? I was thinking about some diagonal pin-striping with the carbon fiber, just thin strips for grip purposes, until I saw how easily the black comes off

Top and bottom of the tube are the same. The section with the button does not have the sticker.

 

[Aurora-Oblivion]

Thanks, must just be the lighting in that pic then!

So, how's the feel of that, decent enough grip to not be slippery or very light?

 

[jackbox]

Thanks, must just be the lighting in that pic then!

So, how's the feel of that, decent enough grip to not be slippery or very light?

I don't have it any more as i sold it on the classifieds a few months back. It had a nice, textured feel to it and was not slippery. It is relatively easy to apply, removable and reusable. If you want I can get a link from my brother where to buy it, as he bought some and gave me his remnants, which were enough to cover the Elegance as shown in the pic. It's main use is to add carbon fiber detail to high end sports cars so I assume it is pretty durable as well.

 

[DeadPerfect]

glad igrabbed the chrome. wanted ss though. if you want a rubber grip type to hide the wear, you can cover that .... with heat shrink tubing. its a quick cheap job too. or you could make a quick, glossy, grippy one with plasti-dip
Performix 11203 Plasti Dip Multipurpose Rubber Coating, Black - 11 oz. - Amazon.com

 

[CountSmackula]

I'd thought about plasti-dip, but didn't think about heat shrink tubing. Do they make heat shrink tubing in 1"-ish size? I think I'd like that better than plasti-dip.

 

[DeadPerfect]

not sure. amzon got some large heat shrink tubing. also this store has all sizes and colors
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/shrink-tubing/wire-management/electrical/ecatalog/N-8ii?sst=subset

 

[XfooYen]

I'd thought about plasti-dip, but didn't think about heat shrink tubing. Do they make heat shrink tubing in 1"-ish size? I think I'd like that better than plasti-dip.

Between the two, I'd go with the plasti-dip. You won't be able to heat-shrink the bottom or top effectively. At least with plasti-dip you can mask the 510 connector and spray the top. you can spray the bottom cap with a plug in the vent hole.

 

[XfooYen]

So my Vamo was heating up a bit last night at the bottom. No too much but it was noticeable. I took out the battery (new AW-IMR 18650 near full charge) and looked at the spring. There must have been a short because the inside of the cap looked a little burnt where the coil sits around the "nub". Disconcerting to say the least. Neither the battery nor the positive connector, showed signs of damage. I figured that the bottom spring was the culprit. It's really flimsy. Too weak imo for a boosted circuit. I went out today thinking it would be easy to find a battery spring but let me tell you. It ain't. I went to 3 hardware stores including Home Depot and Radio Shack and none had what I needed. I ended up at Fry's Electronics looking in the flashlight parts section. Still nothing! On a whim the cheapest flashlight they had was this. I couldn't open it in the store so I was flying blind. It was a $6 gamble so I figured wth. WHen I got home and opened it up, EUREKA! The spring inside is the same size and noticeably sturdier than the Vamo's. I just had to snip a bit off the bottom of the coil and widen the connecting end. I cleaned the cap with 90% rubbing alcohol and snapped on the new spring. It fits more snugly and has better contact with the body. The 18650 has absolutely NO RATTLE anymore as well. Since using it, the Vamo has been totally cool to the touch even when chain firing. If you don't want to pay and wait for shipping, and need a spring replacement that fits our mod, this product has one. Toys-R-Us has the same one as well. If you don't like Spider Man, you can get Spongebob, Dora, Hello Kitty, and Batman.

 

[jackbox]

So my Vamo was heating up a bit last night at the bottom. No too much but it was noticeable. I took out the battery (new AW-IMR 18650 near full charge) and looked at the spring. There must have been a short because the inside of the cap looked a little burnt where the coil sits around the "nub". Disconcerting to say the least. Neither the battery nor the positive connector, showed signs of damage. I figured that the bottom spring was the culprit. It's really flimsy. Too weak imo for a boosted circuit. I went out today thinking it would be easy to find a battery spring but let me tell you. It ain't. I went to 3 hardware stores including Home Depot and Radio Shack and none had what I needed. I ended up at Fry's Electronics looking in the flashlight parts section. Still nothing! On a whim the cheapest flashlight they had was this. I couldn't open it in the store so I was going blind. It was a $6 gamble so I figured wth. WHen I got home and opened it up, EUREKA! The spring inside is the same size and noticeably sturdier than the Vamo's. I just had to snip a bit off the bottom of the coil and widen the connecting end. I cleaned the cap with 90% rubbing alcohol and snapped on the new spring. It fits more snugly and has better contact with the body. The 18650 has absolutely NO RATTLE anymore as well. Since using it, the Vamo has been totally cool to the touch even when chain firing. If you don't want to pay and wait for shipping, and need a spring replacement that fits our mod, this product has one. Toys-R-Us has the same one as well. If you don't like Spider Man, you can get Spongebob, Dora, Hello Kitty, and Batman.

You have to be careful with the springs. You want a hot spring in case you have a hard battery short. I don't think a cheap flashlight like that will use a hot spring. My Vamo gets warm to the touch all the time when I am using it a lot. Not hot, but very warm. So warm that I will stop using it for a while to let it cool down. It has always done that. No noticeable signs of a short like you had. I vape at 9 watts. What are you vaping at? Maybe my higher wattage explains it gets warm.

 

[DeadPerfect]

if someone could measure the spring... i think you can get hot springs online. believe i seen them before when shopping for cree leds

 

[XfooYen]

You have to be careful with the springs. You want a hot spring in case you have a hard battery short. I don't think a cheap flashlight like that will use a hot spring. My Vamo gets warm to the touch all the time when I am using it a lot. Not hot, but very warm. So warm that I will stop using it for a while to let it cool down. It has always done that. No noticeable signs of a short like you had. I vape at 9 watts. What are you vaping at? Maybe my higher wattage explains it gets warm.

The factory spring is not a hot spring. This is for certain. It is the cheapest battery spring I've ever seen in a mod. There is excessive heat and short protection built into the Vamo board. The unit shuts off if either occurs. The spring I replaced it with is much thicker than the factory one which is better. A hot spring is fine if you can find one that fits but if you want to really be cautious you should just buy a Vape Safe chip. I intend to. My battery and tube haven't even gotten warm since I changed out the spring. No worries at all.

 

[XfooYen]

if someone could measure the spring... i think you can get hot springs online. believe i seen them before when shopping for cree leds

The only hot spring I've seen for sale that will fit the Vamo is the one used for the Silver Bullet. It fits the cap and works with the battery configurations of the Vamo but the bottom of that spring is too big for the nipple in the bottom cap so it needs to be glued in. Not my idea of practical. I think the ProVari spring fits but I don't believe it is a hot spring. You can get it with the cleaning kit at ProVape. Either way, I'm not paying a shipping fee that is triple the cost of the merchandise and I'm not waiting a week for a spring when my mod is acting buggy. Tips, tricks, and quirks; That's what I posted and it works.