1st build suggestions on OBS engine nano

[Fidola13]

I tried using the 28g SS I had but it get wrapping on itself and I was getting frustrated. So I used the 24g kanthal that comes in the kit.

I used Steam Engine to calculate wraps to target .5 ohms. I got .49 so I’m happy with that.

I’m still not exactly clear what “half wraps” mean though. I mean I know it’s the part where the legs come off the end but how does calculate that into the wraps? I don’t know if that makes sense.

Anyhow I put the OBS engine nano on a sense V Jet. I started out slowly and have it up to 35 Watts and it doesn’t taste so great. Not quite a full dry hit but maybe a singed taste.

I used rayon for the wick and followed all the suggestions on ECF and on YT videos.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[Letitia]

View attachment 729287 View attachment 729289 View attachment 729291 View attachment 729293 View attachment 729295 I tried using the 28g SS I had but it get wrapping on itself and I was getting frustrated. So I used the 24g kanthal that comes in the kit.

I used Steam Engine to calculate wraps to target .5 ohms. I got .49 so I’m happy with that.

I’m still not exactly clear what “half wraps” mean though. I mean I know it’s the part where the legs come off the end but how does calculate that into the wraps? I don’t know if that makes sense.

Anyhow I put the OBS engine nano on a Sense V Jet. I started out slowly and have it up to 35 Watts and it doesn’t taste so great. Not quite a full dry hit but maybe a singed taste.

I used rayon for the wick and followed all the suggestions on ECF and on YT videos.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

Leave the shoulder on the wicks and thin the rest of the tails, shorten tails so they just tuck into juice holes. I would space the coil and use tc since you went with the 24g.

 

[Fidola13]

Okay. It’s actually tasting better now that I’ve been vaping it more at 30 Watts.

I ended up using kanthal that’s why I’m using Power mode.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of spaced coils?

Thanks for the help @Letitia

 

[Heartsdelight]

The half wraps refer to when you look at the coil from one side it will be for example 5 wraps & when you turn the coil upside down it will be 4 wraps.

I would pull the coil closer to the post but not touching of course & I would space the coil as @Letitia has suggested so that your coil spans the space on both sides so your coil will be closer to the wick holes.

And definitely trim your rayon it looks a bit thick. Depending on what size id your coil is. If it’s 3mm or 3.5mm id I would trim off about 1/2 the wick at an angle toward the coil.

There’s a great thread here by @JeremyR For Rayon. Just read page 1 of the thread & ask questions there’s a bunch of friendly helpful peeps there.

 

[Letitia]

Okay. It’s actually tasting better now that I’ve been vaping it more at 30 Watts.

I ended up using kanthal that’s why I’m using Power mode.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of spaced coils?

Thanks for the help @Letitia

IMO they just taste better for simple single wire builds. I do wider spaces for those and very slight spaces for exotic builds. For the 28g if you torch it the springiness will relax and make it easier to work with. 28g to me is better if you do a two or three wire twist.

 

[Heartsdelight]

Spaced coils are also suggested when a coil has a lot of spit back, makes taking out the hot spots on a coil a non-issue. Also when making a tc coil.

 

[bombastinator]

Okay. It’s actually tasting better now that I’ve been vaping it more at 30 Watts.

I ended up using kanthal that’s why I’m using Power mode.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of spaced coils?

Thanks for the help @Letitia

I’m not totally sure but here’s a great big thread on the subject spaced vs compressed coils

 

[Fidola13]

The half wraps refer to when you look at the coil from one side it will be for example 5 wraps & when you turn the coil upside down it will be 4 wraps.

I would pull the coil closer to the post but not touching of course & I would space the coil as @Letitia has suggested so that your coil spans the space on both sides so your coil will be closer to the wick holes.

And definitely trim your rayon it looks a bit thick. Depending on what size id your coil is. If it’s 3mm or 3.5mm id I would trim off about 1/2 the wick at an angle toward the coil.

There’s a great thread here by @JeremyR For Rayon. Just read page 1 of the thread & ask questions there’s a bunch of friendly helpful peeps there.

Thanks for the suggestions. It was 3.0 ID. I have read that thread but maybe i should take another look at the photos he posted.

It’s much better now after a tankful than what it was but the flavor could definitely be better. I’ve even closed down the air flow quite a bit.

Will do a spaced coil next time and get it closer to the posts.

 

[Fidola13]

I’m not totally sure but here’s a great big thread on the subject spaced vs compressed coils

Thanks Bomastinator that was a very useful thread !

 

[Fidola13]

The half wraps refer to when you look at the coil from one side it will be for example 5 wraps & when you turn the coil upside down it will be 4 wraps.

I would pull the coil closer to the post but not touching of course & I would space the coil as @Letitia has suggested so that your coil spans the space on both sides so your coil will be closer to the wick holes.

And definitely trim your rayon it looks a bit thick. Depending on what size id your coil is. If it’s 3mm or 3.5mm id I would trim off about 1/2 the wick at an angle toward the coil.

There’s a great thread here by @JeremyR For Rayon. Just read page 1 of the thread & ask questions there’s a bunch of friendly helpful peeps there.

Ahhhhh I would never have figured that out based on the definitions at the bottom of the steam engine page! Thank you!!!!

 

[stols001]

You are getting good advice, just wanted to say for a first attempt, that looks great. LOL, my first build looked NOTHING like that.

I find SS 28 to be a bit springy (at least initially) but annealing it first should help with that, it certainly did help me. You can build it either way since you will be test firing on your mod, but a pass or two with a blow torch should take some of the "spring" out of it.

There are many reasons to use spaced coils, and more reliable TC is one of them. However, it's also perfectly find to start out with contact coils if that makes things easier.

I'd agree on thinning your tails some. I use the sharp, curved tweezers to do it, while holding my coil steady with my left thumb, so I'm not pulling it all the way out of the coil, and kind of do my best to keep things even.

Oddly, thinner tails often wick better, but it's because less saturation is required to get liquid moving through the tails into the coil. Tight in the coil is fine, but wicking will be more consistent with thinner tails. In many of my builds, I am thinning and trimming quite a bit.

Good luck, and keep experimenting, you are doing great!

Anna

 

[Fidola13]

You are getting good advice, just wanted to say for a first attempt, that looks great. LOL, my first build looked NOTHING like that.

I find SS 28 to be a bit springy (at least initially) but annealing it first should help with that, it certainly did help me. You can build it either way since you will be test firing on your mod, but a pass or two with a blow torch should take some of the "spring" out of it.

There are many reasons to use spaced coils, and more reliable TC is one of them. However, it's also perfectly find to start out with contact coils if that makes things easier.

I'd agree on thinning your tails some. I use the sharp, curved tweezers to do it, while holding my coil steady with my left thumb, so I'm not pulling it all the way out of the coil, and kind of do my best to keep things even.

Oddly, thinner tails often wick better, but it's because less saturation is required to get liquid moving through the tails into the coil. Tight in the coil is fine, but wicking will be more consistent with thinner tails. In many of my builds, I am thinning and trimming quite a bit.

Good luck, and keep experimenting, you are doing great!

Anna

Thanks Anna. It took me awhile because of my tremors from MS and I was having a hard time being precise. I think next time will be easier. I’ll work on thinning the tails more.

Question what’s annealing? A blowtorch? I need a blowtorch ?!

 

[stols001]

Anneling, from wickepedia:
Annealing, in metallurgy and materials science, is a heat treatment that alters the physical and sometimes chemical properties of a material to increase its ductility and reduce its hardness, making it more workable. It involves heating a material to above its recrystallization temperature, maintaining a suitable temperature, and then cooling.

Yes, you need a blow torch, if you are going to do it to straight wire. I just run my blowtorch up and down the strip I plan to use for wrapping (if I anneal before winding, I've gotten better at it). It does make it easier to work with.

I have a fine motor tremor too, so I'm doubly impressed.

I don't know of too much else you can use to anneal than a cheap blowtorch (can get one at any Lowe's, Walmart, etc., you need something that will really heat it.

Ironically, I have many of them, as the kiddo loved to "solder art" when he was a kid. I used to "supervise" this activity in the most rudimentary of ways, because the kiddo was better at tools than me from a very young age. I got him an electric screwdriver when he was 3ish one Christmas (parents universally say, "You did what?" when I mention it) and he took apart all my dining room table and chairs, every last screw, in a (unusually) quiet period, so, he's good with tools. I had to actually learn how to work one, once I was getting ready to build.

It makes a measurable difference, although you seem to be doing pretty well without one. LOL. But, stainless steel is "springier" and until you get used to it (or, get a blow torch) I found kanthal far easier for winding myself, but I prefer stainless steel. For spaced coils in particular though, I would recommend it, it makes it easier to maintain an even "tension" on the wire. I really can only do it because I've been a knitter forever. Good knitting also requires constant, even tension. .I actually find spaced coils without the "wrap" part of the jig, easier than contact coils.. I usually wrap spaced, and then smush them together at the end with the jig to get contact coils, if I want one for space reasons and etc.

Good luck.

:Anna

 

[Beamslider]

I use 26 awg SS with 3 mm inner diameter with 7 wraps spaced coil. I like it. Seems to hit well and keep up with wicking. Comes out between .45 an .5 ohm

 

[bombastinator]

Thanks Anna. It took me awhile because of my tremors from MS and I was having a hard time being precise. I think next time will be easier. I’ll work on thinning the tails more.

Question what’s annealing? A blowtorch? I need a blowtorch ?!

If you’ve got a gas stove that counts

 

[Fidola13]

If you’ve got a gas stove that counts

No gas stove

 

[bombastinator]

No gas stove

A “torch” style lighter will also work. Or even a regular lighter, though they don’t get as hot I think

 

[Fidola13]

Anneling, from wickepedia:
Annealing, in metallurgy and materials science, is a heat treatment that alters the physical and sometimes chemical properties of a material to increase its ductility and reduce its hardness, making it more workable. It involves heating a material to above its recrystallization temperature, maintaining a suitable temperature, and then cooling.

Yes, you need a blow torch, if you are going to do it to straight wire. I just run my blowtorch up and down the strip I plan to use for wrapping (if I anneal before winding, I've gotten better at it). It does make it easier to work with.

I have a fine motor tremor too, so I'm doubly impressed.

I don't know of too much else you can use to anneal than a cheap blowtorch (can get one at any Lowe's, Walmart, etc., you need something that will really heat it.

Ironically, I have many of them, as the kiddo loved to "solder art" when he was a kid. I used to "supervise" this activity in the most rudimentary of ways, because the kiddo was better at tools than me from a very young age. I got him an electric screwdriver when he was 3ish one Christmas (parents universally say, "You did what?" when I mention it) and he took apart all my dining room table and chairs, every last screw, in a (unusually) quiet period, so, he's good with tools. I had to actually learn how to work one, once I was getting ready to build.

It makes a measurable difference, although you seem to be doing pretty well without one. LOL. But, stainless steel is "springier" and until you get used to it (or, get a blow torch) I found kanthal far easier for winding myself, but I prefer stainless steel. For spaced coils in particular though, I would recommend it, it makes it easier to maintain an even "tension" on the wire. I really can only do it because I've been a knitter forever. Good knitting also requires constant, even tension. .I actually find spaced coils without the "wrap" part of the jig, easier than contact coils.. I usually wrap spaced, and then smush them together at the end with the jig to get contact coils, if I want one for space reasons and etc.

Good luck.

:Anna

Lol! I can only imagine your surprise at finding the dining room table unassembled lol! My only kids have been the fur kind but they create their own kind of terror lol!

Ok so a blowtorch it is! Thanks for your help!

 

[Fidola13]

Well I tried a spaced build as suggested using ss 316L 26g and a 3.0 ID. I watched a couple of videos first. Tried for .4 used SE did 6/5 wraps. Fired beautifully and right on target at .44 ohms.

Attempted wicking with rayon again. Attempted is the key word lol!

I don’t know what’s happening. I got it wicked and primed still looked good. Put it on a mod and the mod reads the coil at .5 another mod reads .48 ohms. Anything over 25 watts and I’m getting dry hits. Still not getting much flavor at all even with closing the airflow half way. Lots of spitting and gurgling though. I’m thinking I didn’t use enough rayon in the coil area but I’m not sure.

Kind of frustrating! I know I know “there’s a learning curve”.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

Well I tried a spaced build as suggested using ss 316L 26g and a 3.0 ID. I watched a couple of videos first. Tried for .4 used SE did 6/5 wraps. Fired beautifully and right on target at .44 ohms.

Attempted wicking with rayon again. Attempted is the key word lol!

I don’t know what’s happening. I got it wicked and primed still looked good. Put it on a mod and the mod reads the coil at .5 another mod reads .48 ohms. Anything over 25 watts and I’m getting dry hits. Still not getting much flavor at all even with closing the airflow half way. Lots of spitting and gurgling though. I’m thinking I didn’t use enough rayon in the coil area but I’m not sure.

Kind of frustrating! I know I know “there’s a learning curve”.

Hi again.
Sometimes flavor does not kick in fully until the 2nd tank. One thing I do, is before putting tank back together is to saturate the coil and wicks with ejuice. Then pulse it and allow the coil to start giving off vapor. I am really sensitive to the taste of any cotton including rayon. Not only is my coil primed when starting to vape, but pulsing like I just described takes away any odd taste of the rayon/cotton. Dry hits and spit back indicate 2 things.
1. juice is not getting to the center of the coil and the juice is not flowing up the tails quickly enough(too much cotton in the tails)
2. Spit back is a result of too much ejuice not being absorbed and is already too saturated and just lays on top of the coil.
Since these are kinda opposite things you need to fix one thing at a time and test.