Even the best oxidized coil is not 100% nonconducting, so the least resistant wire touching it has less chance of shorting.
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Even the best oxidized coil is not 100% nonconducting, so the least resistant wire touching it has less chance of shorting.
I use 110mm or thereabouts. Rolled tight it leaves a bit of a gap in the wick hole. I like this gap because I like to keep my fill hole closed. I do a 4 wrap 30 awg to get about 1.2 ohm coil. This is perfect for me on a 3.7 mechanical mod. I have done the huge wick with the mega coils in 28awg but it takes to long to heat for my liking.
You've just desribed my setup in details, but on Provari, until my first mech. mod comes in next week.And it works just great for me on 3.7v.
I run mine on a provari sometimes as well. All depends on what mod has what juice. I have 3 juices loaded on 3 mods when I leave for work. I carry 4 other DIDs with more flavors in case I want a change.
And it works just great for me on 3.7v.
I'm running 5 High quality Genesis units 2 real all SS DiD's 2 Cobra's and a Zap with insulator removed and wick hole drilled out some, all with as much tightly rolled SS 500 Mesh as I can possibly fit in each unit, all set up with the 28Awg Kanthal A1. I really like these set ups,,, and a different flavor flav in each of course,, I'm like a kid in a penny candy store with a $20 dollar Bill.
What is on your ZAP tank? The black ring thing? The first thing I did when I got my ZAP was to throw out the insulator. I have not drilled out the hold. It is working great with a 80mm solid wick. I drilled out one of my options and my Katana. I was finally glad to find a wick that works in the Katana.
I'm running 5 High quality Genesis units 2 real all SS DiD's 2 Cobra's and a Zap with insulator removed and wick hole drilled out some, all with as much tightly rolled SS 500 Mesh as I can possibly fit in each unit, all set up with the 28Awg Kanthal A1. I really like these set ups,,, and a different flavor flav in each of course,, I'm like a kid in a penny candy store with a $20 dollar Bill.
I was curious about that too. "Bumpers" to protect the fuzed quartz tank?
LucidAce has it, I keep doubled up O-Rings top and bottom of my Tanks as bumper protectors in case of a drop or fall of any sort , it's already come in handy a couple of times for me. I removed the others for the picture 
Well I finally got some new gennies after sizzling my line and have made some interesting observations.
I grabbed a G-Bell and a Did Gemini and sadly they didn't wick anywhere near as efficiently as my old Line. With solid wicks jammed tight in the hole (trying to rely totally on capillary action) the G-Bell was unusable for me as it would dry burn within 3-4 seconds and I take double draws. Previously in this thread when discussing why the line has such amazing wicking capabilities compared to other atties, BJ pointed out that the thickness of the top cap (roof) of the tank can play a role in capillary action. The thicker the steel that the wick has to pass through, the more it will hinder capillary action due to adhesion.
This prompted me to countersink the wick hole on the G-Bell as the top cap is very thick and the wick had to pass through nearly a cm of solid steel.
Thickness of the top cap below
As I couldn't drill from underneath due to the design of the G-Bell I had to countersink the wick hole from the top. The wick hole on the G-Bell is 2.5mm so I countersunk with a 3.5mm drill bit. After countersinking, the remaining steel that the wick had to pass through was about 2mm.
This first modification didn't seem to make much difference at all. I started thinking that maybe the capillary action is still being restricted by the distance that the liquid has to travel to the coils after passing through the slight restriction of the 2mm of remaining steel.
Distance from the bottom of the countersink to the coil
So I decided to drill right through the countersinking and use JB-Weld to seal the top of the now 3.5mm wick hole and re-drill at 2.5mm. I patched the top of the wick hole up to about 2mm of depth (now all the wick passes through is 2mm of JB-Weld)
This last modification did make a difference to the wicking - thanks again BJ
I must note that it still isn't wicking anything like my old Line though. I can't run it continuously as I did with the Line in my previous videos. However, it can now keep up with my style of vaping most of the time, providing I haven't had too much to drink.
This has got me thinking the shape of the chamber of the Line must play a large role in the wicking.
BJ what are your thoughts on this? Could it be the lower percentage of oxygen in the line due to the tall thin tank that is assisting capillary action?
I grabbed a G-Bell and a Did Gemini and sadly they didn't wick anywhere near as efficiently as my old Line. With solid wicks jammed tight in the hole (trying to rely totally on capillary action) the G-Bell was unusable for me as it would dry burn within 3-4 seconds and I take double draws. Previously in this thread when discussing why the line has such amazing wicking capabilities compared to other atties, BJ pointed out that the thickness of the top cap (roof) of the tank can play a role in capillary action. The thicker the steel that the wick has to pass through, the more it will hinder capillary action due to adhesion.
This prompted me to countersink the wick hole on the G-Bell as the top cap is very thick and the wick had to pass through nearly a cm of solid steel.
Thickness of the top cap below
As I couldn't drill from underneath due to the design of the G-Bell I had to countersink the wick hole from the top. The wick hole on the G-Bell is 2.5mm so I countersunk with a 3.5mm drill bit. After countersinking, the remaining steel that the wick had to pass through was about 2mm.
This first modification didn't seem to make much difference at all. I started thinking that maybe the capillary action is still being restricted by the distance that the liquid has to travel to the coils after passing through the slight restriction of the 2mm of remaining steel.
Distance from the bottom of the countersink to the coil
So I decided to drill right through the countersinking and use JB-Weld to seal the top of the now 3.5mm wick hole and re-drill at 2.5mm. I patched the top of the wick hole up to about 2mm of depth (now all the wick passes through is 2mm of JB-Weld)
This last modification did make a difference to the wicking - thanks again BJ
I must note that it still isn't wicking anything like my old Line though. I can't run it continuously as I did with the Line in my previous videos. However, it can now keep up with my style of vaping most of the time, providing I haven't had too much to drink.
This has got me thinking the shape of the chamber of the Line must play a large role in the wicking.
BJ what are your thoughts on this? Could it be the lower percentage of oxygen in the line due to the tall thin tank that is assisting capillary action?
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Electrical current will follow the path of least resistance. Great observation of how this applies to our application.
Well I finally got some new gennies after sizzling my line and have made some interesting observations.
I grabbed a G-Bell and a Did Gemini and sadly they didn't wick anywhere near as efficiently as my old Line. With solid wicks jammed tight in the hole (trying to rely totally on capillary action) the G-Bell was unusable for me as it would dry burn within 3-4 seconds and I take double draws. Previously in this thread when discussing why the line has such amazing wicking capabilities compared to other atties, BJ pointed out that the thickness of the top cap (roof) of the tank can play a role in capillary action. The thicker the steel that the wick has to pass through, the more it will hinder capillary action due to adhesion.
This prompted me to countersink the wick hole on the G-Bell as the top cap is very thick and the wick had to pass through nearly a cm of solid steel.
Thickness of the top cap below
As I couldn't drill from underneath due to the design of the G-Bell I had to countersink the wick hole from the top. The wick hole on the G-Bell is 2.5mm so I countersunk with a 3.5mm drill bit. After countersinking, the remaining steel that the wick had to pass through was about 2mm.
This first modification didn't seem to make much difference at all. I started thinking that maybe the capillary action is still being restricted by the distance that the liquid has to travel to the coils after passing through the slight restriction of the 2mm of remaining steel.
Distance from the bottom of the countersink to the coil
So I decided to drill right through the countersinking and use JB-Weld to seal the top of the now 3.5mm wick hole and re-drill at 2.5mm. I patched the top of the wick hole up to about 2mm of depth (now all the wick passes through is 2mm of JB-Weld)
This last modification did make a difference to the wicking - thanks again BJ
I must note that it still isn't wicking anything like my old Line though. I can't run it continuously as I did with the Line in my previous videos. However, it can now keep up with my style of vaping most of the time, providing I haven't had too much to drink.
This has got me thinking the shape of the chamber of the Line must play a large role in the wicking.
BJ what are your thoughts on this? Could it be the lower percentage of oxygen in the line due to the tall thin tank that is assisting capillary action?
That poor G-Bell Larry, what have you done to her, boring her out so soon in your relationship
Seriously though, why have the Jb weld there at all? A gap around your wick (like the one you could of had before adding the Jb weld, would relieve 99% of adhesive forces and you'd still have your 2.5mm solid wick, plus you might get away with blocking off you fill/breather hole a little or entirely.
Not bashing you Larry, just thoughts, I'm still swinging from "great I've finally got this sussed" to "what the hell!" every three or four days LOL. One of my DID has a 1.1 Ohm 7wrap 28Awg 160mm #500 snug fit in wickhole with fillscrew in but drilled with 1mm airhole(on the Paps, no kick), another DID has 1.7 Ohm 5wrap 30awg on 105mm #500 with a nice gap all round the wickhole, but original undrilled fillscrew in place. The 1.1 Ohm leaks a bit, the 1.7 Ohm doesn't, both do great when they're not shorting , and I only do chain vape LOL.
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I have a question for all you SS wick experts. Sunday I made a new coil and wick to try out my new 28 & 30 Awg A1 Kanthal that just arrived.
I made the wick from #500 mesh and rolled a fatty 60 mm to fit into the 3/32" (2.38mm) Dia wick hole. Had no trouble getting it rolled tight and it fell freely into the hole.
I tried to make a 28 ga coil first using 7/8 wrap but it just wasn't heating up quick enough so I gave up on that one for now and made another coil with 30 Awg A1 Kanthal.
I used the smooth end of a 3/32" drill bit to wrap my coils and my wick slid into it nice with just a little resistance requiring me to slightly twist it as I slid it in. I checked the ohms with my Provari of just the bare coils and it read a solid 1.9 ohms Slid the wick in and after a few tweaks I got a solid 1.9 again with the wick in place.
The part I'm a little confused about is a day later and a several refills my coil is gunked up so bad I need dry burn it. I normally can go 3 or 4 days without needing to dry burn. I'm using the same juice (70/30) that I always use so I know it's not the juice.
The only things different this time was the drill bit method to make the coil and the coil material it's self which I have never used before as I normally use Nichrome 80 32 or 34 Awg.
So.... What do you think might have caused this early gunking? Does Kanthal gunk up much faster than Nichrome?
I made the wick from #500 mesh and rolled a fatty 60 mm to fit into the 3/32" (2.38mm) Dia wick hole. Had no trouble getting it rolled tight and it fell freely into the hole.
I tried to make a 28 ga coil first using 7/8 wrap but it just wasn't heating up quick enough so I gave up on that one for now and made another coil with 30 Awg A1 Kanthal.
I used the smooth end of a 3/32" drill bit to wrap my coils and my wick slid into it nice with just a little resistance requiring me to slightly twist it as I slid it in. I checked the ohms with my Provari of just the bare coils and it read a solid 1.9 ohms Slid the wick in and after a few tweaks I got a solid 1.9 again with the wick in place.
The part I'm a little confused about is a day later and a several refills my coil is gunked up so bad I need dry burn it. I normally can go 3 or 4 days without needing to dry burn. I'm using the same juice (70/30) that I always use so I know it's not the juice.
The only things different this time was the drill bit method to make the coil and the coil material it's self which I have never used before as I normally use Nichrome 80 32 or 34 Awg.
So.... What do you think might have caused this early gunking? Does Kanthal gunk up much faster than Nichrome?
I use 28awg A-1, but have also experienced this with 32awg Nichrome. I find that I get fast gunk build up from a short in the coil from lack of oxidation on an area of the wick. It will sizzle in that one particular area first and much quicker than the rest of the coil. I'll take the wick and coil out together and torch them red hot together and that solves that problem. But all of this is just a guess by me. I'd also like to hear other input on this as well.
My Smoktech cheapo mod. It's been running great for over a month and this is the first time I've had this issue.
@Studiovape.
I didn't want to leave the 3.5mm hole completely open as I'm on the road most of the time and can't stand leaks. It also leaves the wick vulnerable to getting moved around a bit which sometimes leads to shorts. I'm also finding that closing the filling hole isn't making a great deal of difference. It's blocked off on the line when you screw the top cap on and that runs like a dream. I have absolutely no regrets about modding the gbell either as it has definitely improved its performance. I did notice that the did Gemini wicks better than the gbell off the shelf, but still not to my liking. Sounds like you've got it running nicely though so I'll keep tinkering with it. Maybe it's to do with more pressure due to the ratio of oxygen to liquid that the cone shaped chamber of the Gemini creates, allowing a similar environment to the line. I'll have to wait for BJ's thoughts on that.
I've ordered a steam machine gennie to test too as it's a similar shape to the line. Heard it wicks even better than the line, and no flimsy posts. Yay
I didn't want to leave the 3.5mm hole completely open as I'm on the road most of the time and can't stand leaks. It also leaves the wick vulnerable to getting moved around a bit which sometimes leads to shorts. I'm also finding that closing the filling hole isn't making a great deal of difference. It's blocked off on the line when you screw the top cap on and that runs like a dream. I have absolutely no regrets about modding the gbell either as it has definitely improved its performance. I did notice that the did Gemini wicks better than the gbell off the shelf, but still not to my liking. Sounds like you've got it running nicely though so I'll keep tinkering with it. Maybe it's to do with more pressure due to the ratio of oxygen to liquid that the cone shaped chamber of the Gemini creates, allowing a similar environment to the line. I'll have to wait for BJ's thoughts on that.
I've ordered a steam machine gennie to test too as it's a similar shape to the line. Heard it wicks even better than the line, and no flimsy posts. Yay
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I got my G-bell to wick perfectly by replacing the fill screw with a cut in half positive pole off an old DC cart inserted in it's place...
I had noticed the tank needed air by removing the fill screw and watching all the bubbles produced by the wick..
With the mod I did no more wicking problem and the G-Bell dose not leak.
I had noticed the tank needed air by removing the fill screw and watching all the bubbles produced by the wick..
With the mod I did no more wicking problem and the G-Bell dose not leak.
The 32 and 34 awg are significantly thinner and will have less juice pooling on them than the 28 and 30awg. See if there is a lot of splatter when you fire the coil. I have 1 juice that gunks like crazy but the flavor is good so I have left it be. The thicker coil will tolerate a cleaning with a paper towel pretty well and periodically slide out the wick and dry burn the coil to get rid of the chunks.
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