#500 SS Mesh

[evilfrog]

Good evening all,
I could use a little advise....
I'm not new to genesis / SS wicks however I have run into a shorting problem lately.
I can build a "thin" wick with almost perfect results every time. When I build a "thick" wick, I am constantly experiencing terrible shorting issues.
I have oxidized a wick to the point that it is so brittle that it will literally flake apart and still have terrible shorts.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Oxidize less. Pass over the mesh with the flame just until it glows a bit, giving the edges a bit of extra flame. Roll and you can torch it a few more seconds if you want to be extra thorough. Brittle black wicks will fail during coiling and are generally more unstable.
Wick should be brown or grey, not black.

At least that's what works for me.

 

[hippieben]

I just made myself a 6cm 500 mesh wick. I think I've seen the light! Work tomorrow will be the true test though.

 

[majekh]

Oxidize less. Pass over the mesh with the flame just until it glows a bit, giving the edges a bit of extra flame. Roll and you can torch it a few more seconds if you want to be extra thorough. Brittle black wicks will fail during coiling and are generally more unstable.
Wick should be brown or grey, not black.

At least that's what works for me.

Thanks for the advice. I just can't seem to get the oxidisation right. Eventually I end up with a black, charred wick that falls apart and still shorts out. I'm baffled as to why my "thick" wicks are much more difficult to get working than the thin.

 

[horton]

I'm sure this has been explained somewhere in this huge thread, but I haven't come across it so far. When you make a large, thick wick and then oxidize it, do all the inner wraps get oxidized when heated? Or is is just several of the outer layers of the mesh? Does every layer of the wick need to be oxidized as long as the outer part is oxidized to protect from shorts?
I don't want to over heat the wick trying to get all the layers if it is not necessary.
Thanks very much........

 

[the ob]

Thanks for the advice. I just can't seem to get the oxidisation right. Eventually I end up with a black, charred wick that falls apart and still shorts out. I'm baffled as to why my "thick" wicks are much more difficult to get working than the thin.

I've had better success with oxidizing them less not more.

 

[evilfrog]

I'm sure this has been explained somewhere in this huge thread, but I haven't come across it so far. When you make a large, thick wick and then oxidize it, do all the inner wraps get oxidized when heated? Or is is just several of the outer layers of the mesh? Does every layer of the wick need to be oxidized as long as the outer part is oxidized to protect from shorts?
I don't want to over heat the wick trying to get all the layers if it is not necessary.
Thanks very much........

I oxidize the whole sheet before rolling, but only the part directly under the coils needs it. I don't boil my mesh, so I figure I'm burning off most of the impurities.

 

[majekh]

I've had better success with oxidizing them less not more.

That just feels counterintuitive. I have one wick that is working perfect however, it took over a dozen failures to get success and I can't remember what went right.....
If SS wicks were nonconducting to begin with, life would be grand!

 

[CountSmackula]

Porous ceramic wicks, now that would be grand!

If SS wicks were nonconducting to begin with, life would be grand!

 

[evilfrog]

Thanks for the advice. I just can't seem to get the oxidisation right. Eventually I end up with a black, charred wick that falls apart and still shorts out. I'm baffled as to why my "thick" wicks are much more difficult to get working than the thin.

It could be your flame is too hot - I just use a little butane torch. Gas stoves are reportedly good as well. I think the propane ones burn hotter so more care is needed... What are you using?

I don't really know why thick wicks seem to cause more trouble for even experienced genesis users. I've been fortunate with mine!

 

[majekh]

It could be your flame is too hot - I just use a little butane torch. Gas stoves are reportedly good as well. I think the propane ones burn hotter so more care is needed... What are you using?

I don't really know why thick wicks seem to cause more trouble for even experienced genesis users. I've been fortunate with mine!

I had considered that I was using too hot of a flame. I'm using a butane micro torch that does put out a considerable amount of heat. Are there any videos that you would consider to be "proper" technique ?

 

[tmcase]

What about some tips for rolling mesh tighter?

Roll your wick as tight as you can then lay it on a smooth board and use another smooth board to roll your wick in one direction. If the wick gets loose, turn the wick around and roll again putting downward pressure on the top board.

 

[evilfrog]

I had considered that I was using too hot of a flame. I'm using a butane micro torch that does put out a considerable amount of heat. Are there any videos that you would consider to be "proper" technique ?

None with a super thick wick... closest I can think of right now is http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...3286-review-set-up-did-clone.html#post7544475
I torch maybe half as much as AG does in this video, and I keep the flame farther away, but the idea is the same.

 

[LucidAce]

Roll your wick as tight as you can then lay it on a smooth board and use another smooth board to roll your wick in one direction. If the wick gets loose, turn the wick around and roll again putting downward pressure on the top board.

I had been struggling with that as well (documented for eternity somewhere in this thread lol), and I found it really helped to take extra care to roll it quite tight as I was rolling it up from the flat sheet. It's a little tricky because you don't want to flatten it and make kinks when it's still thin, but I tried to make the initial roll fairly small and focused on keeping things snug as I rolled it all the way up, keeping the ID as small as possible as I went. It seemed to make it substantially easier then trying to "cinch" things down later on.

 

[gixxxer]

I have to give this #500 mesh a try. Everyone speaks greatly about it so I had to order couple of A4 sheets.

Before I have only used 325 and 400 and those work just great but if this gives an improve, I'm happy

 

[Jimi D.]

I made a wick with the free #270. Wicks great for me. Rolled it solid without a paperclip.

 

[Currynoah]

I made a wick with the free #270. Wicks great for me. Rolled it solid without a paperclip.

subscribed!! Jimmy, did you roll it like how you roll the #500? As in equal length? I got 2 pages of them 270...

 

[AtrixGuy]

500 Mesh is so far good.

 

[Jimi D.]

subscribed!! Jimmy, did you roll it like how you roll the #500? As in equal length? I got 2 pages of them 270...

I tried to roll a 110mm. The stuff was way too thick. I wound up cutting it down to 70mm. It was still a tight fit. I managed to get it in though.

 

[Currynoah]

I tried to roll a 110mm. The stuff was way too thick. I wound up cutting it down to 70mm. It was still a tight fit. I managed to get it in though.

Nice! I assume you were using the 28awg?

And I thought I was looking @ Seasick Steve vaping!!

 

[Jimi D.]

Nice! I assume you were using the 28awg?

And I thought I was looking @ Seasick Steve vaping!!

That was 28 Kanthal D. I hate the stuff. Nothing but problems, and the resistance is way too high for my liking. I need the A1 stuff, but it's like pulling teeth to find it.