#500 SS Mesh

[erawk]

I'm having same problem... I got 100mm of 500ss into the 2.5mm hole in my aga-t. The wick moves freely in the hole, the coil looks fine. No hot spots or shorts, and my problem is only with wicking... Oh yeah I'm also leaving fill screw out. Is it possible I rolled it TOO tight? I thought that wasn't possible if the wick isn't too tight in its hole. Thoughts?

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[BrokenLung]

Against all the advice, I think I am going to try a straw wick or maybe 325 mesh. I don't mind tilting and letting the juice basically pour up the wick. I am afraid if I cut my juice with water it might mess it up. I tell ya I am sad that I can't get it to wick .

p.s. temperature in my house is always between 65 & 72

 

[Atlantisboy]

I find it takes a while for the wick to break in and wick at full potential, start of running at low voltage and tilt the genny to 3 or 2 o'clock after a tank it should be wicking well.I use 100 vg and it takes a while for the wick to get there , I roll it tight but not mega tight.

 

[Atlantisboy]

I also just oxidize the part of the mesh where the coil is , I find that an unoxidized wick wicks better.

 

[BJ43]

I'm having same problem... I got 100mm of 500ss into the 2.5mm hole in my aga-t. The wick moves freely in the hole, the coil looks fine. No hot spots or shorts, and my problem is only with wicking... Oh yeah I'm also leaving fill screw out. Is it possible I rolled it TOO tight? I thought that wasn't possible if the wick isn't too tight in its hole. Thoughts?

Sent from my ThunderBolt using Tapatalk 2

I have never been able to roll 100mm 500 down to 2.5mm. Try 80mm and roll just tight enough to fit snug in the wick hole. Make sure you wash the mesh with detergent to remove machining oils and boil it. Nothing reduces wicking more than oil or oil residues. When I stated that tight was better I was referring to normal finger rolling, guys using a board to roll so tight that the mass becomes a solid with no porosity is no good.

 

[erawk]

Thanks guys ill try that. I rolled it by hand but it was quite the task. My thumbs were sore for like two days.

ThunderBolt on Tapatalk 2 (damn you auto correct)

 

[studiovap]

IMHO 80mm in a 2.5mm hole is too much for the high VG juice I use. My AGA-ts have a 3mm wickhole from standard, and I have bored them out to 3.19mm hole and I am getting great results with around 60-65mm with 0.95 Ohm 5wrap 28g kanthal coil, if your AGA is an AGA-t+/2 then I am aware the wickhole is a little smaller. At 2.5mm I would be using around 50-55mm. You need capilary action and volcanic action to get on demand wicking IMO. As a rule of thumb I use this ap http://tomcatt2.com/pvapps.html to calculate max mesh/wickhole then I halve that figure and start from there.

 

[tmcase]

I dilute my VG with 5% distilled water and the 500 mesh wicks pretty good with a tight mesh. It still doesn't want to quite reach the top of the mesh though so I get a hot top coil if I don't tilt for a few seconds.

 

[meatsneakers]

I am having wicking issues. I am rolling the most solid wick I can and still my results are poor. I am using #500 mesh with my 100% VG juice that is SUPER thick (not cut with water or anything).

Add 5 or 10% distilled water. Makes no difference in vapor production but makes wicking 100% better.

 

[tmcase]

Against all the advice, I think I am going to try a straw wick or maybe 325 mesh. I don't mind tilting and letting the juice basically pour up the wick. I am afraid if I cut my juice with water it might mess it up. I tell ya I am sad that I can't get it to wick .

p.s. temperature in my house is always between 65 & 72

If you are making your own juice and add 5% DT you just need to add a little more flavoring and it should turn out the same.

 

[Elias]

I made a great wick for my AGA-T last night, what I did was the following.

45mm x 90mm - 500 SS, I heated the SS till it glowed red, no quenching, then on a very thin tool I have (like a needle in width) rolled the SS, removed it from the tool and continued the same direction till I couldnt compress it anymore, checked the hole for clearance and it was a nice fit not snug but enough so it doesnt fall out by gravity.
Then I started to oxidize the SS on one side, wasnt worried about the bottom end. heat quench 4 times, just the area where the coil sits.

Now this is the part I did different to everyone else

I held the wick in between a pair of press to release tweezers (very low pressure type) and with the side that the coil is I faced upwards almost at a 70 degree angle and I dripped juice on the bottom of the wick and watched it go up the wick to the top, I then ignited the top, as it was burning it wouldnt flame past the tweezers so cautiously I added juice to the bottom of the wick, the juice was sucked upwards and the flame became larger so I kept feeding it (juice was 70/30 PG/VG) good thing I kept the awful tasting juices... lol

anyway I kept the flame going for around 3 mins. trying to add the juice to the very bottom of the wick and watching getting dragged up the wick, I thought OK its black enough at the coil side and let it cool down I didnt quench it.

I placed the wick into the AGA-T touching the bottom of the tank and the top just passes the hight of the positive post. I wound the coil by turning the tank method.

After adjusting the coils as per normal methods to remove hot spots (actually first go it was glowing evenly but a little buched up towards the top so I spaced them out) I then filled the tank to 50% of the way

I fired it up and it was drawing juice like it was pumped up the tube.

Needless to say it was a great vape, still using 70/30 mix PG/VG and no need to tilt the tank anymore....

Will make a video of it sometime today when I make more of these wicks, I think for my AGA-T and my juice of 70/30 I have finally found a good method that works for me.

Elias

 

[erawk]

That's a great way to break in the wick... Thanks for idea. I'll try it tomorrow on a genny clone. My aga t+ got drilled out to 1/8" tonight. I'm working on breaking in this ceramic wick.

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[Azphat12]

Thanks guys ill try that. I rolled it by hand but it was quite the task. My thumbs were sore for like two days.

ThunderBolt on Tapatalk 2 (damn you auto correct)

Here are the sizes I have found work best for me

Aga-T = 40mm x 80mm
Aga-T+ = 40mm x 60mm

The older Aga wick hole is a tad larger, so the extra 20mm works nice.
After I fit the wick to touch the bottom of the tank, I simply pull it up just a little and then trim off the top to fit flush with the post.
Normally, I will take a business card or other hard paper and with a ruler I will measure out a template.
Then I simply write on the template what size and device its for and put it in a plastic bag and into my vaping toolbox.
This way I just grab the template for whatever wick I need, and then get to cutting the mesh.

I didnt do anything different in oxidize or coils.
I normally just wash my mesh with soap and water.
Glow red and quench once
Then use pg/vg/old juice and burn it off with a lighter (let it flame out...dont quench) about 4 times.
Wrap coil....adjust as needed.

Sometimes it takes me a couple minutes....other times it takes awhile to work out the hotspot.
But they all get worked out... and it is becoming easier each time I do one.
Also, the thicker Kanthal seems to be a little easier to work them out..... Ive used 32awg, and now am using 28awg on a Provari.

 

[Cyrus Vap]

In light of the SS mesh oxides thread in the modding forum, I decided I'm not using oxidized SS mesh at all anymore.

Good news is, I just set up a new wick in my DID, 70mm of 500 mesh rolled spongy. I just rolled it up and slide it into a 3/2 28 Kanthal A1 coil, juiced and pulsed a few times, and all is well. Bye bye oxidation, never again lol.

 

[tiburonfirst]

might have to take a closer look at that, cyrus - atm too busy in the 500 mesh co-op thread ..................... sigh

 

[gdeal]

In light of the SS mesh oxides thread in the modding forum, I decided I'm not using oxidized SS mesh at all anymore.

Good news is, I just set up a new wick in my DID, 70mm of 500 mesh rolled spongy. I just rolled it up and slide it into a 3/2 28 Kanthal A1 coil, juiced and pulsed a few times, and all is well. Bye bye oxidation, never again lol.

Booya...Coil, roll mesh, insert, pulse...vape.

 

[BJ43]

In light of the SS mesh oxides thread in the modding forum, I decided I'm not using oxidized SS mesh at all anymore.

Good news is, I just set up a new wick in my DID, 70mm of 500 mesh rolled spongy. I just rolled it up and slide it into a 3/2 28 Kanthal A1 coil, juiced and pulsed a few times, and all is well. Bye bye oxidation, never again lol.

Hard to believe but I haven't used SS in six weeks. Vivi nova, Ce5, A7, Ody, all on 28 or 30g 2/2.4 ohm ovals with hemp have been keeping me very happy. Got four more A7s on the way. Even before the oxide thread I was getting tired of the hassle. Welded 25 NR wire to kenthal today with my new DIY welder and will roll them into oval coils that should last me a year. Who would have thunk it, BJ not on steel.

 

[tiburonfirst]

i'll never catch up - day late, dollar short


hemp .................................

 

[motelgrim]

Hard to believe but I haven't used SS in six weeks. Vivi nova, Ce5, A7, Ody, all on 28 or 30g 2/2.4 ohm ovals with hemp have been keeping me very happy. Got four more A7s on the way. Even before the oxide thread I was getting tired of the hassle. Welded 25 NR wire to kenthal today with my new DIY welder and will roll them into oval coils that should last me a year. Who would have thunk it, BJ not on steel.

The A7's are simply Phoenix's yes? I found that cotton yarn (I assume hemp is very similar) as a wick in the Phoenix is a really, REALLY good vape. Better flavor than SS, imho. My only beef is the size, insofar as there's a cap on vapor production just by virtue of it's smaller size.
In spite of this, I found the phoenix to be an amazing atty especially considering the price.
You probably don't need any tips on setting it up, BJ (lol) but I spent months working on mine and probably have some tips you haven't thought of yet.
There are some threads on here I created to that end...

*Correction. After googling the A7, it isn't a Phoenix. I got the A7 for my wife because its an unsealed 510 suitable to bottom fed mods.
Personally, I can't stand that atty lol. I didn't spend nearly the same amount of time working with the A7 as I did the phoenix, though, so there's that.

 

[motelgrim]

i'll never catch up - day late, dollar short


hemp .................................

hemp is SOO 4 hours ago! Now we use Llama hair coated with beetle excretion, kiln-fired, then processed through a fiber optic extruder.

Get with it, man.