A little help with battery creation

[urquidezj]

hello forum,
I've been vaping for two weeks and love it, i wound up on this section and am just astonished. i have been thinking of doing my own battery mod, in a tube style like a silver bullet or a buzz. i am a machinist, well operator at this point of cnc and manual machinist. my uncle is a programmer so i can get him to write me a program for the lathe at my shop. i want to make it a two piece design, out of stainless or aluminum. mechanical switch at the bottom and machined 510 connector. i get the copper tube mod on how it grounds itself and all that good stuff. but i just don't know how it will ground itself on a stainless or aluminum tube. in my head i think it should, but really don't know. any input on that would be greatly appreciated. i already have my tank mod ready just waiting on ce2s (delrin end caps syringe for tubing) my fist mod will be just 3.7 and 6 for now, will get into vv later. also plan on making an aluminum box like the radio shack mods but with my twist. help and tips will be appreciated. thanks
julio
note that my entire process will be documented and available to everyone, thanks

 

[asdaq]

hello forum,
I've been vaping for two weeks and love it, i wound up on this section and am just astonished. i have been thinking of doing my own battery mod, in a tube style like a silver bullet or a buzz. i am a machinist, well operator at this point of cnc and manual machinist. my uncle is a programmer so i can get him to write me a program for the lathe at my shop. i want to make it a two piece design, out of stainless or aluminum. mechanical switch at the bottom and machined 510 connector. i get the copper tube mod on how it grounds itself and all that good stuff. but i just don't know how it will ground itself on a stainless or aluminum tube. in my head i think it should, but really don't know. any input on that would be greatly appreciated. i already have my tank mod ready just waiting on ce2s (delrin end caps syringe for tubing) my fist mod will be just 3.7 and 6 for now, will get into vv later. also plan on making an aluminum box like the radio shack mods but with my twist. help and tips will be appreciated. thanks
julio
note that my entire process will be documented and available to everyone, thanks

It will work just fine. If you look around at the commercial mods available SS is used a lot for the ground and aluminum too. I can't wait to see what you make with your skills. There has been a lot of wanting here for a aluminum box, and uhh, do you take machining requests?

 

[urquidezj]

It depends on what you need lol, thanks on the reply

 

[urquidezj]

So I started today, made a dummy batt out of delrin with the measurements posted on madvapes for the 18650. I'm gonna use aluminum, gonna be a silver bullet style mod, two piece design. I turned down the bottom part of it which is going to house the battery. It is .950 od. Will be drilled with a .718 still since the battery is .708 od. Still haven't done the length because I don't know the dimensions of a spring from a silver bullet. as for the top cap, I'm not sure yet, I want to make a mechanical switch bit have no clue how to make one. So if anybody can give me some measurements to go off from that be great. Like from a silver bullet or a bombshell, also anybody have knowledge on mechanical switches? Help will be appreciated, thanks

 

[Rocketman]

I suggest making a couple of simple mods first. Maybe a flashlight or a plastic box mod. That way you will learn what is required to make a functioning mod before going to the trouble of machining a metal mod.

Get the parts that will go into your mod before you finish your design. With the measurements you posted, an 18650 won't fit. Most are larger than 0.708" OD, and you will need a thin layer of insulation inside the aluminum tube.

The spring needs to be "long enough" to compress and make good electrical contact.

 

[urquidezj]

Thanks on the input, I pretty much know the concept behind it, it doesn't seem something impossible, though I might be wrong, only thing I would like to do is make my own switch, out of metal, like a super t manu switch but not at the base, I decided to change from aluminum to stainless, .082 od stainless .718 or .750 id, overall length is to be determined once parts get here, rocketman, do you think .750id would be better then I can get 3/4 delrin and drill it through to the od of the battery and use that as an insulator? 510 connector will be silver soldered and I also plan on adding a juice well. Thanks

 

[santo19586]

sounds like a good idea Julio,

 

[Rocketman]

Plastic playing card would be good for insulation, one wrap inside. Just enough so the cheap plastic wrapper on the battery isn't the only protection you have. A little extra play (maybe about 0.010 inch) would be enough to slide the battery in and out without a rattle when you carry it. 0.720" plus twice the playing card plus 0.010" for a tube ID of at least 0.740".
0.750" ID for the SS tube would be OK.

Search the battery mod threads for copper mods. They're tube shaped, and might give you some ideas for your CNC SS mod.

In SS, 0.040" wall would be plenty. 0.082" wall will give it some 'heft'.

Best of luck with your project. I still recommend making a couple simple mods first. Redesigning after making a custom mod is harder than redesigning on paper.

 

[urquidezj]

I have spoken to breakthru about his copper mod, which I am gonna make too, since I have all the materials available at work, I figure what the Hell ill try, I'm not at the VV stage or anything fancy, I just see the moss, see all the slugs of stainless left over from production and tell myself, just try one lol, measurements are the only headache at this point oh and a switch lol

 

[Rocketman]

As one that has been bitten by the Mod bug myself, I understand.

Net machining a SS bar to produce a thinwall tube mod will take a good bit of work. I assume you will start with at least a 1 inch bar, drill it for a 0.750" bore, leaving the end in place to be drilled for the 510 connector, Internal threads for an endcap, then turn it down to the OD you desire. A lot of work, but since you have access to the machinery, it can be done. The spring from a cheap 2 C-cell flashlight will give you a rough size for your spring.

Switches for a custom mod have always been the hardest to decide on.

Make sure you design in a suitable vent hole in the bottom (not a little 1/8" hole either).
'cause .... happens.

 

[urquidezj]

Since we don't have 1 inch stainless I will start with 7/8 inch. I'm sure ill go through many pieces to get it just right, bit since its available to me with leftover slugs that won't be a problem. I apreciate all your input, this will help me a lot. So many designs and ways of putting it together are swirling through my mind right now its crazy. Will try a 3.7 box mod too to get a little familiar, which of course ill turn into alum later on lol,

 

[ScroungerLee]

When you say left over slugs you mean pieces you can get from your job? Want to sell some?

Edit: just for my own use in my home machine shop

Lee

 

[urquidezj]

Can't do that sorry.

 

[ScroungerLee]

No problem, I just figured it was worth asking. I hope no one thought I was implying theft or some such thing. I thought that "leftover" meant scraps that are being thrown out.

 

[RatInDaHat]

a lot of shops recycle their "scrap." at least mine does.

 

[Rocketman]

Government contracts require a scrap control contract to prevent pilfering

All waste must go to the scrap contractor.

(except precious metals and hazardous waste)

 

[ScroungerLee]

I didn't know that about required recycling. I have often bought "cut offs" from various places, so I thought it was common.

 

[urquidezj]

We do take em to recycling centers but if its there its fair game

 

[urquidezj]

Madvapes put the size for the spring so that's awesome, still waiting on cash flow to order the parts, highly contemplating on making the top cap have the 510 threaded into it since I already know the tap on it. Just need to know the depth of it. So if anybody knows how deep they are please chime in. I will make the piece out of aluminum first just to see how it comes out then move onto 303 stainless. Thanks to santo for the mechanical switch. Got that figured out too

 

[nana-brazil]

Seems to be good.
i prefer modding boxes,
are easier,and
the parts are easie to find.
anyway,you made a Good post here.