Aga-t help!

[AnnaLaw]

I've been using small genesis clones for a few months, I thought I'd solved all the wick and wire problems, could make decent mesh wicks and got good coils. Then I got an Aga-t.
So yesterday I made a couple of #400 SS wicks,
not very happy with them as I think I didn't use enough mesh. So these wicks have a big hole in the middle and not many layers of mesh.
Anyway, I dropped one in the aga and wound a 0.20 mm kanthal A1 coil (sorry, don't know the AWG size of that as I'm in the UK but I think it's the most common gauge). Disaster!
Resistance on about 6 coils made was fine, between 1.8 and 2.8 ohms, as I was trying to get it to work with different numbers of wraps, and once even with thicker wire. After winding I shuffled coils around to get what looked like a nice even spread of turns. But with every coil the same thing happened.
The wire between wick and centre post turned practically white hot then snapped. It did look as though only the top part of the coil was hot, when I had enough time to look before the wire breaking.
I'm about to cut a much bigger bit of mesh and try again, but does anybody have tips for me?
I love mesh wicks and gennies, for me mesh beats silica hands down, but any idea why I'm getting so much overheating on the wire to the top post? It breaks where the wire leaves the wick, I think, although sometimes it may be closer to the top post.

 

[Trick]

Pretty common with the AGA-T. I've seen three solutions, two of which I know work because I've tried them myself:

1. Bend the wick toward the center post as close as possible.
2. Use a small washer on the center post to extend the center post out closer to the wick
3. When connecting the wire to the center post, wrap it around the post and back toward the wick. Then, twist the end of the wire around the one that leads from the top of the wick to the post. That essentially thickens that wire and makes it less prone to hotspots.

1 & 2 have worked for me, and I've seen at least three people say the third works, too.

 

[lightbud404]

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...-size-wraps-specific-devices.html#post7701334

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...hot-spot-free-cleanable-coil.html#post8042770

take your time with it and happy vaping

 

[Ryedan]

There is a great thread going on the AGA T linked here. I've had one for a few weeks now and know the frustration that upper coil can be. One thing that will definitely help you is to turn down your power (volts) when you are getting rid of hot spots and pulse the power on and off while you adjust the coils. If you have a mechanical mod, use a battery that is less than fully charged. The lower the better at first.

The tips from Trick and lightbud are great. There is a lot more information in the thread I linked to if you want to read a bit. HTH!

 

[Ryedan]

Snip

Noticed your avatar Trick. I think it's going to be a great game this evening! Can't wait

 

[Trick]

Noticed your avatar Trick. I think it's going to be a great game this evening! Can't wait

Hope so! Switched up the avatar for the day... getting pretty excited. Hard not to. The home town's been on a bit of a roll lately.

 

[AnnaLaw]

Thanks to everybody who has replied and thanks for the links.
I remember reading about twisting the wire back now I see it again. Last night I was getting so frustrated that I dreamt of breaking wires.
I'd seen a spreadsheet with wick sizes and nesh dimensions for different atties but I couldn't find it, so I've just oxidised a couple of 65 mm wide mesh, a lot more than before.
So I'll study the links and try to get a working combo. I had one coil that was fine for up to 2 seconds, then... pop.
My trying with the thickest wire I have was probably a dim memory of reading Trick's method 3.
I've seen the video of pulsing to oxidise mesh but never used it. I've never had problems with mesh wicks oxidising but that coil is driving me crazy. On my little Chinese clones the centre post is so close that it's not easy to keep the wick from touching it.
The only mechanical anything I have is an ego battery, I use a lavatube and vamo, but alway start at 3 volts.

Thanks. I'll do some reading and have a fresh start today.

 

[budynbuick]

Thanks to everybody who has replied and thanks for the links.
I remember reading about twisting the wire back now I see it again. Last night I was getting so frustrated that I dreamt of breaking wires.
I'd seen a spreadsheet with wick sizes and nesh dimensions for different atties but I couldn't find it, so I've just oxidised a couple of 65 mm wide mesh, a lot more than before.
So I'll study the links and try to get a working combo. I had one coil that was fine for up to 2 seconds, then... pop.
My trying with the thickest wire I have was probably a dim memory of reading Trick's method 3.
I've seen the video of pulsing to oxidise mesh but never used it. I've never had problems with mesh wicks oxidising but that coil is driving me crazy. On my little Chinese clones the centre post is so close that it's not easy to keep the wick from touching it.
The only mechanical anything I have is an ego battery, I use a lavatube and vamo, but alway start at 3 volts.

Thanks. I'll do some reading and have a fresh start today.

First thing I did was get the neg wire up level with coil. I used a hollow shim 2MM tall to raise the neg wire level instead of coming up @ angle. To anneal the wire you have to put little weight on it. If you just heat the wire & wrap around the coil,upon firing, unreleased tension is released which creates gaps between wick/coil. Tighten the wire to the neg post on your PV lying flat & pull up wire slightly (creating weight)& then anneal the wire. This is the only way to remove all tension. If you do not remove tension in this manner said tension will show up when you wrap the coil causing deformed coil. When you anneal the wire it should not be curved but perfectly straight.

 

[Keithhe]

There is a great thread going on the AGA T linked here. I've had one for a few weeks now and know the frustration that upper coil can be. One thing that will definitely help you is to turn down your power (volts) when you are getting rid of hot spots and pulse the power on and off while you adjust the coils. If you have a mechanical mod, use a battery that is less than fully charged. The lower the better at first.

The tips from Trick and lightbud are great. There is a lot more information in the thread I linked to if you want to read a bit. HTH!

Smoke is right (post #4 here). The linked thread, although long, is full of very good information. I had exact same thing happening to me on my AGA-T + as you are and found all the answers there. It works fine now.

 

[AnnaLaw]

Smoke is right (post #4 here). The linked thread, although long, is full of very good information. I had exact same thing happening to me on my AGA-T + as you are and found all the answers there. It works fine now.

I didn't think about raising the neg post, time for a visit to buy some metal, washers and something like that, or more washers.
Anyway, I have sort of got it working, but the resistance is lower than I'd like and I have a big hotspot. I'd not want anybody to see how bad the coil is even though it works, produces vapour.
I made a couple of almost solid wicks and wound a coil on one of them, making sure that the wick was as close to the centre post as possible. It lasted at least 2 seconds! So, as I'd wound 2.4 ohms I removed the waste from around the post, unwound a turn or two and refastened it. The resistance is now around 1.7 ohms and after a lot of fiddling I managed to get two coils glowing well although I have a big hotspot at the top. At least it hasn't broken the wire at the top and it works (sort of) As I now only have a 3/4 coil there's not much wire I can adjust, it started off with only the top coil, eventually I got a nice glow on the next one down, but haven't been able to get the bottom coil working properly. Still, it produces vaper, a reasonable amount even though some goes out of the airhole. So I thought I'd try it out, put a little bit of a half-decent juice in, and I've just about finished vaping it.
I've got 2 original aga-t gennies, an unexpected gift, both with airholes aligned now, one had a too-large hole in the tank which is now sealed. The other has bigger thumbscrews, the same theory as using washers to bring the wick closer. I made two near-solid wicks and I'm planning to have a go at stretching the wire while annealing for the 2nd (bigger thumbscews) tomorrow. There has to be some explanation for why I wound a coil that brought the wick to almost touching the post and the wire melted, but when I then unwound a bit so I could have another go, I still haven't got a broken wire, just a hotspot I can't get rid of although I spent a long time adjusting coils. Of course my 2.4 ohm original coil is now 1.7 ohm and is a 3/4 wrap so I have practically nothing to play with. But I asked myself why one worked and the other didn't. Maybe a 2.4 ohm coil drew too much current? Or maybe the wire got annealed while stressed and that's why it hasn't broken again.
Last night I dreamt of melting kanthal so I'm not going to try again tonight, but tomorrow I'm hoping a vamo with a 18650 battery is a big enough weight to stretch the kanthal while annealing. I plan to do as suggested, atty on vamo with wire attathched, hang onto the bobbin with the rest on, and anneal a bit under tension. When I first tried a coil on the one with the wider knurled nuts I was trying to keep the wick straight, next time I'll make sure that it's very well oxidised right to the end and try getting it so close to the post it's almost touching, with my usual 4/5 or 5/6 wrap.
Wish me luck.

 

[AnnaLaw]

Smoke is right (post #4 here). The linked thread, although long, is full of very good information. I had exact same thing happening to me on my AGA-T + as you are and found all the answers there. It works fine now.

There's a lot to read in that thread! But I read a bit and took onboard the tips kindly given here and I do have a working aga, although not working as well as it could, because I only have 3 turns on the coil which isn't enough to get them all nice and even.
I've just posted today's adventures, I actually have a coil that doesn't break and I get vapour! I'm sure it would be better without the hotspot but it is useable and gave me some very clean tasting strawberry even though every time I pus the button I get vapour leaving through the airhole as well as the driptip.