Aluminum mech box mod

[JohnnyDill]

any chance youd post a tutorial any time soon? im a mechanical engineering student and i have access to a machine shop and i would love to know how to make this. this is exactly what i'm looking for for my first build

Here is the material list:

1 piece 2" x 3" x 1/8" thick aluminum tube around an inch long before machining.
2 pieces 1/8" x 2" aluminum strip at just over 3"
510 top cap of your choice. I used a Chi You from FT. {lots of needless machining here; there are better choices like FatDaddy and another one that is low profile}
1 micro USB charging board
1 feeler gauge brass strip- I used a .016" thickness w/ a small bit of copper for battery contact
1 RCA connector center pin {drilled out for liquid feed- soldered to drilled center pin}
1 juice bottle with small "aquarium" flexible air tube
1 solid plastic piece 1" x 1" x 3/8" that becomes the button guide
1 piece 3/8" round stainless at 1/2" or so for the button itself
1 stainless washer for the bottom of button
8 neo magnets- I used tiny 1/8" x 1/16"
24 guage wire for charging board

The rest is all machining work. The position of the holes on top are determined by the diameter of the juice bottle and the battery diameter to end up centered.

You need a four jaw chuck for your lathe to create the plastic block. Also, one of the plates of aluminum is TIG welded to the box, making it permanent. The thing that makes it look finished is by milling it together as a unit {with the door attached} as the final step, so the door seam virtually disappears. This is a time consuming build, but worth it in the end. -Shoot me a PM if you need any info. I had no real plan to make this unique box. It ended up how you see it.

In the event I make another one, I will take many more pictures so you may see a tutorial some day.

 

[pete63]

Great looking mod Johnny D.

 

[17AKing]

alright thank you! i may do it a slight bit differently because i have to pay for materials unless its from the scrap metal bin, but I'll make it work. i'm planning on coating the inside and using wires though. i don't want to mess up trying to do the push button like you have. i will probably just attach a battery holder in it, or make one that i can remove the battery so i don't have to buy a chip. i also plan to use the mill to cut the removable plate out of carbon fiber because i have a 6"x6" piece of 1/4" scrap carbon fiber that i can drill out and put the magnets in. also my RDA doesn't have a bottom feed hole for the juice, so i'll just use it as a bottle storage and attach a clip for the bottle. Thank you so much for the rest of the guide though. I'll figure out the wiring from the puckmod guides he has for general mech mods.

 

[JohnnyDill]

my RDA doesn't have a bottom feed hole

Neither did my RDA's, before I modified them! With a lathe, just drill out the center pin with a 1/16" drill bit. {start with a small center drill first}

I have a Nimbus and a Magma which are not supposed to be bottom feeders. Now they are! it is a very quick and easy mod.

 

[turbocad6]

awesome work Johnny. if I had any advice to give it would only be to think about maybe using a brass or copper pad at the bottom for the negative connection instead of just the bump in the aluminum... aluminum builds up a layer of oxides immediately after it's cleaned and a negative pad bolted to the aluminum will give better contact and less voltage drop. awesome work keeping that thing as short and minimalistic as practical, looks great

 

[JohnnyDill]

Funny you should mention that! It actually has a .005" shim of brass on the battery negative. Since brass does not solder to aluminum, it is just wedged in there securely. It is working extremely well; it seems to hit harder than my SS Nemesis by comparison.

 

[17AKing]

awesome! im actually thinking of still not doing the bottom feeder. Instead i'm doing a 2x 2400mah 3.7v protected 18650 batteries in parallel so it'll last twice as long. it'll be awesome! i'll probably run dual .9ohm coils with a lot of wick for cloud chasing

 

[JohnnyDill]

Most of the Reo faithful already know about Noalox, but I just discovered this product. It has anti-oxidation and conductive properties that are exactly what I needed for this mod. I put a dab of this between the battery negative and the case, as well as the positive contact as you do on a Reo. MAN, what a difference. I did this on the Altoids box as well, which has a new front face/door. Finally, I believe I am done with these mech bottom feeders. VERY happy. Hmmmm. Time to start making something else that vapes!

 

[muzichead]

Actually this is much better...

 

[turbocad6]

on the aluminum the noalox is probably better, apply it right after sanding the aluminum, before it gets a chance to build up any oxidation which happens almost immediately with aluminum. you can even use a little noalox as lubricant for the sanding so the aluminum gets no oxygen exposure, or after it's cleaned off wipe it with acetone then immediately apply the noalox which will block oxygen exposure so it doesn't build up a skin of oxidation.

that's why threading a bolt through the aluminum would be a more lasting long term solution... aluminum conducts pretty well but the surface skins over with a highly resistant coat of oxidation right away, a mechanical bolted connection will maintain good conductivity to the aluminum because the tight metal to metal contact won't oxidise anywhere near as much

 

[JohnnyDill]

a mechanical bolted connection will maintain good conductivity to the aluminum because the tight metal to metal contact won't oxidise anywhere near as much

This is what I will do if current degrades ever again. It will also mean I will have one small screw hole visible on the bottom, like a Reo. I will do this if I have to! Noalox has solved all issues so far.

 

[TUS172]

Here is what I came up with for a 26650 with 15 mil bottom fed tank. A Hammond 1590B, FDV 510, 48v Switch and Shapeway battery sled.