BIG atomizers?

[equazcion]

I have a few questions I'm curious about, hopefully an experienced modder will help me out.

I've been pondering making something akin to an e-hooka -- basically something to use at home, where size and power are no issue, to make monster amounts of vapor. The problem is the availability of large atomizers. The largest I can find are the pen-style ones. So first of all, does anyone know if larger ones are available somewhere?

My next question is, has anyone ever tried making an atomizer from scratch? I took one apart and found that there's not much going on. It's basically a light bulb without the glass, plus that metal mesh. If I were to try making an atomizer, any idea where I'd get the filament and metal mesh?

Last question: Have any modders here considered using parts from a room humidifier? Don't they basically do the same thing as atomizers, only they're designed to run constantly? Wouldn't that make a killer e-gadget? Am I totally off?

Thanks in advance for any answers, I'm new to modding e-cigs and really curious about this stuff.

 

[nicowolf]

Here ya go. They have been doing it for years, they just haven't included nicotine.
NEW F1000 1000 Watt Pro Fog Machine Fogger with Remote - eBay (item 200298377472 end time Jan-19-09 19:19:07 PST)

 

[equazcion]

Here ya go. They have been doing it for years, they just haven't included nicotine.
NEW F1000 1000 Watt Pro Fog Machine Fogger with Remote - eBay (item 200298377472 end time Jan-19-09 19:19:07 PST)

Ah, good idea. Still curious though, do you know if a room humidifier would work? I'm sure fog machines are more powerful, but is that the only difference? Cause humidifiers are much cheaper. I think I may even have one laying around somewhere I could use.

 

[Trumpybloke]

I am playing around with atomiser construction at the moment , the hooka idea has a lot of promise, the only problem I see is, as you scale up , the quantities of vapour and liquid use would scale as well, there would also be condensation issues if you were using a long hose and mouthpiece as it is vapour we are inhaling instead of smoke? I might try over the next few weeks with a larger wicking and nichrome set-up....

LOL @ Wolfie... I see that has a quart capacity , ok the headrush would be amazing but you would need to buy shares in JC to fill the ....... !!! 946 ml to a quart , lets see 31 1/2 30 ml bottles to fill it sooooo $628 !!! Now thats a NIGHT !!!!!

 

[nicowolf]

As far as the basics of how our atomizers work, it is much like a toaster or a light bulb (without the vacuum). Positive pole at one end of a wire, negative at the other end of the wire. The wire heats up, we get vapor, or toasted bread depending on the device. I have never taken a humidifier apart to see how it works, but I wonder about how much heat they actually produce. I know my CPAP humidifier produces some heat, but nowhere near enough for vapor, it makes the air moist because the water is warm and contained - still only slightly warmer than room temp with air passing through the humidifier. If I turn the humidity way up, I get rainout in the hose because of condensation I would think a hookah would have the same problem unless the hose were heated as well.

 

[equazcion]

I am playing around with atomiser construction at the moment....

Yeah the liquid consumption is a problem. I was thinking of an atomizer that's let's say 4 times the size of a pen-style -- or about the size of a hooka coal. Assuming it would just consume 4 times the liquid of a pen, it seems practical enough.

Any chance you could post some details about how you're going about the atomizer construction? Especially curious what you're using for a wick. Thanks

 

[equazcion]

nowhere near enough for vapor...

Most humidifiers I've seen shoot a stream of visible water vapor, so I'm guessing those should work with e-liquid too...

 

[nicowolf]

Most humidifiers I've seen shoot a stream of visible water vapor, so I'm guessing those should work with e-liquid too...

I wish I had more info for you. Maybe you could pick one up cheap, secondhand or on clearance in a few months and take it apart. Test the heat on the heater part of it. Or maybe, just try putting VG and distilled water in the humidifier and see if it works. If it does, you probably could mod it to accept small hoses instead of that diffuser thing at the end of it.

I don't have one I am willing to experiment with, or would experiment and report back. I think it sounds like a great idea. Then I could share my vape without sharing my germs.

 

[Trumpybloke]

Equazion, There will be people who sway back in horror when I tell them about my wicking LOL
I am using a high silicate fibreglass Commonly used as heatseals on fireplace doors !!! EEEP!!! what about inhalation of fibres etc etc I hear them cry ... well my atomiser concept is similar to commercial e-cig ones, where the wicking is wet bathed and 90% encapsulated by the nichrome windings... as long as the wick is kept relatively damp, I cannot see fibre particulates separating and being inhaled ( I am thinking I would be exposed more by the fibreglass batt insulation in my roof being disturbed by wildlife and or rodents ? )
Silicosis might be a problem , but so is inhaling the volatile fumes made by decomposing synthetics in a std atomiser??
the perfect wicking would be organic, non degradable, and temperature resistant to 500 deg C ... when I find it thats what I would use LOL
Meantime I am awaiting the arrival of my new laser IR non contact thermometer so I can get some vapour temps

 

[nicowolf]

I am playing around with atomiser construction at the moment , the hooka idea has a lot of promise, the only problem I see is, as you scale up , the quantities of vapour and liquid use would scale as well, there would also be condensation issues if you were using a long hose and mouthpiece as it is vapour we are inhaling instead of smoke? I might try over the next few weeks with a larger wicking and nichrome set-up....

LOL @ Wolfie... I see that has a quart capacity , ok the headrush would be amazing but you would need to buy shares in JC to fill the ....... !!! 946 ml to a quart , lets see 31 1/2 30 ml bottles to fill it sooooo $628 !!! Now thats a NIGHT !!!!!

Yeah, that is a laugh. I hadn't done the math, just remembered what originally used PG and water to make vapor. Maybe mixing some VG would cut the cost.

Hey, with one of those, we could create some unsuspecting addicts. Mwuahahahaha. Just the passing evil thought that occasionally gets immortalized in print.

 

[equazcion]

well my atomiser concept is similar to commercial e-cig ones, where the wicking is wet bathed and 90% encapsulated by the nichrome windings...
the perfect wicking would be organic, non degradable, and temperature resistant to 500 deg C...

Nichrome windings, is that the filament? I'm confused cause I thought the wicking in commercial e-cigs was the metal mesh. Doesn't that mesh soak up the liquid? Or is the wick that tiny piece of fiber the filament winds around?

Either way why not just use whatever wick material they use in commercial e-cigs? Or do we not know what material that is...

Sorry my knowledge in this area is pretty lacking...

 

[nicowolf]

Equazion, have you ever taken a Zippo lighter apart, or replaced a wick in one?

 

[nicowolf]

the wire mesh we see in the atomizer would be analogous to the cotton like stuff we add liquid to in the bottom of a Zippo. The wick would actually be the material that the filament winds around. It feels strange that our wick has a wick, but it works the same way.

 

[Trumpybloke]

Equazion , nichrome is the heating element , I am winding it around a small fibreglass rope, I refer to this rope as wicking as it is what transfers the liquid to be heated , in a commercial atomiser the wire wool is used to draw liquid from the cart ( due to capilliary action and gravity feed ) to a porous ceramic cup in which the wicking and nichrome set-up resides.
It is my understanding that commercial atomisers use a synthetic fibre ( some form of polyamide I would think?? ) to do the same job , however over time the heating element gunges up and starts to overheat causing this fibre to break down or the element to fail.
I will be looking at ( in the far off future ) a form of direct liquid injection to the cup containing the element , and also a regulated driving circuit to the element to provide a constant Amp supply to the nichrome so it neither overheats or underheats... kinda like the Light Sabre of e-cigs LOL Meanwhile it keeps me outta trouble and from being bored ... but my new nitro r/c offroad buggy and a new SE5a biplane kit arrives this week so everything will be on hold LMAO

 

[equazcion]

Trumpybloke, thanks so much for answering all my questions, that's exactly what I wanted to know.

What you're doing sounds really interesting. I hope you succeed so you can share your findings

 

[lintz69]

I was thinking of the same thing. Here is what I came up with.

At the base, but a motorcycle battery. Then the rest is kinda decoration. Then in each "Tube" put 4 atomizers. USB passthrough goes from the 4 atomizers to the battery. Then you can have everyone have their own flavor.

Having that many atomizers would work like a big one, and motorcycle battery(or wall plug with transformers) would work for the 4 in each. Hook up for hoses then there is 16 atomizers and 4 happy people with ALOT of vapor

 

[Keltrey]

kinda like the Light Sabre of e-cigs

Trumpy... You just made my day!!

 

[equazcion]

Then in each "Tube" put 4 atomizers.

I was thinking of just buying a bunch of commercial pen-style atomizers, but then you've got the hassle of refilling a lot of individual cartridges pretty often. You've also got to seal up each atomizer and cartridge with tubing and tape somehow, so that all airflow from both sides goes through the atomizers, and only the atomizers. That would then also make refilling carts pretty tedious cause you'd need to re-seal everything after each refilling.

That's why I was looking at ways of just using one big atomizer. I think it simplifies things

 

[RjG]

here you go :

12v kettle - 120w plugs into cigar lighter socket. - your product at the best price with Twenga

plug the pouring spout up, drill holes, and add tubing for your mouthpieces

 

[Trumpybloke]

@ Rj

Sometimes its the simplest ideas !!!

I have now given up on atomisers and am instead concentrating on a far infrared sauna---- by fuelling this with nicotine laced PG/VG mixture splashed onto the fake hot rocks , I can sweat off the pounds AND get my fix !!!