Calling all Genisis pros!
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What a great post..thanks for sharing!
What have I learned ?
Well lots and lots and lots. The problem is picking out "what works for you".
Now I'm sat here with two DID standards, by my side, both with entirely different setups, but both running my ADV as sweet as can be. So I feel I should state some of the key components of my DID setup method & "what works for me"
Wicks & Oxidization:
I have tried every posted method to get my wick oxidized properly, and the quick all over torch to bright red (not orange) first, then fold over 1mm then roll, then torch to bright red, and quench 2-3 times is what I settled on. You can torch that mesh all day as long as you stay with a red glow and not a bright orange, and it doesn't seem to become brittle.I spend maybe 7-8 mins torching and quenching once it's rolled, and I don't juice burn at this stage.
I only use #500 mesh now, and roll around 160mm by 37.5mm for a solid wick ( this one is for high wattage vaping on my mechanical mod and requires a tank breather hole to stop vacuum lock from hindering wicking),Wick diameter snug fit 3.4mm.
85mm by 37.5mm for a wick with a center hole (this does not require a tank breather fill screw is in place) and has a small gap around the wickhole to reduce adhesive forces in the juice between wick and hole. Wick diameter 3.0-3.2mm, wick internal hole 18g fill needle size.
I usually cut the bottom of my wick at 45 degrees, especially on the open center hole wick.
Coiling:
Before wrapping my coil I de-kink and heat the wire to make it less springy and burn of any impurities
I wrap my coils on drill bits and ss rods the size of my required wick, then insert drill bit with coil on into wickhole.I attach positive post first, and tighten well, then I attach negative ground post after pulling coil tight and spacing evenly. I then push a toothpick in between the coil and the positive nus to create as little "open air coil" as possible. The drill bit or ss rod should be a pretty tight fit in that coil and I lube it with a little juice to ease it out making sure not to disturb the uniform shape of the coil.
Then I pop my DID on the ZMAx or voltmeter, to check base resistance.
I use 28awg Nichrome 6 to 7 wraps on the thick wick destined for the 3.7v mod giving 0.9 Ohms and 1.2 Ohms,
and 30awg Kanthal A1 5 to 6 wraps on the open center wick destined fro the ZMAX or VV device giving 1.6 Ohms and 1.9 Ohms.
Wick Insertion:
I then adjust the roll of my wick to be a snug twist fit into the waiting coil, but I don't slide it all the way in yet.
I set the DID on a mod or support so it is completely upright and insert the wick leave 3/4 of it above the coil, and then drip unflavored VG onto the wick, and then I light the very top of the wick with a lighter, and let it burn down until the flame reaches the coil, then I blow it out ( before it heats up the plastic insulator on the top platform). I repeat this 2-4 times.
This not only seasons the wick, but it also oxidizes it very gently but evenly.
Then I put just enough VG on the wick where the coil will sit to lubricate the twisting insertion.
I leave my wick very slightly above the top nut, but not so high as it hits the topcap, (and the wick is not touching the bottom of the tank)
Dry burning & Coil adjustment:
This is the area that I have most recently had a break through with.
No matter what method you use to oxidize you wick this is when you do most damage to the very thin layer of protection, or so I have found.
Once the wick is in place, I set my ZMAX to 3watts and dry fire it ( it should only take a few moments for the "just enough VG on the wick where the coil will sit" to burn off). pulsing the switch at first then holding for longer if no shorts or hotspots are observed.
Hot spots are either caused by shorts of a loose wrap of coil, and both are best addressed while the coil is hot. I use a toothpick to move the offending coil a little up or a little down, and while it is hot it moves freely and stays where you put it.
If all is well and evenly glowing at 3watts i bump up to 4watts, pulse the switch then hold for longer, again checking for shorts and hotspots, then i go to 5watts and then the same at 6-12. If it wont fire evenly a little above your desired final vape power when dry then it will be hit and miss when juiced up (or so I've found).
This is a good point to check resistance, which should be dam close if not spot on you originally tested base level.
If all is good a little above that desired vaping power, then I add some juice to the wick and start again at 3watts building up power and adding juice directly to the wick as i go, checking again for hotspots/loose coils. I then check Ohms again.
Only then if all is good do I fill that tank.
Then I enjoy my best ever vaping experience.
I could go into more detail, but I expect you're glazing over by now LOL.
Ok I am finally convinced that more mesh is only better to a point. having been running 180-170mmx37.5mm wick in my DID std wickhole (3.5mm) with a 7wrap 0.9 Ohm nichrome coil for a few days on my Paps I was feeling pretty stoked, but to be totally honest on a fresh battery it was a little on the burnt side and even around 3.80v I had to be careful to rest a moment between long double draws. So I had a sudden realization, and that was that if I had rolled my #500 mesh super tight, which I had, then how much juice could it really hold up top under the coil. sure it wicks fast, but It has no real reservoir of juice to supply to the coil. At least that was my thinking. so I pulled my 180mm wick out of the coil, dry burned the coil and took the scissors to my beautiful 180mm wick, I trimmed off around 50-60mm (leaving around 115mm) unwrapped, it and rerolled it a little less tightly to fit the 3.4mm coil size.
After dry burning and adjusting the coils WOW! what a difference, It wicks like crazy, seriously crazy. I've been running my 180mm fat wick in the DId with my adjustable tank breather screw about 3/4 the way out, and with this new looser rolled wick I have it almost all the way in otherwise it wicks too well, I have NO LEAKS AT ALL EVER, and I can take quadruple toke chain vapes without ANY dry or burnt tasting hits.
Now I know BJ is going to tell me again that only superman could roll wick too tight to be efficient, and as far as capillary action is concerned that is probably true, but I have tried vaping my DID at 6"o'clock position, and it just doesn't feel natural, but it does still give flawless performance, so I imagine we are seeing a happy balance of capillary & volcanic rise action here, and not gravitation flow, either way I am super happy with this new "semi solid" "semi tight rolled" super wick. Until I make the next personal breakthrough in my coil/mesh wick set up LOL
After dry burning and adjusting the coils WOW! what a difference, It wicks like crazy, seriously crazy. I've been running my 180mm fat wick in the DId with my adjustable tank breather screw about 3/4 the way out, and with this new looser rolled wick I have it almost all the way in otherwise it wicks too well, I have NO LEAKS AT ALL EVER, and I can take quadruple toke chain vapes without ANY dry or burnt tasting hits.
Now I know BJ is going to tell me again that only superman could roll wick too tight to be efficient, and as far as capillary action is concerned that is probably true, but I have tried vaping my DID at 6"o'clock position, and it just doesn't feel natural, but it does still give flawless performance, so I imagine we are seeing a happy balance of capillary & volcanic rise action here, and not gravitation flow, either way I am super happy with this new "semi solid" "semi tight rolled" super wick. Until I make the next personal breakthrough in my coil/mesh wick set up LOL
What have I learned ?
Well lots and lots and lots. The problem is picking out "what works for you".
Now I'm sat here with two DID standards, by my side, both with entirely different setups, but both running my ADV as sweet as can be. So I feel I should state some of the key components of my DID setup method & "what works for me"
Wicks & Oxidization:
I have tried every posted method to get my wick oxidized properly, and the quick all over torch to bright red (not orange) first, then fold over 1mm then roll, then torch to bright red, and quench 2-3 times is what I settled on. You can torch that mesh all day as long as you stay with a red glow and not a bright orange, and it doesn't seem to become brittle.I spend maybe 7-8 mins torching and quenching once it's rolled, and I don't juice burn at this stage.
I only use #500 mesh now, and roll around 160mm by 37.5mm for a solid wick ( this one is for high wattage vaping on my mechanical mod and requires a tank breather hole to stop vacuum lock from hindering wicking),Wick diameter snug fit 3.4mm.
85mm by 37.5mm for a wick with a center hole (this does not require a tank breather fill screw is in place) and has a small gap around the wickhole to reduce adhesive forces in the juice between wick and hole. Wick diameter 3.0-3.2mm, wick internal hole 18g fill needle size.
I usually cut the bottom of my wick at 45 degrees, especially on the open center hole wick.
Coiling:
Before wrapping my coil I de-kink and heat the wire to make it less springy and burn of any impurities
I wrap my coils on drill bits and ss rods the size of my required wick, then insert drill bit with coil on into wickhole.I attach positive post first, and tighten well, then I attach negative ground post after pulling coil tight and spacing evenly. I then push a toothpick in between the coil and the positive nus to create as little "open air coil" as possible. The drill bit or ss rod should be a pretty tight fit in that coil and I lube it with a little juice to ease it out making sure not to disturb the uniform shape of the coil.
Then I pop my DID on the ZMAx or voltmeter, to check base resistance.
I use 28awg Nichrome 6 to 7 wraps on the thick wick destined for the 3.7v mod giving 0.9 Ohms and 1.2 Ohms,
and 30awg Kanthal A1 5 to 6 wraps on the open center wick destined fro the ZMAX or VV device giving 1.6 Ohms and 1.9 Ohms.
Wick Insertion:
I then adjust the roll of my wick to be a snug twist fit into the waiting coil, but I don't slide it all the way in yet.
I set the DID on a mod or support so it is completely upright and insert the wick leave 3/4 of it above the coil, and then drip unflavored VG onto the wick, and then I light the very top of the wick with a lighter, and let it burn down until the flame reaches the coil, then I blow it out ( before it heats up the plastic insulator on the top platform). I repeat this 2-4 times.
This not only seasons the wick, but it also oxidizes it very gently but evenly.
Then I put just enough VG on the wick where the coil will sit to lubricate the twisting insertion.
I leave my wick very slightly above the top nut, but not so high as it hits the topcap, (and the wick is not touching the bottom of the tank)
Dry burning & Coil adjustment:
This is the area that I have most recently had a break through with.
No matter what method you use to oxidize you wick this is when you do most damage to the very thin layer of protection, or so I have found.
Once the wick is in place, I set my ZMAX to 3watts and dry fire it ( it should only take a few moments for the "just enough VG on the wick where the coil will sit" to burn off). pulsing the switch at first then holding for longer if no shorts or hotspots are observed.
Hot spots are either caused by shorts of a loose wrap of coil, and both are best addressed while the coil is hot. I use a toothpick to move the offending coil a little up or a little down, and while it is hot it moves freely and stays where you put it.
If all is well and evenly glowing at 3watts i bump up to 4watts, pulse the switch then hold for longer, again checking for shorts and hotspots, then i go to 5watts and then the same at 6-12. If it wont fire evenly a little above your desired final vape power when dry then it will be hit and miss when juiced up (or so I've found).
This is a good point to check resistance, which should be dam close if not spot on you originally tested base level.
If all is good a little above that desired vaping power, then I add some juice to the wick and start again at 3watts building up power and adding juice directly to the wick as i go, checking again for hotspots/loose coils. I then check Ohms again.
Only then if all is good do I fill that tank.
Then I enjoy my best ever vaping experience.
I could go into more detail, but I expect you're glazing over by now LOL.
This should be made into a sticky, it's exactly what I do, this a great explanation you've written up here Studiovap !
Only difference for me is I use 28 Kanthal -8-9 coils = super vape
All the right stuff seems to be here already, so I won't muddy the waters
The one thing I will say is, there is no substitute for sore fingers, missing layers of skin and loads of failure. A lot of genny set up is a tactile/motor skill kind of thing, just keep at it, keep setting things up. The initial 'waste' period of mesh and coils will pass, and then you'll have your set ups lasting months and costing pennies. And remember to be patient with a new wick or coil, always give it at least 3 mls to make a judgement.
It took me weeks to get the hang of it, and I still have my days, but now I find it very easy.
The one thing I will say is, there is no substitute for sore fingers, missing layers of skin and loads of failure. A lot of genny set up is a tactile/motor skill kind of thing, just keep at it, keep setting things up. The initial 'waste' period of mesh and coils will pass, and then you'll have your set ups lasting months and costing pennies. And remember to be patient with a new wick or coil, always give it at least 3 mls to make a judgement.
It took me weeks to get the hang of it, and I still have my days, but now I find it very easy.
Its been almost a month since the last post here, so I wanted to bump this up for other new genny users.
After a re-read of the thread, the only other thing that I do in additional to what was stated above is a regular wick removal and coil cleaning. I do this prior to coils getting too gunked and "locking in" to the wick. I use the drill bit method for coiling with a wick diameter that lightly brushes the coil. Basic cleaning is just a gentle twist removal of the wick, a quick coil burn or two, blow off the ash, minor coil rise, dry and re-insert the wick. I do not clean the wick if it is mostly gunk-free. If you initially set up the coil/wick with precision, this is a breeze.
Also with 28g, as compared to say 32g, the thicker wire can maintain a perfect symmetrical shape, so multiple removals and re-inserts are never a problem. I do not re-oxidize the wick after cleaning. If any minor shorts occur, just a small twist to the wick usually takes care of it and if I can get power without an error code, I will try to vape through it for bit to see if it will resolve.
I don't consider myself a genny pro, but over the two months that this post has been around, I now seem to be getting genny pro results.
I agree with MWA. This thread should be made into a sticky. Being a relatively newer genny user, this post has provided me the most consolidated insightful information I could find on setting up and optimizing a genny atty on the web.
LucidAce +1
After a re-read of the thread, the only other thing that I do in additional to what was stated above is a regular wick removal and coil cleaning. I do this prior to coils getting too gunked and "locking in" to the wick. I use the drill bit method for coiling with a wick diameter that lightly brushes the coil. Basic cleaning is just a gentle twist removal of the wick, a quick coil burn or two, blow off the ash, minor coil rise, dry and re-insert the wick. I do not clean the wick if it is mostly gunk-free. If you initially set up the coil/wick with precision, this is a breeze.
Also with 28g, as compared to say 32g, the thicker wire can maintain a perfect symmetrical shape, so multiple removals and re-inserts are never a problem. I do not re-oxidize the wick after cleaning. If any minor shorts occur, just a small twist to the wick usually takes care of it and if I can get power without an error code, I will try to vape through it for bit to see if it will resolve.
I don't consider myself a genny pro, but over the two months that this post has been around, I now seem to be getting genny pro results.
I agree with MWA. This thread should be made into a sticky. Being a relatively newer genny user, this post has provided me the most consolidated insightful information I could find on setting up and optimizing a genny atty on the web.
LucidAce +1
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