Cheap little coil building tool

[Vapo10]

Hello, my name is Steve this is my first post. Just getting into vaping, my second month. Wanted to share this with everyone because its cheap and effective. Ive found using basketball/footall inflation needles to wrap my coils has been great. You can get a 3 pack from walmart for a couple bucks. The advantage of these is that they have the flat base and it allows you to pinch your coils down durring the wrap, ensuring you get nice toit loik a toiga coils I believe the needles are about the diameter of a 5/64 drill bit if I'm not mistaken. I use these coils for my protank 2's and Nautilus rebuilds. 8-9 wraps with 28g Kanthal coming out around 1.5-1.6ohms and work great!!

Cheers!

 

[AndriaD]

I got 2 5/64 drill bits at home depot for bout $2.50... and there's an extra drill bit for my husband's use. Not sure what we'd do with basketball inflation needles, since they won't work as drill bits.

Andria

 

[Completely Average]

I've considered using machine screws for a jig. Not only can I get the diameter I want, but the threads would provide a nice template to wrap coils in, keeping every coil the same diameter and space. Once wrapped just a little squeeze with tweezers and a shot with a torch and it should be about as perfect as humanly possible.

 

[AndriaD]

I keep seeing stuff about "torching" the wire -- is that really necessary??? I don't have a torch, and have no other possible use for one... do I really need to go buy some expensive piece of hardware just to rebuild coils???

Andria

 

[RichRod]

I keep seeing stuff about "torching" the wire -- is that really necessary??? I don't have a torch, and have no other possible use for one... do I really need to go buy some expensive piece of hardware just to rebuild coils???

Andria

its not entirely necessary but it makes the wire more pliable plus takes any funk off of it, but if you want a cheap torch go to a hardware store and buy a bottle of propane with a nozzle for about 5 bucks. itll last pretty much forever, i use it for my wire, silica wick, and torching my mods/attys!

 

[AndriaD]

That just about scares me so bad, I'm ready to forget all about rebuilding coils -- after just getting the wire, and placing an order today for silica wick!

I have no desire to play with fire!!!!!!!!!!

Andria

 

[twgbonehead]

Not sure what we'd do with basketball inflation needles, since they won't work as drill bits.

Andria

I hear they work pretty well for inflating basketballs ;-)

I use jeweler's screwdrivers, which work pretty well for me.

 

[twgbonehead]

That just about scares me so bad, I'm ready to forget all about rebuilding coils -- after just getting the wire, and placing an order today for silica wick!

I have no desire to play with fire!!!!!!!!!!

Andria

Andria,

You don't need to flame the wire. You can just wrap it. It will oxidize when you first fire it in your mod/PV. If you're using a cotton wick, fire the coil for a bit before wicking. (Edit: Because you don't want to dry-burn cotton).

However, if you do want to flame it, you can use a regular lighter, a candle, or even a gas stove. Anything that can get the wire red-hot.

 

[Completely Average]

I keep seeing stuff about "torching" the wire -- is that really necessary??? I don't have a torch, and have no other possible use for one... do I really need to go buy some expensive piece of hardware just to rebuild coils???

Andria

Torching is not necessary, but if you're building microcoils it really helps the wire hold it's shape. Once you get the coil like you want you heat it up and it stays in that shape. It's like a blacksmith heating metal to make it pliable before beating it with a hammer into the form they want.

Butane torches are actually pretty cheap. I spent less than $15 on mine at Walmart. And my wife can use it to cook the top of Creme Brulee.


BTW, this isn't some big scary torch, it's a little thing.

 

[GeorgeWachsmuth]

I keep seeing stuff about "torching" the wire -- is that really necessary??? I don't have a torch, and have no other possible use for one... do I really need to go buy some expensive piece of hardware just to rebuild coils???

Andria

I use a cigarette lighter. LOL....not using it for anything else.

 

[porkchopbun]

That just about scares me so bad, I'm ready to forget all about rebuilding coils -- after just getting the wire, and placing an order today for silica wick!

I have no desire to play with fire!!!!!!!!!!

Andria

It's not that scarey, my wife likes building my coils...and she doesn't even vape. You can buy pen like mini butane torch for under 10.00 from Fasttech/ Ebay and can of butane from your local hardware store.

You can control the volume of flames that come out...BTW...what are you going to rebuild.

 

[AndriaD]

Andria,

You don't need to flame the wire. You can just wrap it. It will oxidize when you first fire it in your mod/PV. If you're using a cotton wick, fire the coil for a bit before wicking. (Edit: Because you don't want to dry-burn cotton).

However, if you do want to flame it, you can use a regular lighter, a candle, or even a gas stove. Anything that can get the wire red-hot.

Well I've definitely got lighters. Nice to know they won't go totally to waste, since I quit setting fire to tobacco.

I think I'm gonna stick with silica for wicks. Since starting to do the dry-burns on coils, I got some P&C yarn and was using that to replace the flavor wicks, but it takes so much priming to get the juice into the wick, I'm just tired of it, and I bet that problem is worse, with cotton in the coil too. So I just ordered some silica wick from Lightning Vapes, same place I got the wire -- good prices, AND free shipping!

To be honest, though, these coils are a huge PITA; I recently discovered cartos, and I think I'm gonna pop for a big cartotank and some punched cartos, cut down on some of this frustration and fiddling-about with coils. Yeah I really ought to learn how to rebuild them, just to prevent ever being here with no way to vape, but I think I'm heading in the carto direction.

Thx!!!!
Andria

 

[AndriaD]

It's not that scarey, my wife likes building my coils...and she doesn't even vape. You can buy pen like mini butane torch for under 10.00 from Fasttech/ Ebay and can of butane from your local hardware store.

You can control the volume of flames that come out...BTW...what are you going to rebuild.

At this point, Kanger coils for T3S/MT3S... I've got 2 T3Ss and a MT3S... Also got a mini protank II, so eventually those too.

Andria

 

[Moonswanni]

One could use a lighter to take the springiness out of a wire, but if one is building a micro coil with cotton a torch is "almost" needed.

 

[AndriaD]

Well.. I'm not even really sure what a microcoil *is*... so it's probably safe to say I won't be building those. Really I just thought it would be good if I could stop paying $6/5pk for coils, I go thru 'em so fast. I use low nic and already a very high percentage of PG, so to get the max throat hit I like, I have to turn it up, which apparently burns out coils like a bad... you know.

One other thing I've noticed, using cotton for the flavor wick -- the silica that they come with, they can get pretty black before the taste gets nasty, but the cotton, man, as soon as they're even *slightly* scorched, nasty! I just went thru 3 coils I have laying on the counter here, replacing the cotton wicks because they were slightly browned and tasting like the devil's armpit if not some other less-tasty orifice, dry-burning a couple that were looking slightly gunked. I've still got 3 new ones, but resisting taking those out until I get some others ordered and on their way to me.

On the other hand, I got a 5-pk of standard cartos over a week ago, using 4 of them fairly regularly, and they still taste fine. Still got one I haven't used. I know that a higher setting, higher heat, can cause those to degrade too, but they don't seem to taste bad quite as fast as the coils do. and then when they do, no need to fiddle -- just toss 'em. Desert Vapes has those for $4.25/5pk, and that seems like a much better use of funds, IMO.

Andria

 

[InTheShade]

I don't torch my coils after building either. I do use a lighter to heat the wire before wrapping (especially on 32ga.) as it removes some of the springiness. After wrapping, I meter, mount it and then fire on the RDA. When the coils are red-hot, I release the fire button and squeeze with needle-nose pliers a few times to get those wraps nice and tight and even.

As for the original post, great tip - I too use drill bits but whatever works for you. I've read about people using paperclips, screwdrivers, needles, screws, hair clips, kebob rods, and even wrapping around the kanthal wire itself.

There is no right or wrong thing to use - but I would say using something with a known gauge might help if you are using any type of calculator to adjust your resistance.

 

[twgbonehead]

Well.. I'm not even really sure what a microcoil *is*... so it's probably safe to say I won't be building those. Really I just thought it would be good if I could stop paying $6/5pk for coils, I go thru 'em so fast. I use low nic and already a very high percentage of PG, so to get the max throat hit I like, I have to turn it up, which apparently burns out coils like a bad... you know.

One other thing I've noticed, using cotton for the flavor wick -- the silica that they come with, they can get pretty black before the taste gets nasty, but the cotton, man, as soon as they're even *slightly* scorched, nasty! I just went thru 3 coils I have laying on the counter here, replacing the cotton wicks because they were slightly browned and tasting like the devil's armpit if not some other less-tasty orifice, dry-burning a couple that were looking slightly gunked. I've still got 3 new ones, but resisting taking those out until I get some others ordered and on their way to me.

On the other hand, I got a 5-pk of standard cartos over a week ago, using 4 of them fairly regularly, and they still taste fine. Still got one I haven't used. I know that a higher setting, higher heat, can cause those to degrade too, but they don't seem to taste bad quite as fast as the coils do. and then when they do, no need to fiddle -- just toss 'em. Desert Vapes has those for $4.25/5pk, and that seems like a much better use of funds, IMO.

Andria

Andria,

Make sure you keep the cotton wick moist, don't vape it dry. (Also, never dry-burn a cotton wick!!! Remove the wick, dry-burn the coil, replace the wick)

Once cotton burns, it's toast.

 

[InTheShade]

Original post deleted

 

[Flavored]

Go to a Micheal's or Hobby Lobby, or order one of these from Amazon:

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/clearomizers/510520-coils-made-easy.html

Torching and squeezing not required.

 

[keonee]

Welcome Vapo10 to ECF. Sounds like you are enjoying building your coils.....good for you to jump right in. I use The Coiling Gizmo Wire Coiling since my hands aren't that steady.

Happy Vaping!!!