Coil rebuild disaster ***help***

[HDVaper]

As you can see, this is not a pretty sight!!!! This is my first attempt and so far ZILCH!!! I have a question: is there different grades of silica wick? This stuff unravels and by the time I get through it looks like a cotton ball. I've noticed that it seems to break across the wick material when I wrap, like it's cut. This is for the birds and it looks so easy on the YouTube videos that I've watched. However the wick in the vids doesn't look like it disintegrates when handled HELP!!

EDIT: Also when I try to wrap the wick little fuzz balls start coming off and blowing around all over the place. This CAN'T be right can it?

 

[bris1974]

looks like a dripper build. don't cut your silica until you are done wrapping. leave it nice and long. take a small gauge needle and hold it along side your silica to give your working area a little strength. wrap your wire nice and easy around the silica and needle. when done, slide the needle out and mount your coil. last, trim the silica to the desired length.

 

[HDVaper]

looks like a dripper build. don't cut your silica until you are done wrapping. leave it nice and long. take a small gauge needle and hold it along side your silica to give your working area a little strength. wrap your wire nice and easy around the silica and needle. when done, slide the needle out and mount your coil. last, trim the silica to the desired length.

I've tried that too and by the time I get the needle inserted the piece of wick I'm working with is pretty much a cotton ball and the fuzz is flying. And when I try to wrap it the kanthal just buries itself in the wick and almost disappears. I know you're not supposed to wrap too tight or too loose but there seems to be now in-between on this crap.

I got one done, sort of, but when you look down inside where the wick is the wick looks like a cotton ball stuffed in there.

 

[Steam Turbine]

What are you rebuilding?

What I find that helps is torching my silica a little bit before hand. It makes it a little stiffer so it's easier to wrap a coil on and it's easier to cut afterwrads aswell. I never have to use a needle. If whatever you'll put the coil into is big enough, I suggest to double the wicks, makes for better wicking and easier coil... coiling.

But yeah! Silica is fragile. Just need to be super careful when rebuilding with it.

 

[HDVaper]

What are you rebuilding?

What I find that helps is torching my silica a little bit before hand. It makes it a little stiffer so it's easier to wrap a coil on and it's easier to cut afterwrads aswell. I never have to use a needle. If whatever you'll put the coil into is big enough, I suggest to double the wicks, makes for better wicking and easier coil... coiling.

But yeah! Silica is fragile. Just need to be super careful when rebuilding with it.

Sorry...Kanger Protank heads.

 

[Steam Turbine]

Sorry...Kanger Protank heads.

Then you can't double your silica.

If you have a blowtorch, try giving it a burn, watch out though, silica will get super hot even though it dosent look like it's hot (burnt myself a few times like a .....). It's gonna get stiffer but a little more brittle to, if you are not gentle, you'll have a huge silica shards party. If it doesnt work, use the needle trick.

Practice makes perfect.... Dont worry, I think that rebuilding is meant to be extremely frustrating. But once you get it. You're good forever.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

As you can see, this is not a pretty sight!!!! This is my first attempt and so far ZILCH!!! I have a question: is there different grades of silica wick? This stuff unravels and by the time I get through it looks like a cotton ball. I've noticed that it seems to break across the wick material when I wrap, like it's cut. This is for the birds and it looks so easy on the YouTube videos that I've watched. However the wick in the vids doesn't look like it disintegrates when handled HELP!!

EDIT: Also when I try to wrap the wick little fuzz balls start coming off and blowing around all over the place. This CAN'T be right can it?

That looks similar to my Dismal Attempt No. 1, too. Silica wick is cheap, so don't skimp or be afraid to throw away an inch while trying to construct a 1/4" coil. I have used both a toothpick and the shaft of a 1/16" ASE drill. They stabilize the wick and allow you to get a uniform wrap without as much wick handling. The drill worked better. A straight pin would probably work too, but I thought that would leave my coil too tight and hamper juice flow to the coil.

Steam's idea of flaming the wick first is something I never tried. It makes sense. What I did do was moisten my fingers with a water/juice mix from the previous tank. This made it easier for my fumble fingers to handle the wick without it disintegrating.

After failing miserably on the first try, then succeeding on the next three, I decided that it wasn't worth the effort; that my time was more valuable than my money and that it's a good idea to throw in a five-pack of heads on every consumables purchase. I now have about 30 heads laying around.

 

[Spazmelda]

Where did you get your wick? Maybe someone else has used some from the same supplier and can confirm that it works and that there's nothing wrong with it?

 

[Myrany]

another small thing I found. Turn the wick so that you are wrapping your wire in the same direction as the wick is twisted. That way any twisting your fingers do just tightens the twist on the wick instead of unravelling it.

 

[bikerbeagle]

As you can see, this is not a pretty sight!!!!

I'm sorry, don't mean to laugh, but that looks like you and I share the same level of proficiency at coil rebuilding!

 

[HDVaper]

After failing miserably on the first try, then succeeding on the next three, I decided that it wasn't worth the effort; that my time was more valuable than my money and that it's a good idea to throw in a five-pack of heads on every consumables purchase. I now have about 30 heads laying around.

I've pretty much came to the same conclusion. I order a box from time to time just because. I have around 60 or 70 new heads and thought I probably would never use them but I've changed my mind. I'm gonna keep trying just so I can say I did it but when I run out wick I'm probably done and at the rate I've been using it I don't imagine it will be long before I'm out of "coil rebuilding business".

 

[klynnn]

I use a large sewing needle and always wet the wick with water before I wrap it. I was making it too tight but learned to loosen it up a bit.

 

[jefsview]

He-he. Sorry. I don't feel so bad now. I only had one bad wrap in my first coil building attempt; and thinking back, I should have just used that on a Protank coil, since it was too few wraps for the 28 Kanthal I was using; didn't want to go sub-ohm right away).

I found the same unraveling issue with my 3mm Ekowool, and I know plain silica does the same. Torching it is a good idea, to stiffen it up.

You can also torch your resistance wire to make it more flexible. What gauge and type are you using?

Some folks like to use a narrow nail to wrap with. I just wrapped it all around the wick... it was more difficult than it looks on Youtube... but I didn't torch beforehand and used the thicker 28 gauge Kanthal.

Don't give up. Deep breath. Kanthal and Silica are pretty darn cheap. The Ekowool didn't "unravel" much until I was cutting it and I'm happy with the flavor and wicking ability of it. Just keep practicing.

 

[BigLebowski]

Take a 1/16" drill bit or similar diameter and wrap your coil on it. Stuff the silica in a drawer and grab some 100% cotton balls, pull a little off and slightly roll it between your fingers. If it slides into the coil without much effort (cotton expands) then trim to fit in the base, prime it with juice, let it sit for 30 mins and then vape. This works really well for bottom coil rebuilds, cotton wicks like a champ. The wick will probably gunk up after a few tanks--run the head under some water, pull the cotton and make another wick. It's the only thing I use in my Protank and it costs less with less frustration than silica.

 

[HDVaper]

He-he. Sorry. I don't feel so bad now. I only had one bad wrap in my first coil building attempt; and thinking back, I should have just used that on a Protank coil, since it was too few wraps for the 28 Kanthal I was using; didn't want to go sub-ohm right away).

I found the same unraveling issue with my 3mm Ekowool, and I know plain silica does the same. Torching it is a good idea, to stiffen it up.

You can also torch your resistance wire to make it more flexible. What gauge and type are you using?

Some folks like to use a narrow nail to wrap with. I just wrapped it all around the wick... it was more difficult than it looks on Youtube... but I didn't torch beforehand and used the thicker 28 gauge Kanthal.

Don't give up. Deep breath. Kanthal and Silica are pretty darn cheap. The Ekowool didn't "unravel" much until I was cutting it and I'm happy with the flavor and wicking ability of it. Just keep practicing.

32 guage Kanthal. I'll keep trying til I run out of wick.

 

[Fizzpop]

A few things that might help:

• As others have noted, use a needle to give the wick some structural stability so you can wrap it.
• Make sure you anneal your wire. Get it red hot with a lighter and let it air-cool. This will make the wire soft and easy to wrap.
• Slow down. Silca is fragile, you can't be too rough with it. Get everything prepared, then wrap. Work at wrapping the wick once. Every time you unwrap to try again, your wick will be in worse shape.

 

[HDVaper]

Seriously Guys...Thanks for all the help. I guess I'm not cut out to be a coil rebuilder. However, I need to stop trying before I fire up an analog out of frustration. Wouldn't that be something...getting so mad trying to rebuilding a coil for my e-cig that I smoke a cigarette. Catch 22.

 

[Fizzpop]

I've tried that too and by the time I get the needle inserted the piece of wick I'm working with is pretty much a cotton ball and the fuzz is flying. And when I try to wrap it the kanthal just buries itself in the wick and almost disappears. I know you're not supposed to wrap too tight or too loose but there seems to be now in-between on this crap.

I got one done, sort of, but when you look down inside where the wick is the wick looks like a cotton ball stuffed in there.

Don't try to insert the needle into the wick. Just lay it along side of the wick.

 

[msween00]

Try taking a look at the micro-coil thread and ditch the silica for cotton. The micro coils are easy to do because you're wrapping around something solid and then stringing the wick through. The hardest part is realizing how little cotton you actually need. I recently got my first rebuildable and did an alright coil kinda following what I saw PBusardo do in one of his videos, just grabbing the silica and wrapping the wire around it. It worked okay, but then I decided to just jump straight in and did the micro coil. I'm still using the same coil in my rebuildable and have rebuilt two Vivi Nova heads (one for a buddy, one for me) and a CE5/Redux head with micro coils and they're still chugging along (1.6-1.9 ohm coils (9-11 wraps)).

The cotton, as far as I can tell, absorbs faster and provides a better flavor. The only downside (that I can see, anyways), is that you can't dry burn it. However, with a coil that you wick after the fact, you can easily re-wick it later down the road if you need to.

 

[fccwpe]

Easiest method ever. I was successful on my first try:

Wrap 32 AWG Kanthal 4 or 5 times around a #4 screw. Roll a small piece of cotton with your fingers until it is narrow enough to thread through the Kanthal and VOILA you have a new coil with about 1.8 to 1.9 ohms!

Works GREAT!

As stated by msween00 you can't dry burn, but who cares when the Kanthal is $6 for 100 feet and $1 worth of cotton balls will last a lifetime!