I've ordered all the stuff and am waiting for delivery. I've watched all the videos and read all I can, but there's no replacement for expierience. Has anyone got any advice or know of any pitfalls before I start?
Coil rebuilding.
- Thread starter Manxsi
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Take a atty or two to your local vape shop and ask them to show u hands on how to rebuild them. Make sure u tip them more than they charge to rebuild and they should be nice enuff to spend some time with u teaching the basics. I learned the same way u did with the forums and youtube.
Since then I have built two coils, one on each of my KFL+ and neither of them had a problem. Think the most important part is learning how to make the wick and placement of the wick. I use cotton so knowing just how much is supposed to be used is most important.
After that it's trial and error.
Not too difficult as I was pretty happy how my two builds went. Now just a matter of dialing it all in to get the best flavor and vape.
Since then I have built two coils, one on each of my KFL+ and neither of them had a problem. Think the most important part is learning how to make the wick and placement of the wick. I use cotton so knowing just how much is supposed to be used is most important.
After that it's trial and error.
Not too difficult as I was pretty happy how my two builds went. Now just a matter of dialing it all in to get the best flavor and vape.
Vape while doing it. I can't tell you how many times I've wrapped a coil and was frustrated that it was not coming out the way I wanted. I did it without vaping and each time I did it wrong, I was craving my nicotine. Expect to make a few before you have a somewhat decently functional one. If you're just making heads, you probably won't have too much difficulty, building an RDA coil can get frustrating. Start with a single coil and then graduate to dual coil on RDAs. When building RDAs, remember that you need more wire to get the same resistance as a single coil.
And remember two things:
1) always check the resistance
2) always vape when building your coils until you can hammer one out quickly.
And remember two things:
1) always check the resistance
2) always vape when building your coils until you can hammer one out quickly.
Me too once
But it wasn't the heat it was just the dang thing going sproing out of the tweezers
As for advice
If you are doing protank/evod type heads
Leave the drill bit or needle or whatever you are wrapping around in the coil until after you lock the legs down. Just set it across and in the channels cut in the side of the atty. It will make sort of a bridge across and keep you from accidentally yanking the coil too far down into the atty.
Run your fingers along the bottom after you break off your wires. You shouldn't feel the ends of the wires. if you do you might have to press them in a bit to avoid a short.
If you are doing protank/evod type heads
Leave the drill bit or needle or whatever you are wrapping around in the coil until after you lock the legs down. Just set it across and in the channels cut in the side of the atty. It will make sort of a bridge across and keep you from accidentally yanking the coil too far down into the atty.
Run your fingers along the bottom after you break off your wires. You shouldn't feel the ends of the wires. if you do you might have to press them in a bit to avoid a short.
Just wrap a few, come up with a good way that works for you. Eventually, you will get consistent results, and that is what you are looking for.
Leaving the drill bit in the coil was the "oh wow" moment for me. My coils and coil mounting became so much easier and neater. I too have sent a few coils across the room from my el cheapo tweezers. Finally found a set of long tipped ones so I don't end up dropping that "hot potato".
Some people have trouble getting the wire to stay under the screw when they tighten it down. Here is an old electrician's trick. Make a loop in the end of your coil lead. Put the short side of the loop on your right when you set the coil loop under the screw head. When you tighten it down, the screw head will draw the loop into the screw. If you set it the other way, the screw head will push the loop out and a poor or no connection will be the result.
I did these photos with some regular electrical wire and an old outlet, but it's easier to see that way. The principal remains the same for any electrical connection.
Sent from the north 40 via messenger cow
I did these photos with some regular electrical wire and an old outlet, but it's easier to see that way. The principal remains the same for any electrical connection.
Sent from the north 40 via messenger cow
You have the right attitude. Nothing can substitute experience but youtube videos of Grimm, Busardo, and RIP Trippers will be a big help. Watch as many so you see different styles and approaches in case one way doesnt work for you. I took bits and pieces of the three above and came up with a way that works for me. Stick with it. When I think of my first coil and my latest coils its like night and day. Its second nature now.
Some other hints
- Go with the cotton, micro coil style. To me this is easier than wrapping around silica.
- Keep it simple at first, get the single coil before trying duals and quads
- As said before measure your ohms and make sure ohms law and your battery (if using a mech) makes sense to you
- Working with 28 gauge is a lot easier than 32 gauge but depending on the ohm you are trying to achieve this might not feasible for your first build.
- Make sure, especially if using 28 gauge, that you get all the little pieces picked up. Its really painful stepping on one of those boogers that fall on the floor. And if you have kids, pets, and/or a non vaping wife, they will appreciate not stepping on one too.
Some other hints
- Go with the cotton, micro coil style. To me this is easier than wrapping around silica.
- Keep it simple at first, get the single coil before trying duals and quads
- As said before measure your ohms and make sure ohms law and your battery (if using a mech) makes sense to you
- Working with 28 gauge is a lot easier than 32 gauge but depending on the ohm you are trying to achieve this might not feasible for your first build.
- Make sure, especially if using 28 gauge, that you get all the little pieces picked up. Its really painful stepping on one of those boogers that fall on the floor. And if you have kids, pets, and/or a non vaping wife, they will appreciate not stepping on one too.
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Excellent tip, Bolivar..... I remember being shown that trick by my father when he was teaching me how to repair things around the house. Of course, I did not believe it and had to prove it to myself, but indeed it is true....lol. Ah, youth.... always questioning and being a general pain in the rear....
A few tips for building a good coil...
get some hemostats with the locking teeth thingies
get the miniature screwdriver set
when wrapping the wire around the shaft of the screwdriver, keep tension on the wire... this helps keep the coil shaped better and reduces the springyness. Wrap the wire around about 50% more at the end of the coil, as you release the tension, the leg will end up in the right place instead of half way around where you dont want it.
Keep notes on how many wraps with what ga. wire made to create the ohms you ended up with...
get some hemostats with the locking teeth thingies
get the miniature screwdriver set
when wrapping the wire around the shaft of the screwdriver, keep tension on the wire... this helps keep the coil shaped better and reduces the springyness. Wrap the wire around about 50% more at the end of the coil, as you release the tension, the leg will end up in the right place instead of half way around where you dont want it.
Keep notes on how many wraps with what ga. wire made to create the ohms you ended up with...
Can not emphasize enough -- Keep notes of what you make so you can repeat when you want to. I was an idiot and thought I could remember, but that just caused frustration and wasted material. Get some kind of little notebook and keep it handy with a pen / pencil.
-multimeter
-drill bits
-fine tweezers
-patience
-and pay attention to your wrap numbers and sizes to find out what you like (as well as wattage).
-To be honest if I could save myself alot of hassle starting over again, I'd tell myself not to try nano-coils right off the bat
I wanted to dive in the "deep end" (not that hard, just tricky to wick right/prevent cotton hits). I'm afraid to say it because most people think rip-trippers is 
but honestly he's a pro, and he does it right, he was my yoda, yours he can be too. -I find after alot of experience, 1/16 &5/64 drillbit wraps are perfection, and usually only 4-5 wraps (because I like sub-ohm, with a huge 1/8in airflow), and before I discovered the ways of cotton, I actually preferred to SPACE my wraps because it spreads the hot-spot over more juice and you don't have to worry about tasting burnt cotton as often. Good luck friend! See you in the coil builds section! (btw I went through 50ft of kanthal in one month when I started
so don't be stingy or feel bad if your "wasting" kanthal, it's all to good use.)I always inspect my handiwork at the very end - using SE MH1047L Illuminated Multipower LED Binohead Magnifier - only $8.
Probably not needed by those with excellent near vision - I am not one of those
Amazon.com: SE MH1047L Illuminated Multipower LED Binohead Magnifier: Home Improvement
Probably not needed by those with excellent near vision - I am not one of those
Amazon.com: SE MH1047L Illuminated Multipower LED Binohead Magnifier: Home Improvement
If you have an android phone or tablet download "Vaper's Toolbox" (made by a member here: ScottP)
It is an app that lets you input the wire type, gauge, coil type (single, dual...), target Ohms, inner diameter and lead lengths. It then will tell you how many wraps to use! It also has an Ohms law calculator. Vaper's toolbox is wicked easy to use and it's always gotten me within .2 ohms of what I was looking for! Invaluable, I use it every time I build!
Edit: forgot to mention it's on Google Play and it's FREE!!
It is an app that lets you input the wire type, gauge, coil type (single, dual...), target Ohms, inner diameter and lead lengths. It then will tell you how many wraps to use! It also has an Ohms law calculator. Vaper's toolbox is wicked easy to use and it's always gotten me within .2 ohms of what I was looking for! Invaluable, I use it every time I build!
Edit: forgot to mention it's on Google Play and it's FREE!!
I use a bead threader instead of twisting to insert my hemp, cotton, unbraided ekowool but have reservations on using untorched silica. I feel its more consistent on both sides of the coil and with twisting you seem to have one side got more wick than the other. I found a real nice bead threader one at a fly-fishing shop I happened along (always on the prowl for redneck vape equipment), along with some great tweezers, mini forceps and a nice pair of flush cut pliers.
A great coil wrap tool I use is a 4 inch long allen key, easier to hold than a drill bit and being black the coil wraps stick out nicely and builds my 2.0 ohm protank coils perfectly. Its 1.7mm or 1/16 and fits nicely inside the channels.
A great coil wrap tool I use is a 4 inch long allen key, easier to hold than a drill bit and being black the coil wraps stick out nicely and builds my 2.0 ohm protank coils perfectly. Its 1.7mm or 1/16 and fits nicely inside the channels.
Ha! The only reason I'm smiling at this is because my very first coil was last night, and the 2nd thing I used to wrap it on was a miniature screwdriver. I had the legs locked into the head when I realized "Crap! I cant get the coil off the end!". It was a flat-head, and the tip was slightly wider than the shaft and I couldn't see it because it was so small.
Had to completely redo it using a nail and I had to use the same wire because that's all I had...
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