DIY Coil and Wick

[HeavenNorHell]

Wasn't really sure where to put this. Sorry if it's the wrong section.
I want to start fixing my coil and wicks myself, rather then go buy new heads, which is like 4 for 15$ or something at my local B&M. Some people say cotton works fine for the wick, others advise against it. So I'm just wondering what materials would be the best to use. I'm using the Kanger EVOD clearo, if that affects anything.

Thanks and vape on!

 

[Izan]

What liquids do you use and how long do you get from the factory heads?

Have you tried any devices from the Aspire line? The heads are NOT easily re buildable, but the devices are superior to Evods. (imho)

Thanks
I

 

[happydave]

building coils for the protank / evod can be tricky because of the rubber grommet that holds the coil leads. if the leads get hot it will burn the rubber. i hear people have good luck with using micro coils on these heads. factory coils are resistance wire to non-resistance wire arc welded. they use the non-resistance wire as the coil leads and thus they do not get very hot. what i do is just re-wick the coils with new silica

just pull off the long tube on top. and gently pull out the wicks. there is 2 flavors wicks on top and 1 wick running down the center of the coils. the 2 flavors wicks are 1 MM silica wick the center wick is 2 MM silica.
using a tweezers gently pull off the flavor wicks then the center wick. now take your new 2 MM wick you need about 1/2 inch. look at the wick you will see that is it twisted one direction. when you are threading the new wick into the coil you want to twist the wick so that it compresses the silica threads. for example i twist my wick clockwise because that is the direction that will compress it. so gently push and twist that center wick into the coil. after that check the coil spacing. if coils are touching or unevenly spaced it will cause problems i use a pointy tooth pick to space the coils out. now you just cut 2, 1 mm wicks about 1/2 inch in length and set them parallel with the center wick and coil. then just put the top tube back on and trim off so that's its flush with the base of the coil. and that's it. when a head is done i take the wicks out and let the whole thing soak in vodka for day or 2 and then run it under hot water for a while to clean the gunk off the coil.

 

[HeavenNorHell]

I use mainly Blueberry 18mg, and I get about two weeks out of each. Well, maybe 1 1/2. No I haven't, I would mostly prefer an easy rebuild, but once I get the hang of it, I will likely try better devices that are more difficult. Lets keep it simple for now

 

[HeavenNorHell]

building coils for the protank / evod can be tricky because of the rubber grommet that holds the coil leads. if the leads get hot it will burn the rubber. i hear people have good luck with using micro coils on these heads. factory coils are resistance wire to non-resistance wire arc welded. they use the non-resistance wire as the coil leads and thus they do not get very hot. what i do is just re-wick the coils with new silica

just pull off the long tube on top. and gently pull out the wicks. there is 2 flavors wicks on top and 1 wick running down the center of the coils. the 2 flavors wicks are 1 MM silica wick the center wick is 2 MM silica.
using a tweezers gently pull off the flavor wicks then the center wick. now take your new 2 MM wick you need about 1/2 inch. look at the wick you will see that is it twisted one direction. when you are threading the new wick into the coil you want to twist the wick so that it compresses the silica threads. for example i twist my wick clockwise because that is the direction that will compress it. so gently push and twist that center wick into the coil. after that check the coil spacing. if coils are touching or unevenly spaced it will cause problems i use a pointy tooth pick to space the coils out. now you just cut 2, 1 mm wicks about 1/2 inch in length and set them parallel with the center wick and coil. then just put the top tube back on and your done!...

So silica wicks, but what about new coil if that burns out?

 

[happydave]

So silica wicks, but what about new coil if that burns out?

if the coil snaps or the resistance has raised up to high i toss it out.

you can buy non-resistance wire and arc weld it your self to the resistance wire (kanthal) there is some DIY instructions on how to build the arc welder from a disposable camera on the web. but its not really safe, if its not done right you could give your self a nasty shock, burn your house down, or kill your self.

 

[HeavenNorHell]

Maybe i'll stay clear of rebuilding the coil So I buy a new head at that point then? Thanks for the speedy post, glad I didn't kill myself trying, definitely not worth the risk, got kids in the house. Btw, resistance is measured in ohms right? Is there like some setting on certain attys to change it or do you change it manually somehow? Cause neither my battery or my atty has an option to change resistance.

 

[Izan]

I use mainly Blueberry 18mg, and I get about two weeks out of each. Well, maybe 1 1/2. No I haven't, I would mostly prefer an easy rebuild, but once I get the hang of it, I will likely try better devices that are more difficult. Lets keep it simple for now

I was more headed towards;
Try the Aspires before you start on re building. You might like them better.
If you are now getting 10 days from an evod head, @ $5.00 per head that is $0.50 a day. You had been spending $5.00 per day on analogues.
Twist and go is simple.

I

 

[happydave]

lets picture a garden hose in our mind. this hose represents the wire
flowing water in the hose represents the flow of electrons
Voltage is the water pressure
Amps is the speed the water is moving at
and resistance or ohms is the back pressure cause by friction
Ohm's Law states the relationship between volts, amps and ohms.
it takes one volt to push one amp through one ohm.

the length of the wire, diameter of the wire and what the wire is made from determine the resistance.
a thick wire will have less resistance than a thinner wire
a shorter wire will have less resistance than a longer wire

 

[meanckz]

much better price for heads, genuine Kanger too

search youtube for Rip Tripper and Karen Hsu, in case you decide you want to rebuild

 

[fogging_katrider]

I have a couple suggestions, first off imnsho cotton wicks in kanger devices blow the doors off the stock silica...hands down wayyy better flavor and vapor production and extremely simple if you build a standard style coil such as the link attached... ymmv.

Suggestion #1...just rewick similar to what happydave suggested, only use boiled and dried cotton instead of silica..virtually zero cost to give it a try. redo a 1.5ohm coil for best results (stronger coil wire in those v higher ohm stockers)

#2... Feeling like diving in a little deeper...build your own kanger coils. Simple standard style is a good start, then move to microcoils if you're so inclined.
All you'll need is some 32ga kanthal wire and bobs your uncle

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/tips-tricks/463771-protank-cotton-rebuild-way-i-do.html

 

[Izan]

lets picture a garden hose in our mind. this hose represents the wire
flowing water in the hose represents the flow of electrons
Voltage is the water pressure
Amps is the speed the water is moving at
and resistance or ohms is the back pressure cause by friction
Ohm's Law states the relationship between volts, amps and ohms.
it takes one volt to push one amp through one ohm.

the length of the wire, diameter of the wire and what the wire is made from determine the resistance.
a thick wire will have less resistance than a thinner wire
a shorter wire will have less resistance than a longer wire

Dave, I'm in Spain and I heard eV4P3 say "HUH?"

Cheers
I

 

[happydave]

Dave, I'm in Spain and I heard eV4P3 say "HUH?"

Cheers
I

the OP was asking about how to change the ohms. so i explained resistance to the best of my ability..

 

[Izan]

the OP was asking about how to change the ohms. so i explained resistance to the best of my ability..

It's a great explanation. (I'm gonna steal it, sorry).

I was insinuating that eV4P3 is still wondering what the "1.8Ω" means let alone how it's related to Ohm's law. (no offense, eV4P3,we all started somewhere).


Thanks
I

 

[happydave]

It's a great explanation. (I'm gonna steal it, sorry).

I was insinuating that eV4P3 is still wondering what the "1.8Ω" means let alone how it's related to Ohm's law. (no offense, eV4P3,we all started somewhere).


Thanks
I

its cool! i stole that from my Electrical Engineering teacher... and i'm sure he didn't come up with that on his own

 

[Vicshalls]

it took me some time to learn but i am getting them spot on now. It really is not as hard as it seems. The people here have been great and you might want to check this out http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...oils-need-guidance-please-5.html#post11495811 this one here is how i learned. Now instead of cleaning and all that stuff i just rebuild them. I use cotton yarn that i got at walmart for $2.00 and i got my kanthal on ebay really cheap. So far i have had no leaking, no burning and great flavor and vape. Dont underestimate yourself. You can do it and save yourself more money in the long run.

 

[Rickb119]

I would advise against rebuilding coils, or even changing wicks, unless you have a device that can measure resistance. If you don't have one, check out either the Vamo or the MVP 2. I have both and prefer the MVP. That being said, rebuilding the evod/protank coil is fairly easy and simple once you get the hang of it.

I prefer cotton over silica but cotton does gunk up much quicker. To me, the much better flavor is worth the extra effort of having to rebuild a little more often. I don't even bother dry burning as I can have one completely rebuilt in about the same time it takes to remove the old wick, dry burn the coil and then install new wick.

 

[Ryan1888]

In my opinion - cotton is the only way to go. It is considerably less expensive than silica or ekowool.

 

[beckdg]

WOAH!

CRAZINESS!

building coils is easy to get the hang of. just a little tedious at first. make sure you start your venture while you still have a spare head or two. nothing like banging your head against the wall during your first attempts while having a nic fit.

first rule with kanger heads. you want contact coils! can't stress this enough! like this...

that will concentrate the heat where you need it... at your wick. this eliminates "hot legs". very important so you don't melt the rubber grommets. smoking rubber isn't fun and is most definitely hazardous.

30Ga kanthal is probably the best place to start on a kanger head. i'm still kicking myself because i don't have any yet, but i've done well with 32Ga and 28Ga thus far. rumor has it, some folks simply can't get 28Ga to cut the mustard either at all or for quite some time. it's a tight fit and runs the risk of not working without exacting placement and coil contact.

i recommend getting all 3 sizes so you can find your preferred build on the kanger heads. for ease of use and preference purposes. if you don't have a device that measures resistance (Ω) you can find build specs to get you in the ball park. just use the diameter of your winding device, the gauge of your kanthal and the number of winds. you'll be close regardless.

cotton works great. just be sure to saturate it with a couple drips of juice before you put the tank back together and give it a couple minutes to soak in. if you get a cottony taste still, remove the wick and try another one a little looser. if you get flooding often, remove the wick and try something a little thicker/tighter. you'll need to get a hang of how much cotton to use so don't leave the house until you've made sure your wick is ideal.

the link fogging_katrider posted is a good start to get a general idea, but personally i think will produce mixed results due to the coils not being close enough to one another. some builds will work fine while others might produce a rubber taste from the legs burning the grommets. it's a good read to get someone in the right direction as far as familiarization with the building process, items needed, etc..

vicshalls' link, i suggest going through the whole thread. i posted some links and vids in there. i suggest reading through them as well. things i found immensely helpful to me and apparently others did too. i like to get straight to what works without the BS. that's also what i like to share. though this is getting rather lengthy.

another post that should take some of the stigma out, i'd like to share... http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/clearomizers/499819-help-kanger-protank-ii.html#post11501436

i think i'm going to put together a couple blog posts specific to kanger heads shortly. typing all the time is getting monotonous.

sending good vibes for you on your journey. good luck.

 

[Cookster]

Are you cleaning your heads, and dry burning them? They'll last quite a bit longer that way.

Also, you could start out getting pre-made coils and wicks, and just replacing the old ones that way. I find it a good first step to re-building.

Something like these...

Wick and Coil - Thick Type
$2.79 Replacement Wicks and Wires for Rebuildable Atomizer (10-Pack) 10-pack - 1.8ohm / multi wicks at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping