do coils rust?

[Ronald3638]

I don't believe this is accurate.

Kanthal: Ni, Cr, Al (aluminum)
Nichrome60: Ni, Cr, Fe (iron)
Nichrome80: Ni, Cr

ETA: I did have coils rust when I cleaned the heads they were on in an ultrasonic cleaner. (Was lazy!) Left a rust residue on the posts (which wiped off, with a little effort)

This is from the Kanthal web site.

Kanthal A-1 is a ferritic iron-chromium-aluminium alloy (FeCrAl alloy) for use at temperatures up to 1400°C (2550°F). The alloy is characterized by high resistivity and very good oxidation resistance.

Typical applications for Kanthal A-1 are electrical heating elements in high-temperature furnaces for heat treatment, ceramics, glass, steel, and electronics industries.



We don't use Kanthal A-1 in our heater designs where I work because of the high iron content, we use Kanthal Nikrothal 80 exclusively.

 

[bizzy511]

thank you for all the input guys, I really appreciate it.

 

[heyilikethis]

i initially thought this when i saw how my coils looked after dry burning, however after playing around i found the "rust" look is either burnt juice ash or something of the sort in my case the coil can be wiped off with a soft cloth to make the coils appear more metallic and shiny looking, not saying this is definitely whats going on with op but thought ide share this as possibility. vaping rust sounds scary tho lol

 

[DaveP]

I run water over the coil in the sink after removing the cotton wick. Then, I dry burn, run some more water, then dry burn again, and wipe with a towel . When they look like new, I re-wick and vape. They lose the bright and shiny look and turn more of a gun metal gray steel color after using and dry burning.

If they rust, it's time to replace the coil and look for some Temco brand Kanthal. The "Rust" is probably juice that didn't burn off during the dry burn. You have to have some water on the coil to generate steam for cleaning and loosen the scum.

 

[UncleChuck]

Care to elaborate on the dangers of rust inhalation? This is a good thread

I'm no health professional so don't take my word for it, but from what I read the potential dangers of rust inhalation are some sort of condition where you get iron deposits in the lungs or something like that, which supposedly isn't even a very severe condition in the first place. But that was with people grinding rusty parts all day long for years on end, being exposed to heavy amounts of rust dust in the air, in other words, exposure far greater than even inhaling an entire coil made of rust, let alone tiny trace amounts that could potentially make it into the lungs from a rusty coil.

It seems to take quite awhile before coils rust, or the conditions have to be just right, either way the exposure to a rusty coil is extremely limited as it's going to be and the end of your coils life span before being replaced anyway. So overall it just didn't seem like something to worry about to me.

 

[rondasherrill]

I'm no health professional so don't take my word for it, but from what I read the potential dangers of rust inhalation are some sort of condition where you get iron deposits in the lungs or something like that, which supposedly isn't even a very severe condition in the first place. But that was with people grinding rusty parts all day long for years on end, being exposed to heavy amounts of rust dust in the air, in other words, exposure far greater than even inhaling an entire coil made of rust, let alone tiny trace amounts that could potentially make it into the lungs from a rusty coil.

It seems to take quite awhile before coils rust, or the conditions have to be just right, either way the exposure to a rusty coil is extremely limited as it's going to be and the end of your coils life span before being replaced anyway. So overall it just didn't seem like something to worry about to me.

How much do you think would actually come off the coil and be inhaled? I'm willing to bet not very much at all, considering the size of the coil and the fact that the "rust" isn't flaky or anything. According to OSHA, less than 10mg/cubic meter over 8 hours is harmless, and your body will filter it out just fine.

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/81-123/pdfs/0344.pdf

 

[bizzy511]

i initially thought this when i saw how my coils looked after dry burning, however after playing around i found the "rust" look is either burnt juice ash or something of the sort in my case the coil can be wiped off with a soft cloth to make the coils appear more metallic and shiny looking, not saying this is definitely whats going on with op but thought ide share this as possibility. vaping rust sounds scary tho lol

yes this is what was happening to me. thanks for the info.

 

[Kracker]

I was just using a flash light in the dark and noticed what looked like rust. I was going to start a thread asking about this so I searched it first and brought me here...

I thought it was because the coil was old (a few weeks..dry burning and rewicking every few days). So I got my rda that has a 3 day old build and looked the same just not as much. I switch between the 2 all day, so they' re not sitting. It' s not like a build up, just like rust in color ?

For the ones that have this .. what are you running ?
I have a .31 dual coil 24 gauge
max vg juice from MT. Baker

 

[CloudZ]

My thinking is that our blood is red because of iron oxide, so a little inhaled rust isn't that big of a deal. You'll get a temporary respiratory irritation long before anything else. I could be completely wrong though.

And yes I've definitely had rusty-looking kanthal coils before. I was more worried when I neglected my kayfun clone for a month or so then found the insides rusted. Must be really cheap SS...

 

[Verb]

My thinking is that our blood is red because of iron oxide, so a little inhaled rust isn't that big of a deal.

Blood is red due to hemoglobin which does contain iron but no iron oxide.