Does the Fear Ever Go Away?

[lamebore]

Hey Guys and Gals
I'm fairly new into building coils and mechs but I have a very good understanding of ohm's law and how all of these different parts work together. However, whenever I complete a build I am always scared of something bad happening - be it a short or battery failure or a stuck button causing thermal runaway. I built a 1.5 ohm nano coil last night and somehow during pulsing and squeezing the coils together to get them tight they got super bright and the lead to the positive post broke. It really freaked me out. I love the vape I get from the mech and rda I have but I'm just worried that since I'm so new at it I will inevitably have something bad happen even though I am very safe and check everything with meters and such. Does this ever go away once you get more experienced?

I guess reading all the posts on mechs and rda's being "pipe bombs" if used incorrectly has got me thinking there is really no "safe" way to use them.

Thanks

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

You can always use a torch to burn and squeeze together the coils before putting it on your mech. May help a bit. Also, as I only use regulated devices, that's where they get fired first. Maybe use a regulated device to check for hot spots if the ohms on the coils are high enough?

 

[lamebore]

I always test them on my ohm meter and my mvp 2...i found my sweet spot to be about .6 ohms which wont fire on the mvp2

 

[CreepyLady]

Once you are good with building (keep it simple - single coils - until you are comfortable its quite effective) and you are comfortable with your device the fear subsides. I use a purely mechanical device and at first it was a little nerve racking.

Now I know my builds (and I always test them), I know I have properly cared for good quality batteries and I know if all of my efforts fail, then my spring will collapse and I have more springs on hand

Once you trust your builds, your batteries (including your ability to pull them before they over discharge) the fear eases off. Promise.

 

[Tinkiegrrl]

I always test them on my ohm meter and my mvp 2...i found my sweet spot to be about .6 ohms which wont fire on the mvp2

Ah. You mentioned 1.5 so I figured a regulated would be fine for firing them up the first time. I imagine fear in this case is a good, healthy, thing. It'll keep you safe, and keep you testing your stuff. I think I read somewhere that using a blowtorch may also help with the hotspots, but I could be wrong about that. Someone should be around shortly to help you out.

 

[lamebore]

Thanks creepylady - thats great advice! ... I love the vape from the dual coils - but they do add another level of difficulty. I also find it hard to get to .6 or .7 ohms with my 28 ga kanthal on a single coil. any suggestions there?

 

[edyle]

Hey Guys and Gals
I'm fairly new into building coils and mechs but I have a very good understanding of ohm's law and how all of these different parts work together. However, whenever I complete a build I am always scared of something bad happening - be it a short or battery failure or a stuck button causing thermal runaway. I built a 1.5 ohm nano coil last night and somehow during pulsing and squeezing the coils together to get them tight they got super bright and the lead to the positive post broke. It really freaked me out. I love the vape I get from the mech and rda I have but I'm just worried that since I'm so new at it I will inevitably have something bad happen even though I am very safe and check everything with meters and such. Does this ever go away once you get more experienced?

I guess reading all the posts on mechs and rda's being "pipe bombs" if used incorrectly has got me thinking there is really no "safe" way to use them.

Thanks

Lithium batteries do pack alot of energy.

While you are building there is no need to use a naked mech tube for a battery; you may as well use a regulated mod while you are doing the build, and only put the final build on the mech. But if you're looking for a 1.5 ohm coil anyway you needed put it on a mech anyway, or at least use a kick.


Sometimes fear is just your own common sense telling you there's a better way to do what you are doing.

 

[Toebee]

Try twisting your 28 ga, that will bring the resistance down a bit

 

[nube creador]

Thanks creepylady - thats great advice! ... I love the vape from the dual coils - but they do add another level of difficulty. I also find it hard to get to .6 or .7 ohms with my 28 ga kanthal on a single coil. any suggestions there?

One of my favorite builds is a twisted 28g dual coil with about 4-5 wraps. Amazing flavor and fantastic vapor production. I started out much the same as you ( popped a few coils, jumped as my wicks caught flame) Its always good to have a healthy fear of doing things right, but in time you will become more confident. I used to use my ohm meter religiously. checking and rechecking coils. Now i use it occasionally but i've built enough to know. Try the twisted coil though. you wont regret it

On a build note, i always pinch my coils just right between a pair of shielded needle nose and torch the coil before i put it on my rig. This way the coil stays exactly even before i even install it making the adjustment time much lower and keeping the coils more consistent in a dual build.

 

[MrPlink]

Stopped being scared after the first time I built one and noticed

1) it is not hard

2) I didnt blow up

If you are using a mech to pulse and test builds try using a battery that is NOT fully charged. The consequences of mistakes are greatly reduced when you are using lower voltage.

 

[iowajosh]

I guess reading all the posts on mechs and rda's being "pipe bombs" if used incorrectly has got me thinking there is really no "safe" way to use them.

Some of the safety is having a device with a vent hole on it somewhere. The battery failure stories usually have a pretty obvious cause. Also there's a big difference between pulling a few amps off a small battery and trying to pull like 20 amp.

 

[mujuru]

You can always use a torch to burn and squeeze together the coils before putting it on your mech. May help a bit. Also, as I only use regulated devices, that's where they get fired first. Maybe use a regulated device to check for hot spots if the ohms on the coils are high enough?

OOh... probably not best to use a torch if mounted on your atomizer... isolators have met their demise this way. Pre- mounting i suppose it'd be fine, but i generally squeeze coils and such after its mounted.

I think after awhile, you do get comfortable building... BUT its definitely not a bad thing to have a healthy dose of fear and respect at all times.

 

[Noble Gas]

Here's how I look at it: Back in the 90's I rode a motorcycle for a while. Someone told me, with regards to riding safety, that most new riders are extremely careful and don't have accidents. Accidents start happening when the new rider gains some confidence after a year or so, and stops worrying about safety because they feel like they know what they're doing. I haven't ridden a bike in years, but that bit of information stuck with me and I think it probably applies to a lot of things, including rebuilding coils. The fear will certainly subside after some time and experience, but you should never let your mindfulness go in favor of over-confidence.
That said, I understand how you feel. I already suffer from anxiety in my daily life, and my first couple of builds were accompanied by shaking hands and a marked rise in heartrate. I was pretty terrified the whole thing would explode in my face. I'm still a total novice, but the terror has given way to a much more manageable feeling of extreme caution.

Hey Guys and Gals
I'm fairly new into building coils and mechs but I have a very good understanding of ohm's law and how all of these different parts work together. However, whenever I complete a build I am always scared of something bad happening - be it a short or battery failure or a stuck button causing thermal runaway. I built a 1.5 ohm nano coil last night and somehow during pulsing and squeezing the coils together to get them tight they got super bright and the lead to the positive post broke. It really freaked me out. I love the vape I get from the mech and rda I have but I'm just worried that since I'm so new at it I will inevitably have something bad happen even though I am very safe and check everything with meters and such. Does this ever go away once you get more experienced?

I guess reading all the posts on mechs and rda's being "pipe bombs" if used incorrectly has got me thinking there is really no "safe" way to use them.

Thanks

 

[lamebore]

I already suffer from anxiety in my daily life, and my first couple of builds were accompanied by shaking hands and a marked rise in heartrate. I was pretty terrified the whole thing would explode in my face. I'm still a total novice, but the terror has given way to a much more manageable feeling of extreme caution.

This is me in a nutshell. Thanks for the tips everyone, glad I found a place that is so great.
And yes, I have a 30 amp sony vtc4 on a stingray clone with vents on the bottom.

 

[lavapr]

As anything else just keep safety first and just stay aware of what's going on when you're vaping. A few weeks after I started building coils I had built one and it was just fine but on the next refill I noticed the mod was getting very warm. So, I checked to see if the firing button was warm (and it was). So, I took out the battery and it was also warm. I took the atty off and meter checked it and it had a short. I assume the screws weren't tight enough or something and it wriggled loose. No harm done but I was aware that it didn't feel right and I immediately checked it out and fixed the problem. Just be safe, use your meter when in doubt and make sure to use batteries that can handle the amps.

Keep vaping...and keep modding!

 

[itylerstewart]

It definitely went away for me because I just followed step-by-step on youtube and made that my routine

 

[Shazeen Shazam Jivani]

I made 2 bad coils so far, and I started rebuilding a few weeks ago, one coil wasn't exactly bad, I just didn't having it sitting far enough from the air-hole underneath (kayfun clone, realised too late) and generally I have an eff-it attitude with basically everything, but once I made the coil I am using now (28g 7wrap micro i think) and its been solid for a week. I am sure that the next few will be worry free. That doesn't mean I won't be careful and check everything twice before putting it in my mech (k101)

 

[Dogeggs]

I've had a couple of shorts, battery didn't explode, I didn't die and now I know what a short looks/behaves like.

 

[Vapocalyptic]

I was scared at first but honestly, as long as you're prepared and know the limitations and specifications of your device, you should be okay. Of course something CAN happen, but something can also happen when you're driving to work, or walking your dog, or even waking up in the morning. Don't fear what you can, to a certain degree, exercise some control over!

 

[Feignix]

I urge you to watch a video on Youtube by a Mr. Robert Ellis, called Demystifying Mechanical Mods/Are they safe?

Yes, it's one of the longer video's I've watched on vaping at 35 minutes, but if you've ever watched any of Pbusardo's vids, it's not any longer than his usually run for, but with 5x the amount of info instead, and minus the sexual innuendos, LOL!
In all seriousness, I found it to be very informative and helpful in putting working with mechs and rebuildable into the proper perspective without losing any of the respect it deserves. I think it should be a must watch for ANY and ALL vapers who are just starting out with mechs or are even just curious and want to know more about the subject.

On the one hand you have all these warnings and disclaimers for legal reasons as well as these younger folks coming on scene and right away after hearing a friend talk it up or after watching a couple of "Rip Trip" vids decide they're going to try and "vape their faces off", so in that regard and respect, I'm glad they're in place. At the same time I think it can induce an overabundance of anxiety and even detour sensible people such as yourself who've done their homework and taken the proper steps to ensure a reasonable amount of personal safety. Like any hobby it's going to come with it's risks but it seems like you're own the right track.

True Lithium has it's limitations, but remember it's the same compound essentially people hold up to there heads virtually 24/7 anymore and sleep with it charging not much further away from them, not Uranium or Plutonium!

Check the video out, be safe and vape on!