DUD builds

[Lance_Wallen]

I think part of my problem is wrapping hte coil ON the wick directly. I'm going to do teh drill bit method next time and do a lot more "burn the juice" and no quenching. I think burning the juice on is going to add the carbon layer we want better than air quenching or water quenching. I'm considering an olive oil quench just to see how that works too, assuming it works like it does in blacksmithing it'll give me a carbon layer faster than quenching in water.

 

[Lance_Wallen]

Just received my tank from IBTanked and it looks great. However, I had some issues that I figured I'd share and bounce off ya'll.

Since I had it apart, I decided to change up my wick. I was using the SS/cheesecloth hybrid method and decided to try straight coil to SS method. Pulled out the cotton, reoxidized the wick, and re-did the coil. Fired it up and no heat. Made sure the coils were good and there were no shorts - still no heat. Pulled out the SS wick to see if it was shorting on the wick - nothing. Took the coil off, figured maybe the post was screwed down too tight and was somehow bypassing the rubber grommets so took it apart and put it back together - still nothing. Maybe the wire was bad so used a new wire - nothing.

Didn't have any problems when I used the cotton hybrid method but didn't want to go back to it because I didn't like the residue so decided to try the rolling paper method. Wrapped it up, re-attached everything, and it fires right up.

After a few hours of taking it apart and putting it back together I was just glad it was working. Now I'm trying to figure out why it happened in the first place. It couldn't have been the wick because it should have fired with the wick out. The center post screws should be conductive too, correct? The wire doesn't actually have to be touching the post - although with as many times I disconnected and reconnected the center post this shouldn't have been the issue, regardless. It wasn't the battery because I tried it on another battery and still nothing. It was either a short and the protection was kicking in (eGos do have short protection, right?) or there was no continuity. I didn't pull out the multimeter because well, I was just being stubborn.

It's working great now and I shouldn't have to take it apart again unless the coil breaks but I'm just wondering what will happen when I do. Thoughts?

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk 2

I had the same thing happen when I took mine apart just to look at all the parts. Turns out, the center pin was too 'snug' in the body and it wasn't making contact with the center pin on the mod. It's easy to fix, you just have to unscrew the nuts on top a little, push the center pole down and tighten the nuts back without pulling the center pin up and out of reach of the connector.

 

[ckone180]

Bubbajoe, I think Lance just answered your question.

Remember the center post is the same as the top screw post. If you tighten the bottom nut down too much it pulls the center pin up, and some mods can't make the connection.

 

[bubbajoe72]

I had the same thing happen when I took mine apart just to look at all the parts. Turns out, the center pin was too 'snug' in the body and it wasn't making contact with the center pin on the mod. It's easy to fix, you just have to unscrew the nuts on top a little, push the center pole down and tighten the nuts back without pulling the center pin up and out of reach of the connector.

Yeah, I thought that too because it looked too snug so when i put the center pin back in, I made sure the rubber grommet wasn't pushed all the way in (so that the pin doesn't touch the sides) and the center pin was slightly higher than the threads (looking at it upside down, so to ensure good contact) but still nothing.

 

[j4mmin42]

Bubbajoe, I think Lance just answered your question.

Remember the center post is the same as the top screw post. If you tighten the bottom nut down too much it pulls the center pin up, and some mods can't make the connection.

Those delrin/silicone washers holding the center pin in place are my biggest pet-peeve with the DUD's: they have too much give to them for my liking, especially the bottom one. I find that I need to readjust the center pin often, and sometimes the batt connection will actually push the pin up so much that the screws on top start to loosen...

Either way, I wrap tightly around the well-oxidized SS, using the rolling-paper method, and have had almost no shorts- a few hot spots occasionally where my A1 Kanthal meets the center pin/ neg screw, but no long-lasting shorts. I find a tighter wrap seems to wick better- both tighter coils AND tighter mesh- and tighter coils tend to create less hotspots for me. I do not use the fill-hole screw. My SS has a tiny bit of space in the center, but not very much- after winding the full stock sheet of mesh around the allen key, I continue rolling until it is a loose fit in the DUD. My SS does make contact with the bottom of the tank in both DUD's, and also on my other RBA's; Again, it is well oxidized and has never been a problem.

My DUD's have been dropped, abused, played with, etc., but because of the tightness of the build, their performance does not change- what began as a very delicate mod has becme a road-worthy workhorse for me. I work 10 hrs a day now as a courier, and these go everywhere with me. After a few weeks, no issues to report, and still on the same coils I started with.

For whatever reason, the DUD with the larger airhole seems to wick better; the one with the small airhole seems to get burnt tastes more easily (which makes sense, as it is getting hotter), and I need to "baby" it and keep it below a certain voltage to make it happy.

Anyway my

Edit: Oh, yeah I for got to mention... I LOVE THEM. I have left almost everything else I own on the shelf lately- the vape from these things is phenomenal! in 3 years of vaping, I've never experienced anything quite like it before. As soon as my blog gets approved by ECF, I'll be doing a full write-up on these little suckers...

 

[j4mmin42]

Yeah, I thought that too because it looked too snug so when i put the center pin back in, I made sure the rubber grommet wasn't pushed all the way in (so that the pin doesn't touch the sides) and the center pin was slightly higher than the threads (looking at it upside down, so to ensure good contact) but still nothing.

Did you test the resistance? if it reads "open", there's a chance you have something close to a hard short...I hope you dont, for your batteries' sake, lol

 

[CountSmackula]

I've got the feeling that someone is going to come up with a non-silicone replacement before too long. It always seems that after these things are out "in the wild" for a month or so, little issues arise... and home brew fixes appear soon after.

 

[dwcraig1]

I think you will find that quenching the mesh has more to do with stiffening it than oxidizing it. just my opinion though.

 

[j4mmin42]

I think you will find that quenching the mesh does more to do with stiffening it than oxidizing it. just my opinion though.

Exactly, it "tempers" the mesh- this is why you don't want to quench your kanthal (or nichrome) after heating it lol!

It may be just your opinion, but it is also good scientific information (in common-sense terms). Good stuff.

 

[junkman]

Those delrin/silicone washers holding the center pin in place are my biggest pet-peeve with the DUD's: they have too much give to them for my liking, especially the bottom one. I find that I need to readjust the center pin often, and sometimes the batt connection will actually push the pin up so much that the screws on top start to loosen...
:

Yeah, I have had problems with the silicone thing as well. Was about to write a rant about it. Finally got it working again....

 

[dwcraig1]

Yeah, I have had problems with the silicone thing as well. Was about to write a rant about it. Finally got it working again....

When I first got my Dud I started unscrewing the tank with the center pin in place and messed up the grommets.
I believe I used some of the standard insulators that you find in most 510 posts but I'm not sure just where on the Dud that I put it (old age)

 

[j4mmin42]

When I first got my Dud I started unscrewing the tank with the center pin in place and messed up the grommets.
I believe I used some of the standard insulators that you find in most 510 posts but I'm not sure just where on the Dud that I put it (old age)

Funny thing is... I started to do that on BOTH of mine when I first got them! LOL! I have some of those insulator sleeves- good idea, will have to try when I finally change coils.

 

[RedFox]

When I first got my Dud I started unscrewing the tank with the center pin in place and messed up the grommets.
I believe I used some of the standard insulators that you find in most 510 posts but I'm not sure just where on the Dud that I put it (old age)

If like most standard insulators (rubber) I would put it on the bottom and the silicone on the top. I have already scorched my silicone insulator on my DUD when the fire button got stuck and I didn't realize it. If it had been on a full tank it probably would have been ok, but I was prepping a new coil when it happened.

 

[johnlacie]

Just got my DUDs today! Shipping international took its time from the co-op. Anyway it's here and I want to say its great.

 

[tattooed]

Wanted to bump this thread since this is where I posted my issues getting my DUD to work.

To sum up, I am using the DUD on a V1 Provari. When I had a working coil, it was very low ohm and seemed to bounce around a lot in resistance and would sooner than later throw an error. The reason for this was my wick was not oxidized well enough. I solved this by using the cotton method that is probably well known by everyone now. That worked fine for weeks but the cotton sooner or later gets scorched or just starts tasting awful. Removing it from the wick is pretty much impossible IMO. So I set out to get the oxidizing part right.

What I've found is its best to oxidize the portion of wick where the coil is, don't worry yourself too much about the rest of the wick. I think I was so focused on the wick in its entirety that I wasn't getting it oxidized very well, even though the thing looked burnt to a crisp. Heat the part where the coil will be until red hot, dunk in water, repeat two more times. Then apply some juice and ignite, allow the juice to burn itself out, repeat that step two more times. From there I simply wrap my coil on the wick, stick everything into the Dud and make the connections. I haven't had a single short yet doing this. I also notice my coils do not climb in resistance nearly as quickly as it did with the cotton, making my coils last longer. The taste is also improved.

So, if you're struggling with this type of rebuildable just hang in there, ask questions, and try some work arounds, you'll eventually get it.

Thanks again to everyone for the helpful posts.

 

[junkman]

Wanted to bump this thread since this is where I posted my issues getting my DUD to work.

To sum up, I am using the DUD on a V1 Provari. When I had a working coil, it was very low ohm and seemed to bounce around a lot in resistance and would sooner than later throw an error. The reason for this was my wick was not oxidized well enough. I solved this by using the cotton method that is probably well known by everyone now. That worked fine for weeks but the cotton sooner or later gets scorched or just starts tasting awful. Removing it from the wick is pretty much impossible IMO. So I set out to get the oxidizing part right.

What I've found is its best to oxidize the portion of wick where the coil is, don't worry yourself too much about the rest of the wick. I think I was so focused on the wick in its entirety that I wasn't getting it oxidized very well, even though the thing looked burnt to a crisp. Heat the part where the coil will be until red hot, dunk in water, repeat two more times. Then apply some juice and ignite, allow the juice to burn itself out, repeat that step two more times. From there I simply wrap my coil on the wick, stick everything into the Dud and make the connections. I haven't had a single short yet doing this. I also notice my coils do not climb in resistance nearly as quickly as it did with the cotton, making my coils last longer. The taste is also improved.

So, if you're struggling with this type of rebuildable just hang in there, ask questions, and try some work arounds, you'll eventually get it.

Thanks again to everyone for the helpful posts.

I would skip the dunking in water part myself. I have found it unnecessary and it makes the wick more fragile

 

[bubbajoe72]

I would skip the dunking in water part myself. I have found it unnecessary and it makes the wick more fragile

Reminds me of the new Conan the Barbarian movie where his father is teaching Conan the secret of making a strong sword:

Chief Ron Perlman – “Conan, what is most important when tempering a sword? Fire or ice?”
Conan – “Fire.”
*Questioning look from Chief Ron Perlman*
Conan – “Ice?”
*Shatters sword Conan just made*
Chief Ron Perlman – “Fire AND ice.”
Conan – “Oh…”

 

[gnatx]

So will the ss post from mmvapor work in these?? I would love to have ss hardware rather than brass

 

[TBinAZ]

Stumbled upon this setup yesterday. Works quite well. Especially for those who lost some of their fasteners. (I didn't, so if anyone is needing them let me know...) Spring is from a click pen. Washer came from same pen, but can be obtained for pretty cheap elsewhere. The added airflow really helps a lot.

 

[junkman]

Stumbled upon this setup yesterday. Works quite well. Especially for those who lost some of their fasteners. (I didn't, so if anyone is needing them let me know...) Spring is from a click pen. Washer came from same pen, but can be obtained for pretty cheap elsewhere. The added airflow really helps a lot.

View attachment 144567

Great idea