Eleaf GS Air Fan : Part 2
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jerseyman, just to warn you...we do have a tendency here in this thread to wander off topic occasionally. Lol
Now that's a welcome! Banner and hat!
Hello again, Jumpin'. Jigs and tension coil builds--my thoughts--FWIW... I've tried several. From pin vise to Artistic Gizmo to Cigatron's Cigamajig. They work if you're really, really good at creating correct and uniform tension manually. I'm not. And I'm good with working with my hands. I spent almost a year trying and every tensioned coil I ever made required further touch ups--heat and tweezers.
So I finally gave up and got me a couple of simple Kuro coilers, Tobeco clone, with 2 mm and 2.5 mm removable rods and never looked back. I can now make perfect (non-tensioned) coils almost with my eyes closed and they always come out great and work great. All they need is a few quick electrical pulses and a few gentle raking strokes with a screwdriver after they are mounted and I'm good to go; no pinching, no overheating, no brutal force whatsoever. Just make sure you get the Tobeco clone with removable rods--that part is critical. Those clones from FT and other places are nasty. I got mine from Desert Vapes and can vouch that they are authentic Tobeco clones. 
http://desertvapes.com/tobeco-kuro-coil-jig/
I absolutely, 100% agree with our friend Aldenf that ,"Currently, there is no easy way to tension wind accurately, repeatably and affordably."
Just my
Long & Technical
I started vaping almost a year ago and have been following Mac & Super_X’s threads for ten months or so. Their efforts have made mine much more productive. These gentlemen are vaping heroes. Thank you both!
I wound my first resistance coil 30 years ago in high school electronics shop, along with motor coils and other nifty experiments. In the process of designing and building special effects for the entertainment industry, I have had to custom wind various types of resistance coils over the last 20 years.
It seems to me the most important things we look for in a good microcoil are:
1) An easily and accurately repeatable/duplicable process.
2) Even and symmetrical; from wind to wind and end to end.
3) Abutting wraps.
4) A complete layer of oxidation covering the entire coil.
I knew from the beginning that at least some tension was required. This tension is what allows us to successfully lay each wrap against the previous. I first hand wrapped coils with limited success. I moved to a method similar to turbocad6’s which seemed to work great for 32-30g Kanger coils. As I adopted RTAs & RBAs, turbo’s method played havoc on my tender fingers. Then a cigamajig (thanks cigatron!), directly off the spool got me close but the tension varied too greatly from wrap to wrap. Finally, I home-built a jig similar to the gizmo: a drilled 2x4, secured in a vice with a custom-bent 2.4mm coat hanger for a mandrel.
I’ve stuck with this last method, with a few small tweaks, for the last six months. In my experience, too much tension is worse than not enough. Kanthal A1 has enough variability from the factory. Introducing uneven tension throughout the process just increases the variables in the wire. Human-applied tension is extremely difficult (nearly impossible) to accomplish in an even manner. With enough practice we can probably get “close enough”. I have found 5lbs of even, static/mechanical tension perfectly fine to wrap coils with wire up to 26AWG. I also question whether excess tension skews a coil in ways I'm not currently grasping.
It appears that a layer of Al(2)O(3) over the entire coil is what makes a contact coil successful. Without this non-conductive “ceramic coating”, the “effect” cannot be attained. This alumina makes up for any slight variances in our process or, indeed, the wire itself. In other words, the “effect” seems to be all about the oxidation on our contact coil. Have a contact coil without a complete layer of alumina? No “effect”.
A couple of questions to ponder:
During the oxidation process, we gently “rake” the coils to allow for alumina to form between the wraps, thereby permanently separating them.
-Considering this, how perfect does the “adhesion” have to be prior to oxidation? Given reasonable wrap proximity, does the oxidation process provide the necessary adhesion to reach the “effect”? Is the oxidation process noticeably shorter for a microcoil wrapped under tension? How much tension is required?
Our traditional methods of coil winding (pin vice, cigamajig, gizmo, etc) require us to guide the wire by hand, necessitating tension to make up for human error/imperfection. A mechanical process removes the human error quotient, guiding the wire predictably and repeatably, laying abutting wraps.
-Is the coil master (and its ilk) enough of a mechanical process to prepare the coil (wrap proximity and symmetry) for oxidation without the need for tension?
In short, many vapers now define vaping heaven as the “effect”. This requires an alumina coating over the entire length of the wire in our symmetrical contact coils. As long as we prepare the coil symmetrically, with touching wraps and a complete oxidation process, does it ultimately matter in our vaping experience how we wrap it?
Given individual preferences in vapor density, texture, temperature, throat hit, flavor, ease of use, etc. and the numerous differences among atomizers; perhaps the much bigger question is should all vapors go in search of the “effect”.
Thank you all for an enlightening, civil exchange of thoughts, technique and camaraderie.
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Hence the smiley following that statement...
I knew were just waiting there ready to pounce.
Hey -- where IS @aldenf ???Hello again, Jumpin'. Jigs and tension coil builds--my thoughts--FWIW... I've tried several. From pin vise to Artistic Gizmo to Cigatron's Cigamajig. They work if you're really, really good at creating correct and uniform tension manually. I'm not. And I'm good with working with my hands. I spent almost a year trying and every tensioned coil I ever made required further touch ups--heat and tweezers.
http://desertvapes.com/tobeco-kuro-coil-jig/
I absolutely, 100% agree with our friend Aldenf that ,"Currently, there is no easy way to tension wind accurately, repeatably and affordably."
Just my
ME, TOO! I checked his profile page and I don't see any posts since 7/15/15. Can that be right? Almost three months?I wish I knew... I miss him!
Hope he comes back!
Me too. He is so nice and knowledgeable and helpful. I've learned a lot from him.
I've often heard sense of smell is the one that is the most strongly tied to memories. I think for me, it's music for sure.Scent is like that for me too Nanny. When I smell sugar cookies, I instantly think of my grandmother. Even though she didn't bake a lot(she was busy sewing for other people, raising her 6 kids that were still at home, plus at least 4 grandkids at all times, plus her sister's daughter) her house always smelled like sugar cookies.
I plan on making that the first song she hears from her Mimi.
And I think I realized after that post, that the actual name of the song is Annie's Song.
Welcome, Jerseyman.
Adding to Lynn's astute observation... we get back on topic once every few weeks.
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