Flat Wrap/Zig Zag Heating Element

So I tried this the other day and it's been working excellently. Good flavor and vapor. I want to call it a heating element because it is no longer a coil IMO. I did a seven fold element with 30SWG nichrome and it is metering .6 ohms as a dual element. I have the center post leads bent with two 90 degree bends so that the sides of the elements farther from the air holes sit higher. I haven't tried it totally flat as I think propping the inside up exposes the coil to more airflow. Once I get the elements mounted I stuffed some cotton under it. It's really easy to change the wicks on this. Make sure wet cotton is touching the whole element or you will get hot spots.

I want to build one in a Kayfun but after looking under the hood for a while it seems like it would be hard to fit. Maybe something with a bigger deck would work.

Edit: I used tweezers to make the bends. I also think there might be a way to make a bending board that has pins so the heating wire is a little easier to bend into a zig zag evenly.

 

I can't get a better picture without using a photo hosting site. I will take another later with a jewellers loop.

 

That might be a little easier to see. This thing is making huge vapor. I think it is crucial to have the wire slanting up on the center post. My brother tried to build one flat and it isn't making near the vapor. I'm really happy with the build. Just make sure there are no hot spots. If you can't get rid of all the hot spots it needs a bit more cotton.

Anyone else try this yet? My IGO-W has dual 3/32 air holes I'm pretty sure... quite massive but it's making huge vapor.

 

Oh it is. Try setting it up with 30 gauge like this. It gets warm, with huge clouds. I can post a video if you'd like?

That is plain cotton from a cotton ball. Boiled a handful for about ten minutes and left them out to dry over night with a paper towel over them. Don't squish then because that diminishes the fuzziness. When you go to put it in your coil or flat wrap make sure to shred it up with your hands really well, that increases the fuzziness. Also if you are getting a cotton flavor, you used too much cotton. If you are getting hot spots you used too little cotton, or the setup isn't packed right.

 

There's a video for you guys. My first upload to YouTube lol.

 

Just well shredded works, cotton balls already look like cotton candy to me lol. I use a pinch of cotton and pull it apart maybe twenty times in different directions.

 

I'm going to try and put one of these in my russian next time I build it. I think this is the most vapor I have made thus far. It is pretty absurd. When I get home from vacation I will try setting this build up a little differently. That video is the first setup I have done with it, I am still using it and it's working great. I was trying to get the exterior folds to match the deck but didn't have much success, I think next time I rebuild it it will come out better.

 

Good question and a good answer. I will eventually make a jig so I can set these up pefectly. I also think there is more cotton to wick exposure. Not to mention the wick is only transferring from bottom to top through essentially a pad rather than being bottle necked inside a coil. If I could fold the wire closer I think it would make better vapor and flavor but it's still great as is. I have replaced the wick on that build about eight times now and it's still working hard.