getting frustrated:(

[cosmicdonkey]

hi guys i recently bought a vh genesis and i have oxidised my wick fine and built up the coil fine. The trouble i am having is where the coil leaves the mesh wick and meets the positive i am always getting a hot spot which pops the coil instantly i have made approx 20 coils but no matter what i try and how many videos i watch the same thing happens. This is using a vmax at 3 volts. Strange thing is aswell the coils seem ok on a lavatube. Any ideas would be much appreciated

 

[Zenataos]

3 volts on a vmax is more like 4.5+ volts.

I find if you make the legs of your wire come off the wick at a sharp corner it will prevent getting hot legs.

 

[Huffelpuff]

I don't know what a VH is and am NOT a genny pro, but I can list that a couple of fiddles that work for me on genny atomizers:
1.Make sure that your tank is fully assembled (tighten everything up - I've had times when my did loosened)
2. Make sure that your wick has extra space on top (pull wick up out of tank as it does not need to be in to bottom) after wrapping he resistance wire around the post - try wrapping one coil 1x around top of wick.
3. Try to reduce your wraps by 1 coil.
4. Make sure that you are leaving some space between mesh wick and hole (needs to breathe)
5. When all else fails, just make a new wick. There are times that my wick is just not good - no matter what I've done.

Hope that this post was helpful.

 

[martinc]

The dreaded hotspot uh

All the above are good causes/fix

I'll add to leave very little gap between mesh and post up top as well and season your clone on something else than a vmax at first

Do you use the drill bit method?

Tip that sucker up,those gennies seems to wick poorly (same with original)

 

[rotohammer]

I know what your'e going through. I just got my RBA/stainless wick working sweet and posted my methods here:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...systems/334958-dud-builds-37.html#post7475992

It only took me 3 weeks to get a working setup

 

[cosmicdonkey]

thank you everyone for the helpful tips i will try again shortly and let you know how i get on

 

[C1BERUS]

just try to make the wick lot longer than on lavatube or anything.
i used on vmax 8 wrap kanthal 32GA @ 3V

 

[zeesmoker]

The fact that you are popping coils means that you have most probably not oxidized the wick properly. I suggest trying again. Also, I have found out that the top coil ususally is the most problematic. Reason is that you end up pulling the top one too tight to tighten it to the nut or screw.

There is a very fine line between a perfect genny setup and a fubared one.

Keep at it and roll the coil a bit looser. You should be able to slide your wick up and down on a good coil. It shouldn't have a death grip on the wick nor should it be too loose.

I hope this helps.

 

[Randy C]

You have a short. Here is a fool-proof fix.. Use the Drill bit method to wrap 6 coils of 32 aw Kanthal, make a wick of rolled a CVS sterile cotton and you'll be in vaping heaven. Steer clear of the SS! I run this cotton set-up on my Provari at 3.3 Volts and the coils are holding steady at 2.2 ohms. No shorts and it tastes amazing. You won't want to roll the cotton too thick. It should slide into your coils with ease, as it will expand quite a bit. Also... by doing it this way, it eliminates air space between the coil and wick.

 

[rotohammer]

I'm a big fan of cotton, but now that I've got my first stainless wick working well, I feel it has the edge over cotton.
Firstly, stainless actually wicks faster than cotton, providing a more consistant vape from full tank to the last drop. Its a lot easier to clean and handle the stainless wick. And most importantly, stainless can withstand long draws while chain vaping with no problem.

After 2 days I'm blown away at just how maintenence free my atomizer has become, Fill and chain!

 

[Rule62]

I'm pretty new to this as well. But after watching countless posts, and many videos, what has worked most consistently for me is the "drill bit method". I roll my ss wick so that it is exactly the same diameter as a 3/32" drill bit, which fits nicely in the hole. I wrap the coil around the shank of the drill bit, before inserting it in the hole. Then I insert the bit, with the coil on it, into the hole, and connect the + and -. Carefully twist the drill bit out, leaving just the coil. I test fire the coil at vary low voltage, to make sure it works, and glows evenly. Then, very carefully twist the oxidized wick down into the center of the coil, and down into the tank. Dry burn it a couple times; then put a couple drops of juice on it, and burn it off. Fill it up and vape.
I haven't had a coil fail this way. I think that the less I handle the wick, the better. The oxidation layer on it is microscopic. It doesn't take much to disturb it. YMMV, and JMO.

 

[danwelsh]

That drill bit method looks fairly easy, and seems foolproof, I'll definitely be trying it

 

[arbogast]

I'm pretty new to this as well. But after watching countless posts, and many videos, what has worked most consistently for me is the "drill bit method". I roll my ss wick so that it is exactly the same diameter as a 3/32" drill bit, which fits nicely in the hole. I wrap the coil around the shank of the drill bit, before inserting it in the hole. Then I insert the bit, with the coil on it, into the hole, and connect the + and -. Carefully twist the drill bit out, leaving just the coil. I test fire the coil at vary low voltage, to make sure it works, and glows evenly. Then, very carefully twist the oxidized wick down into the center of the coil, and down into the tank. Dry burn it a couple times; then put a couple drops of juice on it, and burn it off. Fill it up and vape.
I haven't had a coil fail this way. I think that the less I handle the wick, the better. The oxidation layer on it is microscopic. It doesn't take much to disturb it. YMMV, and JMO.

But how (on earth) do you make sure the wick diameter is exactly the same? When attempting this method, I always end up with a wick that's a bit too thick or thin. The mesh I've tried with (325 & 400 ferm themeshcompany.com) has some elasticity to it so making it the same diameter is extremely difficult, I find. Any tips?
I'm using a DID, btw.

 

[Kamoch]

But how (on earth) do you make sure the wick diameter is exactly the same? When attempting this method, I always end up with a wick that's a bit too thick or thin. The mesh I've tried with (325 & 400 ferm themeshcompany.com) has some elasticity to it so making it the same diameter is extremely difficult, I find. Any tips?
I'm using a DID, btw.

What I do is take my wick and slide it into the wick hole before using the drill bit method, it should slide in and out easily. The real key is finding a drill bit or metal rod that is an EXACT fit of your wick hole. I then build my coil with the drill bit/rod in place, adjust my coil, then gently remove the bit. When you insert your pre-fitted wick take your time and if you meet resistance, remove it, roll it a bit and re- insert. It should slide in with a little twisting if necessary. If i encounter a short, i will twist the wick slightly & that usually fixes the problem.

 

[j4mmin42]

Drill bit method is great. I see a lot of great tips in some of the other posts, too

When you get a top-coil hotspot like the one you're describing OP, it's a very specific problem- and the fix for it CAN mean *adjusting* your wick, but you should only rarely have to actually trash your whole wick. The first thing you want to look for is the seam of you wick- when you get a top-coil hotspot, it generally means that you're shorting out your coil on the wick at that seam. There may be microhairs (e.g. "frizzyness") on the seam that could be causing it, or it the seam might not be laying flush against the rest of the wick, or it may not be cut perfectly straight- I find that my wicks tend to unravel over time, and sometimes need to be rewrapped *just a bit* to make the seam lay flat.

Take out your wick, peel up the top corner of the seam, and make sure it is cut straight. Oxidize both sides, don't quench, and do a quick juice burn once you have it wrapped back up. MAKE SURE there is no shinyness or hairyness on the seam before you put it back in.

Alternatively, you might want to first try using a toothpick to adjust the top coil, pulling it away from the seam but making sure it lays nearly flush to the rest of the coil. Shorten the positive lead as much as possible.

And don't worry, this happens to almost everyone who builds coils- you'll be ok.

 

[j4mmin42]

But how (on earth) do you make sure the wick diameter is exactly the same? When attempting this method, I always end up with a wick that's a bit too thick or thin. The mesh I've tried with (325 & 400 ferm themeshcompany.com) has some elasticity to it so making it the same diameter is extremely difficult, I find. Any tips?
I'm using a DID, btw.

When I use this method on my Phoenixes, I use a drill bit that is just a bit bigger than the mesh I am going to roll. Also, when I oxidize the mesh, I quench it after every burn, as this makes it more "springy"- the reason that helps is that in a pinch, if you accidentally roll a piece of mesh that is a bit too large to fit in your coil, you can twist it just a bit tighter before installing it, and then after it's in it will spring back to size, giving you your perfect coil.

Practice, go slow, concentrate on everything except getting it done quickly. Pretend that you're always using your very last piece of wick and wire. And best of luck!

 

[arbogast]

Thanks a lot Kamoch & V Ninja. I'll try

Oh, and apologies to the OP for barging in.