I've been struggling with an underlying silicon taste with the stardusts, so I started doing a mod (below) to create more distance between the heating element and the silicon. I've come to realize I'm not only tasting silicon at times, but also have become sensitive to the taste of nichrome wire. Even after all the boiling, burning and dry burning in the world, I can taste it on the first few hits of a fill. (Time to try kanthal? 
). Anyway, this is a variation of a trick mentioned previously using no resistance wire, with hypodermic tubing instead
1) Get your stuff. That's stainless steel 27 gauge hypodermic tubing (very useful for CE2 modding as well, e.g. repairable CE2)
2) Make your coil as usual
3) Slide in your wick (this is 100% cotton yarn btw)
4) Check your resistance with your leads all the way up to the point where the coils leave the wick, which is where your hypodermic tubing will "take off" from. Or check where you think you will push the tube up to/push the coil down to. Since I planned on pulling up out of the tubes a bit(see below), I started with a lower resistance than I wanted to end up with
5) slide hypodermic tubes over the coils (this is hard at first, but after a few times you can do it in seconds. you just have to make sure the end of the tube wasn't crimped shut when you cut it, and if it is, just work it open with needle nose pliers). check for electrical continuity and resistance
6) cut to desired length ( wrong pic, didn't leave them this long...I think haha)
7) insert silicon/wick/coil assembly
8) work it down, and then press the silicon further in with whatever implement you like. insert core.
9) you can check your resistance again at this point. the tubes fit pretty tight, but can slide away from your original position increasing your resistance. if you re check and its too low for you, you can gently pull upwards and the silicon will hold the tubes in place as you slide the wire out a bit. a little bit at a time, or you'll end up with 5 ohms. I pulled up and ended up with 2.6 vs. the initial reading, which is where I wanted it.
Let it rip!
). Anyway, this is a variation of a trick mentioned previously using no resistance wire, with hypodermic tubing instead1) Get your stuff. That's stainless steel 27 gauge hypodermic tubing (very useful for CE2 modding as well, e.g. repairable CE2)
2) Make your coil as usual
3) Slide in your wick (this is 100% cotton yarn btw)
4) Check your resistance with your leads all the way up to the point where the coils leave the wick, which is where your hypodermic tubing will "take off" from. Or check where you think you will push the tube up to/push the coil down to. Since I planned on pulling up out of the tubes a bit(see below), I started with a lower resistance than I wanted to end up with
5) slide hypodermic tubes over the coils (this is hard at first, but after a few times you can do it in seconds. you just have to make sure the end of the tube wasn't crimped shut when you cut it, and if it is, just work it open with needle nose pliers). check for electrical continuity and resistance
6) cut to desired length ( wrong pic, didn't leave them this long...I think haha)
7) insert silicon/wick/coil assembly
8) work it down, and then press the silicon further in with whatever implement you like. insert core.
9) you can check your resistance again at this point. the tubes fit pretty tight, but can slide away from your original position increasing your resistance. if you re check and its too low for you, you can gently pull upwards and the silicon will hold the tubes in place as you slide the wire out a bit. a little bit at a time, or you'll end up with 5 ohms. I pulled up and ended up with 2.6 vs. the initial reading, which is where I wanted it.
Let it rip!
