Help with Genesis Please :)

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Theken

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I know there are tons of videos, all of which seem to contradict the other.

I have ss mesh here. I have 325, 400, 500. I use Boba's Bounty juice (thick).

I have kanthal wire. I have 32ga, 28ga, I have nichrome.

I have done perhaps 1 good wick and coil set-up and am about to give up. I wanted to ask the pros a couple questions.

First of all, I am using the iHybrid and have the ZAP and a dozen (or more knock-offs).

What I need is advice and a shopping list!


Now for my questions:
1. What mesh should I use?
2. Oxidation, I have tried oxidizing before rolling, after rolling, and both. What is the best bet?
3. How thick should it be? In other words, should I roll it tight enough to eliminate any hole? Should it have a small (paperclip) hole in it?
4. What wire should I use?
5. How many wraps?
6. What is a good torch to use? I am currently using a small, handheld Benzomatic.

Thanks in advance for any help, I want to get this down so I can use the $500 in mods and enjoy it as much as others seem to.
 

Kamoch

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I don't own a ZAP, but have an AGA-W, a DID standard plus a DID Gemini, and an AC9 and at one time or another I had them all set up with 28 AWG A1 Kanthal, 5/4 wrap on 400 mesh SS. I also don't oxidize/quench my wicks anymore with a butane torch, I use the stove top to torch my wicks and rarely have problems with my setups. Do you use the drill bit method? I ask because that is the method I use and I prefer a paperclip size hole to help with wicking. YMMV but this is what works for me, good luck.
 

Buzzsaw46

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The reason many videos seem to contradict each other is because there is more than one way to skin this cat. The most important thing is that you get your coils glowing evenly before adding juice to the tank.

I have had good luck with many of the techniques for oxidizing mesh, the only one that I have shied away from is the pulse method with unoxidized mesh, though I have tried it with little success. I have also had good luck with all grades of mesh I have used 325, 400, and 500. I do tend to prefer more tightly wound wicks. Lately I have been rolling my wicks unoxidized, then oxidize just the area where the coils will be.

Be patient and keep trying. They do work if we do our part during the setup. Good luck!
 

fed71

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May 29, 2012
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The reason many videos seem to contradict each other is because there is more than one way to skin this cat. The most important thing is that you get your coils glowing evenly before adding juice to the tank.

I have had good luck with many of the techniques for oxidizing mesh, the only one that I have shied away from is the pulse method with unoxidized mesh, though I have tried it with little success. I have also had good luck with all grades of mesh I have used 325, 400, and 500. I do tend to prefer more tightly wound wicks. Lately I have been rolling my wicks unoxidized, then oxidize just the area where the coils will be.

Be patient and keep trying. They do work if we do our part during the setup. Good luck!

I absolutely agree.
All written and said this is just a simple guide. Only experience will allow you to choose what you need.
I want to say to the genesis of it is not desirable to use pulse PV.
 

thxone

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Now for my questions:
1. What mesh should I use?
2. Oxidation, I have tried oxidizing before rolling, after rolling, and both. What is the best bet?
3. How thick should it be? In other words, should I roll it tight enough to eliminate any hole? Should it have a small (paperclip) hole in it?
4. What wire should I use?
5. How many wraps?
6. What is a good torch to use? I am currently using a small, handheld Benzomatic.

1. Mesh... Try the 325 on that thicker juice. Use the paperclip. Fold 2-3mm of the mesh in and crease it well, roll the mesh around the paperclip toward the fold. The folded edge should be on the inside of the roll.
2. Oxidizing... I torch before I make the fold. Then fold, then roll, then torch and quench 3 times. Then I coat with juice and burn it off three times. I cut a 45 degree angle on the bottom of the wick, roll it in my fingers to open the hole and I am done.
3. How thick... The paperclip seems to help it wick better by having that straw hole.
4. What wire... go with the 28awg.
5. How many wraps... either a 6/5 or 5/4 wrap I would think... good and thick, should be durable.
6. What torch... lol I think you are good.

Jump in anyone...
 

kingdal

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Dec 13, 2012
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I know there are tons of videos, all of which seem to contradict the other.

I have ss mesh here. I have 325, 400, 500. I use Boba's Bounty Juice (thick).

I have kanthal wire. I have 32ga, 28ga, I have nichrome.

I have done perhaps 1 good wick and coil set-up and am about to give up. I wanted to ask the pros a couple questions.

First of all, I am using the iHybrid and have the ZAP and a dozen (or more knock-offs).

What I need is advice and a shopping list!


Now for my questions:
1. What mesh should I use?
2. Oxidation, I have tried oxidizing before rolling, after rolling, and both. What is the best bet?
3. How thick should it be? In other words, should I roll it tight enough to eliminate any hole? Should it have a small (paperclip) hole in it?
4. What wire should I use?
5. How many wraps?
6. What is a good torch to use? I am currently using a small, handheld Benzomatic.

Thanks in advance for any help, I want to get this down so I can use the $500 in mods and enjoy it as much as others seem to.


I got into Gennies last Dec and have been obsessing about them ever since. I'm no expert but let me give this a shot:

1. I've seen people say these use #200 all the way up to #625. In my experience, I get the best results with #500. If thats not available, then #400. Seems like both work well regardless of the ratio of PG/VG. FWIW, I normally use 80VG as well as Boba's. No problems on either type of mesh

2. When I first got into Gennies 4 months ago, the standard procedure was to torch and quench 3 times, then do juice burns 3 times. Today, a lot of folks swear by unoxidized mesh. Recently, there's been talk that an overoxidized wick could cause some harmful health effects. I do notice people seem to be torching less than before (or at least talking about it more). What I do is torch lightly (one pass on both sides, with added attention to the edges) then roll and wrap. lately, I've been moving towards unoxidized wicks. No real difference in the end result that I can tell.

3. Some people like a hole in the center, some people like them rolled solid. Hollow wicks run the risk of not wicking enough juice and causing hot spots. Densely rolled wicks run the risk of being a heat sink, making the build unresponsive and cooking the juice. You want a wick that can keep up with the heat the coil without drying up. Its really about choosing a certain gauge and wrap for your coil and finding what kind of wick works well with it. On my iHys, I use 28 gauge Kanthal 4/5 wrap on a 7/64" drill bit (same with my ZAP before the thing broke). This comes out to a little under 1 ohm. And for that, a 60mm long piece of mesh works pretty well for me. I'm OCD about this, but it's helped me tremendously when I noted all these stats down as I'm trying them out. Gives me a better idea of how to improve the build next time

4. I've only ever used Kanthal. Generally, the lower the gauge, the more surface area the wire covers and presumably the better the vape. However, you run the risk of having your resistance too low, if that matters to you. If you go the super low resistance route, you would do well to check around ECF for posts on battery safety. My favorite wire right now is 28 gauge as I feel it gives better flavor and vapor. I will use 30 gauge when the wick hole is so small (as in the Bliss or Mini DID) that I can't get my resistance up to around the 0.9-1.2 ohm level (or higher) without having too many wraps. So far, 5/6 wraps is probably the most I want to put on any wick.

5. Depends on the wire gauge and the resistance you want. The more wraps, the higher the ohms. But the lower the ohms, the more clouds. Really depends on how many ohms you're wanting to hit. See #3 and 4. Also be aware that lower gauge wire has a tendency to be more unresponsive ie you hit the button and it doesn't glow as quickly as higher gauge wire. That threw me for a while and made me think there was something wrong with my build/atty until I realized what was happening

6. Not sure the torch has anything to do with the quality of the build. I've seen posts with people using torches from $7 to upwards of $40. Many folks also just use the burner on their stove. i think the trick is having a blue flame and using that to torch the mesh. Of course, if you decide to go unoxidized, you can take the torch off your list

I sure hope I didn't confuse you with all this. But like everyone says, keep trying and experimenting. It really is a lot of time and effort in the beginning but once you get it down, you will be able to do the whole thing in 10 min. Or less.
 

kingdal

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I just realized I said some things that contradict what other posters have said lol. I hope that doesn't leave you more confused. Thats gennies for you, everyone has a different method but they all work.

Bes thing I can say is try one method and if it works, stick with it. If it doesn't, well you've got a lot of alternatives to choose from. Experimenting is part of the fun.

Good luck!
 

Satava

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I use #500 mesh exclusively and I vape anything from 50/50 all the way up to 90% vg. It handles thick just fine.

I lightly torch it over a gas stove so it turns dull red before rolling, this softens the material and makes it easier to roll

I roll it as tight as I possibly can, solid wick works the best for me and my thick juice. I leave the last 1/2 inch or so unwrapped, fold it into itself then finish the roll, this gives a bent edge instead of a cut edge. Less little SS strings to short out the coils.

I give it one final torch to set the shape, i get the whole thing once, sometimes twice if I coil and it keeps shorting. This isnt as big of an issue on a mechanical as it is on my variable. After the quick torch to set shape I do a single juice burn with 100% unflavored no-nic walmart VG. If I have to torch a second time, I burn a second time as well.

As far as coil setups go, depending on your battery:

3-4 of 28awg for a mechanical mod

4-5 of 32awg for a variable volt/watt mod

5-6 of 30awg for variable volt/watt mod (What I use)
 

Buzzsaw46

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And the evidence mounts that there is not one specific method for preparing the wick that is the best for everyone. We all take what works for us and modify to our own liking. The one thing we all do is make sure our coils glow evenly before we add juice to our tanks, this is the single most important thing to get right. You could have a perfect wick and a hot spot on the coil will make for crap flavor.
 

RaymondK

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Mar 15, 2013
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I use #500 mesh exclusively and I vape anything from 50/50 all the way up to 90% vg. It handles thick just fine........

As far as coil setups go, depending on your battery:

3-4 of 28awg for a mechanical mod

4-5 of 32awg for a variable volt/watt mod

5-6 of 30awg for variable volt/watt mod (What I use)

What do you mean by depending your battery?
 
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