Hercules Rebuildable Atomizer (Ithaka Clone)

[Scope666]

If the brass has any lead in it, it's not a good idea to have it come in contact with the juice. Brass is an alloy of copper & zinc, with other metals added depending on intended use, including lead. Lead can be toxic, even in relatively small quantities...you DO NOT want to inhale it. The symptoms of lead poisoning include hair-loss & loosening of teeth, and even madness. That being said- I shot muzzle-loading muskets and melted & cast my own pure lead bullets for years...other than loosing my hair, I didn't seem to suffer too many other maladies (though my wife would say I do suffer from some forms of insanity )

The only brass considered lead-free is Naval Brass (a very high-quality brass used in some high-end attys & drip-tips), and I highly doubt that the brass washers at the hardware store are of that quality.

Just get some stainless steel washers of the same size & use them instead.... you can usually find small/thin stainless washers at most hobby shops - especially those that specialize in Radio Control.

Believe me, brass was my last choice. Nylon was my first and SS my 2nd. It's all I could find. I'll take it out on my next rebuild.

 

[dwcraig1]

Believe me, brass was my last choice. Nylon was my first and SS my 2nd. It's all I could find. I'll take it out on my next rebuild.

At the Home Depot where I go the nylon hardware is kept in pull out metal drawers

 

[Hectus]

I figured to rebuild my clone today with ekowool just for the heck of it.

Still using 1 coil made from readywire at 1.8 ohms, 2 lines of 2mm hollow ekowool, additional 2 lines of 1mm silica to place in the middle, button and top to avoid gaps between the coil and wicks. Then snipped off the 1mm ends on top of the ceramic and fed the 2mm ekowools down the channels.

I havent gotten the ekowool to wick properly before, but my god how its working now. The flavour and vape production is just outstanding. As for right now, my fasttech clone is giving me one of the best vapes i ever had.

No leaking or gurgling either, Im a happy vaper right now

 

[BIGJ541]

I have one I never use i was thinking when i get a pipe mod clone i might use it

 

[m00nshake]

I'm having big trouble with my Ithaka clone from FT and I can't seem to figure out why. I've watched setup videos carefully and I can't find anything wrong with my setup. This is what happens. After I screw the atomizer with the ceramic piece and basic feeding system into the base, I tighten the basic feeding system down. Then I screw the atomizer with my thumbs until it meets resistance and the channels are centered where the little spaces are on the feeding system. I fire it, and it heats up my mod so quickly I can't hold it. I adjust the atomizer a little bit by loosening and tightening, and after a few attempts, the coils glow perfectly. I finish setting everything up and maybe can vape for a day or so. Then, when I refill the tank with juice, something gets moved slightly and it starts shorting again. It literally snaps both positive wires, always right above the positive post. It has also melted the o-ring under the positive post, as well as plastic nut. I don't know what I'm doing wrong or what could be screwed up with it. All of the NR wires go down their respective channels and they are behind the wicks. Do any of you have any experience with this problem? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

 

[Scope666]

I'm having big trouble with my Ithaka clone from FT and I can't seem to figure out why. I've watched setup videos carefully and I can't find anything wrong with my setup. This is what happens. After I screw the atomizer with the ceramic piece and basic feeding system into the base, I tighten the basic feeding system down. Then I screw the atomizer with my thumbs until it meets resistance and the channels are centered where the little spaces are on the feeding system. I fire it, and it heats up my mod so quickly I can't hold it. I adjust the atomizer a little bit by loosening and tightening, and after a few attempts, the coils glow perfectly. I finish setting everything up and maybe can vape for a day or so. Then, when I refill the tank with juice, something gets moved slightly and it starts shorting again. It literally snaps both positive wires, always right above the positive post. It has also melted the o-ring under the positive post, as well as plastic nut. I don't know what I'm doing wrong or what could be screwed up with it. All of the NR wires go down their respective channels and they are behind the wicks. Do any of you have any experience with this problem? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Best guess would be the negative wires aren't tight enough around the post, and where the positive wires come down and "cross over" them, they might touch at some point.

 

[Hectus]

I'm having big trouble with my Ithaka clone from FT and I can't seem to figure out why. I've watched setup videos carefully and I can't find anything wrong with my setup. This is what happens. After I screw the atomizer with the ceramic piece and basic feeding system into the base, I tighten the basic feeding system down. Then I screw the atomizer with my thumbs until it meets resistance and the channels are centered where the little spaces are on the feeding system. I fire it, and it heats up my mod so quickly I can't hold it. I adjust the atomizer a little bit by loosening and tightening, and after a few attempts, the coils glow perfectly. I finish setting everything up and maybe can vape for a day or so. Then, when I refill the tank with juice, something gets moved slightly and it starts shorting again. It literally snaps both positive wires, always right above the positive post. It has also melted the o-ring under the positive post, as well as plastic nut. I don't know what I'm doing wrong or what could be screwed up with it. All of the NR wires go down their respective channels and they are behind the wicks. Do any of you have any experience with this problem? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

This actually happened to me on one of my first attemps, when i wrapp the positive wire around the pole/oring down there, i found i have to wrapp it around the pole from left to right. if u wrapp it the other way it seems to have a bigger chance of getting loose/shorting when u tighten the ceramic and stuff up. also be sure to tighten up that nut above the oring, the metal nut thingy on the 510 pole up pretty good, it has a tendency to come loose and those "hooks" on the nut grabs the wire.

 

[makua_ace]

Just got my ismoka magoo copper finish. Just wondering if anyone else with an ithaka clone is having "hot tip" problems when taking 5 consecutive draws? This thing gets hot!!I didn't have ready wire, so my ohms is uncertain. I have 4 wraps of 28g kanthal, dual coil set up. So I'm guessing I'm at .8ohms

 

[meowmixmeow]

Do you have pics of the aftermath? and maybe a view of the positive center pin?

 

[m00nshake]

Yes... here is the pic

 

[m00nshake]

Just wanted to add that the bottom oring pictured above was lifted up to secure the wires but I slid it down before taking the picture. The center post pin is the brass piece on the bottom, right? It doesn't seem to be damaged in any way. I've tried leaving it a bit loose and tight, doesn't seem to make a difference.

 

[dwcraig1]

Center pin

I'm just kind of guessing but I'd bet the center pin is not tight in ceramic housing.
To tighten it you get the nut inside the ceramic into the position that you want it and just snug it a little, then you hold the ceramic housing with your fingers of one hand while holding the shaft where the o-ring sits with nettle nosed pliers and turn the housing to tighten. Don't try to tighten it so tight that you snap it in half, but make it tight. It must be reasonably centered so check before you finish building it.
Screwing the ceramic assembly with GGTS base will show if centered or not.

 

[dwcraig1]

Just wanted to add that the bottom oring pictured above was lifted up to secure the wires but I slid it down before taking the picture. The center post pin is the brass piece on the bottom, right? It doesn't seem to be damaged in any way. I've tried leaving it a bit loose and tight, doesn't seem to make a difference.

By the way, I think I know that flavor, burning rubber is something one doesn't soon forget.

The brass piece on the end of the center pin is the adjustment for the 510, you simply screw it out more than required and it self adjusts to the correct length when you screw it on the mod. That's providing that your using the 510 base adapter.

 

[m00nshake]

Center pin

I'm just kind of guessing but I'd bet the center pin is not tight in ceramic housing.
To tighten it you get the nut inside the ceramic into the position that you want it and just snug it a little, then you hold the ceramic housing with your fingers of one hand while holding the shaft where the o-ring sits with nettle nosed pliers and turn the housing to tighten. Don't try to tighten it so tight that you snap it in half, but make it tight. It must be reasonably centered so check before you finish building it.
Screwing the ceramic assembly with GGTS base will show if centered or not.

This is where things get a bit confusing for me. The nut that sits inside the ceramic assembly is loose. How do I snug it when it just sits in there loosely. Also, when you're tightening the ceramic assembly on the shaft where the oring sits, how do you center it? If it screws in, shouldn't it already be centered? And how does the GGTS base show if it's centered? I'm using a Nemesis and the 510 base, which is the very bottom piece on the Ithaka. All parts that I have for Ithaka are being used for the assembly. Thanks for your help. I am determined to get this figured out.

 

[dwcraig1]

This is where things get a bit confusing for me. The nut that sits inside the ceramic assembly is loose. How do I snug it when it just sits in there loosely. Also, when you're tightening the ceramic assembly on the shaft where the oring sits, how do you center it? If it screws in, shouldn't it already be centered? And how does the GGTS base show if it's centered? I'm using a Nemesis and the 510 base, which is the very bottom piece on the Ithaka. All parts that I have for Ithaka are being used for the assembly. Thanks for your help. I am determined to get this figured out.

This video is for Oddy but Ithaka is more or less an Oddy version 3. Look at how the center post is tightened.

There is enough clearance side to side for it not to be straight, while screwing the housing assembly into the base prior to putting in the wick and coil you can see if it's centered, it will be in the center of the hole in the base if correct. You may have to have it just partially tight when you check it for center so you can still move it.

I would recommend not lining up the channels of the ceramic with the holes in the basic feeder ring at least till you decide why that you might want them open.
As far as the slots in the bottom of the ceramic, I would leave them open but it's a toss up as to which way to put them.

The ceramic assemble is to be screwed into the base pretty tight but not so tight that it destroys the o-ring.
Also lube that little o-ring with a drop of juice before cranking down the housing into the base.

 

[dwcraig1]

@ m00nshake
This video is more to the point

And be sure to post your progress if you would.

 

[crxess]

Just wanted to throw my hat in the ring here.
Just picked up a Hercules from another member off the Classifieds. Like New condition.

First experience with the design ans still waiting on an FT version ordered 5 weeks ago.
Having not received my SVC wires, I opted for a pre-made single N-R-N 1.8 coil with a bare 3mm crossover. Turns out the coil is 2.5ohm not 1.8.

Anyway, I have it set up and running on a Hcigar Neme with Kick @ 8 watts.

I can only say, I am very please with performance and it is far beyond anything I have used to Date.

Waiting on the other to arrive and will try a true single coil X wrap then this one will likely go .9ohm on dual coils.

 

[m00nshake]

Thanks for the detailed replies, dwcraig1. I'm going to watch the videos and follow your advice and try to fix it this afternoon. Hopefully I can get down to the bottom of it because when it works, it works better than other rbas I own. It's a beast with the dual highlander setup at sub ohm.

 

[m00nshake]

Oh and I will definitely report my progress. Thanks again for all of your help.

 

[m00nshake]

Okay, big update. In my frustration and thinking it might be the unit itself, I tried building on another Ithaka clone from another vendor. Same problem. It came assembled but the center pin was not tight, so I tightened it. When I screwed down the ceramic housing assembly on to the feeding system, the center pin was still tight. I then screwed down the feeding system tightly into the base, then screwed down the ceramic housing assembly until it was tight. When I screwed it into the 510 adapter, put it on my mod and tested it, I got the same short. I unscrewed the ceramic housing assembly and the feeding system. I automatically noticed that the center pin was loose again. Is this possibly what is causing the problem? I know how well the Ithaka can perform when it's working, and through hell or high water, I'm going to figure this thing out.