How safe are Rebuildable Atomizers (RBA's)?

[b00gym4n]

I just got into rebuilding my own atomizers and so far I haven't reached it's full potential just yet. There are times where I can taste metal, weird flavors and smell bad odors. I coughed the first time and my eyes teared up, I think I inhaled some nasty chems. If I build it right and etc, I manage to get it tasting okay, but not spectacular.

My question is, how safe are the products we're using? Kanthal wire, silica etc... ? I taste a lot of chemicals and it can't be good. After hitting my rba for 5-10 times I started to taste something grainy on my teeth and it was crunching around... I don't know if it were metal particles or pieces of my teeth, but it didn't sound good.

Even though e-juice is flammable, it doesn't worry me as much as the other stuff. rba's and all the little wires and plastics we're inhaling concern me. Can anyone with some credible sources give me a peace of mind here?

Also, I just noticed that the little white square packets in beef jerky and other sealed foods that are labled "poison, DO NOT EAT" etc are made from silica...

 

[jasl90]

I just got into rebuilding my own atomizers and so far I haven't reached it's full potential just yet. There are times where I can taste metal, weird flavors and smell bad odors. I coughed the first time and my eyes teared up, I think I inhaled some nasty chems. If I build it right and etc, I manage to get it tasting okay, but not spectacular.

My question is, how safe are the products we're using? Kanthal wire, silica etc... ? I taste a lot of chemicals and it can't be good. After hitting my RBA for 5-10 times I started to taste something grainy on my teeth and it was crunching around... I don't know if it were metal particles or pieces of my teeth, but it didn't sound good.

Even though e-juice is flammable, it doesn't worry me as much as the other stuff. RBA's and all the little wires and plastics we're inhaling concern me. Can anyone with some credible sources give me a peace of mind here?

Also, I just noticed that the little white square packets in beef jerky and other sealed foods that are labled "poison, DO NOT EAT" etc are made from silica...

Well... First things first... Any new RBA needs to get a through cleaning with soap and water before you do anything else. The lubricants used during the machining process are nasty. You don't want to invest them.
The harsh metalic taste is usually a sign of a hot spot (aka a short) or your wick isn't keeping up and your getting dry hits. Either way, it's not pleasant.
As far as safety of the supplies... We all hope so... By all accounts, yes it is safe when used properly.

Please do not eat the desiccant packet that you found in your beef jerky. It's just there to reduce the moisture content in the package... F-k, now I want some beef jerky...

If you want to post some pics of what you've build, we can give you better advise and help to troubleshoot your issues. As it stands now, you haven't provided any actually details...

 

[ubergeek922]

For the silica, it's safe.
Discovery Health "What if I ate the silica packets marked do not eat?"

If you don't want to read it, at least read this:

While the contents of a silica gel packet are basically harmless, it would be a rather unpleasant experience to attempt to consume the silica crystals. The sole job of these tiny desiccants is to adsorb moisture. If you emptied a packet of the stuff into your mouth, the moisture would be whisked away from the sides and roof of your mouth, your gums and tongue -- giving an entirely new and all-too-accurate meaning of the phrase "dry mouth."

 

[Thrasher]

when i run out of sugar i sprinkle silica on my cheerios.........

sounds like a hot spot, airhole not lined up correctly and a dry wick. like the other post a pic will help a lot.

silica taste nasty but it doesnt burn, the best we can do is scorch it a little, the wire needs serious heat to finally break down.

 

[Lo0nyt0on]

As with anything just Be cautious. your Still using a battery.. and Dialing in Ohms... As long as your Doing your Wraps Properly and not trying anything daring or that you haven't done or seen other people do safely without checking to make sure everything is kosher.

You should be ok... Just do some research and look around

 

[b00gym4n]

I appreciate the tips. I'm definitely going to wash my RBA now and rebuild. I did 3 wraps with 28ga kanthal with a 3mm silica wick that I purchased off myvaporstore.com. I wrapped around the posts rather than putting it in the hole. I was also told to drill bigger air holes on the sides. I'm thinking about switching to the ekowool I've been reading about and flat ribbon kanthal. Once I surpass the nastiness of RBA's, I'd love to learn how to maximize vapor production and flavor.

 

[Aoi~]

The MVP may not be a good power source to do this. It has a pretty low amp limit, and it won't fire above it in best case scenario. Worst case scenario? Who knows I don't want to find out. 28AWG Kanthal goes best with high amp/discharge IMR batteries in a mech. Stick to 32AWG or 30AWG, and coil up a more "sane" resistance, and you might get a better results. Speaking of which, you have a way to measure the resistance of the coil you build as well right?

 

[jasl90]

Yea... I think Aoi~ hit the nail on the head... Just eyeballing it, that looks like it should be about .5 to .6 ohms. I very surprised that an MVP would fire fire it all.
As a general rule, sub ohm coils and regulated devices don't work we'll together (DNA 20 mods being a possible exception).

If you want to keep using the MVP, I'd recommend picking up some 32 awg wire and work with that. If you're interested in going down the sub-ohm path, dump the MVP and pick a up mechanical device and some good high drain batteries. Word of advise... Don't skimp or cheap out on batteries. Sub-ohm coils draw higher than normal amp loads. You need batteries that can handle it.

 

[Dougiestyle]

3 wraps of 28ga is uber low resistance. With a variable APV you can wrap SR coils and adjust voltage according to what heat you want. I use 5 wrap coils of 34 on my VW mod. You need to have the resistance within the specs of the circuit. SLR coils are for mechanicals with high drain batts.

 

[Bosco]

I think you're main issue is too low resistance. The lower the resistance, the hotter it gets. Unless you have your airflow and wicking all dialed in, a .5 ohm coil is likely to taste nasty.

Try doubling your wick over (helps wicking, too, I find) and do 4 to 5 wraps on it. That would give me 1.3-1.5 ohms using 28 gage wire and 3mm silica.

When I try to do .6-ish type builds . .my number one issue is not getting enough juice to the silica .. which leads to hot, nasty tasting vapes. You can check this by wet-firing your coil with the top off . .you don't want to see any glowing red wire if there is juice on the coil.

 

[b00gym4n]

Yeah I figured it was the MVP. I have a clone mech mod shipping soon and am ordering a high end mech mod later this week when it releases. I just wanted to practice my RBA skills on the MVP. I'll be back with an update, I appreciate all the smart information.

I started vaping in 2009, when it was all screwdriver mods & 510 atomizers. Oh boy have times changed.

 

[Drhookerman]

Wow this is a super low resistance build. Your coil is just burning off all of the juices or the juice isn't keeping up with that coil. Either way, it is just burning way too hot.

Like everyone is saying do a 4-5 coil wrap and get a higher end mod. Also with a RBA it nice to have a Multimeter so you can test the ohm on it before you put it into your mechanical or VV.

I tend to dry burn my wick and my coil just to make sure I burn off all the stuff from the manaufacturer then load it up with some e juice and take a lighter to it ( it will light up after awhile) then just let it sit on flame for a good 5 seconds, and wash it off with water then dry burn it again. Not everyone rebuild their atomizer the same way. I just tend to do it this way to make sure all the stuff is burned off.