Ok this is how I create the absolute best tc coil I have ever made for the subtank, a 26g titanium core clapton, wrapped in 32g kanthal and wicked with a hybrid, rayon core scottish roll.
I do not mean building on the rba or rba+ (I own both). My best luck rebuilding on the subtank has always been rebuilding the OCC coils. I am not a big fan of the rba. The rba+ is an improvement, but still I have had better results using the OCC head.
There are some pictures to help explain this process. A video would be better but I just got off work and am slapping this together because someone asked me about it. I hope it explains things well enough. This is not targeted at the pro coil builder. Its actually pretty easy but I have had a few requests to show pictures and process.
First thing you need to do is tear down an old Kanger Subtank OCC coil. It needs to be the horizontal variety so it has the press fit o-ring topcap. The vertical OCC's are single piece so it makes getting a proper clapton (in this case 26/32 wrapped four times around a 2.5mm mandrel)
http://i.imgur.com/Ei3xerK.jpg
After its torn down your going to stick your clapton in and align it properly by putting a screwdriver throw the juice holes in the coil housing. I fell in love with making ti and ni200 claptons wrapped in kanthal because it reduced issues with shorting when loops in the coil touched and threw the TC off due to misread resistance. The kanthal almost acts as a insulating material because the current flows through the path of least resistance (literally) in the ti or ni200 and keeps the tc readings more accurate than if it was a regular coil that might short or throw off readings when coil loops touch inconsistently.
http://i.imgur.com/pWnt6YC.jpg
Now you need to route the leads against the coil body and through the insulator, after which you will clip and put in the bottom contact pin. There are some youtube videos that show you how to do a factory replica rebuild of the OCC coils. Watching them will give you the same method to install the clapton. ****It can help to strip off the clapton wraps in the coil legs just enough that there is improved contact against the coil housing and the bottom contact pin. I have done it both ways, and they both work, but stripping them is worth the effort IMO.
http://i.imgur.com/URr5Vqg.jpg
To construct the wick, take a small patch of ... cotton stretched out in the manner used for a scottish roll (look on youtube if you do not know what I mean).
http://i.imgur.com/lCCOL5C.jpg
Take a a small bundle of rayon fibers about 4 inches long and use it as your core to wrap the scottish roll around with the cotton for the scottish roll wrapping being centered between the ends of the rayon bundle.
http://i.imgur.com/lbC2tNw.jpg
twist one end of the rayon cored scottish roll and feed it into one juice hole in the coil housing, through the coil and out the other side. Make sure the whole thing is positioned so the scottish roll wrapping is directly in the coil and centered.
http://i.imgur.com/717YyQo.jpg
Trim the wick about 1-2mm from the coil housing and gently tuck in inside the hole so it puffs up some inside and is not sticking out the whole, but is barely snug with pressure against the inside of the coil housing juice holes.
http://i.imgur.com/MY7KHox.jpg
put the press fit top cap back onto the coil housing. Make sure the leads are settled well against the housing, insulator and bottom contact pin and do a visual check for potential shorts from the coil legs not being clipped closely enough so they do not ground against the subtank base when you screw them in.
http://i.imgur.com/ZHXK40e.jpg
Ok that is it. I know this thing is not crazy or hardcore like some stuff I have seen on here, but when done properly this turns the subtank into a decent tc tank. I almost gave mine away because it was just dissapointing compared to my other tanks, but I got bored and stumbled across this method.
Not everyone will agree with me but it works well for me.
I do not mean building on the rba or rba+ (I own both). My best luck rebuilding on the subtank has always been rebuilding the OCC coils. I am not a big fan of the rba. The rba+ is an improvement, but still I have had better results using the OCC head.
There are some pictures to help explain this process. A video would be better but I just got off work and am slapping this together because someone asked me about it. I hope it explains things well enough. This is not targeted at the pro coil builder. Its actually pretty easy but I have had a few requests to show pictures and process.
First thing you need to do is tear down an old Kanger Subtank OCC coil. It needs to be the horizontal variety so it has the press fit o-ring topcap. The vertical OCC's are single piece so it makes getting a proper clapton (in this case 26/32 wrapped four times around a 2.5mm mandrel)
http://i.imgur.com/Ei3xerK.jpg
After its torn down your going to stick your clapton in and align it properly by putting a screwdriver throw the juice holes in the coil housing. I fell in love with making ti and ni200 claptons wrapped in kanthal because it reduced issues with shorting when loops in the coil touched and threw the TC off due to misread resistance. The kanthal almost acts as a insulating material because the current flows through the path of least resistance (literally) in the ti or ni200 and keeps the tc readings more accurate than if it was a regular coil that might short or throw off readings when coil loops touch inconsistently.
http://i.imgur.com/pWnt6YC.jpg
Now you need to route the leads against the coil body and through the insulator, after which you will clip and put in the bottom contact pin. There are some youtube videos that show you how to do a factory replica rebuild of the OCC coils. Watching them will give you the same method to install the clapton. ****It can help to strip off the clapton wraps in the coil legs just enough that there is improved contact against the coil housing and the bottom contact pin. I have done it both ways, and they both work, but stripping them is worth the effort IMO.
http://i.imgur.com/URr5Vqg.jpg
To construct the wick, take a small patch of ... cotton stretched out in the manner used for a scottish roll (look on youtube if you do not know what I mean).
http://i.imgur.com/lCCOL5C.jpg
Take a a small bundle of rayon fibers about 4 inches long and use it as your core to wrap the scottish roll around with the cotton for the scottish roll wrapping being centered between the ends of the rayon bundle.
http://i.imgur.com/lbC2tNw.jpg
twist one end of the rayon cored scottish roll and feed it into one juice hole in the coil housing, through the coil and out the other side. Make sure the whole thing is positioned so the scottish roll wrapping is directly in the coil and centered.
http://i.imgur.com/717YyQo.jpg
Trim the wick about 1-2mm from the coil housing and gently tuck in inside the hole so it puffs up some inside and is not sticking out the whole, but is barely snug with pressure against the inside of the coil housing juice holes.
http://i.imgur.com/MY7KHox.jpg
put the press fit top cap back onto the coil housing. Make sure the leads are settled well against the housing, insulator and bottom contact pin and do a visual check for potential shorts from the coil legs not being clipped closely enough so they do not ground against the subtank base when you screw them in.
http://i.imgur.com/ZHXK40e.jpg
Ok that is it. I know this thing is not crazy or hardcore like some stuff I have seen on here, but when done properly this turns the subtank into a decent tc tank. I almost gave mine away because it was just dissapointing compared to my other tanks, but I got bored and stumbled across this method.
Not everyone will agree with me but it works well for me.
