I understand RBA's now!

[Caps Hockey]

So on my 1st attempt with my AGA-T+, I did just OK with my wick and coil and it worked decently well I was happy with it but is just seemed average. Then on my 2nd attempt (when i had run out of my favorite liquid) I sort of half-assed my setup and I was very frustrated with hotspots on the top leg/coil. That worked mediocre (produced as much vapor/TH as my girlfriend ego with a standard 510 atty.)

But ladies and gentlemen, OH MY GOD, I went to radio shack and bought a couple washers and a 1/16" drill bit wick and coiled plus cleaned my tank out in 30 minutes and it is firing and vaping LIKE A DREAM! I am so pleased and I get it now...I really do haha.

 

[wizardelite]

So on my 1st attempt with my AGA-T+, I did just OK with my wick and coil and it worked decently well I was happy with it but is just seemed average. Then on my 2nd attempt (when i had run out of my favorite liquid) I sort of half-assed my setup and I was very frustrated with hotspots on the top leg/coil. That worked mediocre (produced as much vapor/TH as my girlfriend ego with a standard 510 atty.)

But ladies and gentlemen, OH MY GOD, I went to radio shack and bought a couple washers and a 1/16" drill bit wick and coiled plus cleaned my tank out in 30 minutes and it is firing and vaping LIKE A DREAM! I am so pleased and I get it now...I really do haha.

Congratulations! I just got my AGA-T+ in the mail a couple of days ago and I plan on setting up my first wick/coil this week. Why did you need the washers and the drill bit? Otherwise do you have any other tips to recommend?

Enjoy your new AGA-T+

 

[Devilok]

Congratulations! I also am using an AGA T+ and it took me a little bit to get everything setup right my first time, but man when I did, what a great vape! I had been using Viva Nova tanks prior to moving to an RBA, and at least in my opinion, a completely different world of vape. I will never go back lol...now another added expense to my hobby is buying my RBA's...I want them all!

 

[Caps Hockey]

As you see i put the washers in-between the top nut and the 2nd nut, the washers have a slightly larger diameter than the nuts do so it helped completely eliminate hotspots on the top leg (top length of wire running to the center post nut). That's the main issue I was having before and now that I have gotten rid of it its AMAZING.

The drill bit was for the PETAR K method of coiling. Wrap your coil around the drill bit then install it, then slide your wick into the perfectly round coil already in place. It helps to eliminate hotspots and shorts (which cause hot spots). I also like to keep my fill hole screw in and that can cause some wicking issues, so I took some advice from another ECF member (sorry i forgot your name!) and i rolled a piece of 500 SS mesh 55mm wide and that helped to make a very nice dense wick which counter intuitively wicks better than a hollow wick. If your top coil is your hotspot jsut fiddle with it, if it's not a short it's probably too tight on your wick, which the Petar K method helps to alleviate. I'm definitely not an expert but I have been doing A LOT of research and forum hunting ever since i started this. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask and I'll do my best to answer!

 

[Caps Hockey]

@Xerpexi Yeah haha I think this is the start of a HUGE expense for me =P

 

[KillTheNoise]

Glad to see an update man! It feels sooooo SO good to finally "GET IT" doesn't it!?

side note - HOW BOUT THEM CAPS?! Ovi is doing freaking incredible!

 

[StaircaseWit]

You're sure that drill bit was only 1/16" (1.5875mm)? Seems like a larger wick you have in the video? PetarK used a 2mm drill bit in his video but I found that way too small for the AGA-T2. I used 3/32" at first, but now use 7/64" since I drilled the wick hole out to 1/8".

 

[vapdivrr]

do that over the sink, now you have little spots of juice all over the floor, my wife hates that.

 

[taofishdude]

To: AGA experts
RE: The title of this post:

After reading through the forum, i feel like i understand them, but still cant get mine to vape worth a $#! I CANT MAKE THE TOP LEG HOTSPOT GO AWAY! and i am about to pull out the sledge hammer.

Have built and rebuilt this thing numerous times

I have a nicely rolled 500 mesh wick (folded at the seam), oxidized both sides with butane torch before rolling. Torched a couple more times after rolling. Not too snug in the wick hole, but possibly touching (the source of my short?) Even though i rolled it by hand, it still has a hole in the middle. i haven't mastered solid wicks. Hand wrapped 4/5 coil, 32 g Kanthal. Nice even coils, snug but not choking the wick. No amount of coil fiddling or washers will stop that hot spot on the top leg. As i understand it, the washer is a band-aid for a short somewhere else, and one should (in theory) be able to set up the wick and coil without one and achieve no hotspots. i am at my "wicks" end. i have read through SO MANY posts and feel like i have followed expert advice. what else am i doing wrong? PLEASE HELP!

In desperation,

fishdude

 

[TakenALeft67]

Its the best feeling in the world when you finally figure out how to make a RBA work like its supposed to. lol.

I remember my first time...

 

[michliu]

To: AGA experts
RE: The title of this post:

After reading through the forum, i feel like i understand them, but still cant get mine to vape worth a $#! I CANT MAKE THE TOP LEG HOTSPOT GO AWAY! and i am about to pull out the sledge hammer.

Have built and rebuilt this thing numerous times

I have a nicely rolled 500 mesh wick (folded at the seam), oxidized both sides with butane torch before rolling. Torched a couple more times after rolling. Not too snug in the wick hole, but possibly touching (the source of my short?) Even though i rolled it by hand, it still has a hole in the middle. i haven't mastered solid wicks. Hand wrapped 4/5 coil, 32 g Kanthal. Nice even coils, snug but not choking the wick. No amount of coil fiddling or washers will stop that hot spot on the top leg. As i understand it, the washer is a band-aid for a short somewhere else, and one should (in theory) be able to set up the wick and coil without one and achieve no hotspots. i am at my "wicks" end. i have read through SO MANY posts and feel like i have followed expert advice. what else am i doing wrong? PLEASE HELP!

In desperation,

fishdude

I usually find that the top hot spot is caused by too tight of a wrap on the top coil, caused when you secure the wire. I take a pair of needle nose pliers and pinch the top coil so it comes off the wick like a "Q". If I still have the top coil hotspot, I take a flat head screwdriver and lightly scrape the coils up and down while the coils are red until they glow evenly. Hope this helps.

 

[TakenALeft67]

Make sure the top coil is as close to the nut/screw/washer as possible. I used to leave a lot of distance between the wire and positive post to avoid them touching, but i find it words better when it is almost touching.

If that isn't the case, I like to adjust the very bottom coil until the top and bottom light up evenly (I have no idea why this works but it does!!) then work your way to adjusting the middle coils, until everything is glowing as evenly as possible.

Alternatively have you tried the "rolling paper" method? just wrap a small piece of cigarette rolling paper around the wick and then wrap coils around it, this makes a nice carbon layer that can prevent shorts.

If all else fails, I wrap the coils without the mesh, and light them up a few times, then insert the rolled up mesh.

good luck!

 

[Mitey F]

I too just got my AGA working well, and am loving it. WAAAY too big to take out and about, but for at-home vaping, it's awesome!

 

[eHuman]

To: AGA experts
RE: The title of this post:

After reading through the forum, i feel like i understand them, but still cant get mine to vape worth a $#! I CANT MAKE THE TOP LEG HOTSPOT GO AWAY! and i am about to pull out the sledge hammer.

Have built and rebuilt this thing numerous times

I have a nicely rolled 500 mesh wick (folded at the seam), oxidized both sides with butane torch before rolling. Torched a couple more times after rolling. Not too snug in the wick hole, but possibly touching (the source of my short?) Even though i rolled it by hand, it still has a hole in the middle. i haven't mastered solid wicks. Hand wrapped 4/5 coil, 32 g Kanthal. Nice even coils, snug but not choking the wick. No amount of coil fiddling or washers will stop that hot spot on the top leg. As i understand it, the washer is a band-aid for a short somewhere else, and one should (in theory) be able to set up the wick and coil without one and achieve no hotspots. i am at my "wicks" end. i have read through SO MANY posts and feel like i have followed expert advice. what else am i doing wrong? PLEASE HELP!

In desperation,

fishdude

To: fishdude

Subject: frustration

Message: Click on my blog entries under my avatar. Long read but specifically dealing with the issues setting up an AGA-T so that you don't need washers, bent wicks or any other band aid to get rid of hot spots. Those are fine tools at first, but there is a way to work your coil and wick so that you don't need band aids. Awesome vape and flavor from first pull with no break in time needed.

As you can see while dry burning using this technique, no washers, not bent coil, no twisted top wrap.

 

[taofishdude]

To: fishdude

Subject: frustration

Message: Click on my blog entries under my avatar. Long read but specifically dealing with the issues setting up an AGA-T so that you don't need washers, bent wicks or any other band aid to get rid of hot spots. Those are fine tools at first, but there is a way to work your coil and wick so that you don't need band aids. Awesome vape and flavor from first pull with no break in time needed.

As you can see while dry burning using this technique, no washers, not bent coil, no twisted top wrap.

that is just the blog I needed! thanks a ton ehuman. one follow up...so after rolling 1/4-1/3 or the wick, do you have any specific tips on eliminating the center straw hole when starting the roll over? should i avoid folding that end when i start to roll?

 

[eHuman]

that is just the blog I needed! thanks a ton ehuman. one follow up...so after rolling 1/4-1/3 or the wick, do you have any specific tips on eliminating the center straw hole when starting the roll over? should i avoid folding that end when i start to roll?

When I stop rolling and back it up to the beginning, I am kind of rolling it back and forth with very little mesh, compressing it to work out the wick hole. It is easier to do here as opposed to rolling all the way up and then trying to work it out the hole. There's a technique (easier to show than describe) that is similar to rolling a cigarette where you keep everything as tight as possible, rolling it back and forth and working out the slack before you continue on. I keep looking at the end to gauge my progress checking for the center hole to collapse into a solid core.

 

[greenman]

To: fishdude

Subject: frustration

Message: Click on my blog entries under my avatar. Long read but specifically dealing with the issues setting up an AGA-T so that you don't need washers, bent wicks or any other band aid to get rid of hot spots. Those are fine tools at first, but there is a way to work your coil and wick so that you don't need band aids. Awesome vape and flavor from first pull with no break in time needed.

As you can see while dry burning using this technique, no washers, not bent coil, no twisted top wrap.

Definitely a must read for anybody having trouble getting a proper setup on their genny. Thanks for posting.