Just made my first RDA......

[james13]

I had 32 gauge kanthal & using cotton for wick with 5 wraps on a plume veil rda and tree of life clone mod and tested it to be 3.2 ohms on a 4.2v Sony vtc4 18650 and it tasted like crap. So annoyed I tried two more times and the vapor ok but it wasn't all i was expecting so ended up puffing away on my vamo v6 all night. I've tried to read and watch as much info as possible and made sure my wick wasn't too loose or tight but it just didn't work for me.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Baring in mind even the pre made coils supplied with my plume veil didn't seem to do it much justice.

Thanks

 

[Stownz]

Double post

 

[Stownz]

Hope you torched that kanthal before you made the coils, or dry burned them red hot and rinse in water lots of times. A Lot of the kanthal out there has something nasty on it fresh off the spool. Also have to make sure your hands are uber clean, vaping soap or lotion from soap, or the natural oils from your hands is a bad time. Im an auto tech, I have to wear gloves or the cotton get contaminated.

 

[james13]

I'll give that a try cheers buddy. Also I find the 32 way to fiddly. Should I switch to a lower gauge as I only my got 32 as it was recommended

 

[InTheShade]

It could be anything to be honest. First, using 32ga at 3.2ohms is not going to give you the best performance from your mech (that's only 5 watts). Is that a single coil build or a dual coil?

What type of cotton are you using and how are you wicking it (through the coil, around the coil etc.)

Before you wicked it, did your coil glow evenly from the center outwards?

Where is your coil positioned in relation to your airflow?

Finally, what exactly is the problem? When you say it tastes like crap what do you mean? Burnt, flavorless, extreme throat hit etc?

Can you post a pic of your build?

Building an RDA is not as simple as throwing a coil on and vaping. There is a bit of learning and tweaking to do before you get a good vape.

 

[HauntedMyst]

I find 29 to be a good compromise in terms of size and strength. You'll need to do more wraps. Remember what Stownz said about torching the coil before you before you make the coil. I'd also suggest you get closer to 1.5ohms. 3.2 seems way too high to me. It wouldn't be hot enough and would product low vapor.

 

[james13]

I went for single coil as I've just started out on RDA 's. And I'm using 100% organic cotton and threading it though the coil and tucking underneath like many vids I've seen on tube.tested the coil and yes it glowed inside out so all seemed to be going so well. airflow shouldn't be a problem as it all lined up with air holes and the plume seems to have almost too many air holes. I will try again tomorrow and upload a pic as the one from earlier got taken out and thrown with rage hahaha.

Thanks for your reply

 

[james13]

Yeah I just found the 32 with more wraps was just too fiddly as it is seems soo thin. Just out of interest how many wraps would you suggest and ill give it ago tomo and get back to you with how I get on.
Thanks again lads


(Hate being a noob)

 

[DaveSignal]

I think you need something like 26g to start out. Or maybe you could twist three strands of 32g with a drill and will be better off. I have many attys, but most of them are built at .21 ohm using 24g kanthal or 24g nichrome.

 

[InTheShade]

I went for single coil as I've just started out on RDA 's. And I'm using 100% organic cotton and threading it though the coil and tucking underneath like many vids I've seen on tube.tested the coil and yes it glowed inside out so all seemed to be going so well. airflow shouldn't be a problem as it all lined up with air holes and the plume seems to have almost too many air holes. I will try again tomorrow and upload a pic as the one from earlier got taken out and thrown with rage hahaha.

Thanks for your reply

Sounds like you should go for a lower resistance then. Try using 26, 28ga or even 30ga. If you want a coil calculator, there is a great one at Steam Engine | free vaping calculators The resistance you end up with depends on the gauge, the number of wraps and the diameter of what you are wrapping around - as well as your leg length. Using a calculator is a great way to ballpark a resistance without having to use trial and error.

Maybe aim for around 1.0 - 1.2 or something. Building a single coil is my advice for those new to RDA's. You can get that single coil firing right, and understand how changing the wicking or coil position can affect the flavor or vapor. This experience you can then apply to more complicated builds.

Finally you are using a good quality battery which is important and it sounds like you meter your builds. I would just advise caution and understand that you are in control of your own safety with a mechanical mod, there are no safety features built in to your device.

Keep reading and gaining knowledge. There are a series of excellent blogs written by ECF member Baditude that can be found E-Cigarette Forum - Baditude - Blogs