Kayfun Constant "Dry Hits"

[Karnaj]

My gear is the following:

VapeSupply 28 ga Kanthal A1 (single coil, 8 loops on 3/32" drill bit = 1.4 ohms)
Rite Aid Organic Cotton (placed within the coil like most Kayfun builds)
Ehpro Kayfun Lite Plus v2
eLeaf iStick (3.3V mean)

I bought some new juice and made a new coil and wick for the occasion. It quickly began tasting like dry hits, so I drained the tank and checked inside. Nothing seemed amiss besides the wick being a bit dark near the coil. It kept tasting metallic, so I made another coil in case I somehow botched the first one (probably not). I gave it several dry burns in order to get rid of residual machine oils. After it stopped producing its tiny bit of smoke, I took a whiff of the coil as it was glowing and it smelled exactly like the dry hits I was getting. Suspicions began arising, but I went ahead and put the cotton wick in, saturating it with juice and giving it some primer hits. Yet again, the resulting vapor smelled metallic and even toxic instead of the delicious apple pie that I was expecting.

The longer I take a hit, the more unpleasant the vapor becomes and I begin feeling nauseous. I was meticulous with the setup, making sure the coil glows evenly and the legs were trimmed and neatly tucked around the screws in order to avoid shorts. The voltage isn't even set that high. The wick seems to be sufficiently saturated since I've taken the Kayfun apart many times when either the juice runs low or I drain it. I don't think there's a problem with the gravity-fed system, but I'm not 100% sure since I don't have all-clear parts.

By contrast, my Mutation X on my Nemesis simply tastes great and I don't get dry hits unless it's low on juice. I'm using the same cotton for the wicks in both my Kayfun and Mutation X. The major difference is that I'm using a different brand and gauge of Kanthal (LightningVapes 24 ga) in my Mutation X. My best guess concerning my Kayfun problem is that the Kanthal used in it is somehow defective. I'd appreciate any help on this matter.

 

[Dj Xy]

It sounds like you maybe using a bit too much cotton in your wick, I would also recommend torching your kanthal before wrapping your coil to get rid of any machine oil.
Also from what I'm reading you have your iStick set at 3.3, which is low for a 1.4 ohm coil.

Edit: Try using 30 or 32 gauge kanthal, 28 may be just to slow to heat up with a 1.4 ohm coil causing what can be perceived as a dry hit.

 

[Miata GT]

Show us a pic of your build with cotton.

 

[Stosh]

You had posted...

so I made another coil in case I somehow botched the first one (probably not). I gave it several dry burns in order to get rid of residual machine oils. After it stopped producing its tiny bit of smoke, I took a whiff of the coil as it was glowing and it smelled exactly like the dry hits

If you make a 1.4Ω coil with the same wire and put it in a dripper does it taste like the dry hits? If so, it's the wire.
If you put your finger over the air holes on the Kayfun and take a couple pulls to draw in more eliquid does it taste better? If so, it's likely your wicking or your build.

 

[Xaiver]

Sounds a lot like you've got too much wicking in there. Remember, when you're using cotton, it at least doubles in size when it gets wet. You're either over-stuffing the coil (Which is unlikely if the sameish coil works on a dripper), or you've got so much in the channels that it's forming a block instead of wicking like it's supposed to.

Also, make sure that you're not jamming it down in there. It just needs to -touch- the bottom near the channel, not be stuffed in. Especially with cotton. I use silica, and have had this problem when I over-stuff the sides.

 

[steved5600]

Show us a pic of your build with cotton.

He can't answer or questions. They can only make the initial post. That is the reason they need to give us as much info as possible right out of the gate.

 

[Ryedan]

My gear is the following:

VapeSupply 28 ga Kanthal A1 (single coil, 8 loops on 3/32" drill bit = 1.4 ohms)
Rite Aid Organic Cotton (placed within the coil like most Kayfun builds)
Ehpro Kayfun Lite Plus v2
eLeaf iStick (3.3V mean)

1.4 ohms at 3.3v = around 8 watts which is pretty low for 28 gauge Kanthal. It means your setup will take a couple of seconds to heat up, should not give burnt hits and is more suited to mouth to lung hits than direct lung hits.

I bought some new juice and made a new coil and wick for the occasion. It quickly began tasting like dry hits, so I drained the tank and checked inside. Nothing seemed amiss besides the wick being a bit dark near the coil.

The wick being dark near the coil could be the wick burning. If this is the case you're either putting too much cotton in the coil, or you are blocking the juice channels with the wick and cutting off juice flow. The wick should not touch the opening of the juice channels. Since you're doing well with the Mutation X, I suspect if it's one of these it's the latter.

The longer I take a hit, the more unpleasant the vapor becomes and I begin feeling nauseous. I was meticulous with the setup, making sure the coil glows evenly and the legs were trimmed and neatly tucked around the screws in order to avoid shorts. The voltage isn't even set that high. The wick seems to be sufficiently saturated since I've taken the Kayfun apart many times when either the juice runs low or I drain it. I don't think there's a problem with the gravity-fed system, but I'm not 100% sure since I don't have all-clear parts.

By contrast, my Mutation X on my Nemesis simply tastes great and I don't get dry hits unless it's low on juice. I'm using the same cotton for the wicks in both my Kayfun and Mutation X. The major difference is that I'm using a different brand and gauge of Kanthal (LightningVapes 24 ga) in my Mutation X. My best guess concerning my Kayfun problem is that the Kanthal used in it is somehow defective. I'd appreciate any help on this matter.

If you have used this same new juice in the Mutation X then you know it's not the juice. If nothing else has worked, then try the new Kanthal in the Mutation X and see if the same problem happens there. If it does it's the Kanthal.

Make one change at a time and don't give up. You will figure this out if you troubleshoot logically.