Kayfun help needed please...

[DoubleEwe]

Hey all,

Just got a kayfun 3.1 clone (yes, I am that kind of person), really want to love it, but all I seem to be getting from it is ...... off.

I only got it this morning (well, early afternoon - lazy postman etc) and have already wasted a ton of juice from rebuilds after some failed attempts, along with some clumsy emptying of the tank.

Anyway, I know there are plenty of vids and threads on this subject, I have watched a load (most of them by people who like the sound of their own voice too much, but that is by the by) and still am no closer to finding why I keep getting dryish hits, burnt cotton and an awful taste in my mouth.

Can someone please tell me where I should be putting my cotton wick on the ledge below the coil build deck?
I have made a little pic of a couple options...


The draw was also looser than Miley Cyrus' morals...

All help/pointers would be much appreciated!

 

[mobitsfa]

Clone quality isn't always as good as the real thing. Your juice channels could be too small not allowing enough juice to be wicked, that mixed with a high VG juice will cause dry hits. Or your coil ohms too low and burning faster than it can wick. Not enough cotton on the juice ledges. Cotton getting snagged in the channels when screwing the chimney down... not sure but those ideas would do it. Also very loose cotton going through your coil.

If youre not sure where to put the cotton on the deck just wick your cotton through the coil and have the cotton ends going straight up, screw the chamber on. Cut the cotton a little above the lip of the chamber and litely push the two separate ends down onto the ledges. Then wet them with your juice.

 

[G-weezy]

Check this thread out. It should help out a bit.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/new-members-forum/559356-problems-first-rebuildable.html#post13044178

 

[retic1959]

Hey all,

Just got a kayfun 3.1 clone (yes, I am that kind of person), really want to love it, but all I seem to be getting from it is ...... off.

I only got it this morning (well, early afternoon - lazy postman etc) and have already wasted a ton of juice from rebuilds after some failed attempts, along with some clumsy emptying of the tank.

Anyway, I know there are plenty of vids and threads on this subject, I have watched a load (most of them by people who like the sound of their own voice too much, but that is by the by) and still am no closer to finding why I keep getting dryish hits, burnt cotton and an awful taste in my mouth.

Can someone please tell me where I should be putting my cotton wick on the ledge below the coil build deck?
I have made a little pic of a couple options...
View attachment 335464

The draw was also looser than Miley Cyrus' morals...

All help/pointers would be much appreciated!

Push the cotton back in towards the deck , you don't want it blocking the juice channels , you also need to remember with cotton less is more , you should be able to pull the cotton though the coil with no twisting and little to no resistance , too much will choke off the coil and result in dry hits , as far as the draw did you try to adjust the air flow screw , backing it out loosens the draw , the other thing is did you disassemble and clean the 3.1 thoroughly , there can be machine oil left on the atty from the machining process that will also give you a nasty taste and lastly inspect for debris in the air pathway of the atty , sometimes metal shavings left can block airflow .

 

[AndriaD]

Clone quality isn't always as good as the real thing. Your juice channels could be too small not allowing enough juice to be wicked, that mixed with a high VG juice will cause dry hits. Or your coil ohms too low and burning faster than it can wick. Not enough cotton on the juice ledges. Cotton getting snagged in the channels when screwing the chimney down... not sure but those ideas would do it. Also very loose cotton going through your coil.

If youre not sure where to put the cotton on the deck just wick your cotton through the coil and have the cotton ends going straight up, screw the chamber on. Cut the cotton a little above the lip of the chamber and litely push the two separate ends down onto the ledges. Then wet them with your juice.

The 2nd paragraph, that's exactly what I do, and it works well.

My major problem is with making the wick itself; the last sentence of the 1st paragraph seems to be saying that the cotton should be rolled tightly? I had thought it needed to be loose enough to have "air pockets" to hold the ejuice... I seem to use too little cotton rather than too much, because I know all too well what dry hits taste like and I tend to err in the other direction. When I used silica or cotton yarn, it was fairly simple to determine the correct amount; if you get a dry hit, try one strand less, etc, but with making wicks from cotton balls, it's not nearly as exact or specific a determination, and that's proving quite challenging for me. I've read all the things about, it should slide easily but touching the coil, as you pull it through, and I try for that, but often it's very evident that there's just not enough wick.

Andria

 

[porkchopbun]

I know your portrait is pretty good in all ..but some people need more detail three dimensional picture

Upload a picture of the actual build itself from different angles also the wicking channels..some clones are just plain crappy and you might need dremmel...

 

[PONKAW]

If youre not sure where to put the cotton on the deck just wick your cotton through the coil and have the cotton ends going straight up, screw the chamber on. Cut the cotton a little above the lip of the chamber and litely push the two separate ends down onto the ledges. Then wet them with your juice.

Good suggestions (great picture)
As said above but after i trim the cotton...just above the chimney base...go ahead and and saturate the cotton. It will allow you to manipulate the cotton better (I use needle nose tweezers) also try more of a horizontal (to the posts)coil. Before the wick is installed, make sure the wire is not touching the smaller side... and put just a little gap between the coil and air hole no more than 2 mm. Check this again after the wick is inserted. Gently run the air screw until it stops (don't force) there should be almost no draw...run it out in quarter turns between vapes until you find your preference.

 

[DoubleEwe]

mobitsfa - Yeah, I made sure there was no cotton in the threads (making sure the build deck looked like one of those trolls that were popular in the 90s) before I screwed down the chimney bit. It might well be the juice channels being a bit on the tiny side that is the problem, I am hoping that it isnt the case (as I don't want to have to butcher it with my hand tools - like I did modding the VTR ring).

G-weezy - Cheers for the link, some useful stuff in there, but that amount of cotton is insane! I was lead to believe that less is more?

retic1959 - Thanks for the info there, I was not sure about the where to let the wick ends sit (having read some contradictory accounts of what it should be for best result with the vacuum capillary action). I will give it another go tomorrow, maybe with some juice I don't mind wasting.

I did give it a wash as soon as I opened the parcel, it was more of the burnt dry cotton taste than a metallic grease type thing. I think you might be on to something with the airflow thing. I thought the draw was meant to be airy in these buggers, but I now realise that to suck juice in to the chamber there must be more of a battle than what I got from the setting I had it on.
I was wondering why despite sucking like a ________ (insert crude reference of your choice here) I was still getting barely any juice coming through.

I will tighten it up more tomorrow & make sure that the cotton is away from the juice holes on the rebuild. I am positive that these steps will work...

Thank you very much for the advice, when I finally manage to give myself a nicotine headache tomorrow I will owe it all to you guys

Many thanks

ps. I don't usually use emoticons being British n all.

 

[DoubleEwe]

I would post a proper pic of the offending kayfun innards, but at the moment it is still full of juice (it being too late for me to bother with getting all messy again today).

I will get on that airflow method PONKAW, it sounds like a good way to do it.

If all the things fail then I will post up some (real) pics of my build, but I am sure that the other steps will do the trick and get me falling in love with this blasted kayfun.

It has to work, I have no dremmel and my penknife is pretty blunt now from the 10hrs of VTR modification...

Muchos gracias kind sirs (and madams)

 

[Porkchop081]

how about a little more info on your build, as in coil size, gauge used, # of wraps and what are you using to fire it on? and one more question, are you using actual cotton and not a synthetic blend? MUST BE 100% cotton as the blends will burn allmost instantly.

 

[crxess]

I always Vape my builds right off the chimney a few times before installing the tank and filling. This way, IF a mistake is made it will usually show before having to empty and start over. Sometimes a simple shift of the wick is all that is needed.

See my blog for the build I use on all 6 of my Kayfuns. They all work great - good flavor and nice vapor production.

We all have our own little preferences but one thing all agree on is with wicking - Less is more.

 

[G-weezy]

Also it looks like a bunch of cotton but it is not. I unroll the cotton ball. Use like a tiny light fluffy corner about 2 in long. Roll it in my palms.

 

[DoubleEwe]

Good morning (afternoon) all,

Had a bloody nightmare this morning with it, almost literally (sharp threaded bits).
Built about 10 coils, all my usual 10wraps of 33 gauge kanthal (I think) around small screwdriver to give me my usual 2.2 - 2.4 ohm, a few started at this resistance, then as soon as I had rebuilt the thing and put it on my itaste VTR resistance had become 0.0 ohm (not NON).
Cue rebuilds higher off the deck, more coils, less coils, all to the same effect.

Decided to check collection chamber thing again (had done this when first got it), found a shard of metal between the centre post and the tube! Face palm.
Rebuilt again, using the tips given in the thread, 2.3 ohms, not too much cotton & away from juice holes, air flow set to 'duck's ....' (very tight), gradually increasing flow until optimum reached, utter delight!

Had a good 10 or so toots (enough to at least go through initial juice in the chamber/wick) and so far so good! No dryness, just lovely creamy custard! (yes it is a custard flavour juice btw).

Thank you all for the pointers, and thank goodness that I don't have to (touch wood) hand carve out the juice channels. You have all been a massive help & it genuinely is much appreciated.

Really pleased with it now, so much so that I might have to lie down and sleep off the nicotine...

And if anyone was wondering, the clone is a fasttech one ($24 kit) and aside from the burr and the cuts on my hands I cant fault it, a really good bit o' kit.

 

[AndriaD]

I always Vape my builds right off the chimney a few times before installing the tank and filling. This way, IF a mistake is made it will usually show before having to empty and start over. Sometimes a simple shift of the wick is all that is needed.

See my blog for the build I use on all 6 of my Kayfuns. They all work great - good flavor and nice vapor production.

We all have our own little preferences but one thing all agree on is with wicking - Less is more.

Actually, I keep hearing this, and I'm brand new to using cotton balls for wicks, and I seem to be having a problem getting *enough* wick... so last night when I rewicked, I used a bit more than I thought was "probably enough"... and this thing is GREAT today! Saying "less is more" to someone as literal-minded as myself, kinda backfired. For me, "more than "probably enough" is enough".

I'll check out your blog though, I'm always interested in pics of single-coil builds; yesterday I went to google and actually searched for "single-coil builds"... and lo, what should appear but a bunch of duals and quads... Given that so far I've hated duals, I really think don't quads are for me at all.

Andria

 

[AndriaD]

Good morning (afternoon) all,

Had a bloody nightmare this morning with it, almost literally (sharp threaded bits).
Built about 10 coils, all my usual 10wraps of 33 gauge kanthal (I think) around small screwdriver to give me my usual 2.2 - 2.4 ohm, a few started at this resistance, then as soon as I had rebuilt the thing and put it on my itaste VTR resistance had become 0.0 ohm (not NON).
Cue rebuilds higher off the deck, more coils, less coils, all to the same effect.

Decided to check collection chamber thing again (had done this when first got it), found a shard of metal between the centre post and the tube! Face palm.
Rebuilt again, using the tips given in the thread, 2.3 ohms, not too much cotton & away from juice holes, air flow set to 'duck's ....' (very tight), gradually increasing flow until optimum reached, utter delight!

Had a good 10 or so toots (enough to at least go through initial juice in the chamber/wick) and so far so good! No dryness, just lovely creamy custard! (yes it is a custard flavour juice btw).

Thank you all for the pointers, and thank goodness that I don't have to (touch wood) hand carve out the juice channels. You have all been a massive help & it genuinely is much appreciated.

Really pleased with it now, so much so that I might have to lie down and sleep off the nicotine...

And if anyone was wondering, the clone is a fasttech one ($24 kit) and aside from the burr and the cuts on my hands I cant fault it, a really good bit o' kit.

Really glad you solved it; I had a feeling there must be some other problem, since this is easy enough even for a doofus like me to do it. So that FT $24 one is good huh... might have to pop for that. When I was shopping around for my first one, I knew I wouldn't want to wait that long to try out something that everyone said was so excellent... but now that I have one, I might be able to contain myself. Maybe.

Andria

 

[DoubleEwe]

Haha, thanks Andria! Yes, I was just not 'Columbo' enough with my initial inspection. Thankfully the likes of yourself were the missing paddle from my self created _____ creek.

Yes the Fasttech clone is awesome, really nice looking (all parts line up properly and well machined). Plus in the kit you get the adapter thing (free but not listed on description) that enables you to use your own choice of drip tip.
Having said about the $24 3.1 clone, I should mention that they have recently listed the kayfun lite plus version 2 ($31 I think), I was toying with getting that too, but I cant vouch that it will be as good a clone as this one.

Since getting the kayfun working properly I have encountered another problem...bees! I have since been banned from using it in the house due to the custard scent enticing them in. Oh well, at least I am getting my dose of fresh air...

(I do not work for fasttech nor own shares in them btw)

 

[novamatt]

Actually, I keep hearing this, and I'm brand new to using cotton balls for wicks, and I seem to be having a problem getting *enough* wick... so last night when I rewicked, I used a bit more than I thought was "probably enough"... and this thing is GREAT today! Saying "less is more" to someone as literal-minded as myself, kinda backfired. For me, "more than "probably enough" is enough".

I had the same issue. I had to watch someone practically stuff the chimney with cotton on youtube before I figured out what I was doing wrong and why I was getting burnt hits halfway through the tank.

FYI for people who haven't had this problem - if you're not using enough cotton, your coil will burn through the wick and you'll have 2 pieces of cotton when you change it out instead of one. As I mentioned above, you start tasting burnt cotton before the juice is gone. Leaving that here for posterity in case it helps someone troubleshoot.

 

[AndriaD]

Haha, thanks Andria! Yes, I was just not 'Columbo' enough with my initial inspection. Thankfully the likes of yourself were the missing paddle from my self created _____ creek.

Yes the Fasttech clone is awesome, really nice looking (all parts line up properly and well machined). Plus in the kit you get the adapter thing (free but not listed on description) that enables you to use your own choice of drip tip.
Having said about the $24 3.1 clone, I should mention that they have recently listed the kayfun lite plus version 2 ($31 I think), I was toying with getting that too, but I cant vouch that it will be as good a clone as this one.

Since getting the kayfun working properly I have encountered another problem...bees! I have since been banned from using it in the house due to the custard scent enticing them in. Oh well, at least I am getting my dose of fresh air...

(I do not work for fasttech nor own shares in them btw)

Well geez, makes me glad I use a tobacco flavor; I don't have a problem with bees, but they should *bee* about their *bee business* not invading my house, there's no flowers in here! I very much dislike killing bees, they're so important, but any critters in my house are fair game.

I think I'll stay with the v1 of the various kayfuns; I got a nano kit recently (not really thrilled with it, to be honest) and I have an M-tank on the way, and most of those are pretty explicit that they won't work on the v2. Not sure what the deal is with that nano; maybe it's just the changing of the size/shape of the interior, and the height of the chimney, that makes such a difference, but the taste isn't nearly as good, and has a high potential for dry hits. Kinda disappointing, I was looking forward to a more petite silhouette, but I guess it's just not to *bee*. Now if that M-tank would ever get here, I can try that out.

Actually before I get another kayfun, I'll probably get an RDA; everyone whoops and hollers about dripping being so great, and now that I know how to build coils, I can give it a shot myself. Tried dripping with those small 510 atomizers, but that experience was about 1/3 hot metal, 1/3 gurgle, and 1/3 decent hits. I'm thinking it should be a lot easier with a cotton wick, instead of that stainless mesh stuff.

Andria

 

[AndriaD]

I had the same issue. I had to watch someone practically stuff the chimney with cotton on youtube before I figured out what I was doing wrong and why I was getting burnt hits halfway through the tank.

FYI for people who haven't had this problem - if you're not using enough cotton, your coil will burn through the wick and you'll have 2 pieces of cotton when you change it out instead of one. As I mentioned above, you start tasting burnt cotton before the juice is gone. Leaving that here for posterity in case it helps someone troubleshoot.

I didn't get that burning halfway thru; what I was seeing though, when I'd disassemble it again to try and figure out what was wrong with it, was the wick didn't even half-fill the coil. I may be a doofus but even I knew that wasn't right.

However, today I got the higher-VG juice I was expecting, to mix in with my regular high-PG, so naturally it's a bit thicker, and I've had a couple dry hits. So what seemed "just right" with the thinner juice may in fact be "too much," with this slightly-thicker juice. But, this evening when I switch to my lower-nic, I'm going to try out that "cotton nest" technique from crxess's blog, and see how that does. Looks like it would work a great deal better than the way I've been doing it.

Andria

 

[DoubleEwe]

Actually before I get another kayfun, I'll probably get an RDA; everyone whoops and hollers about dripping being so great, and now that I know how to build coils, I can give it a shot myself. Tried dripping with those small 510 atomizers, but that experience was about 1/3 hot metal, 1/3 gurgle, and 1/3 decent hits. I'm thinking it should be a lot easier with a cotton wick, instead of that stainless mesh stuff.

Andria

I am sorry to hear about the nano kit, I almost bought one of those myself, sounds like I am better off sticking to the standard model.

I would definitely get a proper RDA. I have a purple 'custom' one (can hold around 20 drops of juice), it is far less fiddly to set up than the kayfun (has pillars with holes as build deck) and yes, the flavour is pretty good with it. The one massive plus is the ease of trying out new flavours and not having to waste bucket-loads of juice if something goes wrong with the build.

I will say that the Kayfun is pretty similar in terms of making the juice taste it's best (due to the design being basically a vacuum fed dripper). That is at least with my limited experience of the kayfun compared with my dripper.