Kayfun Lite - Coil Building Woes

[camelguy]

Hey guys,

First post here on the site, I've been lurking around the past few months just absorbing knowledge. Having my first real issue that I just cannot pinpoint or understand so I'm hoping some of the more experienced members can help me out.

Just got my authentic Kayfun Lite v2 last week. I've read up on microcoil building with cotton and have a fairly solid understanding of how things need to be setup and work. Unfortunately I keep getting a burnt/cotton taste after I complete my setup. It's not a wicking issue as I completely saturate the cotton and it gives off this smell/taste the very first hit. From what I understand, it seems to be the way I am making the coil or packing the cotton, I'll explain why.

My very first coil gave off this horrible smell/taste. I eventually came to believe it was either machine oil or the piece of kanthal I was given by my local shop owner. I washed my kayfun in ISO and boiled it in water. My new roll of kanthal came in and I used some of the fresh Kanthal. As expected the kayfun worked great, had wonderful flavor and gave me no issues with wicking over the next two days.

The flavor started to diminish and I decided that I would rebuild the coil/wick to not only restore some of the flavor but get some extra practice on making my coils. This is where things went wrong again. I must have made 10 or so coils last night trying different techniques (torching, not torching, vertical chimney, horizontal) but nothing I seemed to do would kick this terrible smell/taste. I'm now convinced its not the kanthal or machine oil, but the way I am building my coils.

Any advice would be appreciated. I know about oxidizing the kanthal and have had a nice blue coil pre wicking. I also try to make sure I don't put too much cotton, in order not to strangle the wick. I'm using 28 gague Kanthan on a 5/64 drill bit, about 10-11 wraps and I'm getting a 1.6 ohm microcoil.

I'm sorry for the lack of pictures but I'll post some when I get home tonight. I just wanted to get this thread going.

Thanks to everyone in advance,

CamelGuy

 

[gtalpaz]

Pics would be great. Seems like you're getting a good hang of rebuilding. kayfuns can be a little tricky but you'll want to make sure you do the following: make sure the coil doesn't touch the base - you'll want some separation between the intake and the coil but looks like you likely already have that, as you aren't shorting out. You might be packing your cotton in too tightly, not necessarily through the coil but in the kayfun itself. Make sure you don't block the channels - you want juice to flow in cleanly. Otherwise you may have a wicking issue with the device itself.

 

[Rodeorat]

Seems like you're building the coils fine, but there maybe a short in the KFL itself, probably burning the insulator.
Post a nice close up of your coil and the KFL deck. Make sure that center piece is straight and not touching the opposite terminal.

 

[camelguy]

I'm putting very little cotton in, it slides through pretty easily. Is it possible to put not enough cotton in? And would it cause an undesired smell/taste?

I guess what blows me away is if i leave it unassembled, thread a wick and fully saturate, that first fire gives off the smell/taste. Its not like there is even enough time for it to go through the e liquid to even require wicking. Also that taste doesn't go away if I try to vape through it, def feels like I'm toasting that cotton somehow.

Kinda random but when sliding your coil off a screwdriver head or drill bit end, is it possible to damage the inside of your coil and create hotspots? I usually twist and pull to get it off but the thought occurred to me that I may be cutting the inside of the coil. I also could be over thinking things here haha.

 

[Chelonian]

Are you dry burning the coil before wicking it?

What I mean is, after you have built the coil, but BEFORE you put the cotton in it, are you putting the base of the Kayfun on your mod, and then firing it?

That way you can be sure that the coil is heating from the inside out, and has no hotspots. I rarely build a coil that doesn't need a squeeze with the tweezers, or a wiggle to get it heating perfectly.

Also:

When you get this taste, have you pulled the cotton out and looked at it? Is the cotton burned/scorched where it passed inside the coil?
If the cotton isn't burned, you probably have a hotspot on the coil.

If the cotton is burned, then you aren't setting up the ends of the wick properly, and the capillary action of the wick isn't able to keep up with your rate of burn.

As was already said, picks would help

 

[gtalpaz]

I'm putting very little cotton in, it slides through pretty easily. Is it possible to put not enough cotton in? And would it cause an undesired smell/taste?

I guess what blows me away is if i leave it unassembled, thread a wick and fully saturate, that first fire gives off the smell/taste. Its not like there is even enough time for it to go through the e liquid to even require wicking. Also that taste doesn't go away if I try to vape through it, def feels like I'm toasting that cotton somehow.

Kinda random but when sliding your coil off a screwdriver head or drill bit end, is it possible to damage the inside of your coil and create hotspots? I usually twist and pull to get it off but the thought occurred to me that I may be cutting the inside of the coil. I also could be over thinking things here haha.

Yes, you can definitely have issues if you don't use enough cotton. You want to strike that happy medium. I aim for a thick enough strand that needs to be pulled through yet won't fray and still offers just a little resistance when moving about. If you can move it to easily, that's not enough cotton. Sounds like you don't have a short as it fires appropriately when you saturate it manually. Few things you may want to try: first, rewick a few times to see if you get it. Remember, don't push the cotton through the channels (like a taifun) but let it sit on the ledge (what I call it) such that juice can flow up neatly to the wick. Second, if that doesn't work, try operating it in dripping mode. If you're getting a clean vape, it may very well be an issue with the unit itself not wicking properly.

 

[mm2214]

If i dont get suffient wicking i just loosen the top cap to let some air in the tank and that allows for the juice to flow up into the channels

 

[novamatt]

I'm putting very little cotton in, it slides through pretty easily. Is it possible to put not enough cotton in? And would it cause an undesired smell/taste?

Yes, you definitely can, and I had that problem for a while when I got mine (people are always saying "less is more," but past a certain point, less is less). If you're using way too little, it will burn through the cotton inside the coil and after about half a tank, you can actually take the wick out in two pieces. You want enough cotton to fully fill the coil when you pull it through without being so much that it pulls on the coil enough for it to move.

Here's what has worked the best for me. This guy does a good job explaining what he does and actually telling you how much cotton he uses (1/3 width of the cotton ball for a 3/32 inch coil):



Hope that helps you out.

 

[Chelonian]

mm124
No need for this...if it's properly built, that is.
Loosening the top will also make the unit more prone to flooding.

 

[juggalofisher88]

I just got my kayfun lite (clone I think, it's a svoe mesto)
I watched 2 of rip trippers vids on YouTube about this atty. It took 45minutes lol. First build/fill was a success 2.2ohm 32g 10wraps on a 2mm bit
The videos show how to wick a micro coil and chimney coil. I did the micro as iv had no luck wraping cotton around a coil instead of through..

Powered by Area Rom Centura 1.3

 

[camelguy]

Thanks for the replies so far guys. I've seen the recommended videos and feel that I am following all important directions at this point.

I'm going to build a fresh coil when I get home and plan to take plenty of pictures. My current suspicions are not enough cotton or possibly an issue with the insulator (gunk stuck under it, it doesn't seem to be melting).

I don't seem to get this smell when dry burning the coil, which leads me to believe it is the cotton. Once I put that wick in the very first burn contains that smell.

 

[Chelonian]

when you dry burn the coil, you mean you burn it without cotton, right?

and when you do, when the coil heats up, please describe the progression of the red glow. Does it start at one side, spread from the middle, or is there a coil that is a lot brighter?

 

[camelguy]

when you dry burn the coil, you mean you burn it without cotton, right?

and when you do, when the coil heats up, please describe the progression of the red glow. Does it start at one side, spread from the middle, or is there a coil that is a lot brighter?

Yes, I burn the coil with no cotton to visually confirm the coil heat spreads evenly. It glows from the center and spreads out evenly to the edges.

 

[LA-Vapite]

I have to believe there is a decent B&M in Seattle that can assist.
Take your tank in, and perhaps they can identify the issue.
Go early in the afternoon when they are not busy , and I'm sure they can do a step by step with you.
At least my favorite B&M operates like that.

 

[danny4x4]

I'm putting very little cotton in, it slides through pretty easily. Is it possible to put not enough cotton in? And would it cause an undesired smell/taste?

I guess what blows me away is if i leave it unassembled, thread a wick and fully saturate, that first fire gives off the smell/taste. Its not like there is even enough time for it to go through the e liquid to even require wicking. Also that taste doesn't go away if I try to vape through it, def feels like I'm toasting that cotton somehow.

Kinda random but when sliding your coil off a screwdriver head or drill bit end, is it possible to damage the inside of your coil and create hotspots? I usually twist and pull to get it off but the thought occurred to me that I may be cutting the inside of the coil. I also could be over thinking things here haha.

Fully unassembled, wicks in, fully saturated, and you get the smell/taste.
I'm guessing you're twisting the cotton too much and it's too packed. It looks saturated, but it's choked when it's in the coil. The juice is having trouble traveling to the part where the coil is.

Just in case it may be the opposite, look at the cotton where the coil is. When fully saturated, the cotton should touch all parts of the inner portion of the coil.

So, it's either too much, or too little cotton.

 

[camelguy]

So I found a post that talked about how someone found a drop of liquid in the positive screw where the airflow comes through. Went home, boiled my kayfun in water again, assembled and now its hitting clean and wonderful once again.

I'm fairly convinced either when wicking or putting a drop on the coil I managed to get liquid down the hole. I have a feeling the liquid down there gets nice and hot and taste like crap when vaped.

I'll reply back if I can further confirm this but with it currently working I think I'll enjoy it for the time being. It still doesn't explain why I wouldn't smell it during a dry burn...

 

[egrets]

So I found a post that talked about how someone found a drop of liquid in the positive screw where the airflow comes through. Went home, boiled my kayfun in water again, assembled and now its hitting clean and wonderful once again.

I'm fairly convinced either when wicking or putting a drop on the coil I managed to get liquid down the hole. I have a feeling the liquid down there gets nice and hot and taste like crap when vaped.

I'll reply back if I can further confirm this but with it currently working I think I'll enjoy it for the time being. It still doesn't explain why I wouldn't smell it during a dry burn...

Good that it's working for you now! I'm still fine turning my Kayfun clone myself but love the flavor and vape already

Not sure if you are in North or South Seattle. But Strange Cloud Vapor by Southcenter is awesome whenever I have problem with my PV/coils etc