LOVE the look of RBA's.....not sure if experienced enough yet though.

[twistedchild316]

As the title states...i keep seeing AWESOME pics of mods with super sweet rba's......found plenty for sale. Yet i'm not sure if i'm pro enough yet to start tinkering with them(Been vaping for almost 2 weeks) I just ordered a gang of Clearo's because i'm familiar with how they work.Excuse the newb question but is there a way to just change the core out on a atty like you would a clearo? If so that would be awesome. But at this point i'm ppprreeetttyyyy sure that you do as the name implies.....Rebuild them. lol So any and all help would be great. I did search but couldn't quite find my answer.....if nothing else can you guys recommend a quirky nice looking piece? I already ordered a pro tank,vivi nova, and a evod. Thanks in advance!

 

[Vapoor eyes er]

Not into RBA'a but they do sell replacements for SOME RBA's. Realize they should always be tested before use.
Pre-Made Replacement Wick & Coil for Rebuildable Atomizer | Ecig Life

 

[SeaTownLassy]

There are a ton of videos on YouTube with tutorials on how to work with RBA's....me, I'm not ready yet. More studying for me, because I sure don't want a newbie wrapped coil to mess up a mod. I must say though....vaping is one of the most interesting hobbies....

 

[dejo]

some of the cheaper ones that use silica wicks do have pre built wicks for sale, and only require you to attach the legs of the coil to 2 posts to make them function. there is a site called tasteyourjuice that will have some videos upclose of coil rebuilding with mesh. time really doesnt come into play on ability to built a coil as long as you are familiar enough to know if your juice is too hot or burning or not wicking. and know that often an rba will have a "seasoning time" before it really starts to taste "right". This right is often different from what you are used to your juices tasting, wont be apples to oranges, but can be a significant difference.

 

[klynnn]

I would start with the vivi nova. It gives some insight into learning about rebuilds. I too love the look but do not have the knowledge yet and no one in my area can help. P busardo's video helped me and now I have the rsst just working on the courage to start those.

 

[Haber]

I really thought I wasn't ready but I jumped in feet first anyways. Bought an aga t2 and an RSST some mesh some kanthal and a multimeter. I spent hours on YouTube watching people make wicks and wrap coils absorbing as much info as I could. Once they showed up I got to work... First attempt I made a great looking wick wrapped a coil and it turned out horribly...put it away for the day and came back the next day with some patience. Took my time and wrapped a new coil worked out the hot spots and vaped it... Absolutely amazing and worth every minute of agony and frustration. You should really give it a try its awesome. I'm a car salesman with no electrical experience what so ever. If I can do it you can too! It's worth trying and figuring it out than always wondering what you're missing out on.

 

[Statistic]

In my opinion anyone with the desire to learn how to rebuild is ready to buy a budget RBA/RDA and start tinkering, just don't expect it to be your everyday vape for a while.. you'll still be vaping your trusty clearos for a while as you learn how to rebuild.

Get an IGO-L
Get some 32g Kanthal A-1 (if you plan to get into low res mech vaping get some 28g also)
Get some wick material (many options out there, I prefer Nextel braided ceramic rope)
Get a multimeter and make sure you don't put anything less than 1.4ohms on a regulated device. Some regulated mods will work with lower res than that but if your mod has no resistance checker built in then definitely play it safer than sorry. It is easy to avoid damaging your equipment with a little diligence but it is also very easy to short out and destroy an unprotected mod if you're not aware of what not to do.
Start tinkering and asking more questions. The more you do it the more you'll learn and become comfortable with it all. It's really not that intimidating once you start getting some practice. Do keep in mind though it does take practice and patience.

 

[klynnn]

Can someone explain about mesh I see 325, 400, 500. Not sure which is best. I have 32 kanthal and silica so far. For my novas that works great.

 

[Haber]

Can someone explain about mesh I see 325, 400, 500. Not sure which is best. I have 32 kanthal and silica so far. For my novas that works great.

The numbers refer to holes per linear inch I believe? The recommendation is 325 for thicker juices and 500 for thinner juices and 400 for in between. I use 400 with 100% vg and have no wicking issues

 

[klynnn]

Thank you that helps a lot on what I need to order.

 

[tcgenius]

I recently acquired an AGA T+. It is a genesis style. I watched a couple of videos on youtube. I decided to try the "Petar" method to make my wick and wrap it. I burned out the wire once trying to work out the hot spots. Besides that, it was pretty easy. I always check the ohms to make sure it is in range. The vapor is out of this world. I can't believe how much more I enjoy vaping since I started using it. I use 400. It works well for me even with the thicker juices I have tried.

 

[Kanj.nguyen]

My walkthrough for AGA-T+. Enjoy.

Hotspots come from a badly wrapped coil: most likely, in your case, one or more wraps of your coil is biting into the wick way too much. Because of this pressure, the current gets grounded by the wick instead of the negative screw. Hotspots also create the jump in resistance, more specifically it makes resistance drop drastically as you already saw.

The method i used as a newbie to RBAs for my AGA-T+ is this: cut off the tip of a standard q-tip, then stick it in your wick hole. Now capture your wire at the negative screw really tightly, and wrap the rest snugly onto the qtip body, however many wraps you desire, then capture it onto the positive post. Fiddle with the coil to get the wraps nicely and evenly spaced. Now gently twist the qtip out and you have a perfect coil.

Wash your mesh thoroughly with warm water, let dry, then very lightlt torch it (with a bic lighter, if you dont have a torch) to clean it of machine oil and the likes. Roll a tight, solid wick (no center hole) with #400 mesh or better, the size thick enough to snugly fit into the coil you just wrapped (i like to use 70mm wide 45mm tall piece of mesh, rolled across width). Oxidize the end where it touches the coil. Voila. Stick it in there, dry burn and check for hotspots, poke the coil around if there are any. Remember to let the coil cool before each dry burn to get accurate results. Once you get the coil to glow from the center out and glow evenly, you are done.

 

[MikeJA]

It's not too difficult to wrap a coil. There's a learning curve, but it's not rocket science. Watch some examples and practice.

I keep it simple: roll an ss wick, heat it over the stove a few times, insert it in the atty, then hand-wrap some resistance wire around it. No need to over-complicate things.

 

[HauntedMyst]

It's not too difficult to wrap a coil. There's a learning curve, but it's not rocket science. Watch some examples and practice.

+1 Not much more to say other than if you can thread a needle, you can rebuild an atty.

 

[tcgenius]

After I figured out how to do it, I started to enjoy tinkering with it. I like to experiment with the wicks.

 

[twistedchild316]

Yeah maybe i'm overreacting. I work in car stereo's...i have rebuilt maybe 50 subwoofers. Maybe i should man up...lol I know ohm's law and have plenty of multi-meter's. Welp...off to youtube! lol

 

[yardbyrd]

My story: I started rebuilding Vivi Nova heads. I studied a youtube video by PBusardo and cued it up to follow before my first attempt to build. I did purchase, wick, wire, and a multimeter. Then a friend piffed me the Vision Eternity. Soon afterward I purchased an AGA T2 and recently an IGO L. Each time I found the PBusardo review/tutorial video on youtube, watched it several times, and cued it up as a guide when I rebuilt. Never in a million years did I think I would own a multimeter or rebuild anything. I love it. My advice: start with the rebuilding of your Vivi Nova heads to see if this something you would like to pursue further. The biggest cost, if you don't own a PV with built in electronics protections, is a multimeter. I paid about $11 for mine plus shipping; add in a little wire and wick and my start up cost was around $20. Good luck!

 

[SteamDaddy]

if you can tie a string around your finger, you can wrap a coil.
you ain't buildin a rocket engine.

 

[dejo]

twisted, do you happen to frequent Tyler?

 

[twistedchild316]

twisted, do you happen to frequent Tyler?

I work in Tyler.....live 20 mins away. Cruisers Tint & Audio on loop 323.....directly across from the Honda dealership!