Mayday, Mayday! I'm going through four wicks a day in my Russian, need some helpful advice =]

[sahsah]

I keep setting up my Russian and everything's going great at first and then the cotton wick just burns, it even happened with the silica builds I tried, I don't get it. I'm wrapping micro coils, mostly with cotton wicks. I've tried everything, cotton balls, cheese cloth, silica. All of them with the same end result soon after setting up. I even went so far to rebuild the whole coil several times even though I know it was fine. The last micro measures out to about 1.5 ohms, even though I normally prefer.8-.9 I went way higher to try and cool down my coils so that the wick could do its job, but now I'm pretty much convinced I'm doing something wrong with the wicks. Please, throw a frustrated vaper a line and help me out...? Thanks in advance for your time and consideration, they are truly and sincerely appreciated. vape on my cloud-breathing brethren!! =]

 

[generic mutant]

A lot of people go by the maxim 'less is more' with cotton, which is to say it's easy to stuff way more than you need in there.

It'll swell with juice, and block, and the part in the middle will burn. So I'd try using less, and see if that helps.

 

[iamlenb]

Heyas!

I Love me a cotton Kayfun clone myself. I don't have a perfect answer, but, like genetic mutant, i think rewicking with as little cotton as you can combined with opening up the airflow controller to maximum will help keep your coil cool. Gently caress the coil with some cotton love, give it more love when it's not performing as you want.

When you rebuild, try using 28g and larger in a microcoil if you have the wire on hand. It takes more time to heat and heats much more evenly, giving you better control of the coil temp.

Last, try to leave some air in the tank when refilling. The more it's full, the more sensitive wicking is to how hard you draw versus tank pressure. Mine performs best in the last half of the tank.

I found my Kayfun cotton wicked sweet spot with a 1 to 1.2 ohm 28g vertical microcoil centered over the airhole, a thin wisp of tight cotton wrap around the coil, and barely enough cotton to wick off the deck. Cartomizer style build - air goes through the center of the coil, best flavor I've found on that atomizer, no leaks and no dry hits.

 

[Bunnykiller]

hmmm.. okay, what dia. is your coil? are you filling the tank to the maximum? how much cotton are you using? What is your volts/watt setting at?

The dia of the coil plays an important part in the game, too small a dia and the wicking cant get enuf juice inside the coil itself. Try a 1/8" dia coil. The tank requires air in it to operate correctly, its the drawing/sucking action that "pumps" juice into the center where the coil/wick resides. If the tank is too full, the pump action is reduced or wont even function. Doesnt take alot of cotton to make a good wick, probably about as much cotton you could get off of the head of 2 Qtips. The power setting... if it is too high then it will burn before it properly vaporizes the juice start at about 8W for a R91C.

 

[sahsah]

hmmm.. okay, what dia. is your coil? are you filling the tank to the maximum? how much cotton are you using? What is your volts/watt setting at?

The dia of the coil plays an important part in the game, too small a dia and the wicking cant get enuf juice inside the coil itself. Try a 1/8" dia coil. The tank requires air in it to operate correctly, its the drawing/sucking action that "pumps" juice into the center where the coil/wick resides. If the tank is too full, the pump action is reduced or wont even function. Doesnt take alot of cotton to make a good wick, probably about as much cotton you could get off of the head of 2 Qtips. The power setting... if it is too high then it will burn before it properly vaporizes the juice start at about 8W for a R91C.

on the most recent builds I don't remember if it was 28 or 30 gage kanthan. I'm filling to the threads and I'm running it on a turtle ship v2 so that answers voltage. How much cotton lol I'm not sure how to answer that, a little chunk I rip off from the cotton ball. I'm not sure the diameter of the coil, I wrapped it one time around a screwdriver and another time just had a paperclip lengthened out to a straight bar for stability between a folded piece of, if memory serves me correctly, 2 mm silica, that coil measured out to about .9-1 ohm. Thanks for the advice btw, to you and everyone else, I really really appreciate everyone generously donating their time, experience, and knowledge to help me. One of my favorite things about the taping community is how friendly and helpful everyone is for the most part. =] Vape on my e-cig brethren lol

 

[dice57]

your cotton densities are not right and are probably getting dry hits. Unroll a cotton ball then strip a thin strip off the side, one that when twisted fairly tight, pulls through the micro coil with a slight resistance. Once centered in the micro coil, slightly untwist the cotton, so that it fluffs up a tad. If you had a hard time pulling the cotton through the coil, you likely used to much. Using to little and it won't wick enough. Then leave enough tail on the cotton so it will lay across the juice tracks. When you screw the containment ring on, make sure to fold the tails up, the slide the ring over the tails, screw it down tight, then tuck the cotton tails into the juice tracks. If you try to screw the ring on while the tails are in the juice track, invariably some cotton will get caught in the threads and clog the juice channels, causing additional wicking problems, ending with dry hits.

Getting the cotton densities down is one of the things you just have to play with before it comes naturally to you. I vape the Russian at 15 watts and never get a dry hit. My current build and wick has been going strong for a month now. But, I do use hemp fiber for wick, which last longer than cotton, and wrap it externally around a dual series, vertical mounted micro coil, which is my favorite setup for the Kayfun style rba.

Just keep playing with it till you figure it out. I have Vape in you that you can do it. After all, I did.

Vape long and Prosper.!!

 

[Geo7163]

I was having the same problem with my Russian. As the posts above mine suggest I went with less cotton hadn't had a wick burn on me since. And prime your wick well. Good luck.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[retic1959]

I keep setting up my Russian and everything's going great at first and then the cotton wick just burns, it even happened with the silica builds I tried, I don't get it. I'm wrapping micro coils, mostly with cotton wicks. I've tried everything, cotton balls, cheese cloth, silica. All of them with the same end result soon after setting up. I even went so far to rebuild the whole coil several times even though I know it was fine. The last micro measures out to about 1.5 ohms, even though I normally prefer.8-.9 I went way higher to try and cool down my coils so that the wick could do its job, but now I'm pretty much convinced I'm doing something wrong with the wicks. Please, throw a frustrated vaper a line and help me out...? Thanks in advance for your time and consideration, they are truly and sincerely appreciated. Vape on my cloud-breathing brethren!! =]

There are a lot of variables to consider , you need to address the biggest first , consistency buy a 2mm drill bit and wrap all your coils on it to maintain a consistent diameter , use number of wraps and wire gauges to obtain resistance desired , make sure your wick and coil are thoroughly soaked with juice before you reassemble and fill , also the juice plays a big part in it some juices carmelise and burn easily requiring a higher resistance , lower voltage or a combination of the two going subohm may give you more vapor but it means hotter coil temps as well , depending on juice you may be better off with 2 - 2.2 ohms range . Also make sure you're not blocking the juice channels with wick , use just enough wick to reach the bottom of the well . I use 100%vg a thick juice and wick with cotton balls and I've never had wicking or burning issues in my Kayfun clones .

 

[sahsah]

your cotton densities are not right and are probably getting dry hits. Unroll a cotton ball then strip a thin strip off the side, one that when twisted fairly tight, pulls through the micro coil with a slight resistance. Once centered in the micro coil, slightly untwist the cotton, so that it fluffs up a tad. If you had a hard time pulling the cotton through the coil, you likely used to much. Using to little and it won't wick enough. Then leave enough tail on the cotton so it will lay across the juice tracks. When you screw the containment ring on, make sure to fold the tails up, the slide the ring over the tails, screw it down tight, then tuck the cotton tails into the juice tracks. If you try to screw the ring on while the tails are in the juice track, invariably some cotton will get caught in the threads and clog the juice channels, causing additional wicking problems, ending with dry hits.

Getting the cotton densities down is one of the things you just have to play with before it comes naturally to you. I vape the Russian at 15 watts and never get a dry hit. My current build and wick has been going strong for a month now. But, I do use hemp fiber for wick, which last longer than cotton, and wrap it externally around a dual series, vertical mounted micro coil, which is my favorite setup for the Kayfun style rba.

Just keep playing with it till you figure it out. I have Vape in you that you can do it. After all, I did.

Vape long and Prosper.!!

can you post pictures on that build. Ironically, my favorite build is the single vertical micro coil sitting over the air hole with a .8 ohm resistance. I then pack the cotton wick in carto style, but I'm yet to try a dual coil in my russian for fear of melting the delrin insulators and also I don't see how id stack two vertical micro coils with only one air flow hole. Thanks and keep on vaping brotha'

 

[sahsah]

There are a lot of variables to consider , you need to address the biggest first , consistency buy a 2mm drill bit and wrap all your coils on it to maintain a consistent diameter , use number of wraps and wire gauges to obtain resistance desired , make sure your wick and coil are thoroughly soaked with juice before you reassemble and fill , also the juice plays a big part in it some juices carmelise and burn easily requiring a higher resistance , lower voltage or a combination of the two going subohm may give you more vapor but it means hotter coil temps as well , depending on juice you may be better off with 2 - 2.2 ohms range . Also make sure you're not blocking the juice channels with wick , use just enough wick to reach the bottom of the well . I use 100%vg a thick juice and wick with cotton balls and I've never had wicking or burning issues in my Kayfun clones .

Also, I thought the general consensus for coil circumference was 1/8 inch...?

 

[dice57]

Don't have a photo, since when I first tried it, twas just an experiment. Though there might be some pics on the V-core thread. Basically, I first made on long micro, then bent it in the middle, making an inverted V, for it is a series dual, not a parallel dual, then mounted the coil legs and bent it up and over the air intake whole, with the outside of each coil close to the mounting screws. Then thread my wick between the inverted V and wrap each tail completely around the coil ending in the same juice deck that it started from. This basically isolates the air so that it is forced up both coils. It is a much smoother vape than my single vertical builds, and eliminates the long hot leg. Plus the wicking is much more forgiving, than with the single vertical build.

I've built the Russian every which way imaginable, like the vertical mounts, and the dual inverted V the best. More flavor and smoother. I am planning to re-build it real soon, going to try some twisted ribbon, and play with that next, will take some shots when I do. If I remember. lol

Since you like the vertical, just do that, this rba can easily handle a .8 ohm build. I've actually did a .5 dual build once, with each coil over a juice track, great taste, but couldn't get the air to flow properly, so went with the inverted V.

Also, I thought the general consensus for coil circumference was 1/8 inch...?

1/8" is not a micro coil, more a midi. The largest I go on a micro is a 14 gauge blunt tip syringe needle, and that is still a bit huge, for my vertical mounts, I use a 18 or 20 gauge needle. 1/16" is basically on the upper end size of the micro, and goes smaller from there.

 

[sahsah]

Don't have a photo, since when I first tried it, twas just an experiment. Though there might be some pics on the V-core thread. Basically, I first made on long micro, then bent it in the middle, making an inverted V, for it is a series dual, not a parallel dual, then mounted the coil legs and bent it up and over the air intake whole, with the outside of each coil close to the mounting screws. Then thread my wick between the inverted V and wrap each tail completely around the coil ending in the same juice deck that it started from. This basically isolates the air so that it is forced up both coils. It is a much smoother vape than my single vertical builds, and eliminates the long hot leg. Plus the wicking is much more forgiving, than with the single vertical build.

I've built the Russian every which way imaginable, like the vertical mounts, and the dual inverted V the best. More flavor and smoother. I am planning to re-build it real soon, going to try some twisted ribbon, and play with that next, will take some shots when I do. If I remember. lol

Since you like the vertical, just do that, this rba can easily handle a .8 ohm build. I've actually did a .5 dual build once, with each coil over a juice track, great taste, but couldn't get the air to flow properly, so went with the inverted V.




1/8" is not a micro coil, more a midi. The largest I go on a micro is a 14 gauge blunt tip syringe needle, and that is still a bit huge, for my vertical mounts, I use a 18 or 20 gauge needle. 1/16" is basically on the upper end size of the micro, and goes smaller from there.

And what's the advantage of the smaller circumference coil over the 1/8th inch? I thought what made it a microcoil was the compression of the coils so that they all are pressed against one another...

 

[retrox]

Two questions: Is your airflow wide open and what's the ratio of your juice?

The most common issue I've seen people have with Kayfun-style toppers is dry hit due to inadequate juice flow, usually as a result of either wide-open airflow channel combined with high-VG liquids or wick blockage. It's already been suggested that your wick might be choking off your juice channels. Also bear in mind that a wide-open draw on these devices will not create as much negative pressure in the evaporation chamber, which is part of the reaction responsible for pulling additional juice into the chamber.

I have the airflow on each of my four Kayfuns calibrated according to the viscosity of the juice I run in them, and I can consistently reproduce a dry hit failure by simply opening the airflow on the ones running 100% VG. The trick is finding a good compromise between your draw preference and the amount of draw your particular juice "prefers" to wick consistently.

 

[dice57]

And what's the advantage of the smaller circumference coil over the 1/8th inch? I thought what made it a microcoil was the compression of the coils so that they all are pressed against one another...

Part of the process of building a great micro coil is heating and compressing of the coils, so that they heat up consistently from the middle out and all glow at the same color so that there are no hot spots. This method works great for mini and midi size coils too. But the main distinction of a micro is the diameter of the wraps, starting at 1/16" and smaller. 5/64" is not quite a micro, but real close. Then as one goes smaller you enter into the nano coil size.

The main advantage of the micro coil smaller diameter, is quick heating time. With a micro one gets as fast a heat up as many sub ohm coils with builds at 1.8 ohms and higher. Also can get a very comparable vape to a sub ohm set up without having to go mechanical and worry about battery amp limits and the other concerns that come with mechanical mods.

There is nothing wrong with building a 1/8" coil and using the heat and compress method used in micro builds, with some wick choices and atomizers, it can be advantageous to do so. Most micro coil builders use cotton or Hemp Fiber as wick. I started with cotton and since have gone to hemp fiber, which lasts longer than cotton and out performs cotton also.

I am not an expert on the issue of micro, nanos, midi's and so, just gleaned some useful information on the micro build thread, and many other threads here on the ECF. But micro coils have made me a competent builder, and I owe a lot of gratitude to the developers and innovators of micro builds.

 

[sahsah]

Two questions: Is your airflow wide open and what's the ratio of your juice?

The most common issue I've seen people have with Kayfun-style toppers is dry hit due to inadequate juice flow, usually as a result of either wide-open airflow channel combined with high-VG liquids or wick blockage. It's already been suggested that your wick might be choking off your juice channels. Also bear in mind that a wide-open draw on these devices will not create as much negative pressure in the evaporation chamber, which is part of the reaction responsible for pulling additional juice into the chamber.

I have the airflow on each of my four Kayfuns calibrated according to the viscosity of the juice I run in them, and I can consistently reproduce a dry hit failure by simply opening the airflow on the ones running 100% VG. The trick is finding a good compromise between your draw preference and the amount of draw your particular juice "prefers" to wick consistently.

I think the wick was just being strangled since when I thread it through the coil to rewick I twist it and I think I wasn't un twisting it completely which was impeding the capillary action of the juices movement to the coil. Now I've got her wicking like a beast. Also, every salesperson or juice-tender I've spoken to at the b&ms I've visited has told me to always crank up the airflow. Just logically I posed the same question about negative pressure and needing more of a suction to carry thicker juices and they all told me that no, you need to cool down the coil or it'll burn your cotton wick so if it's not wicking the answer is always more airflow which I found strange at the time. So please someone, demystify this whole airflow correlation for me. I usually have my AFC set to where the screw is just below being level with the rba, so like maybe a full turn beneath the outer shell of the russian, if that makes sense.

 

[sahsah]

So how would a.8 ohm micro coil compare to a coil of the same resistance but not micro just normal coil? I was told, apparently incorrectly, that micro coils get hotter and Vape more liquid because they have more surface area and therefore create more vapor, TH, and flavor, but also take longer to heat up compared to standard coils. It's really confusing sometimes how many contradicting opinions you can receive on ecf. What's crazy is these are the types of things that shouldn't be opinions, like it's really one way or the other. Sorry, just venting about the insane amount of misinformation that gets spread, I'm not directing my ranting at you, don't worry lol it's just that it gets frustrating.vaping is confusing enough as it is and I've been vaping for quite a while, yet I still will find myself listening to people who speak as if they're sure about something only to find out later I had it right all along and should have never doubted what I had believed to be true for years. * end of rant! everyone can come out of the bunkers and bomb shelters now =]

Part of the process of building a great micro coil is heating and compressing of the coils, so that they heat up consistently from the middle out and all glow at the same color so that there are no hot spots. This method works great for mini and midi size coils too. But the main distinction of a micro is the diameter of the wraps, starting at 1/16" and smaller. 5/64" is not quite a micro, but real close. Then as one goes smaller you enter into the nano coil size.

The main advantage of the micro coil smaller diameter, is quick heating time. With a micro one gets as fast a heat up as many sub ohm coils with builds at 1.8 ohms and higher. Also can get a very comparable vape to a sub ohm set up without having to go mechanical and worry about battery amp limits and the other concerns that come with mechanical mods.

There is nothing wrong with building a 1/8" coil and using the heat and compress method used in micro builds, with some wick choices and atomizers, it can be advantageous to do so. Most micro coil builders use cotton or Hemp Fiber as wick. I started with cotton and since have gone to hemp fiber, which lasts longer than cotton and out performs cotton also.

I am not an expert on the issue of micro, nanos, midi's and so, just gleaned some useful information on the micro build thread, and many other threads here on the ECF. But micro coils have made me a competent builder, and I owe a lot of gratitude to the developers and innovators of micro builds.

 

[sahsah]

Don't have a photo, since when I first tried it, twas just an experiment. Though there might be some pics on the V-core thread. Basically, I first made on long micro, then bent it in the middle, making an inverted V, for it is a series dual, not a parallel dual, then mounted the coil legs and bent it up and over the air intake whole, with the outside of each coil close to the mounting screws. Then thread my wick between the inverted V and wrap each tail completely around the coil ending in the same juice deck that it started from. This basically isolates the air so that it is forced up both coils. It is a much smoother vape than my single vertical builds, and eliminates the long hot leg. Plus the wicking is much more forgiving, than with the single vertical build.

I've built the Russian every which way imaginable, like the vertical mounts, and the dual inverted V the best. More flavor and smoother. I am planning to re-build it real soon, going to try some twisted ribbon, and play with that next, will take some shots when I do. If I remember. lol

Since you like the vertical, just do that, this rba can easily handle a .8 ohm build. I've actually did a .5 dual build once, with each coil over a juice track, great taste, but couldn't get the air to flow properly, so went with the inverted V.




1/8" is not a micro coil, more a midi. The largest I go on a micro is a 14 gauge blunt tip syringe needle, and that is still a bit huge, for my vertical mounts, I use a 18 or 20 gauge needle. 1/16" is basically on the upper end size of the micro, and goes smaller from there.

Have you gotten any photos yet? I'd still really like to get a visual perspective on this baby