Lots of good video tutorials out there. One thing to keep in mind tho, is that they all do it "right". It's just about wrapping some kanthal around a mesh wick and getting rid of hotspots. Looks easy; takes some practice.
The crucial part is wire tension. Not too tight, not too loose. This is where the magic happens. And this is the part that gets the least attention in all the tutorials I've seen. They just wrap, work out hotspots and vape away... and I'm sure they just scrap the take and start a new video if they mess up rather than going into detail on what they did wrong and how to avoid/fix it. I'd love to see more videos of people doing it wrong, then fixing it, than just watching someone doing it right
One might get the impression that the important part is how you work out hotspots, while in reality the important part is getting the wire tension right. That way you get hotspots that actually can be worked out, and stay worked out. coils biting into the mesh? Hotspot. One coil wrap not in contact with the wick? Hotspot. You can work these out to some extent. Personally I prefer just going back to square one and do a better initial coiling. That way you'll get a more durable setup.
Excellent advise this. As you say, this will only come with experience. My advantage is that I learn fast. I'll be paying attention to that from now on. The great majority of my builds are "empty"; that is I wrap on a measured form, install and then thread the wick. Last night I did that with the mesh. Got a reluctant hotspot however, you can see that on the photos. I probably pressed the coil to tight together. I'll try to leave more "air" between turns next time and see if that improves. Any practical tips here, like wick contact to the coil, length of it, etc.?
