From what i saw in the video that imeo put up, while the thickness of mesh might have been 1mm, the width of the band of mesh wrapped around the wick was more like 4mm. It would be possible then to make it thinner and wrap more of it.
Yes - SS wire might be the way to go, but part of the reason why I think this works well is that using the mesh as a wrap would cover more surface space on the wick. You solve several things: less chance of silica wires fraying and coming up the mouthpiece as they're being covered by mesh, more even distribution of heat over the length of wick, less gunk build up as might occur between the gaps of wire
coils, etc...
As imeo points out, the issue now is the ultimate safety of the mesh, unoxidized - can untreated mesh release metal fragments or chemicals at high temperatures, can it interact with the silica wick in an unexpected way overtime, etc. I'm likely to think (and this just may be hopeful on my end) that mesh will hold up very well in this application, but I'm neither an engineer or a chemist to really know. The fact that stainless steel is used in kitchen appliances and items that get heated at fairly high temperatures (like my SS pots and pans) where food is involved, leads me to believe that we should be fine. Most of us use 316 or 316L mesh which, if I'm not mistaken is food grade, if not better.
Thoughts? Fantastic experiment and discussion, by the way, and thanks ggero for your ingenuity.
