My First (successful) SS Mesh Build

[k2zs]

So, back in May of this year I purchased one of Zen's Genesis Atomizers. They come with some pre-oxidized, pre-rolled SS Mesh wicks in 400 and 325. When I first got it, I tried using one of the 400 mesh wicks and attempted doing 5 wraps of 32ga free hand in the atty and it failed miserably. Rather than trying to figure out how to use mesh, I pulled that and went with some 3mm ReadyXWick with 5 wraps of 30ga and it's been that way ever since. It was always sort of ... meh... as far as performance goes so it's been sort of an occasional use device.

Fast forward to today... I had a hankering to give mesh a second try because of what everyone says about it having good flavor. I took one of the 325 pre-configured wicks and tried starting from scratch. First I burnt off all of the PG it came packaged in with my torch and unrolled the wick. I found a medium sized paperclip (1mm thick), straightened it out and re-rolled the wick rolling it pretty tight. Then I torched and quenched it a few times, gave it 5 wraps of 29ga kanthal while still on the paperclip mandrel. I installed the assembled wick in the atty, gave the mesh a spin in the tightening direction but made sure it was still snug with the coil and this is what I ended up with:

The final coil comes in at .9 ohms (a bit lower than I wanted) and the one thing I did that I would like to change is I used the insulator that came pre-installed in the wick hole. That makes me keep the OD of the mesh under 2mm and I think there is some heat transfer that occasionally gives me a melting insulator taste. Other than that, this thing works great as long as I keep the wick fully in the juice. Here it is on my Zen DX-350 mod:

Today is Sunday and there aren't any B&M's open that may carry mesh which is why I re-used one of the pre-rolled wicks. Next week, I'm gonna try finding some 325 mesh locally so that I can roll a bigger diameter wick and get rid of that insulator. Next build is going to be a little higher in resistance too. I'm gonna target it more towards 1.2 ohms which should give me a better ballance between power / battery life...

 

[JimmyDB]

Very similar to what I finally settled for with my genesis tank... I have been having all kinds of trouble with the SS mesh shorting my coils.

I was having good luck when I followed a method that I saw on Rip Trippers youtube... basically whisping some cotton between the mesh and the coil to make sure it was insulated... but I wanted to try mesh to avoid having to use cotton, so it was at best a step sideways in that it used a lot less cotton.

 

[AzPlumber]

Tough to tell from the pic but it looks like the coil is pulling the wick towards the center post and pinching it a bit.

Best method for a SS wick is to make your coil on a mandrel the just fits in the wick hole. Install the coil still on the mandrel, make sure mandrel stay straight. Pull mandrel and fire your coil red a few times. Re-insert mandrel and straighten coil making sure it is centered on wick hole. Repeat if needed until coil is set. Prepare wick making sure it will easily slide into coil but won't fall out if turned upside down. It's critical that wick diameter is uniform and contact with coils is not too tight or loose.

 

[roosterado]

Looks Great! I have had better wicking using #400 and 500 SS Mesh

 

[k2zs]

Tough to tell from the pic but it looks like the coil is pulling the wick towards the center post and pinching it a bit.

Best method for a SS wick is to make your coil on a mandrel the just fits in the wick hole. Install the coil still on the mandrel, make sure mandrel stay straight. Pull mandrel and fire your coil red a few times. Re-insert mandrel and straighten coil making sure it is centered on wick hole. Repeat if needed until coil is set. Prepare wick making sure it will easily slide into coil but won't fall out if turned upside down. It's critical that wick diameter is uniform and contact with coils is not too tight or loose.

Sorry for late reply but been on a job out of town...

Thanks AzPlumber,

That's what I'm gonna try this weekend when I have time, leaving again tomorrow until Friday. My biggest question though is how wide do you cut your mesh before you roll it? I'm sure it has a lot to do with the width of the mandrel, maybe it's best to ask how many layers of mesh should there be in the finished wick? When I un-rolled the wick, I'd say it was in the range of 20mm wide. When I rolled it back up on the 1mm paper clip, there may have been 3 layers that had an O.D. of about 1.8mm.

The wick hole is 3mm on this atty so I was going to use a 2.77mm mandrel for the coil, will I have to start with a wider piece of mesh? Should I still roll it around a 1mm paper clip or suould that be thicker too to target x number of layers?

@roosterado;

Of the #325 & #400 pre-rolled wicks I had on hand, I chose the #325 because I thought it would wick better. Would the #400 or #500 be better? What's in the tank now is a 70/30 pg/vg but I can see putting 50/50 in there most of the time.

Sorry bout the noob questions guys but I've had a taste of "what could be" and want to fine tune my knowledge.

 

[AzPlumber]

Sorry for late reply but been on a job out of town...

Thanks AzPlumber,

That's what I'm gonna try this weekend when I have time, leaving again tomorrow until Friday. My biggest question though is how wide do you cut your mesh before you roll it? I'm sure it has a lot to do with the width of the mandrel, maybe it's best to ask how many layers of mesh should there be in the finished wick? When I un-rolled the wick, I'd say it was in the range of 20mm wide. When I rolled it back up on the 1mm paper clip, there may have been 3 layers that had an O.D. of about 1.8mm.

The wick hole is 3mm on this atty so I was going to use a 2.77mm mandrel for the coil, will I have to start with a wider piece of mesh? Should I still roll it around a 1mm paper clip or suould that be thicker too to target x number of layers?

@roosterado;

Of the #325 & #400 pre-rolled wicks I had on hand, I chose the #325 because I thought it would wick better. Would the #400 or #500 be better? What's in the tank now is a 70/30 pg/vg but I can see putting 50/50 in there most of the time.

Sorry bout the noob questions guys but I've had a taste of "what could be" and want to fine tune my knowledge.

On a 1/8" mandrel I use a piece of mesh 2"x2" and cut it off even with the top of the center post after it's rolled. 1/8" is a bit over 3mm and you may not get that in your wick hole so maybe 1-3/4" wide for your 7/64" mandrel. I fill my tank through the wick and can easily fit a 14 gauge needle down the center of the wick. I make my own juice at 80% VG and use 200 mesh, I find it much easier to work with and lasts longer. I have found no difference in wicking ability on 200, 325 or 400.

 

[JimmyDB]

How does this look?

1 Ohm

Sadly... I think there was an issue with some of the Kanthal... so I am about to rewind it using a fresh length.

 

[k2zs]

On a 1/8" mandrel I use a piece of mesh 2"x2" and cut it off even with the top of the center post after it's rolled. 1/8" is a bit over 3mm and you may not get that in your wick hole so maybe 1-3/4" wide for your 7/64" mandrel. I fill my tank through the wick and can easily fit a 14 gauge needle down the center of the wick. I make my own juice at 80% VG and use 200 mesh, I find it much easier to work with and lasts longer. I have found no difference in wicking ability on 200, 325 or 400.

Wow Az! That worked great!!!

Picked up a sheet of #400 at a local B&M Friday on my way back into town. Tore down the atty ans started from scratch.

I found a 3mm screwdriver that fit snugly into the wick hole and built a new coil; 5/4 wraps of 29ga K1, and installed it onto the atty. Took a 2x2 inch piece of mesh and torched it good. Wrapped it on a 1/8" mandrel (you were right, had to tighten it up to fit) and torched & quenched it 3 times. No pg/vg on hand so I skipped the burning part.

I ended up having to tighten up the wick quite a bit to get it to fit but I did that with the 1mm paper clip inside. It fit snug into the coil when done and when I fired it up, there were NO hot spots what so ever Once I juiced everything up and filled the tank, it hit like a trooper! If I keep the wick in full contact with the liquid, it will fire forever without seeing any red in the coil. when partially submerged, I might see red after maybe 15 seconds.

All in all, I'm quite happy with this setup and have already put 5ml through it, that's the most use this atty has had since its purchase lol. I'm already planning my next build Lower resistance coil (this one came in at 1.2 ohm), less mesh to maintain a larger inner "tube" for the wick.

I do have one question though, I've heard and seen on some videos that you should pinch the top of the wick. Mine is pinched off just from cutting it to its final length. I see in JimmyDB's pic that his is NOT pinched off, should I keep the top open on my next wick? I'm assuming yours are since you said that's how you fill your tank....

 

[Israfil]

Hmm...Honestly I think you guys might be doing it the hard way. I torch the mesh, spin it until it fits clean in the wick hole, then wrap the coil directly on the mesh. After that just torch the everloving hell out of it. Like....make it glow, and keep it glowing for a while. Then let it cool, put it on, test ohm, test fire, and vape.

As for pinched vs not pinched...I always just left em unpinched. Figured it'd help the airflow (and thus juice flow)

 

[k2zs]

Thanks Israfil...

Yea, it may seem like more work to the seasoned pro but for me, it's a method I'm familiar with coming from kayfuns and RDA's. When I first got this atty, I tried it the real way (wrapping the wire with the wick in place) using the pre-rolled wicks that came with it and failed miserably. First off they were just too thin and flimsy to wrap the wire around.

I do have to say that this build is fantastic now that I've used it for a while. It must have some sort of break in time because now, after the first tank or so it's, it's just this fantastic juicy rich vape that's so thick you can almost chew it

For months, I had it wicked with ReadyXWick and it was always sort of a "meh" vape. I'm glad I finally mustered the courage to give it another shot.

So, how long does a mesh wick last? I figure I'm gonna try a little less mesh next time and I'll leave the top un-pinched...

 

[Israfil]

Honestly...I get bored and want to try a new build before they really "wear out" I've yet to have one actually stop vaping properly. Closest I've come so far is the one I posted as a re-wicking reduction for dripping atomizers. It has only lived for a few days and I'm fighting very hard right now not to tear it down and build another one with twisted coils simply for the sake of experimentation.

It really does get to be a hobby...