My take on the Copper Mod...

[GitMoe]

After just getting into vaping about a month ago naturally I started checking out all the great mods on here. The one that seemed the easiest to replicate was the copper mod. I decided to start there with modding. Got some tube, sleeve, and a connector. I wanted to make a mechanical mod which is very easy with a copper. No switches, no wiring. In my mod there isn't even any solder anywhere. Materials include...

3/4" Copper pipe
3/4" Copper pipe joint sleeve
3/4" Copper end caps
510 Battery connector (no center pin I replaced that with rod)
5/32 Steel rod
Spring from Lowe's
Heat shrink tubing
Hot glue
18650 battery

And this is what you get...

Blow out of all the parts. The only thing you can't see is the inside of the connector. No hidden wires or parts inside the tube or caps.

Video...

 

[drewk302]

Nice job! Thats setup as the push on the atty to get it to fire right?

 

[GitMoe]

Nice job! Thats setup as the push on the atty to get it to fire right?

The whole top cap pushes down to fire...

 

[Rockproof]

Nice copper git. How do you get the 3/4" cap to slide so easy on the tube yet not fall/pop off when you throw it in your pocket, car seat...

 

[GitMoe]

Nice copper git. How do you get the 3/4" cap to slide so easy on the tube yet not fall/pop off when you throw it in your pocket, car seat...

Black magic....

More seriously though when you cut the pipe it creates a tiny flange on the end so its kinda hard to get the caps on but they slide easy once you get them on. I'm sure this might change over time with use but at that point I can re-flange the ends. Not a huge deal.

 

[Rockproof]

Thanks. Are you using the shrink wrap tube to isolate the steel rod in the atty connector?

 

[GitMoe]

Thanks. Are you using the shrink wrap tube to isolate the steel rod in the atty connector?

Yup. Short piece of rod through the center of the battery connector with shrink wrap on it then its held centered with the hot glue. I'll replace the hot glue with epoxy at some point but I couldn't find the tube I thought I had...

 

[asdaq]

Real nice, I like the simplicity. I've had something similar in mind and that spring would be great, but it won't fit as my tube portion is too thick and also doesn't have flanges to help keep it closed. I guess I need a plastic spring and some actual black magic.

 

[GitMoe]

Man, I can't stop vaping this thing. Took it to class tonight and was vaping the whole time. Been vaping constantly since I got home. My 808 cartomizers really hit nice on this...

 

[Codyh]

that looks bad-...

 

[Calypso]

Very nice well done. Simple and effecvtive. Looks good too.

 

[GitMoe]

Very nice well done. Simple and effecvtive. Looks good too.

Thanks. I actually started polishing it today. Starting to look even better. Couldn't find my dremel or it would be mirror finish...

 

[throbinskin]

That is AWESOME ! I have to try making one when I ever get some spare time!

 

[lynleestar]

looks really good~!

 

[Rockproof]

I just made one Git. Works great, thanks for the idea! The only improvement I made was to affix the spring to the roof on the inside the top cap so no reliance on wrapping the batt to retain it. Makes batt swapping eaisier and saves the plastic wrap on my batts.

 

[Rockproof]

Btw, easiest copper mod I ever made....

SIDE NOTE - For those who want to try this mod, Home Depots end caps don't work for well for this one. There is not enough play between the cap and 3/4" pipe walls (it doesn't allow the cap to move up and down well even under the springs tension). Lowe's end caps are a diffrent manufacturer and work great out of the package.

 

[GitMoe]

I just made one Git. Works great, thanks for the idea! The only improvement I made was to affix the spring to the roof on the inside the top cap so no reliance on wrapping the batt to retain it. Makes batt swapping eaisier and saves the plastic wrap on my batts.

Glad it worked out for you. Interesting about the different cap manufacturers fitting so differently. I had planned on attaching the spring. Just couldn't find my brazing torch when I needed it. Found it yesterday though finally. I also needed to tear down the connector and replace the hot glue with epoxy as well as braze the 510 connector to the end cap.

This really is the easiest mod you can probably make totally from scratch. My initial idea was to make as simple as I possibly could...

 

[MotoMofo]

This looks awesome. I gotta try this. Could you take a pic of the atty connector as well? I've never made a mod before but I've always wanted to try. I think this would be a great start since it has no wires or tricky soldering.

 

[Illustrated_Man]

I found out a process to make this sort of mod a bit cleaner. Namely, you can cut the bottom 'shield' off the atty connector, which will leave the center conductor exposed. Then there's no need for the rod to extend it, just seal the center conductor with a drop of solder. Also, if you drill the hole the right size, you can push the atty connector into the 3/4" cap so it's a snug fit, then stake it in place using a length of 1/8" iron pipe and a hammer on a solid metal surface. Just a few thoughts.

 

[GitMoe]

I found out a process to make this sort of mod a bit cleaner. Namely, you can cut the bottom 'shield' off the atty connector, which will leave the center conductor exposed. Then there's no need for the rod to extend it, just seal the center conductor with a drop of solder. Also, if you drill the hole the right size, you can push the atty connector into the 3/4" cap so it's a snug fit, then stake it in place using a length of 1/8" iron pipe and a hammer on a solid metal surface. Just a few thoughts.

Cutting down the battery connector shorter on the bottom is such a good idea. I'll definitely be trying that on my next mod. I