New kayfun, new problems.

[bulldog63h]

I got yesterday. Since then I have tried multiple coils and even more wicks. No matter what I do, it doesn't taste right. I figured it was about time to ask for help. The coil I have on it right now is 1.7 ohms. I'm running it on a provari. There isn't a voltage setting that it doesn't have a slightly burnt taste on. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[State O' Flux]

Have you removed the wick to see if it is, in fact, slightly burnt? Is the cotton... sterile, organic, oxycleaned, boiled... any of the above?

 

[Flt Simulation]

I am also using a kayfun Lite Plus and a single 1.7 ohm Kanthal 28 AWG coil ... My wick is cotton yarn.

Since you have an adjustable volt / watt battery, I suggest 3.8v / 8.5 watts with your 1.7 ohm coil.

 

[bulldog63h]

The cotton is organic. I've never boiled cotton to rebuild my wife's aerotank coils and they've done fine. This thing's just a completely different animal. The juice channels seem to be fine. The cotton is a bit dark under the coil after just a few minutes of vaping, but not black. The vapor is also tearing up my throat. I coughed for hours last night and had trouble breathing. The juice I'm using is the same stuff in my wife's tank, so I know it's not an issue. The whistling is irritating too.

 

[PONKAW]

The cotton is organic. I've never boiled cotton to rebuild my wife's aerotank coils and they've done fine. This thing's just a completely different animal. The juice channels seem to be fine. The cotton is a bit dark under the coil after just a few minutes of vaping, but not black. The vapor is also tearing up my throat. I coughed for hours last night and had trouble breathing. The juice I'm using is the same stuff in my wife's tank, so I know it's not an issue. The whistling is irritating too.

Do you have any silica to replace the cotton with? I had some cotton at one point that irritated my throat. The whistling on some clones is terrible... if you bevel the out side of the intake hole it helps a little.

To me it looks like you are using too much wick... but its hard to tell with it being out of the chimney. When the juice taste burnt ...turn the power down...

 

[Dampmaskin]

To me it looks like you are using too much wick...

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[State O' Flux]

"Have you removed the wick to see if it is, in fact, slightly burnt? Is the cotton... sterile, organic, oxycleaned, boiled... any of the above?"

• The cotton is organic. I've never boiled cotton.
• The cotton is a bit dark under the coil after just a few minutes of vaping, but not black.
• The vapor is also tearing up my throat.
• The whistling is irritating too.

What wire are you using for your 1.7Ω coil... how many wraps on what mandrel?

The "whistle" can be tuned out with DT ID and screw adjustments.

edit: Off for an afternoon nap. Have fun kids! ;-)

 

[supermarket]

I got yesterday. Since then I have tried multiple coils and even more wicks. No matter what I do, it doesn't taste right. I figured it was about time to ask for help. The coil I have on it right now is 1.7 ohms. I'm running it on a provari. There isn't a voltage setting that it doesn't have a slightly burnt taste on. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Honestly, it looks to me like the coil is too tight. Are you sure the cotton inside the coil is getting wet? If the wick isn't wicking properly, it could give a burnt taste, because the wick isnt getting fully saturated.

Besides that, I have no idea.

 

[supermarket]

The cotton is organic. I've never boiled cotton to rebuild my wife's aerotank coils and they've done fine. This thing's just a completely different animal. The juice channels seem to be fine. The cotton is a bit dark under the coil after just a few minutes of vaping, but not black. The vapor is also tearing up my throat. I coughed for hours last night and had trouble breathing. The juice I'm using is the same stuff in my wife's tank, so I know it's not an issue. The whistling is irritating too.

Umm....something is definitely wrong then.

First off, the vapor shouldn't be harsh. Secondly, the cotton shouldn't be discolored after a few minutes at all.

I think you said you've tried different coils/builds....but I would say try again. It honestly looks to me like the coil is wrapped too tightly, or you need to make the wick thinner.

I've found the kayfun to be optimal in the 1.1-1.6 ohm range..... so you should be fine in that department. You never mentioned what voltage/wattage you are trying. You are using aprovari, so I guess you aren't adjusting the wattage. What voltage are you at?

If you lower the voltage as low as it can go, and you are still getting a burnt taste, something is DEFINITELY not functioning properly. Either the coil isn't really 1.7ohms, or the wick is too thick, or the coil isn't hitting properly.


I recommend:

1. Re-check the ohms. Make sure it is indeed 1.7ohms.
2. Take the cotton out, and dry burn the coil. The coil should be turning red from the center FIRST, then spreading outward if its a micro coil (that looks like what you built) If it isn't then it means you need to rebuild the coil, or fix it so it heats up evenly.

 

[bulldog63h]

"Have you removed the wick to see if it is, in fact, slightly burnt? Is the cotton... sterile, organic, oxycleaned, boiled... any of the above?"


What wire are you using for your 1.7Ω coil... how many wraps on what mandrel?

The "whistle" can be tuned out with DT ID and screw adjustments.

edit: Off for an afternoon nap. Have fun kids! ;-)

It's 30ga kanthal, not sure about the inside diameter of the coil. I just picked a drill bit from a dremel set. Not sure what DT ID is and I assume you mean the afc screw. What kind of adjustments need to be made?

Honestly, it looks to me like the coil is too tight.

I think that was a big part of the problem, that and the power being too high. I switched from an RSST with a drilled out air hole, so I got used to higher power vaping.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[coalyard]

Yep, first thought I had after looking at the pictures was too much wicking. It takes some experimenting to get it just right. I cut the tails of the wick to the same diameter as the base. Here is a picture of my set up. Hope it helps.

 

[bulldog63h]

Yep, first thought I had after looking at the pictures was too much wicking. It takes some experimenting to get it just right. I cut the tails of the wick to the same diameter as the base. Here is a picture of my set up. Hope it helps.

View attachment 332316

Thanks. Beautiful coil by the way. I guess I just need to play with the amount I'm using. I think i've got the amount right at the moment. I guess I just need to vape it for a while and see how it goes.

 

[duroSIG556R]

You're using too much cotton.

 

[crxess]

Agreed, to much wick - cutting off liquid flow through channels.
Less is more with cotton.

See my blog it may help. Also note the syringe needle I use to align the air hole to the center pin hole. Stops/reduces the whistle

You did fully strip and thoroughly clean the Kayfun right?

 

[bsoplinger]

I'll chime in with the less is more mantra for cotton also. Try redoing the wick to the point you feel there isn't enough cotton. Add just a bit of e-liquid to the tank and give it a try. If you truly used too little you'll get leaking or dry hits. If so rewick again with a bit more until it works. Since its hard to gauge how much to use its better to start on the not enough end of things instead of the too much until you learn how much it needs.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2

 

[bulldog63h]

Okay, now I've got good flavor and killer throat hit, but the amount of vapor is poor, especially compared to the vapor production I've seen in reviews. As I said earlier, the coil is 1.7 ohms. I'm running the coil at 3.9 volts. If a video is needed, I can definitely post one. Thanks for all the help so far.

Edit: I'm using 100% vg juice with 2.5% menthol/pga mixture.

 

[bsoplinger]

Vapor production, throat hit and taste are trade offs that change based on how close or far you have the coil above the airhole. Closer is better throat hit and further is better flavor but I'm not sure how amount of vapor changes as the distance changes.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2

 

[bulldog63h]

Vapor production, throat hit and taste are trade offs that change based on how close or far you have the coil above the airhole. Closer is better throat hit and further is better flavor but I'm not sure how amount of vapor changes as the distance changes.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2

Thanks, I didn't know exactly how the distance affected the properties of the vape, just that it did.

I can only assume the vapor production is due to the tighter draw, compared to my RSST.

 

[iowajosh]

I run mine on variable wattage all the time. Try building a lower ohm coil. most of my devices will fire 1.1 ohms or so. I'm happy to 1.5 or so. They take less amps to get up to temp. A smaller ID coil will do the same thing. If I build too large of a coil ID they just kind of make noise and not much happens.


ALso, how the wick is spread out beside the coil, it is a big heatsink. It will take more power to fire that way. If you have a skinny bit if wick on each side of the coil like coalyard has in his picture, it will take less power to fire. I take a bit of cotton and fill up the wells in each side after the wick is in and the cover part is on. It is just fluff but it keeps them from leaking. The part in the wick itself can be very minimal. It should move freely, no bunching up when fed through.

Good luck. There certainly is a learning curve but it is sweet when you get there.

 

[ForeverDiving]

Just changed cotton on one of my Kf's.
2x 28WGA 8 wrap 2mm drill = 1.1Ω. Dry fired the coils to a beautiful ash grey after removing yesterday's cotton and washing.
Sigelei 20W at 13W. Tasting like a shot of 40° Lagavulin. (DIY GLP Sextant NET, 50/50, diluted 1/3 on likewise base, 0 nic).
I guessed you would like to see the wicks.
Sorry for the OOF pics, done with my PC camera.