New to RBA's...need guidance

[KnurledNut]

Hey everyone...I'll be making my first mod w/ the igo-L rba as soon as it arrives. I did order extra coils to start but I want to learn how to make my own.

I'm confused about wicks, wire, and ohms.

Can someone steer me in the right direction as far as whats the correct way to start? I don't want to earn an advanced electrical degree learning this but I don't want to electrocute myself either.

 

[vjc0628]

you can find a lot of info here on the rba forum
I have 2 Igo L coming in the mail as well
here is a copy and past on a post that was a reply to one of my questions
I repeat it because I have not seen this info on the videos or other posts that ive seen
this is helping me as I rebuild my T3's in preparation

I would avoid using a lighter, it will leave black stuff on the wicks. Go to lowes or home depot and pick up a butane torch or order one online. I torch my wick until it glows orange, this is also a good way to clean used wicks. I can restore a ceramic xc-116 or silica wick back to white after I torch it. Just make sure that the juice is vaped up before attempting to restore it, it can catch fire. I also use cotton when I make micro coils. I use the rite aid rolled cotton for cotton applications.

Try doubling over your wick and using something like a sewing needle to keep the wick in place. Wrap the coil around that then pull the needle out once you mount the coil. This should leave you with enough room so the coil is not so tight. I use used to use a really thin needle in diameter to help me when I was a beginner.

For micro coils I usually use a 1/16th drill bit to wrap the coil on.

 

[KnurledNut]

you can find a lot of info here on the rba forum
I have 2 Igo L coming in the mail as well
here is a copy and past on a post that was a reply to one of my questions
I repeat it because I have not seen this info on the videos or other posts that ive seen
this is helping me as I rebuild my T3's in preparation

I would avoid using a lighter, it will leave black stuff on the wicks. Go to lowes or home depot and pick up a butane torch or order one online. I torch my wick until it glows orange, this is also a good way to clean used wicks. I can restore a ceramic xc-116 or silica wick back to white after I torch it. Just make sure that the juice is vaped up before attempting to restore it, it can catch fire. I also use cotton when I make micro coils. I use the rite aid rolled cotton for cotton applications.

Try doubling over your wick and using something like a sewing needle to keep the wick in place. Wrap the coil around that then pull the needle out once you mount the coil. This should leave you with enough room so the coil is not so tight. I use used to use a really thin needle in diameter to help me when I was a beginner.

For micro coils I usually use a 1/16th drill bit to wrap the coil on.

I'm starting with 30 gauge Kanthal A1 wire and 3mm silica wick. Being the novice I read bad things of cotton, so I want to start with something tried and true.

The ohms are a tad confusing. I do have a multimeter so I will try to stay between 2-2.5 ohms on my first go.

 

[ScottP]

I wrote an Android app to help with this very thing. Look in Google Play for Vaper's Toolbox. It's free. It will help with all of the math.

 

[SilverZero]

I'm starting with 30 gauge Kanthal A1 wire and 3mm silica wick. Being the novice I read bad things of cotton, so I want to start with something tried and true.

The ohms are a tad confusing. I do have a multimeter so I will try to stay between 2-2.5 ohms on my first go.

Don't be afraid to try cotton. Personally I think it wicks and tastes better in my IGO-L than silica does.

Really the only downside is that if it gets dry it will burn (unlike silica), but after a while you learn based on flavor when you need to drip more liquid into it. Even if it does get scorched it's extremely easy to just replace the cotton while leaving your coil intact.

 

[State O' Flux]

Don't be afraid to try cotton. Personally I think it wicks and tastes better in my IGO-L than silica does.

I'd have to agree, although I've not tried every possible wick material yet. I'm always on the lookout for the "perfect wick", so I see things far differently than my "pre-vaping" days. ;-)
I've been using my wife's "Koh Gen Do" brand cotton make-up pads for a week or so now. They are 100% organic and the packaging says they "have not been chemically treated, bleached, or pigmented" and are "medical grade". You can get 20-30 (or more) wicks out of one pad, and you get 60 pads for $12.
I cut them into strips and the way they're woven (I guess), they stay stiff enough to stand up on their own, so they're fairly easy to work with.