New to RBA's, what's the best setup on the Reomizer?

[exodus454]

I've had my reomizer and new VV Grand for a few days now, and it's pretty awesome. I rebuilt it immediately when I got it, and the first coil I managed to build was putting off tons and tons and TONS of vapor but now I can't replicate that again.

Every wick and coil I've tried to build since has an "off" taste to it. The first coil I built was using 3mm silica with 34g kanthal - I wrapped the coil in the middle of a piece of ~2" silica and then tucked the tails of the wick underneath and let them rest on the "deck". It worked well, but was a REAL pita to get them under there since silica doesn't seem to like tight bends at all. I tried 2.5mm silica on a different wick and it's easier to manipulate but doesn't taste as good. I've tried to replicate my original setup but it still tastes off.

I've also tried playing with coil placement too, first was right in the center and I've also tried right in front of the air hole and I don't really notice a huge difference.

Any idea what I can do to make it taste better? I think I might be wrapping the coils too tight, but everytime I try to wrap them more loosely they end up glowing red while the coil is going (which I'm guessing is too loose).

 

[Sterno]

are you torching your silica with some fire (lighter)

 

[exodus454]

are you torching your silica with some fire (lighter)

No I haven't been..

 

[FeistyAlice]

My first wicks, for weeks, were wrapped too tightly. I'm still using some silica but mostly cotton yarn, boiled before using, but I would suggest making the coil with more room for wick to expand. At first I was making wick/coil, without any support, by wrapping coil around wick without any thing to hold. Now I'm using a toothpick to make the coil stand off a little more from wick, wrapping coil around wick and toothpick. I personally know that it is so tempting to pull the coil tight, when wrapping, to make it look pretty but I've found "pretty" isn't necessarily the best vape.

BTW.... for a few weeks I used natural cotton household twine, boiled first, of course. My juices gunk up everything so I was having to pull out wick, daily, and reinsert new wick after dryburning the coil. I'm now able to go three days, using the cotton yarn, before I have to remove it, dryburn coil, and reinsert new cotton yarn wick. BTW... again.... to remove cotton wick easily just dry burn it and it will shrink up and almost fall out. Silica doesn't work like this. With silica I rinse, pat dry, soak in PGA, and then dry burn wick and coil.

I don't like to use a torch on silica wick/coil while it is on rba as it is very easy to over heat the insulation around one of the posts.

Feisty Alice

 

[exodus454]

My first wicks, for weeks, were wrapped too tightly. I'm still using some silica but mostly cotton yarn, boiled before using, but I would suggest making the coil with more room for wick to expand. At first I was making wick/coil, without any support, by wrapping coil around wick without any thing to hold. Now I'm using a toothpick to make the coil stand off a little more from wick, wrapping coil around wick and toothpick. I personally know that it is so tempting to pull the coil tight, when wrapping, to make it look pretty but I've found "pretty" isn't necessarily the best vape.

BTW.... for a few weeks I used natural cotton household twine, boiled first, of course. My juices gunk up everything so I was having to pull out wick, daily, and reinsert new wick after dryburning the coil. I'm now able to go three days, using the cotton yarn, before I have to remove it, dryburn coil, and reinsert new cotton yarn wick. BTW... again.... to remove cotton wick easily just dry burn it and it will shrink up and almost fall out. Silica doesn't work like this. With silica I rinse, pat dry, soak in PGA, and then dry burn wick and coil.

I don't like to use a torch on silica wick/coil while it is on RBA as it is very easy to over heat the insulation around one of the posts.

Feisty Alice

I tried a toothpick and it seemed like the coils were too loose. There were areas where it seemed like the wraps got bumped out too far and always glowed red whenever I fired them which I'm guessing that isn't what you're looking for. Even after the wick expanded it was seeming too loose.