New to RDAs, need some help.

[doubleint]

So I recently purchased an IGO-L and have been experiencing some very bad taste and smell. Getting the ohms just right hasn't been an issue for me and it seems like the coils I make are pretty good from what I have to compare them to online. At first I thought maybe it was how I wicked the coil (using cotton) but I tried so many different ways from making the cotton tight against the coil to making it very lose and everything in between. One thing I've noticed is that when I heat the coil on my mod to pinch the coils together there is smoke coming off the coil and it smells terrible.

I'm currently running a 1.6ohm micro coil using 28AWG on my MVP and even at 3.3V I still get that bad taste/smell. I must be missing something. The Kanthal is from Lightning Vapes if that makes any difference.

 

[Marisela Sol Maldonado]

Are you soaking the cotton before you try to vape it? I would try taking a torch to the kanthal before you make the coil...it might just be dirty or the RDA my even be dirty...Good luck!

 

[B2L]

Sounds like there could be machining oil residue on the Kanthal. Are you torching the wire first?

I know there is disagreement about torching but I torch all my wire before building to remove any oils left over from manufacturing and also take some of the springiness out.

As far as the cotton, you want just enough where it fills the coil but still slides freely through, too tight and you will get that t shirt flavor.

 

[Stringplucker]

Sounds like there could be machining oil residue on the Kanthal. Are you torching the wire first?

I know there is disagreement about torching but I torch all my wire before building to remove any oils left over from manufacturing and also take some of the springiness out.

As far as the cotton, you want just enough where it fills the coil but still slides freely through, too tight and you will get that t shirt flavor.

In the tool and die trade, we call that springiness, memory. Heating it anneals the metal, making it easier to work with, as well as burning off nasty crap. I wipe mine down with PGA on a swab first, then anneal it. It seems to work well for me.

 

[Bunnykiller]

make your coil to the spec you want, put it on your mod and fire it up till it glows red, modify coil to shape desired, then add cotton/rayon, dampen with juice of choice, install cap and then drip in more juice till happy. Then vape like there is and end of time

 

[B2L]

In the tool and die trade, we call that springiness, memory. Heating it anneals the metal, making it easier to work with, as well as burning off nasty crap. I wipe mine down with PGA on a swab first, then anneal it. It seems to work well for me.

Or if you drink the PGA first, you won't care how it tastes

(DISCLAIMER I'm not in any way recommending drinking PGA while building coils)

 

[doubleint]

I've covered the cotton in juice and let it sit there for as long as 30mins. It's rolled sterile cotton from CVS. Cleaned the RDA with dishwashing soap about 5 times already. I have not torched the wire before making the coil but I've tried using a lighter and holding it to the blue part of the flame to make it easier to handle. I guess I could try torching it but wouldn't heating the coil with my mod get rid of everything? Maybe the smell is sticking to my RDA after doing that? I've seen people not torch the wire and not have an issue. *shrug* I suppose it's worth a shot.

 

[doubleint]

Okay so the smell/taste is definitely the Kanthal. I'll try soaking the wire and the RDA in some alcohol to see if that helps. Also going to torch the wire. Already getting a headache from the fumes, sheesh. Thank you all for the help. BTW, is there a good place to order Kanthal from that doesn't have all this nasty stuff on it? It seems like some people don't have this issue at all.

 

[Marisela Sol Maldonado]

Okay so the smell/taste is definitely the Kanthal. I'll try soaking the wire and the RDA in some alcohol to see if that helps. Also going to torch the wire. Already getting a headache from the fumes, sheesh. Thank you all for the help. BTW, is there a good place to order Kanthal from that doesn't have all this nasty stuff on it? It seems like some people don't have this issue at all.

I order mine on ebay....I get the A1 Kanthal...you could try kidney puncher too.... Rebuildable Supplies - Kidney Puncher

 

[doubleint]

Got mine off Ebay as well. Oh well, I'll let you guys know if it fixes the problem. Thanks.

 

[Baditude]

Another point: Is the cotton you are using organic cotton? If not organic (it must say organic on the package), it could have bleach or hydrogen pyroxide in it and need to be boiled first.

 

[doubleint]

Yup, still the same problem. I wiped it with alcohol, torched it and once I put it on my mod and fired it up there was still smoke and fumes coming from it. Now my whole RDA smells like this and I can't get it off. This is frustrating.

 

[doubleint]

Another point: Is the cotton you are using organic cotton? If not organic (it must say organic on the package), it could have bleach or hydrogen pyroxide in it and need to be boiled first.

I didn't think you needed to boil the cotton if it was sterile or organic. I keep hearing conflicting things. I guess I'll try that as well when I get to that point. I'm not even thinking about vaping on this now with the way this is looking, lol.

 

[Hideous Styles]

Some juices that taste great on certain tanks can taste horrible on a dripper.... try a different juice and see if its any different.

 

[doubleint]

Well I figured it out I believe. Apparently it was the drill bit I was using to wrap the wire with. I guess there was some oils on it or something. I tried another one and there was some smoke but very little and it didn't smell crazy bad like it did before. Now my question is how do you get a bad smell out of your RDA? I tried alcohol but it's still there. Maybe vinegar? Or would that be too much?

 

[Stringplucker]

Umm...yeah. I guess nobody told you to make sure it's a drill bit that wasn't used with cutting oil to drill through an engine block, did they? We sometimes forget that rather important information. If it was a brand new drill bit, it comes covered with a rust inhibitor from the factory. They apply it prior to packaging. Also, don't use a drill bit that is black. It is treated with a process that uses poison and heat to begin the rusting process, then arrested before it goes past the color stage.

Best yet, here's sage advise to learn before building coils...MAKE SURE ALL TOOLS ARE CLEAN PRIOR TO USE!!

 

[imsoenthused]

I didn't think you needed to boil the cotton if it was sterile or organic. I keep hearing conflicting things. I guess I'll try that as well when I get to that point. I'm not even thinking about vaping on this now with the way this is looking, lol.

It's really just a matter of opinion. Plenty of people never boil, some people boil everything. Some people use rayon instead of cotton, some people are terrified of the idea and never experience perfection in vape form. Plenty of opinions to go around.

 

[Bobthebuilder]

Bicarbonate of soda is what I soak in, then a bit of vodka, then a good wash with detergent and take one of those cotton buds on a stick and wipe every part you can get to with the warm detergent water. Make sure you remove all the screws too and give them a good clean.

 

[Stringplucker]

Bicarbonate of soda is what I soak in, then a bit of vodka, then a good wash with detergent and take one of those cotton buds on a stick and wipe every part you can get to with the warm detergent water. Make sure you remove all the screws too and give them a good clean.

I personally would take the whole thing apart and clean with acetone first, then a bath with Simple Green and extremely hot water, then a soak in 151 PGA. Acetone is used in many industries to clean metal and delrin, which is what the RDA is made from. Simple Green is non-toxic, and rinses clean, and the PGA makes sure there is nothing of the other chemicals left.

This is how I clean new atomizers. And for God's sake, clean your tools, too. If you wouldn't eat with a dirty spoon, don't build coils with dirty tools.

 

[doubleint]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, you've been very helpful. I'll be sure to be extra careful from now on.