No Resistance Wire Tricks and Tips (Penelope)

[Sad Society]

I only own one rba, and it's the GG Penelope. The only thing I don't like about it is having to connect Non-Resistance wires to the Resistance wire (the coil). Other than that the Penelope Rocks! I've noticed that a lot of other rebuidables have their own positive and negative posts to connect the resistance wire...thus eliminating the need for non-resistance wire.

I don't want this thread to be about the pro's and con's of the Penelope. But I want it to be more about tip's and tricks of connecting No Resistance wire to the Resistance wire. I've seen Scott's review of the Odysseus on YouTube and he shows how he connects the wires. But are there any other ways?

The amount of resistance wire used can greatly affect the overall performance of a coil. I've thought about soldering the wires together...but I don't have a clue if that's possible or if it could even be done safely (vape wise).

The Penelope comes with one premade wire that has resistance wire and non-resistance wire fused together in one wire. I don't know how they did that. Soldering? Glue?

My goal is to find a way to connect the non-resistance wires to the resistance wire using as little resistance wire as possible. And any tips and tricks would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Xaiver]

They're heat fused. It's probably not something that you want to spend the time to learn.

The only point where the R-wire is actually useful is where it's touching the wick. Even on the Genes, there is a bit of space between the wick and the poles, and those places heat up too. If you're wrapped a coil that wasn't completely on the wick, you'll get a bad taste for the first few hours, that's the bare wire heating up. That's part of the reason for the NR wire on Penelope/Odysseus, it keeps the heat where you want it, and not where it's not needed.

The NR wire doesn't emit much heat as it's passing the current, so it keeps the ceramic and the insides cool, while heating only on the coil. Honestly, wrapping the two wires together was the hardest thing I had to learn with Penelope...and it was fairly simple once I got the hang of it. I rebuild her about once a week, and I don't even get the bare-wire taste anymore.

So, you take the two wires and pinch them between your thumb and index finger. I leave the ends stick out about 1/4th of an inch, or maybe 0.5cm. Then I spread them apart a little and twist them together like a twist-tie on a bread bag. The NR wire that I have is a bit thicker, so I have to be sort of delicate, and twist them more than I think they should, or it'll come apart. Then I bend the NR wire back over the twisty-part and grab the loop bit sideways with a needle nose pliars. Then take the NR wire and coil it tightly around the twisty-bit, maybe 3-4 loops. That's when I snip off the excess twisty-bit and wrap the NR to the end, and leave it sticking straight out.

I'm not sure why you're trying to save R-wire. R-wire is cheap, I have a 100' roll here that I paid 4 dollars for. On the other hand, the 10' bit of NR wire was like 12 dollars.

I think that maybe you're misunderstanding how the fisherman's knot works in regards to electricity. Electricity always takes the path of least resistance, which in this case is the NR wire. It will follow the NR wire as far as it can before switching to the R wire. If your knot is correct and done well, that means all the way up to the wick. Really though, my knots are touching my wick, because that's how I wrap them. I want every bit of R-wire that's not physically touching the NR wire to be on the wick.

I would take pictures of my coil, but I just made it yesterday and the tank is full.

 

[Sad Society]

Thanks for the reply. This is basically how I make my wires as well. I was just wondering if there are other ways.

As for saving wires, I have 100 feet of both resistance and no resistance. For me it's all about making the best coils using the least amount of material.

I didn't know about the bad taste thing from the poles, as a result of not using non-resistance wire though. Thanks for the info.

 

[MickeyRat]

I've had trouble with the method most people use to connect the wires. They kept coming unraveled and it was usually after I had cut the resistance wire. I've started using a Western Union Splice. Bend both wires at 90 degrees and hook them together. Then wrap one around one and the other around the other. That works better for me.

Xavier, you're paying too much for resistance wire. I got 70 feet for $5.00 on ebay. Watch for it.

 

[Sad Society]

The Western Union Splice. I think this is what I've been looking for. Thanks MickeyRat.

 

[bjannr]

I am still using the premade wires, but I think when I need to connect my own I will try the Western Unin splice.

 

[Xaiver]

I've had trouble with the method most people use to connect the wires. They kept coming unraveled and it was usually after I had cut the resistance wire. I've started using a Western Union Splice. Bend both wires at 90 degrees and hook them together. Then wrap one around one and the other around the other. That works better for me.

Xavier, you're paying too much for resistance wire. I got 70 feet for $5.00 on ebay. Watch for it.

That's probably true. I bought them both when I first got Penelope and was getting mad at COV for not having anything in stock.

The splice that you're talking about is how I did them when I first started making my own wires and I had issues with it, so I switched to the fisherman's knot style. The only issues I've had since then was when I would accidently leave a bit of wire not touching the wick, then I'd have to wait for a couple hours for the coil to get gunked up so that the metallic taste would go away.

I do wonder if mashing the two together would work though. Make the bend together and then loop the R wire around the NR so that they wraps are on the same side.

 

[unloaded]

I started doing them like Scott does on his Ody video. Kinda tedious because my nails are too short to grip and twist. I was looking at fly-tying vise when I came across this little jewel:

Non Skid HACKLE PLIERS Fly Tying Tools | eBay

Instead of twisting the small parts I grab them with this and twist the long ends, I can easily get them tight and perfect. I then trim them short and wrap with the NR wire. My connections are much smaller, tighter and more uniform than doing it like the video. I bought them at local Gander Mountain for less than $5.