What oHm reading are you getting with that 4/3 Kanthal flat wire & 3mm silica? I really need to get my husband to bore my toppers out :/ I've been poking silica through with a needle tipped bottle.
As crazy as it sounds.. I have absolutely NO idea what the ohms are. It was just a quick rebuild while at work in between customers. I will tell you this however. It was my first build and I had a great teacher doing one beside me. I just watched what he was doing and BAM! It worked..lol. We'll see about number 2, 3 and so on...lol. Also, based on what I have been told by a number of experienced builders, using a drill bit or anything else to wrap the wire then poke the wick through it is a waste of time and can end with a bad, or not so good, build. It's just too aggravating in imo.. I was taught to simply wrap the wire directly around the coil for the same reasons you described above. It can be a pain to get the wick in after the fact. But, some may prefer that method and that is perfectly ok. Whatever works for you is what I always say..
Finally, if I had it to do over again, I would go with a 1/16th bore. I very well may end up with a 1/8th after it's all said and done but, I would like to try the 1/16th just to see. I sometimes feel like I'm getting just a little too much air although the flavor is great.. So, I don't know. Just have to wait til my next atty purchase and see...
