Post pictures of your working wick and coil setup

[Tom Forde]

@Tom Forde
What did you use for the original clapton to get 4 wires in there?
It looks really good. One of the best aliens I've seen.

I think you used 26. Just curious.

Ya I tried out with 27g at first, that was a bust. The wrap came out too flat so I tried again with 26g & it worked out. If you're gonna try it, make sure you keep very even tension on the cores so they don't bunch up in the middle. I used 2 small magnets to keep the wires parallel. Worked out well because you can slide the magnets up the cores as you work your way up.

4x28gSS/36gSS on the 3 post K24. Ohm range is from .07-.09Ω.
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[whiteowl84]

Clever. Would never have thought to use magnets.

 

[Retro138]

My foulien build
4/28g 36g

Always sunny in Philadelphia

Too dark

mod check

Too many 24 and 25 mm attys, the petri hasn't seen much action.

 

[whiteowl84]

My foulien build
4/28g 36gView attachment 599043

Always sunny in Philadelphia
View attachment 599047

Too dark
View attachment 599049

mod check
View attachment 599051
Too many 24 and 25 mm attys, the petri hasn't seen much action.

Your's looks awesome too!
I'm still trying to get my claptons down before I try another alien.
How long did it take every one to get to where you can make a clapton with no boo boos?
I ran out of the gauges I need to keep practicing.

 

[Retro138]

Your's looks awesome too!
I'm still trying to get my claptons down before I try another alien.
How long did it take every one to get to where you can make a clapton with no boo boos?
I ran out of the gauges I need to keep practicing.

Thank you.
Couple of questions so I know where to start helping.
Are you using swivels to wrap your Clapton coils?

 

[whiteowl84]

Yes. My deck is too big to do a coil without one at my current skill level. Right now I'm using cheap ones from Wal-Mart but I'll get better ones off Amazon soon.

 

[Retro138]

Ok, when you have your core wire wrapped into your swivel, how are you claptoning? Working off the spool, or taking a few arm lengths off the spool and wrapping?

 

[whiteowl84]

Off the spool. That's the way people do it in most videos I watch so thats how I'd like to learn.
It is a problem when the spool is poorly wrapped though. I'm using the cheapest crap you can get.
I have n80 core and wrap coming from Temco. When I get paid I'm going to 316l from LV.

I don't have a rod through the spool either.
I hold the middle with my thumb and middle finger.

 

[Retro138]

Off the spool. That's the way people do it in most videos I watch so thats how I'd like to learn.
It is a problem when the spool is poorly wrapped though. I'm using the cheapest crap you can get.
I have n80 core and wrap coming from Temco. When I get paid I'm going to 316l from LV.

I don't have a rod through the spool either.
I hold the middle with my thumb and middle finger.

Temco isn't bad wire per se, but LV is wrapped a bit nicer and does make a difference in the beginning. Once you bang out a nice Clapton then and fused Clapton it will be worth the wait.

It does take some time in the beginning. Personally as I'm spinning my Clapton wire around the core I have the wire leaning a little towards me / back on itself to make them tight. Not a lot a lean just a touch. I would nail larger gauges first say 24/32 or 26/32 as practice.

Always straighten your core wire, hold your core wire in the drill with some tension and let it rock. You can always undo any spots where you might overlap while you're spinning and re wrap.

 

[whiteowl84]

The cheap crap I got came from kbees vapes on amazon.
First time I tried a 36 I got halfway and the poor spooling job overlapped somehow and the spool came to a dead stop.
I can do up to 36 and I can do fused wires relatively easily but I always get to a point where I need to back the drill up.
Its getting better though and I've gotten really good at fixing my bad spots instead of just giving up. Im having fun either way, I'd just really like to get to alien status.

 

[Justadude]

@Retro138 hahaha you crack me up lmfao go and stand up for your OGs lololol more power to you on the internet forum lololol omg I can't stop laughing lol

Whiteowl - did you watch m.terks video? Look him up on YouTube. The way he does it should help you get it more even dude

 

[whiteowl84]

No, but I will. I'll watch anything that will help.
I'm getting the feeling the quality of my spools makes it much harder to do.
I learned my lesson at least.

 

[Justadude]

And the reason we work off the spool is to not waste precious wire. Kidney puncher is amazing and I'll be damned if I'm gonna waste a foot of it. Temco and LV is good for starters though and if you're struggling with aliens that's where I would start. There is no point in buying expensive wire just for practice.

 

[Justadude]

Owl - spools is one thing, and how the wire comes off it, but there are many ways of getting the Clapton down. If you're working with 30 gauge and down and Claptoning something thick like 36 I would definitely use the free hand method because you can feel the wire being pulled. Once you get to higher gauges like 40 or 44, you can't feel that pull hence there are other methods that work better.

I bet that his video should help you a ton. Just don't skip a step. Then everything can get thrown off real fast. Happened to me more than once. Hope that helps bud.

PM me if you got any other questions bro.

 

[whiteowl84]

Thanks man. Everything helps. SI'll watch it tomorrow at work...I don't get good enough service at home for a video. Called AT&T to see what speed I could get here and they said 800mb down for $45 a month. What a joke.

 

[Uncletattoowhat]

For single core and fused claptons I use the following items (example links, not where I bought them)

I use this wire tamer to keep the spool from unraveling and to provide tension
Beadalon - Spool Tamer

And a bobbin similar to this one to run the wire through.
ECO FISHING TOOLS BY DR. SLICK PIPE BOBBIN

With this setup, also utilizing swivels, all I do is start the wire then let the end of the bobbin sit against the wire while it spins, guiding it with my hand to make sure it wraps evenly and doesn't overlap.

I have only attempted 3 cores a few times and always had issues so never bothered figuring it out. I have used this to do a frame staple once. Ymmv.

 

[whiteowl84]

I don't think the bobbin would work for alien wire, would it?

 

[Justadude]

No it wouldn't dude. That's only for wire on a spool

 

[whiteowl84]

That's what I'm getting at. The reason I'm doing all this is so I can do more advanced stuff which requires a good clapton technique. I need to do it by hand to learn.
Plus there's something satisfying about doing it by hand.

I really wish I had ordered from LV instead of Temco. LV doesn't mess around getting your order out. Oh, well. I learned another lesson.
If Temco did as good a job with these spools as the last one I recieve, I'll be OK with it.
I have 10 HG2s, another charger and PVC wrap, a vt133, several spools of wire and a limitless plus on the way to my house...the anticipation is setting in.

 

[greasegizzard]

I don't build anything advanced, but I used to use a swivel and hold the clapton spool in my hand. I've found for me it's easier to not put the core on a swivel. Instead, I have a block of wood that I clamp to my table, then I screw the clapton spool to the wood with a large washer on top. That helps keep steady tension.

Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads.