Preparation for coil building and suggestions

[Bored2Tears]

Hello all. I'd like some suggestions for Kanger coil building based on the equipment I now own, and my intended use. Sorry this might be a bit of a long read but here goes. (I also hope to buy a Lemo RTA soon, but will keep this post to the Kanger coils rebuilding)

My primary mod is now the istick, which for all intents and purposes is variable from 4.1V to 5.5V, I believe. It outputs more voltage than advertised.

I also have a Kamry X6, which is variable voltage for these settings: 3.6, 3.8, or 4.2 volts.

I think my sweet spot or range for the coil resistance will be 2.0 to 2.2. (Any lower and I think it's gonna be too hot on my istick. Much higher than that and my Kamry X6 battery isn't going to push enough power).

I've only been using stock Kanger single coils primarily with the silica wicks and in my experience the silica doesn't wick well, and /or gives me a lot of flooding issues.

I think to begin I will use cotton or rayon for wicking material. In my research it seems that the wicking setup with either is similar, and I am open to someone selling me on which is better. I sense that cotton is "tried and true", and has been used by more people for a longer period of time....but rayon seems to be getting traction as "new and improved" and it wicks the material a little faster? Which material is more forgiving as far as getting the right amount/ density ? I've heard getting the wicking in the coil and the right amount is one of the learning curves.

Anyway, I like the idea of a horizontal micro build, using 28 guage Kanthal. It seems that my intended build is very much plain vanilla, and should be the simplest to begin. As I understand this, the term "micro"build just means I'm going to wrap the coils tightly, where they are touching...and most likely will need to push them together with tweezers right after a quick dry burn.

Last question. Most people don't indicate what type of Kanthal they use, but is there a reason I couldn't just use R wire? (I think that NR-R-NR wire is mostly used in the factory stuff to keep the leads from drawing temp, right?)

Open to thoughts on if I am on the right path. As you might be able to tell, I'm a little unclear about how most people choose which Kanthal wire to build with. It seems like 30 or higher would be more difficult to work with, but I don't really know much more about advantages/disadvantages to wire gauge choice.

Last question, how do most of you choose what to wrap around? Drill bit, nail, etc....and are the jigs that are available just a gimmick or does it simplify this enough to justify buying? Thanks!

 

[leekeylee]

I started off quite simple I use

28 gauge Kanthal
Organic unbleached cotton balls
1.5mm drill bit to wrap around

And I watched this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrvwOf13U-s

Now I have upgraded my Kanger tank which uses the new upgraded enclosed coils on a eLeaf iStick, so Everyone was saying how good Vertical Coils are on the istick so I now build them and have changed to Japanese Muji cotton for the wick. Here is a post I made this morning showing how I do it.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ed-kanger-dual-coil-single-vertical-coil.html

 

[Bored2Tears]

I started off quite simple I use

28 gauge Kanthal
Organic unbleached cotton balls
1.5mm drill bit to wrap around

And I watched this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrvwOf13U-s

Now I have upgraded my Kanger tank which uses the new upgraded enclosed coils on a eLeaf iStick, so Everyone was saying how good Vertical Coils are on the istick so I now build them and have changed to Japanese Muji cotton for the wick. Here is a post I made this morning showing how I do it.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...ed-kanger-dual-coil-single-vertical-coil.html

Subscribed to that other thread, thanks. In addition to the two Protanks - I have an Evod glass which uses the enclosed dual coils, so I will try your build on that. What's your source for Japanese Muji cotton, and can you elaborate on the benefit to that wicking material? Thanks.

 

[elenamylove]

A few of us use Cotton Bacon and Silica Sausage

Seriously the top 2 wick performers are Japanese cotton and Rayon - I use 27/28/30 AWG A1 Kanthal - Just depends on what I'm trying to achieve with my build. NoChro was too hot for me but others may prefer it. Wrap most of my coils around 3mm/2.4mm/2mm and 1.4mm driver set I have.

 

[VaPreis]

I had good luck wrapping 1/16" microcoils and wicking with a full strand of cotton yarn. I used a full strand of Peaches and Cream cotton yarn. A lifetime supply can be had from Walmart for about $1.50. Just wet your fingers and twist the end up into a point, thread it through, and cut off the excess.

If using 28ga wire, you will not get the resistances you are referring to. 12 wraps is about the most you can squeeze inside a Protank head, and that's a very tight fit and will only get you around 1.5Ω at best.

You'll get better performance with less power using 29ga or 30ga.

Don't directly equate the resistance with performance when comparing a stock Kanger coil to a rebuilt head using a microcoil and cotton. A well done microcoil and cotton setup will take a lot more power before it burns or tastes badly vs. a stock head.

 

[Bored2Tears]

I had good luck wrapping 1/16" microcoils and wicking with a full strand of cotton yarn. I used a full strand of Peaches and Cream cotton yarn. A lifetime supply can be had from Walmart for about $1.50. Just wet your fingers and twist the end up into a point, thread it through, and cut off the excess.

If using 28ga wire, you will not get the resistances you are referring to. 12 wraps is about the most you can squeeze inside a Protank head, and that's a very tight fit and will only get you around 1.5Ω at best.

You'll get better performance with less power using 29ga or 30ga.

Don't directly equate the resistance with performance when comparing a stock Kanger coil to a rebuilt head using a microcoil and cotton. A well done microcoil and cotton setup will take a lot more power before it burns or tastes badly vs. a stock head.

View attachment 383743 View attachment 383744

VaPreis, Thanks for this....this is exactly what I was looking for. I assume this Peaches and Cream cotton yarn you're referring to is all the same diameter and pulls nicely through when you wrapped around the 1/16 bit. Any need for a "flavor wick" in addition to the wick in the coil? And, do you boil the cotton yarn when you use it? On second thought, boiling would unravel this and probably defeat the ease of pulling it through the coil? Any nasty chemicals in the yarn to worry about in your opinion? I'm sort of the same opinion as Pbusardo when he said he didn't boil his cotton. Philosophy that I smoked for almost 30 yrs, and I'm pretty certain that is way worse for me.

 

[Bored2Tears]

OK. I think I am sold on the cotton yarn idea. Looks like the simplest way to get a consistent amount of wick material. So, 30 gauge Kanthal around a 1.5mm or 1/16 drill bit should equate to about 10 wraps for a 2.0 ohm coil.

I think that will work pretty well in the 3.6 to 4.5 volt range on the mods I have.

 

[VaPreis]

VaPreis, Thanks for this....this is exactly what I was looking for. I assume this Peaches and Cream cotton yarn you're referring to is all the same diameter and pulls nicely through when you wrapped around the 1/16 bit. Any need for a "flavor wick" in addition to the wick in the coil? And, do you boil the cotton yarn when you use it? Any nasty chemicals in the yarn to worry about in your opinion? I'm sort of the same opinion as Pbusardo when he said he didn't boil his cotton. Philosophy that I smoked for almost 30 yrs, and I'm pretty certain that is way worse for me.

I did not use a "flavor wick" when building these. A full strand is a snug fit, but once started, pulls through fairly easy. Just wet your thumb and fore finger under the faucet and roll the end of your piece of yarn to a nice point to fish through the coil.

I have never boiled my cotton yarn or cotton, but yarn contains "sizing" which apparently could be a couple different materials, so boiling it is probably the safest option. There is usually a very brief break-in time when using yarn before the best flavor comes though. Boiling it to remove the sizing would probably reduce that....

 

[Bored2Tears]

Vapreis, do you leave the coil on the bit, then pull down on the leads while the bit is still in the coil base (to keep it centered and at right hight adjustment on the coil base)? Hope that makes sense.

 

[VaPreis]

Vapreis, do you leave the coil on the bit, then pull down on the leads while the bit is still in the coil base (to keep it centered and at right hight adjustment on the coil base)? Hope that makes sense.

Yes. A 1/16" drill bit fits perfectly in the slots of the head and helps maintain your coil shape and position while you install the grommet and center pin. Don't pull the bit until you're ready to wick it.

Also, make sure the positive lead (the one that comes out around the center pin) is well tucked so that it won't short. Usually just sliding a finger nail over it to tuck it in is enough.

 

[LoveVanilla]

Here's a similar build that I just posted in another thread. And yeah, though not necessary, the wiring coil gizmo can yield excellent results for rookie coil builders -- for around $10.

 

[Bored2Tears]

Here's a similar build that I just posted in another thread. And yeah, though not necessary, the wiring coil gizmo can yield excellent results for rookie coil builders -- for around $10.

Very good, thanks. Think I'll hold off on that gizmo for a bit. If I find myself doing enuff builds to warrant getting the gizmo, then I will do that.