protank coil rebuild/confused Watched too many videos HA

[orchidmoon]

Feeling sooooo Okay, I started out a few weeks ago on here saying i would NEVER be able to rebuild coils since my hands aren't great. After a few black wicks (wow scorch don't know why) in just a few days I decided to watch a few videos and do a lot of searching and reading on it on here. I started out thinking, that's easy! LOL
SO just to play around....now keep in mind it was not to USE so do not worry okay! But I grabbed some craft wire (again, just to see if I could wrap and insert) around a toothpick to see if i could actually do this okay. I didn't want to order kanther and not even come close to being able to do it.

SO I read more, watched more and what the hell. The wide range of ways to do it just blows my mind. From 28 gauge to 32 gauge and what people wrap it around and silica or cotton. 6wraps to 12 wraps. WHAT the hell , seems a HUGE difference to me. So do I get one size wire or do I get both? Do I start with 6 wraps on 32 gauge kanthal which is what I see the most of?

I had more questions but the minute I started writing I lost my thoughts.....*sigh*** (every time i get on here to ask a question my ADD 7yr old neeeeeds )



they wonder why i vape..........(my daily quote used to be .."they wonder why I smoke

 

[InTheShade]

For protank coils, I would suggest using 32ga or maybe 30ga. Using 28ga would mean you need a lot of wraps to get the resistance high enough to use on some regulated devices. Remember also that some people are not coiling touching wrap coils.

As you know, there is not a huge amount of room in the protank head for a lot of wraps, so those using 28ga are cramming a lot of wraps into a small space - or they are vaping at quite low resistances.

Don't bust your head on it. Play with a coil calculator like those found at Steam Engine | free vaping calculators and it will allow you to see the relationship between gauge, number of wraps and the diameter of the thing you are wrapping on.

All in all, the hardest part is fiddling around with the small parts (as you've found) When I first started rebuilding clearomizer heads, it took me two hours to do one - and even then my wife had to help me as I just couldn't get it.

Best advice I can give is get the kanthal and give it a go.

 

[drthunder]

I wrap my own protank coils now. I use 32g Nichrome 80 wire and a 1/16 drill bit. This is just a preference for me because i can't stand the taste from kanthal. I will then wrap it 7 times which will give me 1.7ohms (if you use kanthal you will need less wraps). From what i have seen you will want 32g or 34g for a protank coil because you don't have much space to work with.

Black wires are perfectly normal over time. I clean mine by taking the cotton wick out then rinsing the coil under hot water. I will then dry burn the coil to get the crud off, then rinse again.

The videos are very informative on how to actually wrap a coil. This will take some practice, but it's very easy. It's just finding the gauge and type of wire you want to work with. So i would wait for more recommendations from others before you decide what to buy.

 

[leekeylee]

I have been making my own coils for the wife's T3s clearomisers. I use 28 gauge kanthal and create a micro coils around a 1.5mm drill bit. I find about 9 wraps then pinch together and touch it works well. I wick with muji Japanese cotton as this is very easy to pull through the coils once back in the head.

It did take a bit of trial and error to get the amount of cotton correct and now I have mastered the technic the wife is happy with them.

For my own preference I use an emow mega and I rebuild the coils vertical as lots of people have mentioned how good the aspire BVC are. Here is a link to a post I did on how I build the vertical coils.

Hope it helps in your endeavours.

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

 

[orchidmoon]

OHHH btw, I should have mentioned I think I prefer around 1.8 ohm

 

[orchidmoon]

Black wires are perfectly normal over time. I clean mine by taking the cotton wick out then rinsing the coil under hot water. I will then dry burn the coil to get the crud off, then rinse again.

.

I've dry burned....I didn't mean black wires/coil...Flavor wick on top of the coil, completely torched which confused me since I had a 1.8 coil running at 7 watts only. No burnt taste, working great then hey i have no vapor, no nothing, opened it up cuz i wanted to investigate LOL and wow

 

[orchidmoon]

I thought of one other thing that really confuses me...plz Don't laugh!! Purchased atomizers have a flavor wick, then the wick inside the coil. Why when rebuilding do you have one wick (whether it be cotton or silica) inside the coil and nothing on top like the purchased kangers have?

Wow , i'm afraid to post this question.....lol

 

[DavidOck]

I rebuild my kanger types with 32 or 30, for fit and resistance. I use 2 mm silica for the wick - laid along a straightened paper clip to wind. And leave it (paperclip) in until I've assembled to the base, so it helps keep the coil even. I then lay one full strand of cotton yarn over the coil, for the flavor wick. Some don't, but I generally run fairly thin juice and get leaks if I don't. Thicker blends may not need the flavor wick.

The "factory" configuration, last time I checked on the Kanger style single bottom coils, was 2 mm wick and two 1 mm flavor wicks, all silica. I've never had any luck trying to reuse the flavor wicks, which do get black and gunked! So even if all I'm doing is a clean and dry burn, I'll replace with the yarn.

 

[InTheShade]

I thought of one other thing that really confuses me...plz Don't laugh!! Purchased atomizers have a flavor wick, then the wick inside the coil. Why when rebuilding do you have one wick (whether it be cotton or silica) inside the coil and nothing on top like the purchased kangers have?

Wow , i'm afraid to post this question.....lol

That flavor wick does a couple of things. First, it helps to prevent too much liquid getting to the coil all in one go. Second thing it does is prevent liquid spitting up from the coil into the drip tip.

A lot of times this extra 'flavor' wick is not necessary and in fact can cause dry hits. Back in the day when the original protank and EVODs were all the rage, removing the flavor wick was a common solution to these dry hits. Thing is removing this wick can also cause flooding.

So when you wick yourself, you can control the amount of wick in the coil to fine-tune the feeding of liquid. You can do this by using different diameters of silica or using more / less cotton - making the flavor wick unnecessary.

 

[orchidmoon]

I rebuild my kanger types with 32 or 30, for fit and resistance. I use 2 mm silica for the wick - laid along a straightened paper clip to wind. And leave it (paperclip) in until I've assembled to the base, so it helps keep the coil even. I then lay one full strand of cotton yarn over the coil, for the flavor wick. Some don't, but I generally run fairly thin juice and get leaks if I don't. Thicker blends may not need the flavor wick.

The "factory" configuration, last time I checked on the Kanger style single bottom coils, was 2 mm wick and two 1 mm flavor wicks, all silica. I've never had any luck trying to reuse the flavor wicks, which do get black and gunked! So even if all I'm doing is a clean and dry burn, I'll replace with the yarn.

I almost love you...LOL,,,,THAT is what I just came back to ask!! That if for now, since I dry burned my coil (which looks gorgeous now i should add teheheheee) since the flavor wick is nasty toasted bye bye gone....If there was something I could lie across top to replace it....I have ORGANIC COTTON YARN (natural, undyed etc) I was going to ask if can lie a piece across that since I am out of new atomizers/coils ...(until order arrives which doesn't seem like it will be soon)

 

[drthunder]

I've dry burned....I didn't mean black wires/coil...Flavor wick on top of the coil, completely torched which confused me since I had a 1.8 coil running at 7 watts only. No burnt taste, working great then hey i have no vapor, no nothing, opened it up cuz i wanted to investigate LOL and wow

This really depends on the juice you use. The more synthetic juices don't discolor the wicks as much. When you get into the NET's and darker juices they tend to darken the wicks very quickly. This is normal and one of the pains of vaping. If it's actually burnt you aren't getting enough juice into the wick. You can flip the rubber piece to get more wicking (there are YouTube videos on this).

I thought of one other thing that really confuses me...plz Don't laugh!! Purchased atomizers have a flavor wick, then the wick inside the coil. Why when rebuilding do you have one wick (whether it be cotton or silica) inside the coil and nothing on top like the purchased kangers have?

Wow , i'm afraid to post this question.....lol

Silica needs that flavor wick so it doesn't flood. Maybe it actually adds flavor? I am not really sure but i am not a fan of silica. Cotton will expand so there is no need for the extra bit on top. Cotton is also a much better vape for some. I personally get more flavor and stronger throat hits with it. It is also easier to work with and a bag of cotton will probably last you a lifetime. Just make sure it is organic.

 

[EBates]

I clean the flavor wicks and reuse them. To clean them take a torch or cig lighter and while holding the wicks with tweezers burn them with the flame. When they turn back white they are good to go.

 

[faile]

I rebuild my kanger heads with 30g kanthal around a 1/16th drill bit. 8/9 wraps = 1.7/ 1.8 ohms. Wick with cotton-- I used to do a really wispy 'flavor wick' on top of the coil, but I started having issues with dry hits and flooding, so I stopped doing that.

 

[DavidOck]

That'll work fine. You don't want to pack it tightly, but it may take a couple tries to get the amount and density right. Then, after putting the chimney back on, trim to length on the sides.

 

[edyle]

I thought of one other thing that really confuses me...plz Don't laugh!! Purchased atomizers have a flavor wick, then the wick inside the coil. Why when rebuilding do you have one wick (whether it be cotton or silica) inside the coil and nothing on top like the purchased kangers have?

Wow , i'm afraid to post this question.....lol

thats just mumbo jumbo; the real purpose of those extra wicks on top is just so the fluid doesn't just flow and leak and flood out your coil; it's just plain gravity; its to stuff the hole so the liquid doesn't just run downwards.

 

[orchidmoon]

Thank you everyone !! Moral of the story after all the reading and video watching I didn't even know what to buy and try since they all use something different! And the answer to that is try it all and see what happens.
I've got this!! (well that is yet to be determined mwahahaaa) BUT I decided to be brave and I put some cotton in (very small amount actually) to replace my scorched nasty flavor wick with the coil I dry burned and I'm temporarily in love. That alone has it working better than when I first used it. Next up is using the wire to try making my own coil. Going to be an excellent science project since I homeschool!

 

[EBates]

Thank you everyone !! Moral of the story after all the reading and video watching I didn't even know what to buy and try since they all use something different! And the answer to that is try it all and see what happens.
I've got this!! (well that is yet to be determined mwahahaaa) BUT I decided to be brave and I put some cotton in (very small amount actually) to replace my scorched nasty flavor wick with the coil I dry burned and I'm temporarily in love. That alone has it working better than when I first used it. Next up is using the wire to try making my own coil. Going to be an excellent science project since I homeschool!

Be careful and don't hurt yourself because of a shorted coil build. Check the resistance before you fire the coil.

 

[orchidmoon]

Be careful and don't hurt yourself because of a shorted coil build. Check the resistance before you fire the coil.

Oh no worries there, I'm definitely checking first.