Protank MicroCoil Discussion!!

[MacTechVpr]

Chimney "seal" Mac. Back in the day kanger didn't use much flavor wick in the Evods and so provided a taller seal that drops down further to take up the space between the top of the wick and the chimney. Fits perfect.

Nextel huh? Hmmmmmmm. Maybe if someone pif'd to me some known good nextel. Not feeling like paying again after the last failed investment. Know what I mean?


View attachment 393370View attachment 393372View attachment 393373

Ps. Oops those are 5/64" coils not .070 as previously stated.

cig

Given that the 1mm silica falls apart and now spits out in latter day Kanger's with open slots, yeah a lot of folks preferred the EVOD.

But for you neophytes reading a 5/64" coil does not fit down to the bottom of the Kanger slot on the bit it was wound to ensure stable termination. To me that's the equivalent of trying to juggle with your hands at your hips.

At the end of the day using large diameters that couldn't be localized effectively and cotton to fill the breaches proved to me to be extremely hard to replicate. So I tested the principles rebuilding Protanks with many dozens of people over a time. By comparison, I found out I was pretty good! That's when I gave up cotton for alternatives that could be threaded. Things don't have to be more complicated than they need to be unless there's an advantage to be had. I couldn't find one that exceeded the benefits of precise consistent localization within the design.

(If you say you can cig it's more art than skill. Congrats, I applaud it. About half of mine at that diameter, no matter what used to support the set, as singles, failed. Did you ever build model boats?)

And I keep asking the question, where's the airflow to support that much wick at 22W in your above? I have to desperately draw (risking flooding) to keep 19W's worth of air through the v2 base? Curious. Nextel does like the extra power, but ain't there.

But then you're talkin' to somebody that misses adhesion 45 percent of the time, so be patient.



Good luck.

 

[cigatron]

Given that the 1mm silica falls apart and now spits out in latter day Kanger's with open slots, yeah a lot of folks preferred the EVOD.

Neither advocating or dismissing Evods as being useful here. Just using to taller seal.

But for you neophytes reading a 5/64" coil does not fit down to the bottom of the Kanger slot on the bit it was wound to ensure stable termination. To me that's the equivalent of trying to juggle with your hands at your hips.

True 5/64" mandrels don't fit most kanger heads so I just take 5 seconds to enlarge them with a drill bit commonly available at any local hardware store. Unlike the .070" which does fit, you have to order those online.

At the end of the day using large diameters that couldn't be localized effectively and cotton to fill the breaches proved to me to be extremely hard to replicate. So I tested the principles rebuilding Protanks with many dozens of people over a time. By comparison, I found out I was pretty good! That's when I gave up cotton for alternatives that could be threaded. Things don't have to be more complicated than they need to be unless there's an advantage to be had. I couldn't find one that exceeded the benefits of precise consistent localization within the design.

I set the coil with same 5/64" bit I used to mod the head.

(If you say you can cig it's more art than skill. Congrats, I applaud it. About half of mine at that diameter, no matter what used to support the set, as singles, failed. Did you ever build model boats?)

Boats, cars, airplanes.....

And I keep asking the question, where's the airflow to support that much wick at 22W in your above? I have to desperately draw (risking flooding) to keep 19W's worth of air through the v2 base? Curious. Nextel does like the extra power, but ain't there.

I guess it looks like a lot of wick but it's just two coils' worth. I don't even use all the airflow that the Mega offers. It's set a little more than halfway open. With it set wide open the vape is harsh. Very harsh and irritates my throat. Have to admit I don't understand why it's harsh at full airflow.I've tried every wattage from 16-35 to get rid of it but it remained until I turned down the airflow.Weird. The draw I use is lighter and wicking heavier than with singles. No more than 2sec draw to produce adaquate vapor. Lots of dense vapor. And the closest to dripper flavor so far.

But then you're talkin' to somebody that misses adhesion 45 percent of the time, so be patient.

I never attain adhesion but these days rarely miss compressive tension.



Good luck.

So there you go. Not a build for a newb maybe but I like experiments and learning through trial and error what makes things tick and how to hotrod the junk outta it. Maybe we need to start a kanger hotrod thread.

cig

 

[Danrogers]

Is 30g easier to use than 32, or maybe 29g for my Pt2 mini. The more I read the more I am confused about which wire to use.

1 am wanting to go 18 ohms with a 1/16 drill bit and cotton.


Need some direction

 

[Danrogers]

Mac, you are probably the hardest working guy on this entire forum, all the research you do that helps others build their own coils the right way the first time out of the gate. I had an idea this afternoon, do a video or series of vids showing all us newbies how you build coils for the PT2 Mini and other tanks. It is one thing to read and another to watch someone build and explain why and how they do what they do.

Think about it.

 

[Monotremata]

Actually you CAN get a 5/64" drill bit all the way down but its tricky! If you CAREFULLY slide the coil onto the cut end of the bit off the shaft you can get it to go down.. The really hard part is now you have to very carefully and slowly unscrew the bit out, but it can be done! The chuck end is a hair too bit but the 'threads' will fit.

 

[MacTechVpr]

Actually you CAN get a 5/64" drill bit all the way down but its tricky! If you CAREFULLY slide the coil onto the cut end of the bit off the shaft you can get it to go down.. The really hard part is now you have to very carefully and slowly unscrew the bit out, but it can be done! The chuck end is a hair too bit but the 'threads' will fit.

On occasion true! Some of the slots run oversized. Careful you don't have a knockoff. It could be the cause of nasty inconsistencies elsewhere (like maybe leaking past threads, to name one). If you keep having a problem now and again try marking your head assembly (try not to mix components). If the problem reoccurs, toss it!

No greater frustration than getting a bit or blank stuck in your install. Odds are if you did, the wind's too tight and you will go hot, negating the advantage of a t.m.c.

Taught is the ticket. And if just enough to get it out, you've tensioned both the wind and end turns adequately. You've got that and changes are darn good you'll go full micro inside of 2-3 short pops. A ceramic tweezer to coax any wire imperfections into contact as you do that and you're good to go.

Good luck.

 

[Monotremata]

Yeah it was a bit tricky unscrewing it out of the coil so I only did that a couple times before I remembered I had an actual bit set with a 1/16 haha.
Definitely all legit coils. My PT2 must've been in inventory for awhile cause it actually came with the older rubber grommets on em. My 5 packs were all the newer silicone ones..

The only reason that bit will work like that is cause on the cut end of the bit you can kinda stick it in using the threads since its not the whole diameter. But its tricky finding two spots perfectly aligned on each end and if you don't, you can bend out the cup. Flood city!

 

[Marc411]

Damn near everything I've learned about rebuilding PT heads came from this thread and Mac you have consistently pointed me in the right direction.

I hoping this will help someone. I use 28 gauge kanthal with 9 wraps on a 5/64 mandrel on all my heads. The best solution I found for easily building the head is to slide the coil off the mandrel, slide it on round toothpick to hold it in place during the build. Once the toothpick and coil are seated in the head I simply take the ground, pull it snug and bend it to hold the coil in place. Thread the positive through the Silicone Insulator pull it snug and bend it over, add the pin. I clip the remaining leads off while the toothpick is still in the coil to keep it straight.

I'm not a pro by any means but this has worked great for me.

First post in an outstanding thread

 

[cigatron]

Yeah it was a bit tricky unscrewing it out of the coil so I only did that a couple times before I remembered I had an actual bit set with a 1/16 haha.
Definitely all legit coils. My PT2 must've been in inventory for awhile cause it actually came with the older rubber grommets on em. My 5 packs were all the newer silicone ones..

The only reason that bit will work like that is cause on the cut end of the bit you can kinda stick it in using the threads since its not the whole diameter. But its tricky finding two spots perfectly aligned on each end and if you don't, you can bend out the cup. Flood city!

Mono it shouldn't flood even with the slots drilled out to 5/64". In fact I'm running an .070 coil in a 5/64" drilled MiniAero and don't experience any flooding with proper draw effort and wattage settings. It actually flows better than the previous 5/64" coil when using kgd. Cotton swells a lot.

cig

 

[Monotremata]

Hmm I should use one as a guinea pig and try it! Its the wicking that does flood control anyways. I put the PT away when the Kayfun arrived but a couple of the juices I made are tank crackers so that guys day is not over yet! Go figure its my beloved green apple too!

 

[MacTechVpr]

Is 30g easier to use than 32, or maybe 29g for my Pt2 mini. The more I read the more I am confused about which wire to use.

1 am wanting to go 18 ohms with a 1/16 drill bit and cotton.


Need some direction

Mac, you are probably the hardest working guy on this entire forum, all the research you do that helps others build their own coils the right way the first time out of the gate. I had an idea this afternoon, do a video or series of vids showing all us newbies how you build coils for the PT2 Mini and other tanks. It is one thing to read and another to watch someone build and explain why and how they do what they do.

Think about it.

Mission Statement: To devise a consistently good (flavor, vapor) effective and repeatable build with reliable electrical efficiency that can easily be done relatively by most any vaper new to rebuilding. Learning curve = 4 hours, or one rebuilding session (3 days of practice to perfect). Product = (1) tension wound microcoil + (1) standard Protank (equiv) atomizer head.

Mission accomplished.

The only requirement on the part of the user for success is to truly grasp the principle that nature through the principle of strain, not force (compression), is doing most of the heavy lifting by stabilizing the element in a manner not easily accomplished through external pressure. This is what saves us time and heartache. Tension.

The rest has come out of repetition. The countless tests of conformance and deviation. To find the desirable center that the design best responds to in terms of localization and to address other stresses like lead tension, their effect on geometry and performance. There is a happy center.

That center seems to suggest that 29 AWG dan affords the best output in a responsive zone of resistance (~1.8-2.0Ω) with good contact area for the wire for its thickness (durability too) and being easy to work. AWG 30 offers a bit more liveliness of response but is a tad more fragile and a bit more demanding to perfect as a micro (more easily distorted). And 28 AWG is an awesome wire to go to for more robust performance at slightly lower res. Right smack in the middle is 29 AWG.

I recommend ceramic braided wicking because…it threads! Can I say it again people? It threads consistently! Serendipitously, it's diameter also corresponds closely to the wick slot on a clearo head. And Kanger's seem to love a lot of wick (when given enough power). Accordingly the wind or coil diameter that best conforms to that slot is #50 wire gauge (.07", 1.778mm). A bit size that by now if they had any sense would be as common at every vape shop as juice, along with a suitable pin vise. But sadly the vast majority of them are still relating the uniquely unpredictable hand wind to their customers even as the community itself has had the sense to see the advantages of the microcoil. I guess you can't very effectively push plainly visible fishing knots that are resale coils while telling your customers there's something better out there for their vape. So it would seem the one-off (let's see if this coil works this time) hand wind ubiquitous in every commercial coil product will have to disappear before the t.m.c. becomes the every day phenomena.

What motivated my mission is that…it's only a matter of time before a solution is either adopted by the public that optimizes and perfects performance or one is imposed on us.

As for the efficacy of the t.m.c., I am so confident of the elegant simplicity and performance of Nextel and a tensioned micro that I do not see a commercial product approaching its performance at an affordable cost. That is a blessing for you, the public. It buys you time but not much to show that you are determined to control your vaping future. Before our pastime is regulated into vape-in-a-box conformity by the powers that would.

I undertook the path to optimizing my own, disseminating what I found and urging all of you who've benefitted from learning the techniques and the underlying science to pass it on to friends, family and all. Don't forget to refer them back to my blog or this thread for the straight scoop. I know I can't remember everything written here. Maybe that's why I repeat myself so often.

Thanks for the kudos and good luck dan. You know you can always find me here or someone equally capable and helpful.

 

[Monotremata]

Mac knows! I finally got a spool of 29ga last week and its MUCH easier to work than 32 hah! I didn't wanna yank my twisted 32ga when I got it but I couldn't resist. Now my micros actually have REAL surface area when I hit 1.5-1.8 ohms. The 32ga that was only like 4-5 wraps. I got 9 or 10 out of the 29ga and am at a nice 1.8 ohms. I still haven't tried it in the Kanger heads yet but it looks like it'll still fit and if Mac does it, then ya know it just plain works!

 

[chanelvaps]

Can you please elaborate on this sentence below (from this post)

Second, in assembly focus critically on setting the neg lead at the bottom of the cup exactly perpendicular and opposite of the point of exit from the coil.

(See what I mean cig, that's what I'm talkin' about. Awful easy to give folks the wrong impression when the thread starts to go esoteric. Just sayin'.)

Sorry about that Dan. Great you're not experiencing much leaking Dan. If you're rebuilding already you're a step ahead of the game as that means you've got a lot of the assembly symmetry issues under control. Also that you've vaping style won't likely overtax whatever build you ultimately select and satisfies you.

ALL 510 clearo's leak. Nature of the beast. And good feeding wicks are like a sopping wet sponge on top of your car battery. It's gonna misfire. Give you inadequate power and there ya go…flooding. Chaining, deep repeated pulls, etc. all may stress any vaporizer beyond its design limits when it's already at or above typical temperature.

Which leads to what helps keeps that from happening which is good efficient heat transfer. And that's what a tensioned micro does. Put a consistent uniform pattern of heat on your wick. That's what gives you the best shot at that kind of heat transfer and vaporization. You can put a good fuel line in but no spark you get a wet tail pipe. What it is. But something I've had to reinforce of late as I run into more and more tensioned users. You gotta have the power up and consistent once you open up that spigot.

So nothin' to be concerned about. It's not so hard to do or make happen. As happens often it's mostly about learning the body mechanics and developing the minor motor memory. It's also about undoing some of the motions we've already wrongly learned if we've been rebuilding.

As you look through and try some of these approaches dan, I'd say pay particular attention to two details. First, once you find the sweet spot of adhesion for a wire dia. wind as consistently as possible end-to-end. With that as a goal you'll toss far fewer winds. Second, in assembly focus critically on setting the neg lead at the bottom of the cup exactly perpendicular and opposite of the point of exit from the coil. Once you nail that each time the rest of the assembly seems to flow. Not for everyone no doubt some will argue but for the vast majority of users I've trained personally.

Good luck and shout out if you hang up dan.

 

[MacTechVpr]

Damn near everything I've learned about rebuilding PT heads came from this thread and Mac you have consistently pointed me in the right direction.

I hoping this will help someone. I use 28 gauge kanthal with 9 wraps on a 5/64 mandrel on all my heads. The best solution I found for easily building the head is to slide the coil off the mandrel, slide it on round toothpick to hold it in place during the build. Once the toothpick and coil are seated in the head I simply take the ground, pull it snug and bend it to hold the coil in place. Thread the positive through the Silicone Insulator pull it snug and bend it over, add the pin. I clip the remaining leads off while the toothpick is still in the coil to keep it straight.

I'm not a pro by any means but this has worked great for me.

First post in an outstanding thread

Congrats Marc. The fact you're doing well is that you've obviously gotten real good at localization. And paying attention to that, what the design requires as to orientation, pays dividends in flavor and performance. Things are made a certain way for a reason. They don't just make this sh!!t up. They actually pay real engineers real money...well maybe I'm speculating there…something akin to real money...to come up with working designs. Unfortunately they don't really provide us a lot of info on best use for us along with that. So we figure it out on this thread.

The second part of this, the crucial part that ultimately handles more than 90% of issues beyond a t.m.c., is how we handle termination. The geometry of our build in relation to the structure of the tank is equally as important as where we put it. In layman's terms, is the element itself as precise as the tank? In part that's what winding a t.m.c. does…it makes the coil as consistent as reasonably practical to achieve. The tank doesn't behave differently each and every time. The coil shouldn't either.

And that's where winding on a consistent diameter can also add dividends. I'm sure you've read it before, so it's a suggestion to all, get yourself a pin vise and .07" bit. If you think you're getting consistent now…you, with your skills will absolutely nail it. Just a suggestion bro I hope you'll consider.

The other thing which I'm going to start seriously recommending is for you all to try Nextel. I know there are some of you who'll swear they'll never use anything but an organic. But I would ask, why exactly will you be baking your Christmas turkey on a ceramic baking dish??? If your answer is the innocuous nature of the material and its extreme heat resistance then you already know why you should be using Nextel.

The second most important reason to use ceramic wicking is that with a very slight deflection of this ~2.0mm wick just below .07" you find its optimal and splendid performance. And that is precisely what the Protank's 1.8mm slot calls for as a maximal wick size. Then this material is like a million miniature hoses delivers eliquid at a rate no other media including organics remotely approaches.

So if you really want to try the grand experiment on what your tank is capable of, try perfecting that. It's a 7-8$ investment which works out to pennies as you can keep on using these coils for months on end. The current 18-turn monster in a Mega is out like 3 weeks or more. I dry burned and rinsed it the first time a few days ago.

Consequently cig that's when I started having the bothersome flooding issues. And this seems to validate the assumptions that ceramic wick in operation opens up broad internal channels. Cleaning a broken in wick would suddenly make them even more so. And bumping up the power to 19W on this config has totally stabilized it. So this reaffirms the deduction that more power is possible, indeed needed, for Nextel and particularly so as the inter-fiber channels accommodate themselves. And for this particular coil configuration it's a healthy dose at 19W for stability.

For those of you wanting to approximate the Nextel experience, KGD Japanese cotton's fibers are extremely similar and sufficiently more linear than ordinary cotton to simulate the directional flow of synthetics like Eko and Nextel. You'll need a density in the wick slightly tighter than you might use in a dripper. And you'll need the extra material to help fill the slot. It's been a while and I'm sure there are far more of you adept at this aspect of KGD density in the PT than I.

The one thing that won't be happening with Nextel is it won't be sagging changing its geometry in a day or two and consequently vaporization results unlike KGD, rayon and other materials some suppose are linear wicks.

For me and those of us who can't be rewicking every other day or three ceramic wicking is a true blessing. Within a day or two of break-in practically none of you would know the difference between it and cotton in play a few hours. I know, I've done blind tests on this. In fact many of you will be saying, "That's great! Is that cotton?" (The most common question.)

At the end of the day marc this is about making our lives simpler, the results of our rebuilding reliable and more satisfying.

Great to have you with us!

Good luck.

 

[MacTechVpr]

Can you please elaborate on this sentence below (from this post)

Second, in assembly focus critically on setting the neg lead at the bottom of the cup exactly perpendicular and opposite of the point of exit from the coil.

I'll try briefly and hopefully this pic may help...

First you'll notice that both leads which are crimped on the wall of the cup are perpindicular to the bit (axis of the coil). What you don't see is the rotation of the coil or where the wire came from. For the lead pointing right, the wire turn exited from the top left of the coil to the right. So on the other end of the bit the wind the wind is exiting from the bottom right of the bit and to the left. No there is no grassy knoll.

So sum up, exit at the turn implies both a perpendicular termination and one where the leads terminate on the opposite side of the coil from the straight down position. That and a little tension take up the lead slack and consequently the loose end turn.

And the purpose for this is to keep the end turn as taught as possible by using the geometry rather than tension. To form an angle which makes the end turn less likely to push up with torquing on of the tank or at initial push up of the pin. The whole purpose was related on the post Exit in rotation of turn, #1366 and refined on the post Refinements to lead set and termination, #2215 where I explain...

Basic rule of thumb I follow these days (after going back and forth several times) which I'll describe here. When I begin assembly (grommet insert) while making sure bit is firmly at bottom of slot with index and middle finger, coil inverted, I immediately set the neg at, let's say, the 11 O'clock position bend the lead up towards to top of the assembly then use the grommet to trap it in that precise spot pushing the grommet in only half-way or so.

So if you look at the above pic, having crimped the lead pointing to the left at the 11 O-clock giving it a slight tug and holding it with your thumb, invert the assembly and make sure that the lead is taught on the coil. If so, slip the grommet then over the designated pos wire and trap that lead at this point at this spot.

My saved search for neg leads (sometimes the search works as intended)...

Search Forums - E-Cigarette Forum

Hope this helps to identify the position. The body mechanics part leading to it needs to be honed in, for all of us. The finger movements, wrist rotation all these little things that make up your wind style in the end. But this and the final push in I think are the two points we need to be really deliberate. It's not that we're stepping out of zen…but more like the point of contact with the ball. We need to really see it! When you do, when you make that perfect alignment happen, the ball goes where you want it to. Pardon the sports analogy but it works. And it's true! We need the concentrated attention at this specific point to break through the automation we're invoking in the machine.

Good luck chanel and we're here if you need us.

 

[Danrogers]

Mac, 29g wire it is thanks. Nextel, looked for it on Amazon...what is the exact name and where do I find it.

 

[Marc411]

Mac, thank you for the recommendations. The pin vice is already a part of my build kit, the .07 pin will be shortly. I will give this method and the Nextel a run, it would be a welcome option. Longevity of the coil and wick would be a definite bonus in my Protanks.

 

[MacTechVpr]

Mac, 29g wire it is thanks. Nextel, looked for it on Amazon...what is the exact name and where do I find it.

Mac, thank you for the recommendations. The pin vice is already a part of my build kit, the .07 pin will be shortly. I will give this method and the Nextel a run, it would be a welcome option. Longevity of the coil and wick would be a definite bonus in my Protanks.

Well fella's I can't promise you perfection. But I can give you the best tools I know how to get there.

First on wire let me say there are quite a few good vape vendor's out there that handle Kanthal resistance wire. However, few have and I know of none presently that sell it on 7mm spools except for TEMCO. I count them as a vape company because they are a major service to the community and Sandvik's (the maker) rep routinely makes presentations at vape shows. I recommend them because of this and the very important fact that they're the only ones that sell the product on a rigid spool. This is an essential tool for tension winding. Other vendors are either unaware of the increasing number of users winding with tension or ignore us.

Here's the Kanthal product page and you may find 29AWG in as small a batch as 25 ft. for $2.72 on a proper non-collapsing spool (rather than spools for jewelry winding or some such bobbin). Save the spools when empty. They're great for splits on large buys or for spooling up small quantities acquired elsewhere. Don't think TEMCO has an MOQ and freight is the straight applicable 1st Class PP. They ship reasonably fast, within a day or so.

Once you've achieved assembling a t.m.c. expect a marked smooth coolness reflecting the increased effectiveness in heat transfer. You can always adjust temperature later to the warmer or cooler by increasing or decreasing turns, bit diameter or both. But uniform oxidation mostly cures the phenomenon of heat loss caused by gaps in oxidation which makes standard winds unpredictable and so ensuring a more complete transfer of energy to the wick. You won't be wasting power cooking your juice rather than vaping it so less of the inclination of your Protank to leak and gurgle as well.

These days I'm winding with a pin vise rather than the screwdriver in the above pic last Fall. I'm also resting the spool more directly on a surface and rotating my wrist so that the thumb pushes away from the coil rather than straighter down as above. I'm using much thicker wire I might add. So there's a slightly longer distance from the spool to the bit but not much. It's only about 1.5-2" is all. The longer the section of wire the harder you must spool as the strain you're applying is distributed over the entire length. The shorter that lead the less you must pull.

If you run into a problem in the wind hail us here. But basically, start with a consistent lightly taught wind the first few turns then gradually step up the tension. It's all in the distance from the spool to the bit. Keep slightly increasing that strain every turn and you will soon, within a very few wraps, see the point at which the turns will not release when you ease off. That is the point of adhesion. It will probably take you a few winds to find that spot consistently. Then it will become intuitively Memorex. Even if you end up winding pretzels for a living you'll always have it in your repertoire to fall back on when you need a good vape bad. And you'll be glad to have it.

Wish you luck guys.



p.s. Not to overlook or endorse but Kidney Puncher who is of great support to rebuilders did start early this year to sell Kanthal on rigid spools, to their credit. Kudos and thanks KP. Hope you get the XS silica back.

 

[cigatron]

Mac, 29g wire it is thanks. Nextel, looked for it on Amazon...what is the exact name and where do I find it.

Dan, probably the most consistent quality source for kanthal A1 is temcoindustrialsupply. Free shipping too.

For nextel its gonna be readyxwick 2mm (slim) from rbasupply

Hope this helps and good luck,

cig

 

[cigatron]

Well fella's I can't promise you perfection. But I can give you the best tools I know how to get there.

First on wire let me say there are quite a few good vape vendor's out there that handle Kanthal resistance wire. However, few have and I know of none presently that sell it on 7mm spools except for TEMCO. I count them as a vape company because they are a major service to the community and Sandvik's (the maker) rep routinely makes presentations at vape shows. I recommend them because of this and the very important fact that they're the only ones that sell the product on a rigid spool. This is an essential tool for tension winding. Other vendors are either unaware of the increasing number of users winding with tension or ignore us.

Here's the Kanthal product page and you may find 29AWG in as small a batch as 25 ft. for $2.72 on a proper non-collapsing spool (rather than spools for jewelry winding or some such bobbin). Save the spools when empty. They're great for splits on large buys or for spooling up small quantities acquired elsewhere. Don't think TEMCO has an MOQ and freight is the straight applicable 1st Class PP. They ship reasonably fast, within a day or so.

Once you've achieved assembling a t.m.c. expect a marked smooth coolness reflecting the increased effectiveness in heat transfer. You can always adjust temperature later to the warmer or cooler by increasing or decreasing turns, bit diameter or both. But uniform oxidation mostly cures the phenomenon of heat loss caused by gaps in oxidation which makes standard winds unpredictable and so ensuring a more complete transfer of energy to the wick. You won't be wasting power cooking your juice rather than vaping it so less of the inclination of your Protank to leak and gurgle as well.

These days I'm winding with a pin vise rather than the screwdriver in the above pic last Fall. I'm also resting the spool more directly on a surface and rotating my wrist so that the thumb pushes away from the coil rather than straighter down as above. I'm using much thicker wire I might add. So there's a slightly longer distance from the spool to the bit but not much. It's only about 1.5-2" is all. The longer the section of wire the harder you must spool as the strain you're applying is distributed over the entire length. The shorter that lead the less you must pull.

If you run into a problem in the wind hail us here. But basically, start with a consistent lightly taught wind the first few turns then gradually step up the tension. It's all in the distance from the spool to the bit. Keep slightly increasing that strain every turn you will soon, within a very few wraps see the point at which the turns will not release when you ease off. That is the point of adhesion. It will probably take you a few winds to find that spot consistently. Then it will become intuitively Memorex. Even if you end up winding pretzels for a living you'll always have it in your repertoire to fall back on when you need a good vape bad. And you'll be glad to have it.

Wish you luck guys.



p.s. Not to overlook or endorse but Kidney Puncher who is of great support to rebuilders did start early this year to sell Kanthal on rigid spools, to their credit. Kudos and thanks KP. Hope you get the XS silica back.

Good post Mac. You may want to reconsider this statement however:

"The longer the section of wire the harder you must spool as the strain you're applying is distributed over the entire length. The shorter that lead the less you must pull."


It may seem that way because as your hands/fingers move further apart you lose leverage however the stress (tension) required to achieve compressive tension (adhesion as you call it) is identical no matter what length the wire is. Physics bro!

cig