Question about cotton wick in a Vivi Nova

[Innereye]

So I recently recoiled my Vivi head with new Kanthal and cotton wick from boiled cheesecloth. The coil comes in at 3.0 ohms and I'm throwing 4.5 volts at it from my Provari. I'm currently getting a very muted taste and a bit of a metallic taste as well. This I assume is from the kanthal needing to "break-in".

My question is whether or not the cotton also needs time to break in. Will the taste and throat hit eventually improve?
Questions or suggestions are definitely welcome.

 

[steved5600]

Did you boil the wick first. I did that on the suggestion from the forum. It will get out any stuff that my get on it in the factory. Unprimed wick is a must. May want to put a drop directly onto the coil. Other than that I out of ideas.

Oh almost forgot. Have you tried a higher voltage to see what happens. Your at 6.75 watts right now. 8 watts is near the top for most.

 

[Innereye]

Did you boil the wick first. I did that on the suggestion from the forum. It will get out any stuff that my get on it in the factory. Unprimed wick is a must. May want to put a drop directly onto the coil. Other than that I out of ideas.

Oh almost forgot. Have you tried a higher voltage to see what happens. Your at 6.75 watts right now. 8 watts is near the top for most.

I did boil the cheesecloth first and I have been putting a drop or two directly onto the coil before the first firing to avoid any burning of the cotton. By "unprimed" do you mean natural cotton, as in unbleached, untreated etc? As far as I know it is untreated but I will look into it a little more.

 

[steved5600]

I did boil the cheesecloth first and I have been putting a drop or two directly onto the coil before the first firing to avoid any burning of the cotton. By "unprimed" do you mean natural cotton, as in unbleached, untreated etc? As far as I know it is untreated but I will look into it a little more.

Some wicks like for candles come primed with wax. I just put that in for a reader (not you) who was a first timer. I figured you would not have done that. LOL
If you boiled it that should be enough to clean it.

 

[steved5600]

One thing did come to mind. There may have been something like oil on the coil wire. Could need to oxidize some. But that should have gone away after the first couple of hits. If you find out anything It would be helpful to post it. I may have to use alcohol on my wire on first coil rebuild (coming soon) to make sure the wire is clean. Knock on wood I have been able to clean and dry burn my vivi so far. I did rewick another type with cotton. But it was a bottom coil. The wick was just touching the coil not inside it.

 

[Walleye05]

I am having same issue OP is having, muted taste. At first it was funny then it got better, I could taste the flavor then it just became muted after that. Once in a while I would get the flavor for a moment, then its gone back to muted flavor.

I am using cheese cloth and kanthal A1 32ga wire, running about 2.4 ohms in vivi nova 2.5 head on a provari running various voltages.

Funny thing is we both are in Minnesota, maybe its a minnesota weather affecting us? lol

BTW I bought a gauze from pharmacy, its sertlized 100% cotton, I'm going to give that a try to see if it makes a difference.

also other thing is that I did file the slots on the head to make it wider.

 

[Scott_Simpson]

Well, I'm intrigued by this because my own experience is just the opposite. I have two 3.5ml Vivi Novas and I've re-built both heads using 33 gauge Kanthal A-1 on a 40-thread cheesecloth wick based essentially on Quigsworth's tutorial, and the vapor and flavor are simply outstanding. I'm using juices with which I'm VERY familiar ... I know what they should taste like (i.e., dripped in an HH357), and they taste exactly the same coming out if the VNs! No exaggeration at all, and I also re-wick my two Penelopes with CC, and the results are just the same ... wish I could understand what the difference is.

 

[Walleye05]

Well, I'm intrigued by this because my own experience is just the opposite. I have two 3.5ml Vivi Novas and I've re-built both heads using 33 gauge Kanthal A-1 on a 40-thread cheesecloth wick based essentially on Quigsworth's tutorial, and the vapor and flavor are simply outstanding. I'm using juices with which I'm VERY familiar ... I know what they should taste like (i.e., dripped in an HH357), and they taste exactly the same coming out if the VNs! No exaggeration at all, and I also re-wick my two Penelopes with CC, and the results are just the same ... wish I could understand what the difference is.

where did you get the cheese cloth? I cannot find a cheesecloth that says what it is like 100% unbleached, cotton, or whatever, or how many thread counts. Its just a bag that says cheesecloth and made out of cotton marked on it.

 

[Scott_Simpson]

LOL ... I got mine at Meijer. The brand-name is FaberWare, and the package says 100% cotton. One and a half square yards for $3. Probably enough to keep me in wicks for a few years ...

BTW, I don't think I've ever seen any CC that lists thread count on the package. By "40-thread" I just mean that the piece of CC I cut to roll into a wick has (about) 40 threads ...

 

[Walleye05]

Mine was 36inch wide by 2 yards long for 5.74 at walmart

I just dont understand what is causing it to have muted flavor

I just made one out of Johnson & Johnson sertile gauze pad that i bought at walgreens, its not turning out very well at this moment.

 

[Scott_Simpson]

I think it's possible that your coil may be choking your wick ... when I do mine, I roll the CC on a straightened-out jumbo paper clip (this is my variation on Quigsworth's method). I dampen the CC just slightly with distilled water so it kind sticks to itself and doesn't unravel while I'm wrapping the coil. While I'm rolling the CC on the wire, I take care to keep the threads straight and parallel to the wire; I don't want it corkscrewing around the wire. The idea is to have 40 individual wicks running straight through the coil. The wavy threads of the CC that run perpendicular to the straight threads just hold those 40 threads into a loose tube, and it's this "threads in a tube" construction that makes the CC such an effective wicker. Anyway, I wrap my coil fairly tightly around the CC with the wire in the middle, and I space out the coils and get them just like I want them—also making sure that the coil will comfortable fit in that dinky little tube in the head—then I center the coil in the head, hold it in place with a finger on top, and slip out the wire. Then I just slide the coil all the way down until the wick hits the bottom of the notches and complete the build as normal.

I might add ...

1. I do my coils with NR legs; I want to concentrate all the heat on the coil, and I don't want to burn the plug in the base of the head that pinches the negative and positive posts against their respective wires.

2. I do not use any kind of over-wicking or double-wicking; just the one 40-thread CC wick.

3. I cut the wicks so they touch the bottom of the tank plus a little ... my wicks form a slight spiral around the center post.

Hope that helps ...

 

[Walleye05]

Well maybe its my coils are not heating up on the wick and heating the legs instead... Because I am using a full length resistiance wire. I'll have to look around tomorrow in town for some 32ga NR wires to give it a try.

 

[Scott_Simpson]

I use 30 gauge .999 dead-soft silver. If you've go a Hobby Lobby or a Michael's in town, I think in their jewelry making section they have Sterling Silver wire that should work (Sterling is .95 fine, not enough to make much difference, electrically),

 

[Walleye05]

I got to run to walmart in a moment, I'll take a look in crafts dept while I am there.

How would I tie the NR and R wires together?

 

[Scott_Simpson]

Watch Scott Bonner's (igetcha69) video ... this is on the Odysseus, but the technique for wrapping the NR and R wires together is essentially the same for all NR-R-NR coils. The wrapping is demonstrated at about 6:24 into the video. It looks like a hassle, but it's really easy ... with practice!

 

[Walleye05]

Well I found some 24 and 30 ga silver beading wires, boy that was a struggle at first, that guy in the video sure made it look like it was easy! But after a few attempts I found a way to grasp on the wires good and get good tie.

Wrapped it around the wick, put it in the head, it reads .3ohms....... Idk what just happened, before I put it in, it was reading 2.1 ohms. Back to another attempt.

That odysseus looks really easy to work on! Looks like it works well. Is that what everyone calls Ody?

 

[stevo9]

Yep that's a ody. It's taken me a month I get one, it should be here tomorrow! I've also done cotton wick in vivi's. I just used 100% cotton yarn that I got from michaels. It works great. You can also double up your kanthal legs and twist them together instead of using nr wire for the legs. I haven't burned a robber stopper yet doing this.

 

[empot]

Maybe the coils are wrapped to tightly on the wick?

 

[Walleye05]

Here is picture of my rebuilt head that I used a full tank on it. There is no modifcation to the legs, just wrap it then set it in the head. This one has muted taste. coil does not feel like its blocking the wick. But hard to say.

another thing, is clouds of vapor only place to get ody? they are out of stock.

 

[nipurava]

can i u use Gauze bandage to make the wick?
has any one tried it?