Questions on a Freakshow Dual Coil Build

[comeonhitme]

Happy Easter

I just got a Freakshow rda not too long ago and tried my first build on it today. It was my first build ever. Took a while to get a set of matching coils.
I tryed a dual coil build with 26g Kanthal A-1 , 6 wraps each coming in at 0.4ohm as the final read on the build.

A lot of videos I see people are using ceramic tweezers. As expected when I went to test the coils and heat them up they glowed from the outside at first. Then i used my jewelers pliers to gently squeeze them together. Did this a few times and they were glowing fairly evenly from inside out. But I have seen people sticking rods through the coil and also using the ceramic tweezers. Am i doing something wrong here by just using my pliers?

The build seems to be working nonetheless.

Also I was wondering when to change the cotton. In terms of changing flavor you need a new piece of cotton? Will the coil and/or cotton need to be changed frequently?

Thanks for the help. Happy Easter everyone

 

[State O' Flux]

Happy Easter

I just got a Freakshow RDA not too long ago and tried my first build on it today. It was my first build ever. Took a while to get a set of matching coils.
I tryed a dual coil build with 26g Kanthal A-1 , 6 wraps each coming in at 0.4ohm as the final read on the build.
All sounds right so far.

A lot of videos I see people are using ceramic tweezers. As expected when I went to test the coils and heat them up they glowed from the outside at first. Then i used my jewelers pliers to gently squeeze them together. Did this a few times and they were glowing fairly evenly from inside out. But I have seen people sticking rods through the coil and also using the ceramic tweezers. Am i doing something wrong here by just using my pliers?
What you're doing is just fine. Using the mandrel you built the coil on ("people sticking rods through the coil") is a good way to adjust the coil position relative to AFC and juice well, or adjusting the angle without distorting the wraps.
Ceramics are for people who just can't get their finger off the button, before touching the coil with metal. Good to have them, but not mandatory.

The build seems to be working nonetheless.

In terms of changing flavor you need a new piece of cotton?
Yep... cause the old flavor will linger and screw up the new flavor.

Will the coil and/or cotton need to be changed frequently?

Replace cotton as often as it gunks up and is detrimental to performance. Coil? Coils can last for months if the juice vaporizes cleanly and doesn't gunk up the coil. If you have to dry burn the coil often (assuming Kanthal A-1 here), it can lead to a loss of alumina content (the part that electrically insulates the inner iron/chromium core)... which will then warrant coil replacement.

 

[facedown]

You're doing just fine. Ceramic tweezers tend to speed the process a bit because you can compress the coil while you heat it but they are most certainly not required. You can use a rod to straighten up the coils or "unbend" them if they get a bit skewed while you're trying to compress them but DO NOT fire the coil with the rod in there.

If you change flavors you generally need to change the wicking unless the flavors are fairly close, like say strawberry to raspberry. Then the first few pulls will taste like a blend but then you'll get into the new one pretty soon. If the juice is a "gunker", dark/sticky, you may need to change the wicking anyway. If the vapor starts to taste off or a little burnt just pull it off, burn off the coils, and rewick. Only takes a minute.