RDA's - Loose Screws and Broken Leads....Help!!

[jpcwon]

Hey Guys,

So I have been dripping for about 6 months now, and loving every second of it! I started out rebuilding on Kayfuns & my Taifun, but I rapidly discovered that I prefer to use dripping atomizers. So far I have a nice collection of drippers, but my favorite ones to use are my Atomic, Brass Monkee, Crown, and Quasar.

Now, I am running into a problem with the aforementioned drippers and I cannot figure out how to remedy it. I noticed that when I build a coil (or two), I will tighten down the coil(s) and pulse them to get them glowing from the inside out. I will then add my cotton, juice, and vape away. All will be good for a while, but I have noticed that the screws in the terminal posts will sometimes come loose over time. I figure this is somewhat normal, as metal expands/contracts as the coils heat up & cool down. When I go to tighten the screws however, I am finding that the lead coming from the coil will 'break off' at the screw terminal, almost like the screw is 'punching through' the Kanthal wire.

For instance, I just built dual 26ga. macro coils in my Brass Monkee. I figured 26ga would be thick enough where I wouldn't run into this problem. After vaping on them for a few hours though, I noticed that the screws were very loose. When I went to tighten them, one of the leads snapped off.....It frustrates me, because I then have to rebuild the atty!

Has anyone else run into this problem and how do you deal with it? I don't think I am overtightening the leads - I use a small keychain screwdriver that came with my Kayfun. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[_sidekick_]

Happens to me all the time when I'm building, but it doesn't normally happen once I get it setup properly. They will come slightly loose once in a while, but they don't normally break when I re-tighten them. Just be careful with how tight you're making them. Also, check the screws/post holes for metal burrs from machining.

 

[UncleChuck]

It could be that when the posts loosen up, the bad connection between the wire and posts causes some arcing which degrades the wire making it brittle and weak. Kind of like how a hot leg resulting from a short, if repeatedly fired, will become brittle and snap if you bend it.

It's also possible the bottom of your screws are sharper than usual, I've seen a few that have a bit of flashing left over around the tip. The initial tightening will cut into the wire a little bit, but not secure the wire that well. As the coil moves, and goes through heating and cooling cycles the cut in the wire widens and the screw becomes loose. Then when you screw it down again, you are already dealing with damaged wire so the additional stress cuts the wire completely.

You could try removing your screws and passing some sand paper over the bottom of them, this should remove any sharp/raised edges and also give the whole surface a bit of grip.

Another tip is after you secure the wire, before you cut the excess leads off, pull them tightly and wiggle them side to side and in a circular motion. If you had a kink/bind in the post somewhere. this will expose it and allow you to continue tightening the screws down even mre.

 

[tobarger]

UncleChuck knows his stuff
Make sure there are no sharp edges on the ends of the screws
Sand them off if necessary
Sharp edges will definitely cut into the wire and cause a break
You want the screws to compress the wire slightly but not cut into it
I'm going to check my screws right now

 

[jpcwon]

Very good tips guys, thanks a lot!! I think I'm going to try sanding off the bottoms of my screws and see how that works....