Re-wicking questions

[jrgleason2003]

Hi all,

I just rewicked one of my T3's and I seem to have a weird issue. I am using Kanthal A1 34aug wire and 3mm wick. I wrapped it 4 times (using a paper clip under the wick while wrapping) and take 2 strands of my 3mm wick to make a flavor wick. I put it back together and throw it on my resistance meter. The problem I have is that is shows 0.0 resistance. If I twist the base (the part that goes onto the battery) it will give me .04. After tweaking it by twisting the various parts I can get it to show 2.5ohms. When I throw one of the pre-made bases on there is shows 1.9-2.0 ohms every time. Also, I get a really weird taste after rewicking and it really mutes the flavors.

So my question is this

1) Could the random ohm reading I am getting have anything to do with how close I cut the Kanthal? I try to get it really close but some (maybe 1/8") sticks out

2) What could be causing the weird taste? Am I wrapping the coils to tight?

Any ideas/suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[InTheShade]

The random ohm reading is probably being caused (as you suspected) by the little ends you left on the wire. If you can feel them, they're too long. Well, not exactly, but it's my motto. You can often get closer simply by bending the wire and wiggling it right at the join with the bottom of the base - if not, a good pair (or a crap pair will do) of nail clippers. Also, look down the top with a flashlight and try to see your wires, you may have one of the wires brushing the side of the inside post and as you wiggle the base, it's making contact inside.

The weird taste, have you had a successful build using that wick before? Did you buy the wick from a reputable supplier or is it something you picked up locally. Is is silica? If your coils are too tight, it could cut the juice supply to the head, but I have found that if I wrap my coil that tight that it stops the wicking of the juice, it also starts to cut through the silica so it's easy to notice.

You could try dripping a few drops directly on to the coil and vape it - if it tastes ok, you know it's a wicking issue. At a pinch, you can pull the cotton off a q-tip and use that as a wick, but it burns easily so be careful. You're going to have to do some detective work on this.

Keep at it, I was frustrated beyond belief when I first started rewicking / recoiling that I wanted to punch a baby*, but it's worth sticking at.

*not a real baby of course.

 

[jrgleason2003]

The random ohm reading is probably being caused (as you suspected) by the little ends you left on the wire. If you can feel them, they're too long. Well, not exactly, but it's my motto. You can often get closer simply by bending the wire and wiggling it right at the join with the bottom of the base - if not, a good pair (or a crap pair will do) of nail clippers. Also, look down the top with a flashlight and try to see your wires, you may have one of the wires brushing the side of the inside post and as you wiggle the base, it's making contact inside.

The weird taste, have you had a successful build using that wick before? Did you buy the wick from a reputable supplier or is it something you picked up locally. Is is silica? If your coils are too tight, it could cut the juice supply to the head, but I have found that if I wrap my coil that tight that it stops the wicking of the juice, it also starts to cut through the silica so it's easy to notice.

You could try dripping a few drops directly on to the coil and vape it - if it tastes ok, you know it's a wicking issue. At a pinch, you can pull the cotton off a q-tip and use that as a wick, but it burns easily so be careful. You're going to have to do some detective work on this.

Keep at it, I was frustrated beyond belief when I first started rewicking / recoiling that I wanted to punch a baby*, but it's worth sticking at.

*not a real baby of course.

Thanks for the input! The taste issue - I made sure the coils weren't touching the post and also made sure that they weren't too tight. I may chalk it up to them being fresh wick from a bad supplier. It was cheap...only $4 for 3ft compared to some of the other prices I've seen. I hear you on the frustration level, I feel like I wasted half my wicking supply just trying to get it right. Punching babies, puppies, and kittens all crossed my mind today trying to get this thing re-wicked lol.

 

[cedric212]

1) Could the random ohm reading I am getting have anything to do with how close I cut the Kanthal? I try to get it really close but some (maybe 1/8") sticks out

Try pushing the extra negative lead wire upward against side of the wall and stuff the positive lead under the positive pin using a small flathead screwdriver.

2) What could be causing the weird taste? Am I wrapping the coils to tight?

Sounds like using too much wicking material, remove one or both of the flavor wicks and see if the flavor improves.

 

[jrod_141]

34 ga is going to be pretty cool, and your flavor is going to be muted somewhat. try 5 wraps of 32 ga. also, ensure that after you cut the tails off of your coil, that you wrap them around (they should basically tuck in between the metal and rubber grommet). don't think wicking is your issue. i have found that 2 strands of 3mm silica work great (no flavor wick, just wrap the 2 3mm strands with the coil)

 

[jrgleason2003]

34 ga is going to be pretty cool, and your flavor is going to be muted somewhat. try 5 wraps of 32 ga. also, ensure that after you cut the tails off of your coil, that you wrap them around (they should basically tuck in between the metal and rubber grommet). don't think wicking is your issue. i have found that 2 strands of 3mm silica work great (no flavor wick, just wrap the 2 3mm strands with the coil)

Wrapping the tails did the trick, getting a constant 2.6 ohms now! Thank you! As far as wrapping 2 3mm wicks, what would the difference be by doing that or creating 1/5mm flavor wick (or half of my 3mm wick)? Sorry for my noobiness on all this!

 

[AttyPops]

Toenail clippers = close wire trim. Just say'n. (Toenail because they are often not curved. But the smaller curved ones may work too)