READYxWICK for non cotton people

[olderthandirt]

Thanks supert.
Coil I wrapped today for use with the "slim" was done on a 2mm drill bit.
As loose a fit as that ends up making it's working with the high VG I vape very well. Will certainly make it a snap to pull the wick for cleaning.

 

[MacTechVpr]

Thanks supert.
Coil I wrapped today for use with the "slim" was done on a 2mm drill bit.
As loose a fit as that ends up making it's working with the high VG I vape very well. Will certainly make it a snap to pull the wick for cleaning.

Slim slides right in to 5/64" (1.98mm) which is a rather loose fit wet. It vapes ok. A testament to Nextel's efficiency. You need more compression into the wick though to get the best performance (more contact surface with coil). Yet you don't want to over-compress the fiber weave as this is much like crimping a water hose. The most common diameter which is a good snug fit on ceramic (wet) is .07" #51 wire gauge and it's still rather easy to get started and rotate right on through. Any splays can be tucked in with a small flat-heat until they catch in the wind's rotation and get pulled on through.

For 316 (thick) I'm working on 2.18mm #44 wire which is a rather tight fit but fabulous production. And I use it for quick, powerful light 5-6 wind coils in drippers for exceptional vapor production using 26/27 AWG. You will get more production, just like a water hose by squeezing it, to a point, provided you furnish enough power and air. Otherwise you just choke it. A 7/64" offers little deflection and again is rather loose wet.

With a loose fit things get dicier. Giving it more power or air is not going to avoid throttling it if you vape it hard. Where with a tight wick it may well clear it if you've over-saturated. A tighter wind can get behind the vape (dry out) if you overpower and hit or chain too hard.

The happy medium for 316 I noted earlier (or elsewhere) may lie with 2.5mm which I just got drill blanks for.

That happy center for slim could be a diameter a lot of people rave about, .065" which corresponds to a 16-Guage blunt needle. However, I prefer not to wind on needles as not rigid enough for tensioning thicker wire. Perfectly adequate in a pin vise though for say 31 AWG.

Just some thoughts this eve ODT on things I've commented on before here. Hope it helps a bit to clarify deflection. It's basically making good contact with the wick surface. It's a tool. Looser is good for consistent saturated vape avoiding the extremes of power or flow demand. You're at maximum or near. Tighter is for performance right up to Nextel's limit of both power and flow. Both extremes can be overpowered but it's not easy. All are aided by more airflow. Nextel loves it.

Good luck.

 

[olderthandirt]

That's what I thought you meant when you say deflection Mac, thanks for the clarify.

I've seen what you mean by choking already.
0.058 ID coil I made was a tight fit. Worked well to start but I could see from the speed the coil was gunking it wasn't wicking well after a short time.

Pulled that coil and the wick was indented where the coil had been. Rinsed it and torched it, the indent was gone, wick was white.
I have it in a 2.0mm ID coil now, pretty loose. Really loose! Does vape well though.

Looks like a trip to the hardware store for a cheapo #50 bit is in order (-:

 

[supertrunker]

Just killed my coil while I was dry burning. I built this coil July 1 so it was almost 3 months old.... 1 ohm, 28 gauge, 1/16th micro with 2 mm RxW. Probably about 550 ml of unflavored 24 mg went through that coil.

I have high hopes for a build of mine that's now a month old and still going. I've never even cleaned it. It's R41 using 2mm RxW. 5 wrap duals at about 0.3Ω. I'm running it on one of my Grands in a RM4.

I like the longevity of R41 wire, but it's a swine to work with compared to anything else. 3 months from a coil is pretty incredible when i think i'd go thru tank coils or cartos in 2 weeks!

T

 

[olderthandirt]

Just killed my coil while I was dry burning. I built this coil July 1 so it was almost 3 months old.... 1 ohm, 28 gauge, 1/16th micro with 2 mm RxW. Probably about 550 ml of unflavored 24 mg went through that coil.

... 3 months from a coil is pretty incredible when i think i'd go thru tank coils or cartos in 2 weeks!

T

Continue to amaze at what this RXW is capable of.

I really need a Reo.
Want, no.... Need, yes!

 

[Clark F]

I should receive my order on Monday. Looking forward to see if it works for me, even though I have a big bag of cotton I like the idea.

 

[Robinowitz]

Yes, OTD, you NEED a Reo!

Thanks Mach. I was planning on using a 16 g blunt (as I always do) when my Rx (2) arrives tomorrow?

 

[MacTechVpr]

Yes, OTD, you NEED a Reo!

Thanks Mach. I was planning on using a 16 g blunt (as I always do) when my Rx (2) arrives tomorrow?

My pleasure. Consider getting an inexpensive pin vise to support that 16G blunt. Also, order a drill blank (or two) that matches that diameter 1.6510 mm). They are more rigid and provide better support for thicker wire.

Here's a cross-referenced list [check your downloads] of potential diameters that may be useful. Blunt needle numbers are in the first column.

A reliable supplier and list of drill blank sizes I mention.

Hope all this info is helpful. Hit me up if you get hung up.

Good luck.

 

[phibbus]

So I finally ordered a foot of each size to give it a try. For the life of me, I can't figure out how you folks are threading the 2mm into a 1/16" coil.

I'm winding my 28ga Kanthal on the second smallest mandrel of either the Gizmo or the Tobeco jig clone (both are the same diameter, and both are actually a hair thicker than 1/16".)

I've tried trimming the end at every angle I can contrive, both full-section and pencil-point. I've tried torching before trimming the point, after, and both. No matter what I've done, the end splays out far enough that it just frays out around the coil as soon as it comes in contact and I try to "screw" it in (and I am turning it in the direction of the wind.) I probably went through about four inches in my first attempts, I finally had to use a piece of cellophane tape as a sort of pointed aglet. Of course, geting the tape on there was no easy chore, either, and the portion the tape covered has to be discarded due to adhesive residue (I learned that the hard way.)

Once it finally was in, it did slide pretty loosely, and it's just the last 1/8" or so at the termination that splays and is problematic. It vaped well for two days and gunked up more slowly than cotton/rayon. After four dry burns, however, it did become brittle and broke off at the coil when I inadvertently bumped it with the edge of my atty cap, tonight.

Last problem I have is that there is a visible puff of tiny fiber fragments that floats out in all directions each time I cut the stuff with my nippers (scissors are worse.) Not sure I want to be inhaling that, even if it's a tiny amount and not occurring during actual vaping. I think it might be back to rayon and cotton for me.

 

[JC Okie]

So I finally ordered a foot of each size to give it a try. For the life of me, I can't figure out how you folks are threading the 2mm into a 1/16" coil.

I'm winding my 28ga Kanthal on the second smallest mandrel of either the Gizmo or the Tobeco jig clone (both are the same diameter, and both are actually a hair thicker than 1/16".)

I've tried trimming the end at every angle I can contrive, both full-section and pencil-point. I've tried torching before trimming the point, after, and both. No matter what I've done, the end splays out far enough that it just frays out around the coil as soon as it comes in contact and I try to "screw" it in (and I am turning it in the direction of the wind.) I probably went through about four inches in my first attempts, I finally had to use a piece of cellophane tape as a sort of pointed aglet. Of course, geting the tape on there was no easy chore, either, and the portion the tape covered has to be discarded due to adhesive residue (I learned that the hard way.)

Once it finally was in, it did slide pretty loosely, and it's just the last 1/8" or so at the termination that splays and is problematic. It vaped well for two days and gunked up more slowly than cotton/rayon. After four dry burns, however, it did become brittle and broke off at the coil when I inadvertently bumped it with the edge of my atty cap, tonight.

Last problem I have is that there is a visible puff of tiny fiber fragments that floats out in all directions each time I cut the stuff with my nippers (scissors are worse.) Not sure I want to be inhaling that, even if it's a tiny amount and not occurring during actual vaping. I think it might be back to rayon and cotton for me.

Doesn't sound like you have genuine READYxWICK from RBA Supplies. I have some x-116 ceramic wick from somewhere else and it does that splaying thing on the end when I cut it, but the stuff from RBA Supplies never does that for me. And I always easily thread it through coils made on the second smallest Gizmo mandrel.

 

[Filthy-Beast]

Trick is to cut the 2mm wick on an angle. Study the wraps in the coil and think of the wraps like threads in a nut. You want to twist the wick like it's a bolt going into the threads of a nut. If you twist with the wraps of the coil they pull it through, if you twist the wrong direction then the wraps will try to push the wick back at you.

Look at the leg on the bottom of this coil. If you twist in a clockwise direction, the leg will help tuck the ends in and the wraps will pull it in. Remember it's not always clockwise I could have the wraps going the other way depending on how I make the coil.

 

[olefolks]

Beast, is the above coil a demo or are you back to micros??? LOL!

 

[rudy4653]

If you keep having trouble with the 1/16" try a 16g blunt needle to wrap. I do what FB does and also dip the angle cut end in a bit of juice to moisten before threading thru coil.
.0635 to .0650. Believe it or not that tiny difference does make a difference.

 

[Filthy-Beast]

Beast, is the above coil a demo or are you back to micros??? LOL!

It was a demo coil. In my Chalice, Divo and Cyclone I run spaced coils. But in the RM4 and Odin I'm running tight micros with long tails.
Right now I'm doing spaced with short tails when there is no well in the RBA and tight micro with long tails when the RBA has a juice well.

Here's the build I did in the RM4.

 

[phibbus]

Trick is to cut the 2mm wick on an angle. Study the wraps in the coil and think of the wraps like threads in a nut. You want to twist the wick like it's a bolt going into the threads of a nut. If you twist with the wraps of the coil they pull it through, if you twist the wrong direction then the wraps will try to push the wick back at you.

Look at the leg on the bottom of this coil. If you twist in a clockwise direction, the leg will help tuck the ends in and the wraps will pull it in. Remember it's not always clockwise I could have the wraps going the other way depending on how I make the coil.

Thanks FB. That is what I was trying, following the direction of the coil wind (which was counterclockwise on mine.)

A question: In your photo, have you re-trimmed the end, or is that what you actually fed through the coil? I definitely have the real RBA Supplies' RxW (came in the package with their cards and stickers,) but my ends aren't that tight after I clip them. There's a slight flare at about the last 1/8" of the lenght that makes the diameter of the wick a little bigger than the outside diameter of the coil. If I squeeze or wet and squeeze the end, it will sort of compress, but it flares back out as soon as it makes contact with the coil.

 

[Filthy-Beast]

No that is not clipped after threading.I only have a very slight flare after clipping. I find it tries to flare a lot more if I push too hard, I spin it several revolutions just touching the end of the coil with very light pressure. I let the leg catch the flare and sort of tuck it back in.

If what you're cutting with is causing a flare try something sharper that clips not scissors that shear and can bend it. I use these

 

[X-Puppy]

Cat claw trimmers work great for trimming RxW with minimum flair.

 

[muzichead]

I find fingernail clippers work the best at cutting the ends sharply. I do torch the end prior to cutting and also after so it stays somewhat more ridgid and easier to coil it...

 

[Raynman]

I like ingrown nail clippers myself. I think the main key is not pressing too hard when starting to thread it through.

 

[phibbus]

I'm using trimmers very close to those you pictured, but without the magnetized catcher (probably slightly lower in quality, but pretty decent.)

So I think I figured out the best angle, and I found out that I can thread the coil fairly easily before mounting and firing it. I usually do pre-fire and tighten the wraps before wicking, but I guess doing so contracts the Kanthal and shrinks the diameter. I had the same problem as before when I tried to thread the same coil after firing it.

I'll keep experimenting, and I may try the 16ga needle as suggested by rudy4653. I think I've got one around here somewhere. I'm still not crazy about all those little slivers of ceramic floating around, though.