Rust on coil - hazardous?

[dokebilee]

Exactly what the title says. I tried taking a picture of the coil but my phone camera wouldn't focus on it. This is a microcoil that has been dry burned and cleaned every week or so for roughly a month. It still works phenomenally but I'm not so sure as to whether it is safe to continue vaping with a rusty coil, and so I changed it out today with a new microcoil.

Some of the members will say that it is just gunk build up from the juice but I can assure you that it is not. After I dry burn and clean it really well... the coil will look a little shiny and grey with no more gunk but then after it is dried, I noticed some red/brown coating on the microcoil. This is definitely rust, not gunk.

My question is, is it safe to vape with a rusty coil? I'm a bit worried about metal toxins getting into my lungs/body.

 

[Recycled Roadkill]

For the price of a new coil, why not just replace it rather than worrying about it?

 

[KODIAK (TM)]

Not sure. But unless you're making coils with chicken wire I really don't see how the gazillion other coils out their could be any different and we all vape those.

 

[dokebilee]

For the price of a new coil, why not just replace it rather than worrying about it?

You should reread my post and then reply again.

Also, I don't know when the rusting started, never really payed any attention as I would just dryburn, clean, and go on vaping.

Edit: This is a Kanthal A1 30g wire from Temco

 

[Recycled Roadkill]

You should reread my post and then reply again.

Also, I don't know when the rusting started, never really payed any attention as I would just dryburn, clean, and go on vaping.

Edit: This is a Kanthal A1 30g wire from Temco

Sorry 'bout that, Nevermind I shoulda remembered failing speed reading.

 

[Dac311]

Are you sure it's rust? I've never heard of rust on a coil. Maybe it just looks like rust, but if it is I'm sure it's not good for you.


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[dokebilee]

Are you sure it's rust? I've never heard of rust on a coil. Maybe it just looks like rust, but if it is I'm sure it's not good for you.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Yep, pretty sure it is rust and it forms pretty fast due to oxidation.

Straight from Temco's website,

Corrosion, Rusting, and Oxidation
Resistance wire does not easily rust or oxidize, even in extreme environments. Kanthal is often chosen for its excellent oxidation resistance. It can be exposed to sulfuric compounds and not corrode quickly, making it well suited for corrosion resistance in hot states. Nichrome has similar properties but oxidizes more quickly than Kanthal in sulfur-containing atmospheres.

It doesn't state that it can "never" rust. I think after all the dryburning the coil is just breaking down. You can also Google search "Kanthal Rust" and find that other people has experienced the same issue.

Another Clarification - The microcoil is held up by it's own two wires in a Protank 2. The rust is not coming from the Protank as I've checked it many times.

@Recycled Roadkill : No prob

 

[Ken_A]

This might be a good thread to ask that question on....

There has been a run on the Kanthal A-1 resistance wire that's been for sale on eBay with the surge in rebuildable atomizers. I've done some research into the resistivity and composition of the various Kanthal and Nichrome wires.

Kanthal is an alloy composed mainly of Iron, Chromium and Aluminum. The main difference between the composition of the different grades of Kanthal is the percentage of Aluminum.

Kanthal A-1 has 5.8% Aluminum
Kanthal A has 5.3% Aluminum
Kanthal D has 4.8% Aluminum

All grades have Chromium in the range of 20.5% to 23.5%.

The remaining 70% - 75% is made of Iron.

In my opinion, there should be no (or not very much) difference (in regards to vaping) between the different grades of Kanthal than the slightly different resistances (see the table below).
=====================

Nichrome comes in various compostions. The main components are Nickel and Chromium.

Jacobs Online carries Nichrome 60 (also called Chromel C). This is composed of 60% Nickel, 16% Chromium and 24% Iron.

--------------------------

PnJ Resources carries Nichrome 80. This is composed of 80% Nickel and 20% Chromium

======================

At the temperatures we vape at, there should be no metallic vapors given off by these wires due to heat.
It has been stated by a number of ECF members that Kanthal (A-1) gives a cleaner tasting vape than Nichrome and that Kanthal (A-1) is a stronger more robust wire than Nichrome.
With either material, a thicker wire (smaller awg #) will, most likely, have a longer lifespan than a thinner wire.
======================
...

The rust could be because you are using water and allowing it to air dry rather than burn it off.... You could be vaping a high water content.... Perhaps you get lots of dry hits indicating exposure to air?
Maybe you do not keep the coil wet when not I use even...
But, yeah... I would do just as you did and re-wick.

EDIT: you can probably get a really good picture if you use a magnifying glass to get a larger image in focus.

 

[peraspera]

Rust would be a bad thing to vape. I've never had any show up on my coils but I generally clean and dry burn after every 3 ml. or so. Does your juice have water in it?

 

[03FXDWG]

Mine rust also and I believe the reason is that I soak in vodka, rinse with water and let air dry at least 24 hours. If you keep them covered in liquid, it should keep them from oxidizing as fast. I don't worry too much about it. We do need some metals in our diet--zinc, copper, iron, magnesium and others.

I do believe the oxidization also causes the coils to weaken and therefore to break/pop more easily but I still feel I get my money's worth out of them. I suppose, to stop the oxidization process, I could immediately put them in PG or distilled water after their vodka bath & tap water rinse. I will try it and see. I have also considered eliminating the vodka bath and just soaking them in PG since it is also a solvent. I'm running out of the rot gut vodka I've been using exclusively for cleaning, anyway. It was free but the PG isn't Oh well, I will soon have more PG on hand than I do vodka and PG is cheaper than good vodka.

 

[Ryedan]

Yep, pretty sure it is rust and it forms pretty fast due to oxidation.

I never leave water on my coils or leave them dry after cleaning them. I wet them with juice or PG. I've never had a rusty coil, that I know of.

This is a question that comes up once in a while and I've never seen a definitive answer so I Googled. Came across this page.

"The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has set a limit of 5 mg of iron oxide dust or fumes per cubic meter of air (m^3). This limit is the maximum average concentration of ferric oxide in air that a worker can inhale without using protective equipment over the course of a workday".

So 5 mg per cubic meter of iron oxide dust or fumes being breathed for eight hours a day, every breath, every day, is considered safe. I would say if this is true we are OK to vape a rusty coil. YMMV.

Or juice the coil after cleaning it and see how that works for you.

Good luck with it

 

[treehead]

Exactly what the title says. I tried taking a picture of the coil but my phone camera wouldn't focus on it. This is a microcoil that has been dry burned and cleaned every week or so for roughly a month. It still works phenomenally but I'm not so sure as to whether it is safe to continue vaping with a rusty coil, and so I changed it out today with a new microcoil.

Some of the members will say that it is just gunk build up from the juice but I can assure you that it is not. After I dry burn and clean it really well... the coil will look a little shiny and grey with no more gunk but then after it is dried, I noticed some red/brown coating on the microcoil. This is definitely rust, not gunk.

My question is, is it safe to vape with a rusty coil? I'm a bit worried about metal toxins getting into my lungs/body.

Registered nurse and chemist reporting in. Vape away on that rusty coil, it won't hurt; even contractors I've seen coming in worried about inhaling rust are fine in a weekend. Iron is what makes your blood red, and you can even ingest (with your stomach) POUNDS of rust before getting stomach upset, but don't go doing that. The worst that will happen is Siderosis, which sounds scary, but it's just a fancy way to say iron is settled in your tissue, and it's totally benign, you can't develope asthma or any health problems from inhaling ferric oxide (which is rust), at extremes (like inhaling an octocoils worth of 22 gauge kanthal in rust) all that would happen is irritation, but no more than accidentally using to much windex in a small room, I've seen plenty of ammonia problems in the ER believe it or not.

-All in all I'd say it's 99.999% certain you'll be ok, because you have to inhale alot of iron to do any damage as Ryedan pointed out. Plus the major factor is, your coil should always have a small layer of e-juice keeping the iron from floating all the way down into your lungs, and the ferric oxide is certainly too heavy to be carried by the pg/vg

-Go for it bro, I've done it and I'm still typing! I don't know why everyone's denying that kanthal rusts lol, it's iron being heated to 1000 F over and over, in a wet environment, derp.

 

[dokebilee]

Damn, I was thinking of ingesting pounds of rust. Oh well Thanks for the useful info

 

[treehead]

No prob , yeah I know some people have low iron, but I recommend juicy juice, or steak lol. I don't know why, but I can't quit laughing at how your avatar looks like he wouldn't care about rust at all, it's like Chuck Norris asking is gluten is good for you

 

[Ryedan]

I don't know why everyone's denying that kanthal rusts lol, it's iron being heated to 1000 F over and over, in a wet environment, derp.

From Wikipedia on stainless steel:

"High oxidation resistance in air at ambient temperature is normally achieved with additions of a minimum of 13% (by weight) chromium, and up to 26% is used for harsh environments.[12] The chromium forms a passivation layer of chromium(III) oxide (Cr2O3) when exposed to oxygen. The layer is too thin to be visible, and the metal remains lustrous and smooth. The layer is impervious to water and air, protecting the metal beneath, and this layer quickly reforms when the surface is scratched."

Kanthal is 20 - 23% chromium. It's not 26%, but it's not going to rust easily.

Nichrome is 80% nickel and 20% chromium. It will rust a bit easier than Kanthal, but still not easily.

Yes juice is wet but it's not water and does not promote rust.

It is also not being heated anywhere near 1000 F if there is juice on it. Phase change of the juice keeps it way cooler than that.

I'm not saying it can't rust at all, but because of its chromium content it's going to rust slowly and it's pretty easy to avoid it happening. I have some Kanthal pieces here that I flamed and cut off after building my last couple of coils. No rust. One piece is a week old. One is a couple of weeks old. If they didn't have chrome in them they would be completely rust covered.

Of course it there is some chemical on the wire that promotes rust, that would change the whole picture.

Anyway, that's my opinion for what it's worth. Do with it what you will

 

[danny4x4]

Oh darn it! I've been using the same micro coil for about 3 months. Guess it's time to check for rust. But I don't think I've ever seen any on my coil. Pits on the wire, yes.

Maybe I can continue with this same coil and I'll be IRONMAN soon.

 

[Flt Simulation]

Does it look like this after dry-burning?

 

[Bunnykiller]

if you clean the coil even barely well you should have no issues... that small amount of oxidation is minimal compared to the metals that are present in your drinking water supply... such as iron copper lead in free ionic form. Oxidized metals dont lead to toxic conditions as quickly as ionic ( non oxidized metals).

 

[dokebilee]

Does it look like this after dry-burning?

It looks very close to that

 

[bluecat]

Just for your reading. It was enough for me.

Is Rust Dust Harmful? | eHow

Long-term inhalation causes a condition known as siderosis where iron is deposited in the lungs, although this condition is normally considered benign and does not necessarily lead to physical problems.

Read more: Is Rust Dust Harmful? | eHow


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