Yes the issues he is having is indicitive of a short or hot spot. Properly conditioning the wick where the coil touches the wick will solve these problems. I would suggest removing the coil, pulling the wick out and butane torching the area where the coil sets red hot, resoak with PG or VG and repeat burning process 3-4 times. Then put a new coil on and re-try. Also he is only running 4 wraps, me personnaly prefer around 6 wraps this should also cool down the coil so it is not burning to hot.
Dan
Gentlemen (and ladies if there are any),
I have not had one single short circuit or hot spot on any of my wicks.
I'm of the opinion that most shorts are caused by the frail edges of the mesh' edge where it's cut with either scissors or a blade. The following picture is not that of the mesh we use but I think proves a point. Any one of those sharp ends of the woven wire on the edge can cause a short.
Basically what I do is to cut the mesh to size with sharp scissors and then fold one edge over (about 2mm or 0.1" - for those metrically impaired ones). I flatten the fold properly with my nail or any flat and blunt object. You start rolling the wick from the opposite side of the folded section so that the fold (and the cut edge) ends up inside the wick when done. This way you prevent any frail and sharp edges (even if they are small - remember it's tiny wire segments making up the mesh) to stick out and cause a short onto the resistance wire. Something like this:
Hope it helps a bit.
You can also try it like this: Wicks like a rain water gutter downhill.
