Thank you very much Mac. Does the vise grab the loose end of the wire for added tension or would I have to rely on my thumb for that? Again, sorry for the newbie question
Yes it does. Replacing the function of the screwdriver in the pic below.
Pulling on it by hand is an acquired skill. I've seen some do it but the more pressure you apply by hand the less sensitive your fingers even your wrists become in detecting changes in strain.
Take a look at the pic again from my above post How do you define easy?
The edge of the spool acts as a pivot as you push the pin vise away with your thumb and rotate. The opposite hand retains the spool keeping it stable as wire is eased from it. Holding the spool for example in a microfiber cloth for some can make it easier to hold and release some slip. A little practice and you can coordinate rotation with applied tension to the coil so as to keep it consistent. That's the objective. An even amount of strain applied end-to-end as possible. It's rather amazing just how much controlled pressure you can apply. Once you start involving large muscle groups sensation and sensitivity become more complex. Imagine trying to isolate the index finger pressure as you strike at the ball at the plate. Using this technique though nature combining several forces including leverage are doing most of the heavy lifting. All that energy you are imparting directly into the wire in a kind of memory which both forms it and causes it to retain its shape. The wire is literally trying to move towards the direction it cannot go, i.e. inside the wire next to it. And that is precisely what we want when we pulse it…that it wants to be a coil.
Ex you will save lots of time and money on experimentation with a tensioned micro in your pocket. Not sayin' you won't do any. Prolly more. But you'll have a much better handle on what is possible to do. And get it right mostly when you do. Micro, spaced or multi you'll have a far better handle on what the wire is capable of when you know its baseline performance. This method allows you to wrap to reach its optimal state.
Variations of winds are variations from this optimal state…they are all points of tension departing from the rational center of resistance for a given wire length. And the greater the adverse performance exhibited, the more inconsistency in strain is present. All the tweaking stretching and tuning appearing to so many like magic or guesswork is all about normalizing and balancing that strain. So it's time to repeat the proposition...
Tension winding creates the optimal relationship of strain and contact in a vaporizing coil.
Good luck Ex.
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