i'm pretty sure i'm not the first who did this, but this is what i'm running right now. two 1'' lengths of 3/32'' (7x7) 316l alloy stainless steel wire rope with 5-wrap 28g coils around each. the wicks are bent into L shape and sit between the posts, with the tall ends facing the airholes. remember to remove the non-metal threading inside before doing anything with the rope!
in case you're wondering, i don't get any shorts or weird electrical issues. the first time i did this, i wrapped hemp cigarette paper very tightly around the rope and soaked it in juice. then i torched it. my line of thought was that if i cover the metal with something that contains carbon and starve it from oxygen for a little while before the paper burns off, it'd get red hot and i'll have a nice layer of carbon stuck to the steel. i'm sure if that's exactly how it works, but it worked very well. i had a nice and even ashy-gray length of rope that didn't short once.
i also tried torching it, leaving it in acid overnight, and torching it again. it made the wire easier to work with (more malleable), but shorted once or twice. the first method works better. here's a webcam pic (you'll get 8mp of this once i fix my phone).
in case you're wondering, i don't get any shorts or weird electrical issues. the first time i did this, i wrapped hemp cigarette paper very tightly around the rope and soaked it in juice. then i torched it. my line of thought was that if i cover the metal with something that contains carbon and starve it from oxygen for a little while before the paper burns off, it'd get red hot and i'll have a nice layer of carbon stuck to the steel. i'm sure if that's exactly how it works, but it worked very well. i had a nice and even ashy-gray length of rope that didn't short once.
i also tried torching it, leaving it in acid overnight, and torching it again. it made the wire easier to work with (more malleable), but shorted once or twice. the first method works better. here's a webcam pic (you'll get 8mp of this once i fix my phone).
