Stainless Steel Mesh Wick for iatty?

[AdamAnd]

I was thinking of making a SS mesh wick for my iatty before it arrives but I don't understand everything involed. Would you have to fire (Heat up and cool) the mesh where the resistance wire would rap around it? Would you have to prevent the mesh from being pinched at this point.? Help please if a SS mesh wick will work I think it would be the best for your health.

 

[NandyDC]

I have try the SS mesh but without success. I dont know what Im doing wrong. I burn the mesh as explained on some videos but still getting shorts on the coil.

 

[Para]

I was thinking of making a SS mesh wick for my iatty before it arrives but I don't understand everything involed. Would you have to fire (Heat up and cool) the mesh where the resistance wire would rap around it? Would you have to prevent the mesh from being pinched at this point.? Help please if a SS mesh wick will work I think it would be the best for your health.

You want to talk to lorderos33; he knows SS Mesh wicks better than anyone. I've never had much success with them at all.

 

[zuTma]

This is not encouraging I just ordered a couple sheets of WSS400SF-A4 I think

 

[Titan Vapes]

I've got to try this out. Hopefully some guys will provide some good info.

 

[CarolCrocbag]

No worries guys, works brilliantly. As said Lorderos is the Champion of it for the iAtty; I too was getting shorts at first, though with Lorderos's technique, got it sorted.
I was trying to do it without any fibreglass wick at the sides, to protect where the cone presses the wire against the SS wick. With a little of the standard wick here, no shorts experienced.
Truly best flavour ever.

 

[HzG8rGrl]

Scubabatdan has some you tubes vids on how he uses the ss mesh. Jst search his name on you tube, they'll pop up.

 

[CarolCrocbag]

Here we go.
*Edit. Lorderos also posted one of Scubabatdan's(As mentioned by HzG8rGrl) vids which I found a great help aswell.

oK, here it is again with pics on building the iAtty with a mesh wick. Hope this helps

Here's how I did it.

I took a 15mm x 50mm piece of mesh and rolled it till it fit in the CE2 ceramic cup and then oxidized the entire wick, not just the part the coil gets wrapped around.

Once the oxidation is was done, I put it in a gutted CE2 to hold it steady while I made the tight bends. T make the bends, I took the butane torch I used to oxidize it, set it to high and focused the heat on one side of where it sticks out of the CE2. I heated it u til it gave to slight pressure then bent it to 45 degrees while still applying the heat from the torch. Do the same on both sides so you end up with a wick that looks like kind of like this \_/ (upside down though).

Make your wire like you normally would and wrap it around the center leg of the mesh.

Take 2 pieces Of the fiberglass wick just long enough to use to put between the mesh and the wire leads (you need this to seal up the channels where the wick goes to the liquid and to insulate the mesh from the leads).

Assemble the iAtty as you normally would, fill it with juice and hold on to your socks!

Remember, this setup kicks like nothing else I have ever tried. It does not burn the juice at all, but it produces extreme amounts of very strong vapor... The first hit made me choke

To those of you brave enough to do this, you have been warned. I promised I'd do the experiment and post the results. Use at your own risk and try it with lower level nic juice first. I cannot say it strongly enough...the iAtty hits VERY HARD like this.

Personally, I will most likely work on a hybrid mesh/wick combo next to try to tame this for every day use.

The pics were taken after a couple o days and 2 full tanks vaped through, no cleaning, just opened the iAtty and took pics . As you can see, it stays very clean. The vapor production is as good as the first day still, flavor is through the roof and TH is now manageable. I can hit after hit with no issues, but if I chain vape it, it's an almost instant head buzz and I have to fight back the coughs, lol, but no burnt taste at all. It's very nice.

You'll have to excuse the pics, they were taken with my phone.

Just to add, I had no problem with the SS wick bein too full on with it's TH or punch.
Just lots of great vapour production, fuller flavour, with absolutely no bad taste.
As I said in the iAtty thread, the fuller flavour I reckon is because with the standard wick, even though there is no obvious burnt taste, it does add its own flavour no matter how faint, when vaped and detracts from the juice flavour.

Just need my 901-501 adapter to come in the post tomorrow , so I can get the iAtty going for the first time on the GGTS SS.
All the best with getting the SS wick up and running guys, persevere with it, it is worth it 100%.

 

[Valsacar]

Is the fiberglass in there all the way into the cone? One piece (going through the cone), or two?

 

[CarolCrocbag]

Is the fiberglass in there all the way into the cone? One piece (going through the cone), or two?

Two pieces in the grooves on either side; only there on top of the wire, to cushion between the wire and the rolled SS mesh. (May help prevent leaking, though I never had the problem without it.) Enters the cone, though not the ceramic cup.
Another tip from Lorderos, is to wet the fibreglass with juice before cutting the short pieces needed, stops unwraveling and aids positioning.

 

[NandyDC]

I have burn the hell out of the SS Mesh but still getting resistance from the mesh causing the shorts. Getting the right oxidation on the mesh is my problem. I will try it later, im back to the regular wick for the moment.

 

[CarolCrocbag]

I have burn the hell out of the SS Mesh but still getting resistance from the mesh causing the shorts. Getting the right oxidation on the mesh is my problem. I will try it later, im back to the regular wick for the moment.

I feel your pain NandyDC, I rolled, oxidized and fitted 6-7 wicks before I got one right. The first one I tried was working good, though managed to get some of the fibreglass on/amongst the coil and had the same bad taste. The next 5 or so I tried without the fibreglass though each one shorted. Not sure if it was the fact I used the fibreglass in the sides, luck, or using another of Lorderos's tips, in the last attempt, of putting a couple of drops of juice and then setting fire to it, to add a little extra oxidization protection before wrapping the coil(Only a couple of drops mind and after oxidizing the SS the normal way aswell of course.) that helped, or all three. Still going great guns now and thoroughly worth all the hassle I reckon.
I also reckon once you have wrapped the coil on the mesh and connecting the lead wires is very hard to do without moving the coil, or pulling down on one side or the other. The very nature of screwing the parts to gether tends to pull on the coil somewhat down against the mesh and therefore causing the short(I think.). I also was extremely careful in my successful coil/SSwick, to watch very carefully that this did not happen.

 

[HzG8rGrl]

Is it possible that is the SS mesh is touching the walls and causing the shorts? I saw where SBD made an adjustment so the mesh didn't touch any metal.


I do have an iAtty-just have yet to put it together and will continue to read and learn with everyone.

 

[zuTma]

Is it possible that is the SS mesh is touching the walls and causing the shorts? I saw where SBD made an adjustment so the mesh didn't touch any metal.

I was thinking same thing. And if mesh touches the cone does it matter or is it all the same?

 

[CarolCrocbag]

Very good point and you had me going for a minute, though surely it would not matter as it should be acting like the standard mesh if oxidized.

Is it possible that is the SS mesh is touching the walls and causing the shorts? I saw where SBD made an adjustment so the mesh didn't touch any metal.


I do have an iAtty-just have yet to put it together and will continue to read and learn with everyone.

 

[CarolCrocbag]

Even better video from Scubatandan, on rolling/preparing an SS wick.

 

[imeothanasis]

I dont understand why people think steel mesh is healthier than other wicks. Inhaling steel rust is not better (if not worse) than inhaling what exists on other wicks. A research has to be done but without a research there is no reason to say anything like that if you all agree.

 

[zuTma]

I dont understand why people think steel mesh is healthier than other wicks. Inhaling steel rust is not better (if not worse) than inhaling what exists on other wicks. A research has to be done but without a research there is no reason to say anything like that if you all agree.

I inhaled much worse stuff then wick and I'm not concerned about that at all. I want to try the mesh to taste that pure flavor everybody is talking about

 

[imeothanasis]

if taste is better then there is a reason to try it Zu, I totally agree. But I saw some people saying that its healthier, something that isnt accurate at all

 

[nanabols]

Noob question but, how would you know if there was a short? Would a drop in resistance indicate a short?