The Different Grades of Stainless Steel

[muth]

In theory I like to keep things simple but can't help falling into the barrage of materials used for wrapping coils. Ss is another material that comes in multitudes of grades. I've done some reading and came up with two conclusions. And please chime in because I'm all ears.

Basically put, the numbers represent the non-corrosiveness of ss.
The letters indicate the amount of carbon (hardness) in the ss.

Stainless Steel Information Knowledge | 18-8 | 304 | 316

Seems to me, that for vaping purposes, there wouldn't be that much of a difference between the grades you see on Steam Engine. Except, that you might opt for the "L" grade because it's a bit softer and maybe easier to wrap, with less springiness.

The higher numbers, which are less corrosive, become overkill at some point because we're not vaping corrosive acids or at the extreme temperatures it takes to start pitting the ss.

Anyone want to jump in on this? I'd love to have a conversation because I'm beginning to think this is getting a bit OCD. Or maybe you have more helpful information? Thx

 

[93gc40]

You pretty much got it. For our purposes metal grade has little to no importance. Stainless is stainless, Aluminum is aluminum ect. It may matter, in the wire grades, when it comes to fine tuning vape performance and workability.

 

[chefjoosie]

Different grades of stainless have slightly different TCR, so if you set for 316L, and use 304, you'll have to adjust the temp a few degrees. It isn't different enough to make a big difference though. A device set for 316 will work fine with 304.

The rest makes no difference for us. 316L should in theory, last longer, but we'll replace coils for reasons other than corrosion long before we'd see any difference.

I use 304 and 316L. I got those 2 because they were the gauges and prices that I was looking for. If you handed me a piece of each I would have to guess to tell you which was which.

 

[muth]

Thanks, 93 and chef. It's nice to get some reinforcement of my thinking. I agree with you that the difference would hardly be noticeable. Matter of fact, I compared 316 on a non TC device with my Cuboid in 316 mode and thought they were comparable. Personally, I find that useful. Whereas, I have friends who swear by Ti and Ni and find SS not as flavorful. It all gets very discombobulating because you never know if it's the build or the device that's making the difference. Or the juice we favor. Do you think that some juices may shine more on different wire materials? There goes my "keep it simple" theory!

 

[chefjoosie]

Honestly it's hard to say. I hear quite a few people say they prefer Ti over Ni, because it has a cleaner taste, but for me if I taste something odd from a coil, it is usually from Ti.
The reality is, it's more likely that the Ti wire I have just uses a particularly heinous lubricating oil during manufacture.

All in all though, I do prefer SS wire. I think tungsten performs better, but when you consider all factors ( temp control, workability, safety, flavor, ramp up/ramp down) SS might not be top of the list on all of those, but as a whole it comes out best for me.

 

[muth]

Honestly it's hard to say. I hear quite a few people say they prefer Ti over Ni, because it has a cleaner taste, but for me if I taste something odd from a coil, it is usually from Ti.
The reality is, it's more likely that the Ti wire I have just uses a particularly heinous lubricating oil during manufacture.

All in all though, I do prefer SS wire. I think tungsten performs better, but when you consider all factors ( temp control, workability, safety, flavor, ramp up/ramp down) SS might not be top of the list on all of those, but as a whole it comes out best for me.

Tungsten! There is tungsten wire available now? I haven't heard of it yet, except for in light bulbs and other high heat applications.

Considering the factors you mentioned above, how would you list your pros and cons of ss? If you don't mind me asking. TY

 

[chefjoosie]

SS is great to work with, very safe, durable, and leaves no aftertastes. On the not great side, it isn't the most accurate metal for temp control. It works decently, but not as accurate as others like nickel or tungsten. It also doesn't heat up/cool down as fast as tungsten, but it's comparable to kanthal/nichrome for that.

The only other downside is if you go with low gauge coils, or quad coils it might ohm out too low unless you are using it for temp control.

With tungsten, the downsides are, it's super springy, so hard to work with, and also if you heat it past red hot, it can start to make an oxide that isn't dangerous, but can leave a little powdery oxide in your atomizer. Other than that it's outstanding.

 

[muth]

Thanks for your input.
Where are you getting your tungsten wire? Couldn't find much info on where to buy or how to use it.

 

[chefjoosie]

I get mine from
here (which is good if you want to test since it's cheap)
and also
here

 

[muth]

I get mine from
here (which is good if you want to test since it's cheap)
and also
here

Thanks a bunch. I noticed that the links you gave me pointed towards small sizes (30-32g). Are you using it primarily for wrapping cores of a different material?

 

[chefjoosie]

I mostly went with those because they were the only tungsten wire I could find that wasn't a large investment.
It does have a low resistance, so you are limited a bit on size. In order to get your coil(s) over .05 the thickest you can reasonably go is about 24 gauge for single 26 for dual coil. Unfortunately, the only wire I can find in those sizes are 100 foot spools that are in the 175 dollar range.

On the other hand, you don't get the issues you might think with the thin gauge. It's quite the opposite. The wire is unbelievably hard and springy. A 32 gauge coil is tougher than a 24 gauge in kanthal, and it's not necessarily a good thing.

The only drawbacks from tungsten that I see are the low resistance, (which is minor) and the crazy springiness (which is a big deal.) It's very hard to wrap a good coil. The way I settled on it is, If I want an 8 wrap 2.5 mm coil, I make a 12 wrap around a 2mm, let it spring back, pinch the coil, torch it to set the shape, then stretch it to space the coil, and then remove any extra coils.

 

[Lowjumper]

FastTech has SS and tungsten for cheep, if you can stand the wait.
They also have premade coils like these.

$3.94 Authentic MKWS Titanium Resistance Pre-Coiled Wire for RBA Atomizers (50-Pack) 50-pack - 26 AWG / 0.4mm dia. / 0.32ohm at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

 

[chefjoosie]

FastTech has SS and tungsten for cheep, if you can stand the wait.
They also have premade coils like these.

$3.94 Authentic MKWS Titanium Resistance Pre-Coiled Wire for RBA Atomizers (50-Pack) 50-pack - 26 AWG / 0.4mm dia. / 0.32ohm at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

I've bought SS from Fasttech. It was a really good price and good wire. I have never seen tungsten there though. I think you might have it confused with titanium, which they have many gauges of as well as premades.

 

[Lowjumper]

I've bought SS from Fasttech. It was a really good price and good wire. I have never seen tungsten there though. I think you might have it confused with titanium, which they have many gauges of as well as premades.

Yup your right, fingers and brain got cornfused

! (but it works great and fairly hi ohm for Ti)

 

[muth]

I've been getting my ss here. Surgical sutures, 316L annealed. Professional service and quality. I get my orders in 36hrs and live in Boston area.

ss wire

 

[kbeam418]

I've been getting my ss here. Surgical sutures, 316L annealed. Professional service and quality. I get my orders in 36hrs and live in Boston area.

ss wire

View attachment 542276

Is that 32 gauge? Why do use that? I'm asking because I also use ss.

 

[muth]

Is that 32 gauge? Why do use that? I'm asking because I also use ss.

To make Clapton coils. They have a pretty good variety of gauges if you're interested. Not the cheapest but quality is outstanding.

 

[edyle]

only thing I've figured so far is 316 seems to be the most common/popular and presumably the cheapest.

 

[muth]

only thing I've figured so far is 316 seems to be the most common/popular and presumably the cheapest.

I've settled on it because the higher grades only have more molybdenum, making them more non-corrosive. But, hey, I'm not vaping acids! I do prefer the "L" type because it's softer (less carbon content).

 

[Stinkytofus]

Thanks, 93 and chef. It's nice to get some reinforcement of my thinking. I agree with you that the difference would hardly be noticeable. Matter of fact, I compared 316 on a non TC device with my Cuboid in 316 mode and thought they were comparable. Personally, I find that useful. Whereas, I have friends who swear by Ti and Ni and find SS not as flavorful. It all gets very discombobulating because you never know if it's the build or the device that's making the difference. Or the juice we favor. Do you think that some juices may shine more on different wire materials? There goes my "keep it simple" theory!

so there is no advantages of 410/430 ss over 316l?