Just curious - what is the reason people give for not torching coils? I find it pretty helpful for coiling complex twisted wires. Can't really see the harm if done properly.
Straightforward answer, to the best of my un
A
Actually, a spectrometer is very useful. Kanthal isdesigned to be protected by a continuous layer of aluminum oxide. If you oxidize Kanthal too much (or too many times), you can deplete the aluminum in the near surface region of the wire. Then the chromium in the alloy will preferentially migrate to the surface to oxidize, along with the iron. This new scale is, according to my quick first look at the technical literature, less adherent to the base metal and can spall off. Presumably then it could be inhaled. It would be nice to know where this occurs in the life of a coil for different styles of cleaning - dry burn vs not. It's not just about fresh coils, but how they age.
Outstanding observation
@Magaro, as I've alluded to in various posts. Working with jenny's and inadequately or excessively torch oxidized open Kanthal winds I experienced conspicuous spatter of accretion, surface layer and even raw wire. This too from close contact and open winds which were torch annealed. We don't want the preferential deposition of any underlying metal just alumina. And to answer your question before, based on my understanding on grain development and deposition soot from torching can be a deterrent to uniform alumina formation. Torching cannot and as you suggest may predispose Kanthal's peculiar chemistry to degradation. I also would agree that once you have that stable A2O3 base in place it is very durable. So the goal we chase in practical terms is uniformity, consistency.
I'm coming from an industrial purchasing management and hands on consultant in various technologies. Not a metallurgist or engineer. Have been seriously studying the science behind vaporization and its application among vapers for several years now. This is my takeaway after observing their methodologies and rigorously testing the premises of operation across near 2thou builds now and many more I've observed by others.
I advocate generating tensioned winds to achieve
strain balanced symmetry and closest wire-to-wire proximity. There is a state of wire, a point of strain, which provides an ideal condition for pulsed oxidation. And my findings indicate that the induced strain is adequate to promote rapid A2O3 generation within a few low voltage pulses. Such that a substantial amount of residual rigidity continues to conserve the geometry essential to a micro's thermal efficiency conserved by the precise alumina layers the very proximity predicated. A synergistic approach. Some gaps develop of course but these interstitial spaces are extremely minute gas pressure exit paths which are beneficial to vapor output. Such coils have retained their shape far beyond the durability of the alumina layers themselves in practice and remain markedly stable for temperature. So a very consistent result M...
The technique I employ has been used by industry for generations and is simple for even those with no mechanical experience to learn for a simple common single wire tensioned contact coil creating a fundamentally sound balanced electrical circuit in seconds. My numerous comparisons of both methodologies of torching and pulsing led to a preference for electrical pulsing as soot deposits not only inhibit alumina formation but frankly, lets face it, it's fiddly. And I try diligently, as many would attest, to see new vapers get to at is directly as possible with the use of the most commonly available tools and means. At the moment, I see no more effective alternative on the horizon for a uniform vape.
Could use some help and support here.
Mind you M, I wind all kinds of stuff and my own preferences don't play a part in my above. You got a plan, I'm game.
Thanks for your remarks.
Good luck all.
