thinking about making the switch to rebuildable atomizers.

[mchaggis79]

Hi all, been a long time since I've been on here. As the title suggests I'm thinking about switching to rebuildable atomizers because i'm so sick of getting duds for cartos. it's really quite irritating buying a 5 pack of cartos and only having 2 or 3 that work flawlessly and the rest not working for crap for various reasons. Been trying to read some topics on here to get a feel for things, but the terminology has me rather confused... like RBAs (i'm assuming this is short for rebuildable atomizer?), RDAs, kanthal, squonk, and a few other terms I can't recall off the top of my head.

I am confident enough I can figure out how to use and rebuild an rba my real question is what kind of supplies do you need to buy to rebuild an atomizer. I know you need wire though what kind i'm not sure of, a wick of course, and some type of filling to hold the fluid such as cotton.

A friend of mine at work has what he called a typhoon gt and it just has some cotton sticking out of the sides of where the coils are so it seems like a really simple set up to rebuild. I'm thinking about getting his tank for my baby bullet, but any advice or tips and tricks would be helpful. thank you all.

 

[timworld]

Hi. You should be able to find all the info by searching this thread. For your question the answer is 28g kanthal and some cotton and kayfun or taifun gt clone.

 

[Rat2chat2]

to ecf mchaggis79. So glad you are here. I think that is the main reaso most people want to try a rebuildable. You won't regret it. It is also fun and very rewarding to make your own coil. For me anyway. There are so many great YouTube videos that really helped me. Good luck to you and I look forward to reading about your continued success. Happy vaping to you.

 

[autobiogphnation]

I am confident enough I can figure out how to use and rebuild an RBA my real question is what kind of supplies do you need to buy to rebuild an atomizer. I know you need wire though what kind i'm not sure of, a wick of course, and some type of filling to hold the fluid such as cotton.

A friend of mine at work has what he called a typhoon gt and it just has some cotton sticking out of the sides of where the coils are so it seems like a really simple set up to rebuild. I'm thinking about getting his tank for my baby bullet, but any advice or tips and tricks would be helpful. thank you all.

Tools/Supplies you should look into:
-Resistance wire (kanthal)- gauge will vary based on what build you want and ohms/length. I'm using 30g and make around 2ohm coils with it, but you gotta figure what diameter coil you want to make too which will affect how many wraps to achieve that resistance you want.
-Tweezers- I have three sets: fine tipped, wide tipped and ceramic tipped. I use the fine to help grab the coil leads and make them tight on posts and help feed wick etc. the wide tipped are useful like a pair of pliers to help grab thumb screws to make them nice and tight for good connections. Ceramic tipped are great for when you make microcoils and need to torch/squeeze the coil into place, they can even be used to squeeze the coil as it is on the device and firing as ceramic is non-conductive.
-Butane torch- after you wrap a coil as neat and close as possible, you can place the coil in the ceramic tipped tweezers and squeeze it and then torch it until its glowing red and just keep squeezing to hold it in place as it cools down. This helps keep a nice neat and tight coil as the heat will form it into place.
-Wick material- organic cotton is cheap and easily available in big quantities. you can use a variety of other materials like silica rope, Japanese cotton (organic cotton sheets), hemp cotton, rayon, etc. you gotta find what works best for you, but organic cotton is a good starting point and a little goes a long way.
-screw driver- for any atty that has screw terminals, set screws for adjust airflow or center post adjustments. a nice little set with multiple bits (particularly smaller sized bits) is helpful.
-syringes- depending on how your redbuildable device fills up, a syringe is very helpful in the case of fill holes as a typical dripper style bottle from the liquid vendor may block the entire fill hole and without allowing air to escape you will create pressure and all the liquid will flood into the deck and leak out your airhole.
Coil jig/something to wrap coils on- there are little coil jigs out there that help you wrap a coil easily but really all you need is a cylindrical item to wrap it on at the diameter you want. most people use drill bits, but the jigs come with a very different diameter rods to wrap on. Using a small screw driver with a longer shaft is a possibility as well.

My recommendation for easy build is a kayfun. Obviously a real kayfun is out of most people's price range. There are a number of clones out there at a fraction of the price, so if you're ok with that look into it. I prefer the kayfun 3.1 because it has the bottom catch section on it in case you flood, the liquid will flow to there. the 3.1 also has adjustable airflow and a fill port (a liquid bottle to use this fill port is include, but it can be a pain sometimes). Top fill is possible on a kayfun, but it seems like a small flood is a given when doing this method. Kayfun comes with metal and plastic middle sections but there are glass kits out there if you need a glass tank.

If you'd like an authentic device and at a low price, consider the Smok RSBT. It is a little tricky on the build as it is a recessed well and it can be a little difficult to get the coil in there since the posts are kind of just a little under the top of the well. It is a nice because for $40 (from gotvapes.com) you're getting a pryex glass tank that holds 3ml with a nice adjustable airflow ring and a top fill screw hole.

 

[SurphKid11]

Tools/Supplies you should look into:
-Resistance wire (kanthal)- gauge will vary based on what build you want and ohms/length. I'm using 30g and make around 2ohm coils with it, but you gotta figure what diameter coil you want to make too which will affect how many wraps to achieve that resistance you want.
-Tweezers- I have three sets: fine tipped, wide tipped and ceramic tipped. I use the fine to help grab the coil leads and make them tight on posts and help feed wick etc. the wide tipped are useful like a pair of pliers to help grab thumb screws to make them nice and tight for good connections. Ceramic tipped are great for when you make microcoils and need to torch/squeeze the coil into place, they can even be used to squeeze the coil as it is on the device and firing as ceramic is non-conductive.
-Butane torch- after you wrap a coil as neat and close as possible, you can place the coil in the ceramic tipped tweezers and squeeze it and then torch it until its glowing red and just keep squeezing to hold it in place as it cools down. This helps keep a nice neat and tight coil as the heat will form it into place.
-Wick material- organic cotton is cheap and easily available in big quantities. you can use a variety of other materials like silica rope, Japanese cotton (organic cotton sheets), hemp cotton, rayon, etc. you gotta find what works best for you, but organic cotton is a good starting point and a little goes a long way.
-screw driver- for any atty that has screw terminals, set screws for adjust airflow or center post adjustments. a nice little set with multiple bits (particularly smaller sized bits) is helpful.
-syringes- depending on how your redbuildable device fills up, a syringe is very helpful in the case of fill holes as a typical dripper style bottle from the liquid vendor may block the entire fill hole and without allowing air to escape you will create pressure and all the liquid will flood into the deck and leak out your airhole.
Coil jig/something to wrap coils on- there are little coil jigs out there that help you wrap a coil easily but really all you need is a cylindrical item to wrap it on at the diameter you want. most people use drill bits, but the jigs come with a very different diameter rods to wrap on. Using a small screw driver with a longer shaft is a possibility as well.

My recommendation for easy build is a kayfun. Obviously a real kayfun is out of most people's price range. There are a number of clones out there at a fraction of the price, so if you're ok with that look into it. I prefer the kayfun 3.1 because it has the bottom catch section on it in case you flood, the liquid will flow to there. the 3.1 also has adjustable airflow and a fill port (a liquid bottle to use this fill port is include, but it can be a pain sometimes). Top fill is possible on a kayfun, but it seems like a small flood is a given when doing this method. Kayfun comes with metal and plastic middle sections but there are glass kits out there if you need a glass tank.

If you'd like an authentic device and at a low price, consider the Smok RSBT. It is a little tricky on the build as it is a recessed well and it can be a little difficult to get the coil in there since the posts are kind of just a little under the top of the well. It is a nice because for $40 (from gotvapes.com) you're getting a pryex glass tank that holds 3ml with a nice adjustable airflow ring and a top fill screw hole.

great info autobio! i might add that you dont necessarily need a torch, you can essentially do the same thing after you connect you coil to your atty and dry fire it.

 

[autobiogphnation]

great info autobio! i might add that you dont necessarily need a torch, you can essentially do the same thing after you connect you coil to your atty and dry fire it.

I mentioned that with the ceramic tweezers, i should have said option on the torch, but in all honesty it's good too to take out the springiness of the wire with a quick run of the torch over the wire before you start wrapping too. but again, not necessary

 

[mchaggis79]

Tools/Supplies you should look into:
-Resistance wire (kanthal)- gauge will vary based on what build you want and ohms/length. I'm using 30g and make around 2ohm coils with it, but you gotta figure what diameter coil you want to make too which will affect how many wraps to achieve that resistance you want.

Do you know of like a graph or something I could see/use that shows what gauge wire and coil diameter you need to make the desired resistance? I currently use either 1.5 or 2 ohm resistance cartos and I figured that range would be a good starting point.

 

[autobiogphnation]

http://www.steam-engine.org/coil.asp?targetr=2&wirelength=70.24278546696796

Input your gauge and diameter and you'll get a good idea of how many wraps, but always verify with a meter. Which reminds me, buy a meter to measure your coil on the Atty, as legs will slightly affect resistance too.

 

[planes]

Unfortunately, we have to build coils and thread cotton through which is a pain. At some point devices will come pre coiled or a better method will exist. Until then the most rewarding is an RDA. Personally, I wish there was an easier way.

 

[VBdev]

Do It. It is a huge upgrade... But do it safely. Get an ohm meter with a 510 connection and use it religiously. Plenty of videos and pics to help u get it built, but don't fire a coil till you understand battery safety, and continuous vs max amp discharge ratings. Keep your gear in top notch working order and be on constant watch for warning signs.

Can be the best vape experience yet... if you do it safely.

 

[autobiogphnation]

Unfortunately, we have to build coils and thread cotton through which is a pain. At some point devices will come pre coiled or a better method will exist. Until then the most rewarding is an RDA. Personally, I wish there was an easier way.

IDK how you're doing it, but its definitely not a pain for me (and I think most others would agree it's not a pain for them either) and i've only been doing rebuilds since April, and it wasnt that hard even when I started. It's like threading a sewing needle, moisten the end of the cotton and run it through your fingers to straighten andto make a stiff tail, then just run it through and use tweezers to assist. Also, dripping vs tank is subjective; dripping isn't for everyone. There already are rebuildables that come pre-coiled. All of my smok rebuildables came pre-built at about 1.7ohms with silica. However, they're not micro coils and I'm not a fan of silica, so those come right out for me.
So to the OP, please don't be discouraged by anyone who says its not easy. You obviously gotta give it a try yourself to know if you can do it or not. But if you struggle with it, there is a wonderful place that will help you called ECF.

 

[realsis]

Once you go to rdas you won't look back. The flavor is outrageous and once you get the hang of the build it's really nothing to do it. You can build wick and fill in less than four minutes. It just becomes second nature and the reward is great! You won't be sorry you switched. And it's fun too. Practice makes perfect. You can do it . And I've noticed most rda coils last so much longer and the tanks don't leak, spit, and gurgle. All those problems with the premade coil tanks won't be there with your rdas when built properly. I'm glad I switched!! You won't ever want to go back!

 

[mchaggis79]

I ordered a kayfun 3.1 clone. Pretty excited. It really does seem like such a logical step for me. Why pay $2~ a pop for cartos and have multiple duds in a pack when I can just make my own?

Looks very easy to rebuild too. Sadly it probably won't get here for at least a week. My friend at work said he'd show me how to rebuild everything too, but at this point I'm not too worried. I've been tinkering with stuff like this for yrs. Thank you all for the advice. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[VBdev]

I ordered a kayfun 3.1 clone. Pretty excited. It really does seem like such a logical step for me. Why pay $2~ a pop for cartos and have multiple duds in a pack when I can just make my own?

Looks very easy to rebuild too. Sadly it probably won't get here for at least a week. My friend at work said he'd show me how to rebuild everything too, but at this point I'm not too worried. I've been tinkering with stuff like this for yrs. Thank you all for the advice. I'll let you know how it goes.

Nice, the search for a better vape is a fun one.

Safety Trivia
Given a particular battery, how do you determine what resistance range is safe to fire and what resistance range is not safe to fire?

 

[mchaggis79]

Safety Trivia
Given a particular battery, how do you determine what resistance range is safe to fire and what resistance range is not safe to fire?

Answer: very carefully

 

[mchaggis79]

So I can't believe I found what I found today. In an old toolbox my father gave me several years ago and I still have at my parents I found a fluke 77-3 multimeter. Box itself looked old (shocker), but I opened it up and everything was spotless. I asked my dad about it and he said it was just an extra one he had when he worked at his old job as an electrician that the company gave the electricians. Sadly I highly doubt I'll ever need a meter this fancy so I'm debating on selling it. The meter itself appears to be in mint condition and as far as my dad can remember it was never used. Still has all the paperwork and manual which like the meter itself is spotless. Anyways after voicing my surprise at finding a $200+ meter I have a question. I want to stick around 1.5 ohms for my rebuildable. How do you know what gauge wire to use, what length to cut it to, how many wraps to do, etc. I was thinking about getting 28 or 30 gauge kanthal a1 wire. Am I headed in the right direction?

 

[sedition]

Coil wrapping | Steam Engine | free vaping calculators

Steam Engine is REALLY accurate, especially if you have a basic digital calliper to measure thickness of whatever you're wrapping around. Have a play with it and you'll figure out it really quickly - a nice feature is the Heat Flux section, which will give you a coloured icon suggesting approximately how 'hot' the vape will be. 28 gauge is a good place to start with Kanthal - I've only started trying 26/24 gauge lately so that I can try lower-ohm builds while still getting a 'cool' vape.

You've got a nice multimeter in the Fluke. IF you didn't want to sell it, it's an accurate way to test resistance (don't forget to subtract resistance between the probes themselves). That said, a good 510 ohm meter is about $20.00, and makes a convenient building platform.

 

[mchaggis79]

Yea I think I'm gonna try putting it on Craigslist or something and get a less expensive meter. The only thing I'll ever really need it for is testing coils. Thanks for the link. I have it bookmarked. I'll probably buy a caliper from my dad. God knows he has enough of them.

 

[mchaggis79]

Anyone know of any good mod clones that are black? I've looked at stingray and tree of life clones, but I can't seem to find any stingraya with rly good ratings (many of which had no reviews). I'm thinking making a switch to an 18650ish sized mod so if anyone can point me in the right direction I'd be greatly appreciative.

P.s I'd love to get a good stingray cause the black versions look frikkin sweet, but again no reviews to be found :-(

 

[Susan~S]

Safety Trivia
Given a particular battery, how do you determine what resistance range is safe to fire and what resistance range is not safe to fire?

You use the continuous amp rating of your battery (minus head room for safety) and an ohm's law calculator.

For example:
1. My battery is rated 10A (I am using an AW IMR 18650 1600mah 24A battery)
2. I like to allow 30% head room for safety therefore I don't want my build to exceed 16A
3. Using this Ohm's Law Calculator select "Resistance (R) Calculators"
4. I plug in: V=4.2v (fully charged battery), A=16A, enter = gives me 0.2625 ohms

I don't like to build that low (personal preference = 0.5 ohm+) but I would feel safe with these batteries and that build (assuming my batteries were purchased from an authorized distributor/reseller). I charge my batteries when they are at 3.8v, I do not over-charge them (I take them out of the charger when they are done) and I also inspect my batteries before and after charging (no tears in the wrapping). I also mark all my batteries as to when they first went into service.

Here are some links by Baditude (in a recent post of his).

Battery Basics for Mods contains a list of recommended high-drain IMR or IMR/hybrid batteries for use in a mechanical mod.

Deeper Understanding of Mod Batteries describes what an IMR, IMR/hybrid, and ICR battery are. Explains what the letters & numbers mean on batteries.

Why is the amp rating important when choosing batteries for a mechanical mod and RBA? Explain It To The Dumb Noob: Ohm's Law calculations

Information Resources for Your First RBA An essential read and referrance guide for someone new to rebuilding coils. Includes a multitude of useful links on battery safety, mod safety, coil meters, coil building, and the differences in the three types of RBA's.

Purple Efest Batteries Not As Advertised

Concerning battery chargers: Any charger from Pila, Xtar, Nitecore, or the Efest LUC will be appropriate for your application. The more money you invest in a charger, the more features you'll get. Considering that batteries are the MOST IMPORTANT investment you will make in your vape setup, it makes sense to use a high quality charger.

The previous recommendation of reputable vendors to purchase batteries and chargers are highly recommended to avoid getting counterfeit batteries, which is a growing problem.

How to Spot Fake Sony Batteries



Only buy batteries from a reputable supplier (not ebay or Amazon) as there are many counterfeit batteries being sold. Here are several reputable battery suppliers in the US.

* RTD Vapor
* Illumination Supply
* Lighthound
* Orbtronics