torching coils

[CallmeB]

I watch a lot of guys on youtube wind coils and they usually torch them. I just tried this the other day. It worked wonderfully in keeping the coils fussed together. What I'm wondering is what effect this will have on resistance. Doing this shorts the coil. Instead of the electricity flowing through the entire length of wire it takes the path of least resistance which would be across the coil in a line as all the turns are shorted to eachother. I don't know why this didn't occur to me sooner. Are there any electricians or electrical engineers on this forum? If not, I'll ofc take the word of anyone who has experience winding coils.

 

[novamatt]

I'm not an engineer, but this has to do with the unique properties of resistance wire like Kanthal and why it works so well as a heating element.

When Kanthal is heated, it oxidizes. So torching it builds a layer of aluminum oxide on the surface of the wire that insulates the wraps from each other and keeps them from shorting out. That's why an untorched microcoil won't usually burn from the inside out cleanly the first time you fire it - without that oxidized layer, the wraps short to each other and it heats unevenly. Torching the coil causes the wire to insulate against itself, which allows it to heat evenly and provides for a great vape.

For more in-depth information, you can check out this blog by ECF member State O' Flux.