VaporShark rDNA

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Angel Eyes

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thanks. I must be getting lucky because I'm only hit tc after chain vaping, never after a few hits; and I've built about 10 spaced nickel coils so far. like I said, I'm not going to dry burn this nickel wire for health reasons. The spaced coils give me the best chance of getting it right without dry burning. I am thinking about getting one of those Kuro coilers (?) for contact coils. we'll see.:)
you should consider getting some grade 1 or grade 2 titanium wire (try amazon) - then you could safely do dry burns to check your coils - titanium is the future (titanium is in many foods and not harmful)

PS - you will need experiment with some dry Japanese cotton to see where browning begins, and then back down from that like 40 degrees or so, as the temp control works fine with titanium, but the temp control actual numbers are off, so 300 degrees might be your titanium equivalent to 420 with Ni200, or whatever.
 

caged

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you should consider getting some grade 1 or grade 2 titanium wire (try amazon) - then you could safely do dry burns to check your coils - titanium is the future (titanium is in many foods and not harmful)

PS - you will need experiment with some dry Japanese cotton to see where browning begins, and then back down from that like 40 degrees or so, as the temp control works fine with titanium, but the temp control actual numbers are off, so 300 degrees might be your titanium equivalent to 420 with Ni200, or whatever.

Doesn't titanium explode when it gets too hot?
 
Well I'm still having problems with the device shorting out, even without anything screwed into the 510 pin at top. I thought I could manage to make it work while I waited to hear back from support with VS, but I guess that's not the case. Was really looking forward to trying my new juices from Craft Vapery on the TP mode, but I guess it wasn't in the cards. Just gonna have to sit it on the shelf until VS has a solution or wants me to send it back. Looks like I'm gonna have to build me up a kanthal build...
 

Dochartaigh

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Any tips for somebody dealing with hot spots on a small part of the coil? (I've read every single post with "DNA 40" and "hot spot" in it to no avail...)

VaporShark DNA 40. Dual-coil at 0.11 ohm (3/32", using 32 gauge nickel). Hot spot(s) are only on a single wrap (out of the 6 wraps) on the coil. Could be most of that single wrap, could be the top, or bottom, or top only, etc. Coils are NOT touching whatsoever...and are as evenly spaced as I can get them.

All I can figure out is it's where the wick isn't touching that specific spot on the coil with as much force as the rest of the coil, so I get a hot spot there which gives me burnt hits (even with T.C. on pretty low). The problem is I can't shove more cotton (my preferred wick to use, although I ordered Japanese cotton and some Cellucotton/Rayon) through that wick without totally destroying it (and I'm even using the trick of splitting the wick in two and pulling it in through both sides at the same time).
 
Have you tried going in with a tiny flathead screwdriver and try nudging your wraps around a little bit. From my tinkering with nickel, I found that my best performing nickel builds were probably the ugliest I've ever managed. It isn't always a perfectly spaced wrap that gives you the best performance. Give that a try and see how it works out...
 

Dochartaigh

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Oh mine is already mangled to hell. It started off all symmetrical with perfectly round and perfectly spaced coils...but not so much anymore. The below photo shows it after I've moved around the coils a bunch to eliminate different hotspots...but they keep coming back in slightly different areas (I assume as the cotton gets older and shifts, burns, or collapses, but who knows).



That's 32 gauge. I have 28 gauge (and 30 on order). I would love to be able to use the 28 gauge so the coil doesn't get messed up just wicking the darn thing, but with a dual coil build that would be something like 25+ wraps per coil which isn't going to happen.

I just thought of something else to try: really twisting the cotton tight before I pull it through the wick. I usually give it a real loose twist (just to hold it together) then wet the ends and twist them so I can get it started (like threading a needle), then pull through the mostly uncompressed cotton through the coil. If I compress the cotton a lot more beforehand maybe it'll expand once I put juice on it and make better contact with more (hopefully 100%) of the coil.
 
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KTMRider

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I just thought of something else to try: really twisting the cotton tight before I pull it through the wick. I usually give it a real loose twist (just to hold it together) then wet the ends and twist them so I can get it started (like threading a needle), then pull through the mostly uncompressed cotton through the coil. If I compress the cotton a lot more beforehand maybe it'll expand once I put juice on it and make better contact with more (hopefully 100%) of the coil.

From my builds, I did find that using slightly more wick than I would on a kanthal build yielded better performance. It's always tough when you are trying to wick it without getting the coil all messed up. If you kind of "screw" the wick into the coil, you can often get in in a bit easier and can save most of the integrity of the coil. Just another something to try!
 

KTMRider

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Fairly easy to build with nickel? Wouldn't mind trying a clone before I jump in on an authentic!!

Just as easy as any Kayfun. I'm using the stock spring (Tobeco version) and with 28g, 3mm ID, 12 wraps @ .17Ω, it's vaping just as good at the kanthal build on the silver v4. I was so impressed with the Tobeco version, which I just got about 3 hrs ago, I ordered a silver version from eBay since it was on sale for $19.95 shipped.
 

Elyptic

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Fairly easy to build with nickel? Wouldn't mind trying a clone before I jump in on an authentic!!

I just ordered an Erl mini clone for the same reason. Looks like a great for for for my VS!

I'm not a huge fan of clones, but before dropping the cash it seems like a good idea to at least see if I like the concept.

Bits scrambled by Tapatalk...
 

Elyptic

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I just thought of something else to try: really twisting the cotton tight before I pull it through the wick. I usually give it a real loose twist (just to hold it together) then wet the ends and twist them so I can get it started (like threading a needle), then pull through the mostly uncompressed cotton through the coil. If I compress the cotton a lot more beforehand maybe it'll expand once I put juice on it and make better contact with more (hopefully 100%) of the coil.

I've twisted the cotton really well with good success. I find if I twist it up, feed one end, and then pull out while twisting allows me to slide it into the coil. I then untwist.

The goal is even amounts of cooling on each coil, which means even amount of surface contact with the wicking material.


Bits scrambled by Tapatalk...
 

KTMRider

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I just ordered an Erl mini clone for the same reason. Looks like a great for for for my VS!

I'm not a huge fan of clones, but before dropping the cash it seems like a good idea to at least see if I like the concept.

Bits scrambled by Tapatalk...

I tried 2 Erlk clones and hated it. Hate. Hate. Hate.
 

KTMRider

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I'm starting to feel that way about my authentic Lemo. Just so fussy! I want something to fill and go which is why I was drawn to the Erl. But if it leaks (something my Lemo doesn't do) then it's gonna be a no go for me.


Bits scrambled by Tapatalk...

You'll need a few classes at your local beauty school to trim the wick. Even then, it will leak. And straight down the bottom. For no reason. I must've re-wicked at least 40 times and lost a LOT of juice. This was on 2 different clones.

My KFL+'s never leak and are dead reliable. I had the KF v4 from FT for a little over a week and it had some issues but nothing I couldn't fix myself (unlike the Erl clone). After a few days of sorting it out, it vaped kanthal great. So much so, I was using it on my DNA30 and hardly touched my rDNA40. Tobeco seems to be the best clone version so I ordered a black one. It finally came in today and it just worked straight out of the box with no issues at all. It was perfect. Everything unscrewed w/o tools or cutting me. Threads are perfect, no crunchy threads anywhere. No wobbles. Perfect.
 

sandman97289

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You'll need a few classes at your local beauty school to trim the wick. Even then, it will leak. And straight down the bottom. For no reason. I must've re-wicked at least 40 times and lost a LOT of juice. This was on 2 different clones.

My KFL+'s never leak and are dead reliable. I had the KF v4 from FT for a little over a week and it had some issues but nothing I couldn't fix myself (unlike the Erl clone). After a few days of sorting it out, it vaped kanthal great. So much so, I was using it on my DNA30 and hardly touched my rDNA40. Tobeco seems to be the best clone version so I ordered a black one. It finally came in today and it just worked straight out of the box with no issues at all. It was perfect. Everything unscrewed w/o tools or cutting me. Threads are perfect, no crunchy threads anywhere. No wobbles. Perfect.

I share KTMRider's experiences with the ErlK and KF v4. The ErlK is a "b i t c h" to wick right and is very finicky about the vacuum in the chimney. It'll either leak or give you dry hits often. The ErlK nano is a bit easier and gives a better vape but is still not as easy as the KF v4. Another atty I am absolutely loving these days is the Aqua v2. It's simplicity and vape quality are unbelievable. I have to cut back on my vaping because I get nic buzzes with the Aqua v2 with dual coils!
 
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