Wick materials. Safe vs dangerous.

[Bmays]

But I don't quite believe my multimeter, so I always confirm by setting up and coiling things. Then I test the ohms with the meter. I get a stable reading. Then I fire the atty, and it shorts

Same here, I work with electronics every day and tend to be .... about being "perfect". I found out real quick the meter should only be used for Ohm's...lol The coil will pop right before your eyes and you can swear there are no shorts.

 

[Bmays]

Has this been mentioned/done yet? A SS mesh wick with just the top section covered with a tad of galls/cotton to prevent the coils from touching the wick at all? Seems that may be the best of both worlds.

 

[Malduk]

Has this been mentioned/done yet? A SS mesh wick with just the top section covered with a tad of galls/cotton to prevent the coils from touching the wick at all? Seems that may be the best of both worlds.

Wicking will be done by mesh, and cotton wicks better in my experience, and cotton would have to handle the heat from the coils, and thats the part mesh does better. In other words, I think your cotton would burn that way.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

overtightening of the coils is the only culprit left to consider, but that doesn't explain the beeping meter, unless I'm just pushing too hard

While perhaps not directly related, I just checked a 4.4 Ohm coil for 'beep' and it does.

Did you try what someone suggested regarding a layer of tissue paper or similar?

 

[Cool_Breeze]

Regarding the suggestions about 'juice' and my relatively short wick life, could very well be. I've been using mostly medium to dark juice.

 

[Quigsworth]

self made cheap line

I feel really bad for derailing this thread my friends thank you for all of the support

overtightening of the coils is the only culprit left to consider, but that doesn't explain the beeping meter, unless I'm just pushing too hard

I'll try and get a pic up later

again, thank you all, sorry for the rabbit trail !

I have to say...of the dozens of wicks I've oxidized I've never metered one...serious, "never"...put the meter away...you're expecting perfection after the first step of many...

Are you folding over the the last couple mm of your mesh so you get a clean edge? Are you taking the tempering out of your Kanthal before you wrap by making it red hot with a lighter?...(that makes it wrap so much easier and much less chance to create pressure points on your wick). After you wrapped your coil, did you soak it in PG and burn it off a few times with a lighter before you even put it into your device?...

You also have to add to the coil/mesh build tri (or even quad) fecta the fact that the kanthal will "also" oxidize once it fires the first couple times, so not only do you have the layer of oxidation on the mesh but the coil as well, then there's the layer of caramelized/glazed sugars from your juice that will add to the insulation (which is why you prime/fire/prime/fire as an added adjustment if necessary)...the laws of physics aren't any different at your house...this is a science needing a good pair of reading glasses, I think you're using an electron microscope

 

[bluegrasslover]

My cotton wicks get gunked up, same as with other types of wicks. I've had some last as little as ~24 hours. Others, about 3 days. I'd just as soon go though the winding/replacing rountine less frequently. I know others have had their cotton wicks last longer. I'm uncertain what the differences in techniques and actual materials may be.

I'm in the process of obtaining a small amount of SS mesh. I'm going to attempt to wrap a cotton wick with SS mesh for the width of the center tube of the Echo Crystal Visions, or about 1/8" and then wrap a coil over the mesh and hopefully find out how such a hybred performs.

I recently discovered another plus for cotton. I am using threads from gauze on a vivi nova. When the taste started going I just pulled the wick through the coil to a nice clean section. Can't do that with silica since it just falls apart. Another thing you can do is just remove the dirty one, burn the gunk off your coil then just re-thread it. My dry cotton wick will fit inside my coils perfectly since I make them a bit over sized.

 

[tiburonfirst]

After you wrapped your coil, did you soak it in PG and burn it off a few times with a lighter before you even put it into your device?...

i knew there was something i had to ask after watching the video! can pg be replaced by vg? i'm highly allergic .....

 

[Quigsworth]

i knew there was something i had to ask after watching the video! can pg be replaced by vg? i'm highly allergic .....

Don't see why not, all you are really doing is adding as much charred insulating material to the process as possible...I don't think PG has any magic properties over VG except for the fact that PG burns pretty good (alcohol base)

 

[Gummy Bear]

i knew there was something i had to ask after watching the video! can pg be replaced by vg? i'm highly allergic .....

Me too. I only use 100% PG.
Oh never mind I see now that I read your post backwards.

 

[Cyrus Vap]

While perhaps not directly related, I just checked a 4.4 Ohm coil for 'beep' and it does.

Did you try what someone suggested regarding a layer of tissue paper or similar?

Cool the coil should beep, as it should conduct...is that what you mean? both ends of the coil and nothing else?

 

[Cyrus Vap]

I recently discovered another plus for cotton. I am using threads from gauze on a vivi nova. When the taste started going I just pulled the wick through the coil to a nice clean section. Can't do that with silica since it just falls apart. Another thing you can do is just remove the dirty one, burn the gunk off your coil then just re-thread it. My dry cotton wick will fit inside my coils perfectly since I make them a bit over sized.

I know, its one of my favorite things about cotton, maybe my favorite So sick of silica disintegrating after a wink at it

 

[Cyrus Vap]

I have to say...of the dozens of wicks I've oxidized I've never metered one...serious, "never"...put the meter away...you're expecting perfection after the first step of many...

Are you folding over the the last couple mm of your mesh so you get a clean edge? Are you taking the tempering out of your Kanthal before you wrap by making it red hot with a lighter?...(that makes it wrap so much easier and much less chance to create pressure points on your wick). After you wrapped your coil, did you soak it in PG and burn it off a few times with a lighter before you even put it into your device?...

You also have to add to the coil/mesh build tri (or even quad) fecta the fact that the kanthal will "also" oxidize once it fires the first couple times, so not only do you have the layer of oxidation on the mesh but the coil as well, then there's the layer of caramelized/glazed sugars from your juice that will add to the insulation (which is why you prime/fire/prime/fire as an added adjustment if necessary)...the laws of physics aren't any different at your house...this is a science needing a good pair of reading glasses, I think you're using an electron microscope

I didn't do the PG burn after the coil was wrapped. I'll try doing that and wrapping more loosely tomorrow and report back

For now, I'm going to have to enjoy the new, and good, things that are going well. A satin black provari with an IO6...and a .357....heaven

 

[Charlz]

I recently discovered another plus for cotton. I am using threads from gauze on a vivi nova. When the taste started going I just pulled the wick through the coil to a nice clean section. Can't do that with silica since it just falls apart. Another thing you can do is just remove the dirty one, burn the gunk off your coil then just re-thread it. My dry cotton wick will fit inside my coils perfectly since I make them a bit over sized.

I've been doing that for a couple weeks now. I leave the wick long on one side and after a refill or two, just pull and snip. The coils don't gunk up the same as with silica. And when I'm at the end of my rope the coils dry burn super fast.

 

[Cool_Breeze]

Cool the coil should beep, as it should conduct...is that what you mean? both ends of the coil and nothing else?

Cyrus - This may be a little academic...not certain. In checking my meter on a 8.8 Ohm resistor, I get a beep. In checking a 128 Ohm resistor, I get no beep. The point is there can be 'some' resistance and one can still get a beep. If I had the proper assortment of resistors, I could determine the point at which my meter hits a resistance threshold that beyond which, it no longer beeps. It would be good for me to know that value.

Now...as to what resistance is appropriate between the coil and the mesh...that's another quesion. One would hope infinite, but I don't know what a practical/workable resistance might be.

It may be that a mesh could beep yet still work with a coil...but maybe not!

 

[bilboda]

Well, on topic, cotton works!
I'm using cotton wick in my new Vivinova and I get great throat hit and flavor using my new Ego C twist at 4 volts. I twisted a 2.5 ohm coil on the cotton. Great idea folks!

 

[DonG]

Getting about 3 days from my cotton wicks before they gunk up enough to drop performance. Cheap enough that i dont even bother trying to save the coil. I have 4 rca/phono jack atties made up and just spend 30-45l mins a week rebuilding the two or so that are not performing.

 

[Malduk]

It may be that a mesh could beep yet still work with a coil...but maybe not!

Yes, in instances where resistance is high enough, but not "infinite", coil will work. Most of the current would go through coil, but some would go through mesh. Its not horrible, but some energy does get wasted that way.
Another reason not to wrap coils too tightly around the mesh - "bad" contact equals resistance. Also, it allows for more isolation to build up through further oxidation and gunk during use.

 

[REET_AZ]

I used to have a commercial Drapery Workroom. When the machines needed to be re-threaded, you would not let it run all the way out. You tie the new thread onto the old thread and pull it thru.

Im thinking the cotton yard thread would be the same, if you tied a tight enough tiny knot. You might have to walk it through the coil if it got stuck, but might be easier than rethreading with a twisted end...try it!

 

[urquidezj]

So how does cotton yarn stack up on a regular geni setup. I have a hybrid by poc that doesn't get much use because I can't get along with as mesh anymore. Setups and experiences please and thanks