Wire Rope for Wick?

[ScottP]

i gather that its been determined that wire snips wont work to avoid fraying. correct? is the rotary tool the only way to cut the steel cable? if so im sticking with mesh. after all, i'd still need mesh up top under the coil which would incur the same shorting problems as an entire wick made of mesh, i presume.

Some people have used wire cutter/bolt cutters, but they have said you need to use the kind that the blades line up with each other, NOT off set slightly like scissors. Depending on the thickness of your cable and the type of cutters you have it could be difficult but not impossible to cut. You do have to be careful when cutting this way not to pinch off the end you are cutting.

 

[Nach]

Here have been my observations when using wire rope:

7x19 - Rotary cutter still frays this one. Doesn't wick as well. The frayed ends (because they're so tiny) become a pain to work with, every step of the way.

7x7 - Steel cable cutters make a quick clean job of these (rounded cutting edges, just make sure they're NOT for soft metals). WICKS LIKE A DREAM! Doesn't fray!!

 

[Dusty_D]

Sorry to pop in after so long, but I just received some ekowool a week ago, and having a dog of a time getting it to work with 3/32 7X7 cable in my RSST. Any quick tips, pointers would be appreciated.

I have the cable cut to just shy of the top of the positive post. Wrapped the top half of the cable with 2mm eko (till the deck), wrapped coil, inserted. It works in so far as wicking etc goes. It just seems to need a LOT of power to get the thing to fire right.

Appreciate any pointers..

 

[Nach]

Maybe make the rope just a little higher than the post. Gives you some more room to work with. As long as you don't touch the top cap, you're all good.

 

[Hoofhearted62]

this is a great thread

 

[burnie71]

i gather that its been determined that wire snips wont work to avoid fraying. correct? is the rotary tool the only way to cut the steel cable? if so im sticking with mesh. after all, i'd still need mesh up top under the coil which would incur the same shorting problems as an entire wick made of mesh, i presume.

There is no need to buy or use rotary cut off tools, just buy a cheap ss wire rope cutter from hardware store ...ce made cost $15 au great tool to have around the place...also cutters can also be found in most bike shops.

 

[Kemosabe]

There is no need to buy or use rotary cut off tools, just buy a cheap ss wire rope cutter from hardware store ...ce made cost $15 au great tool to have around the place...also cutters can also be found in most bike shops.

Thanks. What happened with me is I got lucky and the guy at tractor supply used his big bolt cutters and cut my rope into small sections for me before I purchased it. Worked out great.

 

[cobyatch]

First time using SS rope with an Ekowool sleeve. Much easier to build than a hollow wick IMO. Not getting hot spots anymore, but I am not getting as much flavor. Is this to be expected? What can I change to get more.

 

[Dusty_D]

That is my nightmare too.

I've got two RSST's just waiting for me to figure out the optimal way of getting flavour with wire-wick and 2mm ekowool sleeve.

Kayfun Lite is getting all the attention at this time as optimal juice delivery system.

 

[Nach]

What's wrong with mesh diapers? I'm having zero issues with it. Though I did go from one wrap of mesh, to two complete wraps. It gives an additional layer of insulation as well as more material to keep juice at the coil.

 

[cobyatch]

Rebuilt it with the ekowool sleeve but made the coils a bit looser. Getting a bit more flavor, but not as much as before. Seems to be wicking fine, the sleeve never gets dry. I did notice that the coils are slower to heat up though. Any way of fixing that?

 

[Dusty_D]

Rebuilt it with the ekowool sleeve but made the coils a bit looser. Getting a bit more flavor, but not as much as before. Seems to be wicking fine, the sleeve never gets dry. I did notice that the coils are slower to heat up though. Any way of fixing that?

See, that's exactly the issue.. I'm having to bump the power WAY UP to get even a simple 3 or 4 wrap of 30gauge Kanthal. What works just fine on a mesh wick or silica at around 8 - 9 watts, I'm having to take up to 12 - 13 watts to replicate with the wire-wick/ekowool sleeve build. I don't understand why that is..

 

[Nach]

See, that's exactly the issue.. I'm having to bump the power WAY UP to get even a simple 3 or 4 wrap of 30gauge Kanthal. What works just fine on a mesh wick or silica at around 8 - 9 watts, I'm having to take up to 12 - 13 watts to replicate with the wire-wick/ekowool sleeve build. I don't understand why that is..

It's simple, Dusty... The wire rope acts as a heat sink and absorbs much of the initial heat that you were used to on mesh. The idea is, once you get your whole deck heated up, then commence the real vaping!

 

[Dusty_D]

It's simple, Dusty... The wire rope acts as a heat sink and absorbs much of the initial heat that you were used to on mesh. The idea is, once you get your whole deck heated up, then commence the real vaping!

Got it.. so, it's an expected result. Don't you find that you're running down batteries a lot more due to excessive HIT time? I think I was going through almost 2 x 18650's a day..

 

[Nach]

Yeah, I noticed that too. But for myself, I don't care. I'll just carry that extra battery!

 

[zogu]

It's simple, Dusty... The wire rope acts as a heat sink and absorbs much of the initial heat that you were used to on mesh. The idea is, once you get your whole deck heated up, then commence the real vaping!

That is why microcoil works so good. Maybe you can try microcoil over ekowool, but diameter is to big, i hate any kind of fiber/silica, but i heard that microcoil is best if diameter is about 1.2mm. Still, worth to try, maybe with thinner wire rope.

 

[ukeman]

micro coils can be great up to 1/16" ID... no worries there.
thats off topic no? or do you micro a sleeved (diapered) wire rope?

i just used some skinny wire rope with an eko diaper... for wicking issues, make sure you don't choke the wick hole too tightly.
I even go with a short "sock" up top and tilt to get juice up there.

my wrap came in a bit low.... .47 to .5 Ohms... 3/4 wrap 26 nichrome, but no hot spots, and vape is great... lots of watts for sure and i don't care about batt times either... 18650 IMR AW on a Nemesis PV.

 

[zogu]

micro coils can be great up to 1/16" ID... no worries there.
thats off topic no? or do you micro a sleeved (diapered) wire rope?

That is about 1.6mm, yes sleeved wire rope with ekowool or something similar, but it must be greater than 1/16", at least 2mm with 1.5mm wire rope.

 

[ukeman]

That is about 1.6mm, yes sleeved wire rope with ekowool or something similar, but it must be greater than 1/16", at least 2mm with 1.5mm wire rope.

yup., and you have to hand wap the micro.... which on a sleeve is a talented skill set in itself
(micro's are best when you can slide the wick into the coil)
WHen it comes to sub ohms, or not, i love micro coils... but with the sleeve, i just make sure its pretty low resistance to get the vape i like.
(I follow all the safety requirements)

 

[cobyatch]

See, that's exactly the issue.. I'm having to bump the power WAY UP to get even a simple 3 or 4 wrap of 30gauge Kanthal. What works just fine on a mesh wick or silica at around 8 - 9 watts, I'm having to take up to 12 - 13 watts to replicate with the wire-wick/ekowool sleeve build. I don't understand why that is..

Fixed my issue. Watched MC Vapes video on Youtube and copied his build. Built it with one less wrap and 2 wires. Much better flavor and vapor.

Build: Quad Coil RSST (Genesis style atomizers) - YouTube

Mine is a 1/2 wrap with 28 guage side-by-side. Try it out!

Edit: Went back to a 2/3 wrap because the juice tasted burnt lol. Much better now. So yeah just try doubling the wires.