You don't work, you don't eat...

[Alchapwn]

So...I may have gotten a little in over my head. I've only been vaping for about 2 weeks and pulled the trigger on a rebuildable atomizer. Looked so easy on Youtube to rebuild. I have all the tools necessary. Material? Easy enough to find for cheap on ebay.
My smoktech RSST isn't here yet. I just ordered it last night. Been researching like crazy ever since and starting to think/worry that maybe I won't be so good at the coil building game.
No backup topper(cartos, clearos, tanks) that will fit my cig-a-like. My Vamo should be here soon and i needed a topper for it dangit! I thought to myself, "i like to tinker and rba's sound like the best flavor/vapor you can get" so i went all-in.

After worrying for awhile, i think i have a solution that makes me feel better. Why are the rba guys so good at making coils? It isn't a hard concept and with a regulated PV my chances of screwin up my battery are low. So how are they good at it?...its because they practice. They do it all the time! I'm sure most, if not all, didn't start with an rba, they had a backup topper in case it wasn't goin well. A backup that they were used to the ease of, the convenience. A safety net, if you will. I get to suck on a terrible cartomizer that came with my V2cig and hope the battery doesn't run out. Or it rolls off the table, under the couch, and into the floor vent never to be seen again! Sigh...i really wish i knew ahead of time how much i would love vaping. But i digress...

So now im on a mission. Im starting out with a sort of "baptism by fire" kind of situation. "If you fail a coil, you don't vape." Wonder how fast i can get at building coils. Wonder how awesome my coils will eventually be.

Blame it on stupid noob mistakes if you will, but in the words of the great Barney Stinson "Challenge accepted!"
I'm thinking about posting pics of the coils i make from the first all the way till i get a good one. A timeline of terrible, noobish coils with nasty hotspots, possibly broken, burnt and crispy that hopefully one day will be super awesome.

How many tries do you guys think it will take? should i order 200' of wick and 1000' of wire? Maybe go straight into ss mesh or even better...ribbon cables and ss wire rope. If I'm gonna fail, lets do it with some style!!!

 

[fabricator4]

How many tries do you guys think it will take? should i order 200' of wick and 1000' of wire? Maybe go straight into ss mesh or even better...ribbon cables and ss wire rope. If I'm gonna fail, lets do it with some style!!!

It's not hard, and if you're using wick instead of mesh you don't have to worry about shorts. Make sure you have a butane torch because it's going to be your best friend. Flaming the wire before you wind it does several things: gets rid of any oils left over from the drawing process, oxidises the wire which speeds up the run-in time of a new coil, and anneals the wire so it is softer and easier to wrap.

The hardest thing with wick is that it's not firm enough on its own to wrap wire around. Methods of wrapping on a machine thread and then inserting the wick I found were too fiddly and have a steep learning curve. What worked for me was to get a medium sewing needle and insert it in the wick, then you wrap the coil around that. The needle gives the support to hold the wick and wrap the wire successfully. After the needle is removed the wick relaxes and as long as you use the correct thickness of needle you have perfect wick/coil contact.

It will probably take you two or three goes to get a coil that you are happy enough with. How well it wicks juice is another matter, but obviously if the coil is too tight it's going have an adverse affect. Is this a RDA, or a true RBA with tank?

 

[Thrasher]

kind of the wrong attitude lol you may not vape for a long time.

with SS mesh - while easy to do sometimes the learning curve can get in the way as there are sooo many variables. most of the peeps who seem to whip out coils arent at their first rodeo so to speak.
yea its not hard but can be very frustrating sometimes when first starting out.

i suggest digging around for some videos on the drillbit method for wrapping coils, it makes short work of that part and i have good working coils in all of 5 minutes now.

also make sure to pop inth the RBA forums for tips tricks, and help when or if it is giving you a hard time.

my very first time was a breeze, and i thought pffffffft this isnt nothing, well beginners luck wore off second time around and almost threw my atty out the window.

if using a silica or soft wick style it will take all of 10 minutes....

 

[Alchapwn]

I agree. And thank you for not immediately flaming me. If all else fails, i can easily get me a carto/tank. But that would involve giving up. Who wants to be "that" guy. I've been researching non-stop, absorbing every little detail. I've even practiced with some wire i've found around the house. (thats way weird isnt it) Anyway, "My Adventures In Vaping" is what I'm calling my new feature length film. I dont like to name drop, but Peter Jackson may or may not have a hand in its production. Stay tuned!!! lol

 

[AttyPops]

(Opens window and yells) "Hey--- Get a carto!" *

(*= "Get a horse!" reference)

OK, not to be too much of a Luddite....but I'd have some stock stuff around if you don't already. Like cartos or stock atomizers.
Also suggest you invest in a multi-meter if you don't have one (I'm a broken record on that one).
Then you can "play" all you want.

Good luck with vaping and RBA's!

 

[Thrasher]

at least you have the desire and sometimes that is very much needed when started with rba's.
i find great joy in playing with them now, and the vape is superior (to me anyways) i cant go back ever. but i can attest the second time i left the atty in a box for about 2 weeks then said BS i did it once, and others do it all day long im doing this.

there is nothing more rewarding then firing up a perfect coil and feeling your head spin as the flavor just seems to overwhelm you sometimes. i try clearos now and think "i cant tast anything" so i know im hooked for good.

good luck and remember we will help, even though its the same questions 1000 times already..... ask anyways............................

 

[Alchapwn]

Thanks guys! Really starting to love this community. Such nice and knowledgeable people. You guys rock!

 

[Heavyrocker]

Look at the bright side,its fun,i just did a set up on my AGA using SS cable and what beautiful experience it was too get it done right.Its actually pretty easy doing the cable with the AGA,but ill tell ya,what a nice taste and massvie clouds and the TH is smooth and not harsh,just a good thump too the throtI i just went tru 1/2 tank of Malibu just in 4 hours.

 

[Alchapwn]

Look at the bright side,its fun,i just did a set up on my AGA using SS cable and what beautiful experience it was too get it done right.Its actually pretty easy doing the cable with the AGA,but ill tell ya,what a nice taste and massvie clouds and the TH is smooth and not harsh,just a good thump too the throtI i just went tru 1/2 tank of Malibu just in 4 hours.

Thats what I'm talkin 'bout! Hellz yea dude!!!

 

[MadQuack]

Dude, as a two year long vaper, I'm highly recommending that you steer clear of cartotanks. The cartomizers are finicky in all but the best brands (which are too costly), and you'll be constantly spending money on replacing them.

A better solution would be a good clearomizer. The eVocs are really popular right now, they're cheap, very simple to use and have replaceable atomizer heads.