So I finally switched to stainless steel after using kanthal for years. It took a while and I mulled over what to use next for a cleaner taste. After the undecided safety on titanium as well as not liking temp control, I decided on stainless steel.
Talking with my friend who is a welder, I asked about hexavalent chromium and exactly how it is formed from SS and how high the temp is. He told me to google tig weld and showed me exactly what hexavalent chromium is. In summation, it is formed at 1000+ degrees F and has a colored, rainbow look.
Thinking it was safe, I got some, have been using it for a couple days, and in cleaning inbetween wicking, I VERY gently heated/ dry burned the coils. Upon doing this, they started to look colorful, just as the pictures I saw of hexavalent chromium looked.
Unsure of what I am looking at, but I just wanted to get everyone’s opinion on the topic.
Am using Kbee wire 26ss/36ss, 316L stainless steel claptons, wrapped at 12 wraps, dual coils 0.37 ohms, running at 5.67V (87 Watts).
It’s the same old discussion whether you should dry burn or not. Some people will tell you to never do it, others will tell you it’s not so bad.
Steel welders are exposed to a hell of a lot more hexavalent chromium than vapers so it’s an issue for them, not so much for us (unless we do crazy things with our coils).
If nickel, titatium or even stainless steel were dangerous metals to vape on, why do you think that they still put all those modes on nearly every regulated device on sale? You think the laws in the US, EU and the rest of the world aren’t strict enough?
If you don’t want to dry burn then you can put your coil with cotton under the tap and burn your coil with the wet cotton in it. The crud will get unto the wet cotton and you can rinse after or so I’ve been told by some people on this forum
AVS has a good tutorial on caring for your ss coils on their site. I dry burn with low pulses and brush clean. No need to go red/white hot with any metal to get it clean imo.
