New to Stainless Steel coil making…Done a lot of research that has still left me a bit confused…I do have 26 gauge UD brand SS 316L that I just picked up…
Spaced vs Contact
Safety do’s and don’ts as far as chemical makeup of Stainless Steel
Difference between running them in Power (wattage) vs TC modes
Flavor differences from Kanthal?
Looking to outfit a variety of RTAs with them perhaps: Goblin Mini…KayfunMini V3 Clone…Boreas…Aromamizer RDTA…Lemo Drop… Primarily a MTL hitter, but do play around with Air Flow during vaping…Generally am running .9 to 1.1 ohms single coil builds…Perhaps I am shortchanging myself at these higher resistances?
I have watched videos, talked to shop guys and read several threads in forums, but some of these veteran vapers are still talking over my head and I’m not sure how I should safely start…
I have prolly heard stuff that hasn’t yet sunk in and I am seeking help from some of you who, I believe, share in similar tastes with me…Perhaps I am beating a dead horse and there is an informational link on this site that I am missing?..But any experience shared will be gratefully appreciated… Respectfully…
I’m in the same boat. I’m starting to read up on building coils. Some good info…but it’s not the same that I have found with DIY juice making with super great sticky threads say this is how to do it and so on.
Spaced vs contact - personal preference unless making a coil for TC. In my experience spaced is a LOT easier to deal with for TC.
Flavor dif - SS tastes less metallic to me.
For the most part, it’s not much different than working with kanthal. I can’t think of anything to tell you regarding safety that doesn’t also apply to kanthal.
No, it’s a good question! The resistance is slightly different between spaced and contact coils. With TC, the resistance needs to be constant, which is why loose connections wreak havoc with TC.
To a lesser degree, when a contact coil heats and expands, your resistance may drift as you get a little bit of space in the coil. This sudden change in resistance will make the TC function behave erratically.
So, it can be done, but it’s more prone to misbehaving, if that makes any sense?
As @zigz said spaced vs contact is a personal preference, i run contact coils.
Flavor difference - Much cleaner, no taste of wire at all.
Safety - When you install the coils pulse them quickly at low wattage depending on gauge. I run all 26g 316L i pulse quickly, 35w, until the contact coils glow evenly.
Power vs TC mode - There really is none.
Additionally SS ramps up much quicker so your draw will change. Also is requires more wraps to achieve the same resistance as a similar kanthal build, more wire = more surface area which equates to more flavor/vapor production. It also runs cooler than a similar kanthal build.
For contact TC coils I had a lot more luck with SS than with Titanium, so SS might be a little more forgiving? I’m not really sure about this being “fact”, that was just my experience.
I just got some UD brand 26 gauge 316L locally here in Ohio shop…now I seek to learn…One of the things I was wondering was if lower resistance provided any advantages in flavor over my typical 1 ohm builds…I do prefer a cooler vape…I typically vape at 12 to 18 watts with my 1 ohm builds kanthal…and again am wondering if I am shortchanging myself in any way…It’s one of the reasons I aquired the Joytech VTC Mini with 75 watt capability…
It’s interesting you bring up a 2.5 mm coil…I am used to working within the confines of the Goblin Mini 2.4 mm coil…8 wraps Kanthal ohms out at about 1 ohm…The Boreas and Aromamizer have what appears to be more space to work in…I am wondering if a larger coil diameter is feasible/doable?..What are the max sized coils to run in these RTAs with larger build decks…I am primarily a flavor chaser and wondered if larger was advantageous…say 3 to 3.5 mm?..or is that overkill?
Hmmm. Looks like I got some more learning to do. Spent 4. Hours reading and watching videos yesturday. Lol. Sometime at the end of next week I’m gonna post like 100 questions on building and terminologies. Maybe try to create a coil building for dummies thread.
I have a basic handel on things, and I know I will learn more once I buy an rda, ohm reader, and cool wrapping kit. Still scared as sh*t about blowing my face off.
That does lead to the next question for a seasoned coil builders. Is there already a coil builder for dummies somewhere. I get some of the basics (like using this length of 24g wire to get X number of ohms) but I’m looking the last 'ah moment in terms of…"#number of wraps" to ect Ect to get to the final product.
I pretty much use SS 26ga 316L contact coils 99% of the time; yes, I’ve tried everything else, but for me personally, I’ve settled on this wire for vaping.
I am of the opinion that the largest coil you can use in a tank the better when it comes to flavor.I use the 3.5 rod when building coils on the Boreas.The Aromamizer , I only have the original tank and use a 2.5 on the majority of the builds for it.
I vape higher watts , usually running between 45-65 watts.
I am glad you brought up the discussion on SS wire as I would love to find out more about the builds people are using.I have researched and have about come to the conclusion that there is no way to use SS wrong. I have found about an even split between the ones who build spaced as opposed to those who build contact coils.
I would love to hear from those that are having success building coils for temperature control on DNA200 mods.
Sometimes when you are right in the middle of it…it is hard to see…I will take credit for being a dummy here, if you will too…Hence, we have that thread… [quote=“Ken_O_Where, post:13, topic:63561”]
“There is no such thing as overkill.”,
[/quote]
So yeah, you guys appear to like to blow the roof off…but really, it is my approach, thus far, which has been conservative…Like @Chrispdx… I am a bit fearful of the whole battery/coil/mod safety thing…Up to now, I have been vaping on some pretty basic devices, and am now venturing into some more sophisticated stuff…Some input here already has been very informative, I very much appreciate it…
Just tried 3 different builds on my griffin 25 looking for flavor.
1st- single coil with the block in one side 24g SS316L 3mm ID 6 wraps-- Flavor sucked.
2nd- dual coil twisted 24g SS316L 3.5mm ID 7 wraps-- Flavor better, but popped and crackled.
3rd- dual coil single wire spaced 24g SS316L 3.5mm ID 8 wraps-- Awesome flavor smooth vape.
So I guess what I’m saying is you have to try all kinds of different builds till you find the one that suits your needs.
SS is what I use for temp control sometimes in power mode. Imho no difference. Has a clean flavor. Have used compressed and spaced coils. I can’t really tell a difference. Think that’s more of a personal preference. Use the app “steam engine” to build coils. Can pick wire type, inside diameter, # of coils, target resistance. It will tell you # of wraps. It’s close to being correct. For me I build exactly like I did with kanthal, resistance will be almost half. It just works. Experiment have fun with it. Safety rules are the same as kanthal.
Question…I clean gunked up Kanthal coils by pulsing it until it gets red hot…then put it under the faucet and run water on it…I use an old eGo stick to power it for cleaning…Can that method also be used for Stainless Steel?
[quote=“Ken_O_Where, post:13, topic:63561”]