New to RBA's?

[Uma]

Every once in awhile, no matter how adept and experienced you are with RBA's, there will come a time when you have a bad atty day. When this happens, don't freak. Just get out the cotton ...

Quick fix:

[Uma]

We've explored the Genesis Style Rebuildable Atomizer in these pages, and there are many other styles still to go.

Other styles you say?

Yep. Other styles.

The Genesis Style, has an SS mesh wick, and a juice tank. The tank can be SS or glass, holds anywhere from 1.2ml to 5.ml and comes in just as many prices and craftsmanships as mods do. They range from 25 (for the clones) to 250 for the Titanium wonders like the Bliss Titanium.. Some come with a years supply of mesh and wire (such as the DID series from MMVapors.com) and some don't come with anything but the atty.

Then there are the Rebuildable:

CARTO tanks, like the Killer 705. Imagine rebuilding your own carto to stick into a tank. No more tossing those puppies, just reCoil those dead coils! Sweet eh.

DRIPPERS!! Imagine coiling your own silica wicks and direct dripping your tasty new juices. These will hold about 20 drops of juice usually. Such as the IGO-L

CART w/ATTY! Yep! This one even has all the fluffy wonders of the good old CART of old. The atty itself is a silica wick, and the ends of the wick provide juice to the Fluff Filled Cart. The Cart Fluff never touches the coil, never gets burned. Check out the Spheroid!

and so forth. If you vape it, its out there in Rebuildable format! Have fun!!!

Edited March 7, 2013 by Uma

[danpio1217]

Thank you Uma and mse for taking the time to build this thread. I'm just getting started on researching RBAs, so i'm a long ways away from actually enjoying one, but knew this would be a good place to start. First things first, i think i need to pick a category and run with it.

Genny's seem too involved for me at the moment, maybe once i get my feet wet with something else I'll be feeling a little more brave. I like the look and size of the IGO-L, so maybe a dripper would be a good place to start.

Anyways, just wanted to say thanks for all the info, and i'm just scratching the surface of everything in this subforum

[Uma]

You're welcome!!

The dripper's (RDA) are great, there are many to choose from. It will always come in handy, If you have any problems, give a shout out, and we'll help to find a solution as best as we can. Have fun!!

[Rixter]

I started getting interested in RBAs right around the same time that this thread materialized, and the things that I learned here made things pretty painless. If you follow the instructions found in this thread, you should have no problem.

Thank you, Uma and mse12, for the work you put into this...you've saved us all from a lot of trial and error.

My mech mod and RBA.

[Uma]

Nice mod, Rix!! and thank you so much for the good word. It's good to hear that an adventure was made easier, it was our pleasure!

[Uma]

Phil has continued his homework! Here are two new vids and in the 2nd one he teaches 3 different ways to prepare the wick and coil. Both worth watching for insights.

Part 1

Part 2

[danpio1217]

Just watched these on my lunch break, i like the look of the AGA-T+ but want to do some research on the smaller wick hole. The more of these videos i watch the more i realize a genny is inevitably in my future lol.

Also watched his 'Game Changer' video. He had me on the edge of my seat. Dammit Phil! lol

[Uma]

haha, wasn't that great seeing Phil dance and tout! Loved it.

Personally, I prefer the larger wickholes, because they allow more mesh/wick, which carries more juice. Some peeps prefer the smaller. My genuine DID has something like a 3.5 wickhole, and wicks like crazy. Love it! (only found at MMVapors.com, Any other did is a cheap clone). The AGA-T+ has a small wick hole, but because it is SS, it can safely be drilled out, like Phil did his. Makes a huge difference!

[danpio1217]

Hey Uma, I have a wick question for ya. You said earlier roughly 2mm by 3mm peice of mesh for a wick. In phils video's he's usually using around about 1 3/4" x 2", which is 44.45mm x 50mm give or take. His wicks look larger than most of the other videos i've watched, but not THAT much larger lol. Can you clarify the size of mesh for wicks? About what size do you usually use?

Also, you noted the wicks can last as long as 6 months, which is awesome. About how many times would you rebuild your coil during the lifespan of 1 wick? Too many to count or just a couple?

Lastly, when you rebuild your coil, will just a soak in vodka clean out the wick sufficiently?

Thanks for all your help!

[danpio1217]

Also... checked out the site for mesh you posted. Do you get 30 or 25 micron, and A3 or A4 type. Ugh my head is starting to spin lol

[Uma]

Hey Uma, I have a wick question for ya. You said earlier roughly 2mm by 3mm peice of mesh for a wick. In phils video's he's usually using around about 1 3/4" x 2", which is 44.45mm x 50mm give or take. His wicks look larger than most of the other videos i've watched, but not THAT much larger lol. Can you clarify the size of mesh for wicks? About what size do you usually use?

Also, you noted the wicks can last as long as 6 months, which is awesome. About how many times would you rebuild your coil during the lifespan of 1 wick? Too many to count or just a couple?

Lastly, when you rebuild your coil, will just a soak in vodka clean out the wick sufficiently?

Thanks for all your help!

Good catch!! I wish I could go back and edit that typo. It's a good thing I alerted everyone to look further down the line for corrections and whatnot. Phew!

You're right, it should have read 1.6 x 2.5. Of course, it will be different with different wickhole sizes. If it's too thick, just unroll it a bit and cut off a bit. If it's too thin, just do a double wick (wrap another width right over that one). Once you know how much mesh your particular wickhole will fit, it will be a cinch to cut it right from then on. The genuine DID's take more mesh than the AGA-T+, until the AGA-T is bored out. Save all your scraps! You'll be surprised what they'll come in handy for, such as the newest latest and greatest SS Cable craze. (non galv, non nylon, non treated). I'll put a video up later today for you on it.

Yes! The wick is quite a trooper! To be honest, the one I replaced after 6 months can still be used, so it's been cleaned, dried, reJuiced and stuck inside a sealed baggie for a future quick wrap.

The coils on the other hand, are very personal. I like to change mine about every 3 months lol. Really. Honest! They are still going strong when I change them out. (I clean them in between as needed). Others like to change them every week. Which is what I would recommend for anyone to do. I'm just too lazy to do it and I get by without having to do it.

When you splurge and buy a spool of Kanthal A-1 wire off ebay (kingorchid is a good seller) you get anywhere from 50' to 100' of wire. This is more than a lifetime supply. The wire costs anywhere from 6 bucks to 10 on avg. My next purchase will be the 30awg, because it's a favorite of many of my mentors. By the time we have all the different gauges on hand, we will have approx 300' or more of wire to play with. We'll never run out.

In short, change the coil every week, but you can get by just fine if you go longer.

Yes, you can wash the wick out with vodka (everclear), or under the sink faucet, or in a bowl of distilled water, or in an ultrasonic cleaner, ... the gunk buildup just rinses right off. Be sure to roll it dry on a papertowel, retorch once to dry further, and reinsert. (I season mine, but that's an optional step).

I hope this sounds clear and answers your questions. This is so cool that you're seriously venturing into this. It's a game changer!

[Uma]

Also... checked out the site for mesh you posted. Do you get 30 or 25 micron, and A3 or A4 type. Ugh my head is starting to spin lol

Mine still spins there too, and I have to look it up in my notebook every time. Don't worry about buying the mesh yet, you will more than likely receive a free cut with your atty. If not, you can usually purchase a cut from the vendor. More and more Vendors are finally stocking up on the mesh, wires, and even the o-rings and insulators. :::faint::: Things change fast in the industry!

But, to answer your question: the Ltd #400 Super Fine Filtration Mesh - 25 Micron is the one I got. I don't know if there are "better" ones or not. But this is the one that was recommended to me by a mentor and I've been extremely happy with it.

edit: here's the full description: Ltd #400 Super Fine Filtration Mesh - 25 Micron)

WSS500SF-A4 Super Fine #500 Stainless - 1 £7.99 £7.99

Don't forget, I'll be back with the cable news soon as I can find the vid.

Edited April 4, 2013 by Uma

[danpio1217]

Thank you SO MUCH! You did answer all my questions.

I already bought a 100ft. roll of kanthal A1 32 off ebay bought it just this morning. Also bought a butane crem-bru-le (or however you spell that) torch yesterday.

I figured i should go ahead and get a nice sized sheet of the mesh because i want to play around with using both the mesh and kanthal in my IGO-L until i finally decide and pull the trigger on a genny. That way i'll be all stocked up for it's arrival. I'll grab the same one you got, i trust your decision making lol. The website you provided seems to be by far the most bang for the buck.

So far i'm using nichrome and silicka in my IGO-L, and it's working pretty well, but it gunks up fast and starts to perform pretty poorly. I'd like to play around with the different materials a bit and see if that changes it.

Thanks so much again and i'll keep an eye out for the video!

[Uma]

You're welcome!!

#500 is great for most juices.

#400 is great for all juices

#325 is the avg okie dokie

#200 is preferred for certain wicks and juices. (U-ey rolls, VG, )

Have fun!

[danpio1217]

I got the 400. Then i thought to myself. Wait a second.... am i really going to be able to stand having all the materials to build a genesis attomizer... but not have a genesis attomizer? The answer is no. Just bought an AGA-T2 lmao. Maybe i'll ask for a DID for my birthday in July

[Uma]

Go Dan go!! This is so exciting!! I'm really happy for you, you're going to love the RBA way of life. (when you're not hating it, of course, lol). Stick with it, no matter what, and you'll be so glad you did. Where's MSE??? He had great beginners luck, and it would be nice if he'd show up and dust some of that off on ya! In the meantime, here's a little bit of mine. :::beginner's luck magic dust:::::

[danpio1217]

LOL thank you! Practicing on the IGO-L has made me feel much more confident on wrapping and mounting the coil, which all along has seemed like the most intimidating part. From here all i *think* all i need to worry about is building the perfect wick.

Whether infuriated or ecstatic, i'm sure you'll be hearing from me on this topic again soon

[Uma]

As promised, the new craze consisting of using SS cable/rope wire instead of mesh wick.. (make sure it is pure SS, without nylon or galvanized or anything like that). This is still in early infancy, so experiment at your own risk or mods risk. (I'm going to experiment as soon as I can get the rope/cable stuff). Some vapers like the 7/7, but the Giant prefers the 7/19. It might depend upon which genny you're using?

The entire video is worth watching, but for those who wish a quick reference point for the SS Rope talk, skip to the 29 minute mark.

[Proetus]

Neat trick i saw regarding the AGA's. One of the youtube videos i saw, english dude making a ss U wick, anyway he removed the top two thumbscrews off the center post, replaced the middle nut with a spring, put a washer on top of that and then put the top nut on top of the washer. What this does is provide a place to capture the positive side of the coil with pressure instead of having to fiddle with those nuts. Idea was swipped off the RSST i believe. Altho im sure some ingenious vapor thought it up and it was swiped by RSST. Just thought i'd pass that along.

[Uma]

That is a neat trick! The Orion has always come that way, I think it was the first one like that. Peeps have since made their own, by using a ballpoint spring, but I never have tried it yet. I even went so far as to buy the spring set for my DID and haven't even tried it yet lol. I'm so glad you brought this up!! It just might be a great game changer for many coilers, new and old alike. Please share a link to the video if you find it again. Thanks!

[Proetus]

As requested -

Edited April 6, 2013 by Proetus

[Uma]

Sweet, Thanks!!

[danpio1217]

Thanks for the vid Uma, some interesting stuff in there. Might try it out eventually but i'll stick with one material at a time for now

I got my AGA yesterday, gave it a nice long soak in vodka, rinsed it out and let it dry, then had my first go at building a wick and coil. I had a pretty difficult time rolling the wick down to a size that I could fit into the wick hole, so i'm gonna see if i can get my brother to drill that out for me. And it was a pretty small peice of mesh, plus i had to trim the edge to get it to fit, so it was def. a thin wick.

After following all the steps for the wick i put everything together, did 4 wraps (i found it suprisingly easy to mount the wires, that was the part i was worried about ) and started testing my coils. I had a hell of a time getting them all to fire, but after 20-30 minutes of playing with them, i finally got all 4 to glow nicely. The coil came out to 1.7 ohms, i was using 32 guage kanthal.

Filled 'er up, added some drops directly on the coil and started vaping. First couple hits were pretty nice, but it didn't take long until i got a pretty dry hit. I'm thinking my newb experience along with an extremely thin wick are slowing the wicking. I'll keep playing around with it and see if it starts to pick up at all, but i might just try another wick, although im not sure what all i would change.

All in all tho, my 1st try took about an hour and most importantly, it worked lol

[Uma]

Right on!!! Congrats Dan, this is great! I'm smilin' big time I hope you know.

You'll be doing the "Genesis Tilt" song and dance routine until we get this wicking better for you, but at least you can vape it. Great job with the coils and ohms!

Off the top of my head, here are a few things to check for:

1. Make sure the wick is not bent/kinked/

2. Make sure the coils are snug but not tight. (no creasing!)

3. The mesh might need the seasoning trick. (drop ejuice, burn with bic lighter,)

4. The wick might need the center opened up again. (they squish shut easily during handling).

5. The wick might be filling up all the air space around the hole (it shouldn't fill the hole completely, need a bit of air around it).

Here are a few tricks to try:

1. To keep the wick straight and true, coil the wick and then insert into the hole and tie it off. (leave the needle/paperclip inserted until finished).

1A. If #1 causes hot spots because it is now standing too far away from center post, then just add some 2.5mm SS washers to the post to bring the post closer to the wick, or try the Spring and Washer trick suggested by the posters above or try the "L" trick which is described in #3 below.

2. Cut the tank end of the wick at a 45% angle, to help break the suction off the tank. (or, do like Phil does in his latest video and cut 1/4" up so that it will "fan" a little into the tank).

3. Make an "L" shaped wick. Cut your mesh into an "L". The long part of the L will go into the tank, while the leg/flag will fit under your coil. (the leg of the mesh is rolled into the wick, just like you did the regular part. Just keep rolling. The size of the leg/flag to cut is, of course, up to you and your particular needs). Doing this will let you slide a skinny wick into the hole, and still be able to hold more juice because the juice will travel up into the thicker upper part of the wick. The thicker, fatter, upper part of the wick, will bring the wick closer to your center post. A win win.

(hard to explain).

Drilling out that tiny wick hole is so going to help tremendously. And you can still do the "L" in order to bring the wick closer to the center post if you want/need.

While he's at it, maybe he can drill out the airhole in the top cap to 1.2mm if it's too tight of a draw. (some of these are too tight).

Hoorah! And it only took you an hour on your first one??? That's way cool. You'll be flipping these out in nothing flat before you know it.

Edited April 9, 2013 by Uma