Doesn't metal widk short the coil ?

[18MGFog]

I'd like to try either stainless steel mesh, or metal foam, as a wick. I have seen it done in videos, and it seems to work fine ... but I can't believe what I'm seeing. What prevents the coil from being short-circuited, from the first turn to the last turn, right across the metal wick? When voltage is applied, what actually happens in the coil and in the wick?

[Rixter]

When you oxidize the stainless steel wick by torching it, it eliminates its conductivity.

[WillBlack]

When you oxidize the stainless steel wick by torching it, it eliminates its conductivity.

Not quite, if you put a meter on torched SS it still conducts. But current will always take the path of least resistance, in this case the coil..

[Rixter]

Not quite, if you put a meter on torched SS it still conducts. But current will always take the path of least resistance, in this case the coil..

Agreed. I shouldn't have used the word "eliminates"... "reduces its conductivity" would have been a better choice.