# My very first diy coils...



## Spyder1984 (25/5/20)

Hi Guys and Gals

Sooo... this just happened... I started noticing a bit of a funny taste when vaping.

Decided to have a look to see if I (In ALL of my bountiful knowledge) could figure out what the cause was. Upon closer inspection, i saw yesterday, that the fancy new coils have gotten rather gunked up and black, so I decided to give the DIY coil making thing a go...

Thanks to @Resistance for mentioning, on my other thread, that sometimes the simpler coils are still decent enough to have flavour for days, lol. I know he said that the aforementioned comment is subjective, but I am not sure whether it is just the fact that i feel like a wizard for making my own coils with one hand, or that they truly do vape as good as I am experiencing.

But DAMN!!! I think they rock

Now, here are some pics, I welcome (and most probably need) any and all critique, comments, advice.

I do know that it is a very basic type of coil, nothing super fancy like the stuff i see people doing on youtube... 

WOW...!!!

Anyhow, the wire i used is 24GA 316L from Coil Master, and I went for a dual coil setup that i hoped would run at around 0.3 Ohms, when finished. 

The ID of the coils are 3.0mm, and I decided to space them as evenly as I could, to try and make things a little easier on myself.

So, please let me know what you all think about my first attempt at this.

Reactions: Like 3 | Winner 7


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## Grand Guru (25/5/20)

I’m not sure how old were your old coils but next time try this first before you discard them:
Remove the wick then dry burn them
Then wash them with some hot water
Then dry burn them again
Rewick, juice and test them again.
Commercial coils are supposed to handle this procedure a few times until you notice that you’re not getting the expected flavour or clouds, but it’s more about the flavour.

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## Spyder1984 (25/5/20)

Grand Guru said:


> I’m not sure how old were your old coils but next time try this first before you discard them:
> Remove the wick then dry burn them
> Then wash them with some hot water
> Then dry burn them again
> ...



Thank you for the reply,

They were only 4 days old, put them in on Friday morning, after taking the first ones out that I put in on Wednesday afternoon (when I got my Kit).

I didn't throw them away yet, as @Resistance did also tell me that I can clean them in a similar manner that you just explained(in awesome newby detail, might I add, thank you for that).

I still have both sets of coils, the first set kind of looks like a bunch of really thin wires braided together before making the coil, whereas the second set looks like three wires stuck together side by side before making the coil.

But I figured this was as good a time as ever to try "my strong hand" at the simpler diy coils with the stainless steel wire that I had.

I will definitely do the cleaning process on both sets a couple of times in the near future, as you guys advised.

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## Spyder1984 (25/5/20)

I do have one question though, regarding the cotton...

Is it normal for the cotton to kind of disappear where the coil is?

The photo below, is exactly how the cotton kind of "fell off on either side of the coils"

There was nothing inside of the coil anymore, only the two pieces sort of propped up against the coils on either side...

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## Spyder1984 (25/5/20)

Oh, and these were the first set of coils that came with my Zeus X RTA

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## Spyder1984 (25/5/20)

Oh and also, is it a general characteristic of the stainless steel coils to give a bit of a metallic after taste?

Only started noticing it now.

Also, apologies for sending a bunch of separate messages, kind of typing as things pop into this "deurmekaar" head of mine...

I hope I am not going against any rules of the forum, and if I am, PLEASE advise, so that I know not to do it in future.


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## Mollie (25/5/20)

Spyder1984 said:


> I do have one question though, regarding the cotton...
> 
> Is it normal for the cotton to kind of disappear where the coil is?
> 
> ...


Well to be honest it happened to my wife as well and i told her not to let the coil run too dry we only use drippers

Maybe also when the cotton doesn't get changed often 
She vapes until the coil is brown then i change it you know woman they think the flavor is good when its not lol

So i would also wanna know cause it never happened to me 

Sent from my ANE-LX1 using Tapatalk

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## takatatak (25/5/20)

Hey @Spyder1984, hope you're doing well... With regards to cleaning coils; you should let them cool after dry-burning them and before cleaning them with water and a toothbrush. Radical temperature changes are not good for the metal.

You also shouldn't dry-burn stainless steel wire as it alters the composition of the metal.

When the wire takes on a dull grey or rusty appearance then it's probably a good idea to change coils as the wire starts losing its protective coating and starts corroding.

I suspect your cotton burned through the middle because you were either vaping with too much power or the coils themselves are retaining too much heat in the Zeus X.

Not sure what the coil specs are but cotton burning through is a sign of too much heat...

... and to my knowledge, you're not breaking any rules by asking for advice

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Spyder1984 (25/5/20)

The vaper said:


> Well to be honest it happened to my wife as well and i told her not to let the coil run too dry we only use drippers
> 
> Maybe also when the cotton doesn't get changed often
> She vapes until the coil is brown then i change it you know woman they think the flavor is good when its not lol
> ...



Hi there,

Yes, it is bending my head, as I keep filling the tank before it reaches 1/3 of the way down, so I cant see it being too dry? And I don't get that dry hit stuff (and to top everything off, I am a complete noob...) So, yeah... WEIRD is an under statement.


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## Spyder1984 (25/5/20)

takatatak said:


> Hey @Spyder1984, hope you're doing well... With regards to cleaning coils; you should let them cool after dry-burning them and before cleaning them with water and a toothbrush. Radical temperature changes are not good for the metal.
> 
> You also shouldn't dry-burn stainless steel wire as it alters the composition of the metal.
> 
> ...




Hi there @takatatak 

Thanks for the reply and the advice on the cleaning procedure.

On the dry-burn of the stainless steel... Oh man... I just did that with the coils I was so proud of!!! And they are 316L...

Dammit Youtube... 

As for the specs of the two pre made sets of coils that it happened on, I have nooooo idea, one set came with the Zeus X, and the other set came with the Vapefly Mini tool kit...

On the power front, I vape between 40-60 Watts, as it seems to bring the flavours out more than when vaping in the 20-30 Watt range, would you think that the 60Watts is too high?

Oh, and thank you for putting my mind at ease regarding the rules and questions

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## Chickenstrip (25/5/20)

The breaking of your cotton is most likely due to too much heat. Those original Zeus coils aren't meant for high heat. You'll usually see that from excessive heat (power too high) and taking too long drags as well as vaping for too long without breaks. Don't worry about it. And my opinion is not to bother saving those coils. 

Your new coils that you built look great, however, they are too long for your tank. If you had built those in a dripper (RDA) they would have been excellent. But in a tank you need sufficient wicking and they are too long to allow for chain vaping. 

I wouldn't go so far as to remove them, but the next time you make coils stick to between 6 and 8 wraps. Otherwise you will get poor wicking and ultimately will experience the cotton breaking in the middle again. Other than that you've done a stellar job. It usually takes people a lot longer before they manage to make coils that well. Props to you.

Oh and with the Zeus you're going to want to stick to a 3mm inner diameter for your coils. Bigger is fine, smaller is going to give you wicking issues.

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## CJB85 (25/5/20)

Awesome job on the coils! When we are allowed to do so again, buy a spool of slightly more complex wire and start playing around with more/fewer wraps, different inner diameters etc. Don’t buy a super expensive roll of wire, so that you don’t feel bad for trashing a set of coils after a day or two.
Playing around is half the fun.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## Spyder1984 (25/5/20)

Chickenstrip said:


> The breaking of your cotton is most likely due to too much heat. Those original Zeus coils aren't meant for high heat. You'll usually see that from excessive heat (power too high) and taking too long drags as well as vaping for too long without breaks. Don't worry about it. And my opinion is not to bother saving those coils.
> 
> Your new coils that you built look great, however, they are too long for your tank. If you had built those in a dripper (RDA) they would have been excellent. But in a tank you need sufficient wicking and they are too long to allow for chain vaping.
> 
> ...




Howzit @Chickenstrip 

Thanks for the informative reply, i appreciate it.

So what i understand now, is that i should take shorter drags, (I was taking loooong-as-possible drags). If I do that, will the 60Watts be ok?

And the other thing I am definitely guilty of is the chain vaping thing... But it tastes soooo lekker man!

Shot alot for the Props though, I appreciate the advice, and will make sure to keep that in mind the next time around.

On the ID of the coils... Is there some type of rule of thumb about bigger being better for flavour, etc? Or is that just me being overly optimistic?

And what would the largest diameter single coil be that you would advise me to go?


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## Spyder1984 (25/5/20)

CJB85 said:


> Awesome job on the coils! When we are allowed to do so again, buy a spool of slightly more complex wire and start playing around with more/fewer wraps, different inner diameters etc. Don’t buy a super expensive roll of wire, so that you don’t feel bad for trashing a set of coils after a day or two.
> Playing around is half the fun.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Thank you @CJB85 

I have been looking at alot of youtube videos that are tickling my fancy about making your own types of wires for different coils, etc.

It looks like something that fits right up my alley, and I tend to agree with you that the playing around and fiddling is half the fun (maybe even more so when you get something right!!!).

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## Spyder1984 (25/5/20)

@The vaper 

There we have it... Seems to be completely unanimous (hope that is spelt right... my english is getting done now...)

Seems like the problem is HEAT, and chain vaping... And them possibly wicking issues...

I truly hope this forum does not get tired of me in the near future, as it seems I still have a LOT to learn...

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## Jean claude Vaaldamme (25/5/20)

My guess is that coil had hot spots inside that you did not see and that burnt the cotton and burnt juice on the coil. I have had this a few times on these fancy coils with many thin wires. Stay with the standard wire, much cheaper, just as good flavor in my opinion, and no washing scrubbing etc. They so cheap, just make a new one every time

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## Chickenstrip (25/5/20)

Single coil I wouldn't go above 3.5. but at the end of the day vaping is subjective and up to you. I'd recommend going for less wraps, 3 - 3.5 ID with 7 wraps and you should be able to chain vape. Also use less cotton if you want to chain vape. Drop a WhatsApp and we can talk about it.

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## Mollie (25/5/20)

Spyder1984 said:


> @The vaper
> 
> There we have it... Seems to be completely unanimous (hope that is spelt right... my english is getting done now...)
> 
> ...


We all learn everyday this is what makes the members on this forum so great and helpfull

We try and help each other in ways we can

Sent from my ANE-LX1 using Tapatalk

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## ARYANTO (25/5/20)

takatatak said:


> Hey @Spyder1984, hope you're doing well... With regards to cleaning coils; you should let them cool after dry-burning them and before cleaning them with water and a toothbrush. Radical temperature changes are not good for the metal.
> 
> You also shouldn't dry-burn stainless steel wire as it alters the composition of the metal.
> 
> ...


Don't feel alone , it happens, had a few burned off wicks in the Blotto family , I get carried away and vape too continuously thus the coils burn through the cotton .

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## Spyder1984 (25/5/20)

Jean claude Vaaldamme said:


> My guess is that coil had hot spots inside that you did not see and that burnt the cotton and burnt juice on the coil. I have had this a few times on these fancy coils with many thin wires. Stay with the standard wire, much cheaper, just as good flavor in my opinion, and no washing scrubbing etc. They so cheap, just make a new one every time



Hey @Jean claude Vaaldamme 

And I have 100 premade Vapefly normal coils as well as the 10M 316L wire, so I could probably go that route...

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## Spyder1984 (25/5/20)

Chickenstrip said:


> Single coil I wouldn't go above 3.5. but at the end of the day vaping is subjective and up to you. I'd recommend going for less wraps, 3 - 3.5 ID with 7 wraps and you should be able to chain vape. Also use less cotton if you want to chain vape. Drop a WhatsApp and we can talk about it.



Thanks guy,

Appreciate the willingness to assist.


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## Grand Guru (25/5/20)

The size of the coils will mainly be dictated by the space between the posts of the RTA/RDA you’re building on as you have to leave some space for the air to flow between your coil and the posts without too much turbulence. More than 90% of the ideal builds would be between 2.5 (mainly MTL Tanks) and 3.5 ID for big DL tanks. I always look at a few YouTube videos before I buy a tank to have an idea but then playing around is not forbidden if not highly recommended until you find your sweet spot.
From my experience, round wire is excellent for simple flavours... the more the juice profile is sophisticated, the more fancy coils are recommended to bring up all the flavour but that is also a bit subjective.

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## Spyder1984 (25/5/20)

Grand Guru said:


> The size of the coils will mainly be dictated by the space between the posts of the RTA/RDA you’re building on as you have to leave some space for the air to flow between your coil and the posts without too much turbulence. More than 90% of the ideal builds would be between 2.5 (mainly MTL Tanks) and 3.5 ID for big DL tanks. I always look at a few YouTube videos before I buy a tank to have an idea but then playing around is not forbidden if not highly recommended until you find your sweet spot.
> From my experience, round wire is excellent for simple flavours... the more the juice profile is sophisticated, the more fancy coils are recommended to bring up all the flavour but that is also a bit subjective.




Thank you for the informative reply @Grand Guru 

Would my Zeus X qualify as a big DL tank? Or should I stick to the 3mm ID coils for now?

As for the round wire debacle, it seems alot of experienced vapors kind of lean towards not reinventing the wheel... Are there tell tale signs that there is too much turbulence between your coils and the posts? I know it is a long shot, but I am hoping for certain things to be mindful of whilst vaping, as to better understand what could cause certain dilemmas.


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## Grand Guru (25/5/20)

3mm is perfect from what I recall of my short experience with it. The more turbulence, the more noise and the less smooth is your draw. You’ll feel it!

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## Timwis (26/5/20)

Spyder1984 said:


> Oh, and these were the first set of coils that came with my Zeus X RTA
> 
> View attachment 196794


These would of been fine to dry burn and re-wicked as been said but now they have been removed i would throw them because where the leads were originally cut the wires are separating and could easily cause a short if re-used.

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## Spyder1984 (26/5/20)

Grand Guru said:


> 3mm is perfect from what I recall of my short experience with it. The more turbulence, the more noise and the less smooth is your draw. You’ll feel it!



Cool, now I know some symptoms and causes... Look Ma, I'm becoming an engineering doctor... 

Thank you

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## Spyder1984 (26/5/20)

Timwis said:


> These would of been fine to dry burn and re-wicked as been said but now they have been removed i would throw them because where the leads were originally cut the wires are separating and could easily cause a short if re-used.



 @Timwis 

Hope your doing well.

Thank you for the advice, will toss those ones, do you think I should hang on to the other set (the ones that look like 3x wires stuck together)?


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## Timwis (26/5/20)

Spyder1984 said:


> @Timwis
> 
> Hope your doing well.
> 
> Thank you for the advice, will toss those ones, do you think I should hang on to the other set (the ones that look like 3x wires stuck together)?


They look fine mate!

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## Spyder1984 (26/5/20)

Timwis said:


> They look fine mate!



Cool, so will hang on to those ones, till my DIY ones are Kaput, and then do the cleaning procedure as advised.

Thanks for the input.

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## Adephi (26/5/20)

Jean claude Vaaldamme said:


> My guess is that coil had hot spots inside that you did not see and that burnt the cotton and burnt juice on the coil. I have had this a few times on these fancy coils with many thin wires. Stay with the standard wire, much cheaper, just as good flavor in my opinion, and no washing scrubbing etc. They so cheap, just make a new one every time



The coils are pretty well spaced so there can't be hotspots.

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## Timwis (26/5/20)

Adephi said:


> The coils are pretty well spaced so there can't be hotspots.


Yeah agreed, more like 60w with 0.3ohm build the coils will get hot in the middle, possibly sweet e-liquid to boot and will need a re-wick every 2 to 3 days.

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## Spyder1984 (26/5/20)

Adephi said:


> The coils are pretty well spaced so there can't be hotspots.



Thank you @Adephi 

I think he was referring to the premade coils that I had the cotton disappearing inside the coils problems with.

But I am stoked to hear that my DIY coils were pretty well spaced...


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## Spyder1984 (26/5/20)

Timwis said:


> Yeah agreed, more like 60w with 0.3ohm build the coils will get hot in the middle, possibly sweet e-liquid to boot and will need a re-wick every 2 to 3 days.



The E-juices I have are all sweet flavours.

Cream Soda Shake
Smurf Shake
Secret Syrup
Mystery

Is there some advice on the wattage or Ohm range to run the coils at, to try and avoid having to rewick so often?


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## Timwis (26/5/20)

Spyder1984 said:


> The E-juices I have are all sweet flavours.
> 
> Cream Soda Shake
> Smurf Shake
> ...


The thing is if your sweet spot for flavour is at 60W with 0.3ohm build just will need to re-wick often. There is no right or wrong, personally with a single coil RTA with 0.3 i would be at about 30w with a dual build 45w max but that's just me, others will prefer different wattage!

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## Spyder1984 (26/5/20)

Timwis said:


> The thing is if your sweet spot for flavour is at 60W with 0.3ohm build just will need to re-wick often. There is no right or wrong, personally with a single coil RTA with 0.3 i would be at about 30w with a dual build 45w max but that's just me, others will prefer different wattage!



Great, thank you.

I will try those settings and then work my way around that, to see if my "sweet spot" is truly at 60Watts.

Another question, though, i understand that it is subjective, but as a rule, when the ohms go lower, does the wattage also tend to go down proportionally?


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## Timwis (26/5/20)

Spyder1984 said:


> Great, thank you.
> 
> I will try those settings and then work my way around that, to see if my "sweet spot" is truly at 60Watts.
> 
> Another question, though, i understand that it is subjective, but as a rule, when the ohms go lower, does the wattage also tend to go down proportionally?


The lower the resistance the higher the wattage.

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## Spyder1984 (26/5/20)

Timwis said:


> The lower the resistance the higher the wattage.



Good to know...

Thank you


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## Feliks Karp (26/5/20)

Looks good. Don't worry about fancy coils, they chew up juice, and how things are going you to want to hang on to as much as possible. Same with low resistance and high wattage.

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## CJB85 (26/5/20)

Spyder1984 said:


> Great, thank you.
> 
> I will try those settings and then work my way around that, to see if my "sweet spot" is truly at 60Watts.
> 
> Another question, though, i understand that it is subjective, but as a rule, when the ohms go lower, does the wattage also tend to go down proportionally?


It also depends on the total wire mass, so how much wire needs to get heated up. I am not guru on the science behind it, but it's advice that was shared on this forum. As an example, my wife and I have different coils in our RTAs (she has tri-core fused claptons and I have a framed staple), but they OHM out at virtually the same (between 0.33 and 0.35). My staples seem to work the very best at around 40 watts, hers shine at 32-34 watts.

Just start low and work your way up, if the sweet spot stays at 60w, then at least you know.

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## Puff the Magic Dragon (26/5/20)

Nice coils @Spyder1984 .

When the lockdown is over we will be resuming our regular Cape Town Vape Meets. You should come and join us. There are several experienced coil builders who will help you.


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