# Stainless Steel Mesh as a Wick



## Christos (5/5/18)

Doing some testing with SS mesh as a wick because I'm looking for something that's more convenient than rewicking every 8ml.

Some say SS mesh gives superb flavour but I have not seen this catch on here in the many years it's been available.

In the interest of science I have aquired some SS mesh and have started the process of rolling and quenching etc. There are many YouTube videos on how to properly prepare SS mesh so I won't be going into detail.

So far:







So far, the ss mesh is very absorbent and has a capillary action going for it.

Just waiting for the ultrasonic to finish before I test it in a RDA.

I have seen RTAs wicked with SS mesh but I will hold off until my rolling skills improve and if the effort preparing this is all worthwhile.

Reactions: Like 4 | Winner 1 | Informative 1


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## Raindance (5/5/18)

Christos said:


> Doing some testing with SS mesh as a wick because I'm looking for something that's more convenient than rewicking every 8ml.
> 
> Some say SS mesh gives superb flavour but I have not seen this catch on here in the many years it's been available.
> 
> ...


Please keep us posted @Christos, interesting thread. Thanks.

Regards

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Silver (5/5/18)

Great to see @Christos

Am watching with interest because I would also like a wick that lasts for a long time.
There is that Ceramic ReadyXWick (I think thats what its called) but not available here.

Looking forward to hearing what happens here and thanks for sharing your experience on it

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## Christos (5/5/18)

Ogenny v2 RDTA with squonk pin first up!

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## Silver (5/5/18)

That looks great @Christos 
Amazing that its metal on metal
Whats the vape like?

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## Christos (5/5/18)

First Impressions:

Firstly, I didn't think this was going to turn out so well! I was sceptical to begin.
The flavour is surprisingly good as I am using a dessert fruit loop/ sweet milk flavour. (Mad Man)
The flavour seems to be slightly muted in comparison to cotton but it is sharper. I don't know how to explain this all to well but the flavour is definitely crisper and more refined. ITs almost as if its blended better and not as "rough" as cotton.

Secondly, Im thinking dang it, this is not for @Silver! The draw is actually smooth as silk and my concern is you wont be getting your throat hit that you desire. Perhaps with 36mg Nic it will feel like 18mg.

I did make the wick a little less than 4CM as i was struggling to get it through a 2.5mm ID coil and this may have impacted my third point.
Thirdly, The wicking doesn't seem to be all that great i.e. you need to wait a few seconds for the juice to saturate otherwise you get a dry hit however this is nothing like a cotton dry hit! My wick is not as "thick" as i intended but i will continue to play as I think the thickness or amount of rolls plays a vital part in the actual siaking of juice etc.

Final thoughts for this evening: Im frankly impressed and also stumped why this has not gained more popularity.
It is a process to set this wick up but Ill gladly do it if it means a dry burn and an ultrasonic and off we go!

More to follow with more testing and more use!

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## Silver (5/5/18)

Great to hear @Christos 
You are right, I may not be happy with the smoothness 
But the crispness appeals to me

When you get a chance please try a fruity menthol and let us know what it does to the menthol and whether it does a dance on your throat

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## Christos (5/5/18)

Silver said:


> Great to hear @Christos
> You are right, I may not be happy with the smoothness
> But the crispness appeals to me
> 
> When you get a chance please try a fruity menthol and let us know what it does to the menthol and whether it does a dance on your throat


Will do but it may be a while.
Almost everything is in need of a rewick and I don't have the motivation.

Just want to get 2 or 3 devices ready for tomorrow and I'll wing it for the week...

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## Silver (5/5/18)

Dont worry @Christos 

I know the feeling too well 

My gosh your mods look great!

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## aktorsyl (5/5/18)

Christos said:


> Final thoughts for this evening: Im frankly impressed and also stumped why this has not gained more popularity.


Aren't dry hits on stainless steel rather dangerous with the fumes being directly inhaled? That would probably put a damper on mainstream use.

This does sound really interesting though, also following this thread for updates

Reactions: Like 1


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## Christos (5/5/18)

So attempted to put a wick in my narda.
Mesh is by no means easy to work with.
Resistance is roughly the same but there are "issues" with hot spots.
0.24 ohms coil before and 0.23 after.

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## Christos (5/5/18)

aktorsyl said:


> Aren't dry hits on stainless steel rather dangerous with the fumes being directly inhaled? That would probably put a damper on mainstream use.
> 
> This does sound really interesting though, also following this thread for updates


I have no idea 
It was more like a hot inhale rather than a dry hit.
Recovery time 3 seconds

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## Christos (5/5/18)

Some copy paste. 
https://vaporreporter.wordpress.com/tag/stainless-steel-wire/


Stainless Steel 304/316 series. Safety rating- 95 (A+). SS has been used in medical procedures for years, though only recently has found its way into vaping coils. This is also the type of steel used in cookware. Why? Because it has a very high melting point (2400-2750 degrees F), and the questionable alloys in the steel (nickel being the biggest of concern) also require a high amount of heat (2200-2300 degrees F) before they begin to leach. I don’t know any mainstream vaping device that can reach those levels. Stainless Steel also brings a few added bonuses to the table. 304, 316, and 317 (welding wire, also known as GPlat in the community) contains enough nickel so where it can be used in a temperature controlled device. The only downside is it can be a bit tough to work with as it’s a little stiffer than any of the other metals on this list save titanium.

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## Andre (5/5/18)

I tried this almost five years ago. From what I remember, stainless steel wicks (like ceramic) do not like bends. Maybe try a slanted coil in the Narda?

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Faiyaz Cheulkar (5/5/18)

How is the mesh not interfering with the flow of current ?? The steel mesh is touching the RDA, that means it's touching the negative terminal.


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## aktorsyl (5/5/18)

Faiyaz Cheulkar said:


> How is the mesh not interfering with the flow of current ?? The steel mesh is touching the RDA, that means it's touching the negative terminal.


It probably has a higher resistance than the coil.


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## Christos (5/5/18)

Andre said:


> I tried this almost five years ago. From what I remember, stainless steel wicks (like ceramic) do not like bends. Maybe try a slanted coil in the Narda?


It does not like bends indeed but you can almost form it in the heating phase to be circular. 
Seems to be doing well with a mild bend in the narda. 
Quite a favourable vape.

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## Christos (5/5/18)

Faiyaz Cheulkar said:


> How is the mesh not interfering with the flow of current ?? The steel mesh is touching the RDA, that means it's touching the negative terminal.


My understanding is that during the curing process of the SS while preparing it, it's been coated by a fine layer of mineral that make it non conductive. 

Playing around with it excessively removes this layer.

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## Kuhlkatz (5/5/18)

Faiyaz Cheulkar said:


> How is the mesh not interfering with the flow of current ?? The steel mesh is touching the RDA, that means it's touching the negative terminal.



@Faiyaz Cheulkar , the trick with mesh is to pre-heat or pre-burn the mesh with a butane torch as well. This forms a thin layer of oxide on the surface, which acts as an 'insulator'.
I have not used mesh recently, but used it in a SMOK RSST tank quite a while ago. Getting rid of hot spots was a real pain in the rear, as a coil wound around the mesh tends to push through the oxide layer in places, which tended to short out the windings. At the time, you had to fire the mod in short burtsts, and 'prod' the mesh using a needle in places where the coil made hot spots, just to allow the coil an/or the mesh to re-oxidize and create a barrier again and not short out, but those were plain spaced coils.

Not sure how @Christos manages this on tightly wound coils, but the claptoning might actually assist in this regard.

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## Christos (5/5/18)

Kuhlkatz said:


> @Faiyaz Cheulkar , the trick with mesh is to pre-heat or pre-burn the mesh with a butane torch as well. This forms a thin layer of oxide on the surface, which acts as an 'insulator'.
> I have not used mesh recently, but used it in a SMOK RSST tank quite a while ago. Getting rid of hot spots was a real pain in the rear, as a coil wound around the mesh tends to push through the oxide layer in places, which tended to short out the windings. At the time, you had to fire the mod in short burtsts, and 'prod' the mesh using a needle in places where the coil made hot spots, just to allow the coil an/or the mesh to re-oxidize and create a barrier again and not short out, but those were plain spaced coils.
> 
> Not sure how @Christos manages this on tightly wound coils, but the claptoning might actually assist in this regard.


Beginners luck perhaps 
I rolled the wick really tight so it would fit through easily. Once it was in place I rolled it gently the opposite way to expand the mesh inside the coil. 
I did have hot spots but nothing unmanageable.

Reactions: Useful 1


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## Christos (5/5/18)

Faiyaz Cheulkar said:


> How is the mesh not interfering with the flow of current ?? The steel mesh is touching the RDA, that means it's touching the negative terminal.


Also here you can see a short where I played with it to accommodate the bend. 
I did move it so no contact was made there.

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## Kuhlkatz (5/5/18)

Christos said:


> Beginners luck perhaps
> I rolled the wick really tight so it would fit through easily. Once it was in place I rolled it gently the opposite way to expand the mesh inside the coil.
> I did have hot spots but nothing unmanageable.



Hahaha @Christos ... 'Beginners luck' for a seasoned vaper, my rear ! 
Patience is a virtue, and in this case it seems to have payed off for you. 

Doing something like this again would likely have made me switch to fluent sailor in no time flat, especially with me and Murphy being so tight.
Well, I don't like the bugger at all, but he thinks we are besties

Reactions: Funny 5


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## Raindance (6/5/18)

@Christos, are you using SS for the coil as well? Using Kanthal or a Kanthal claptoned SS wire may reduce the risk of shorting further as Kanthal forms a rather durable insulating layer rather quickly.

Regards


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## Christos (6/5/18)

Raindance said:


> @Christos, are you using SS for the coil as well? Using Kanthal or a Kanthal claptoned SS wire may reduce the risk of shorting further as Kanthal forms a rather durable insulating layer rather quickly.
> 
> Regards


I'm using Ni80 for my main coils and SS mesh for my wick.


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## Christos (7/5/18)

@Silver I dripped some red pill.
The menthol tastes a tad sharper with a more "clean" but stronger burn at the back of the throat.

Also pics of a coil after 8ml of juice that would usually have the wick brown and the coil with gunk deposits.

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## zadiac (7/5/18)

Christos said:


> @Silver I dripped some red pill.
> The menthol tastes a tad sharper with a more "clean" but stronger burn at the back of the throat.
> 
> Also pics of a coil after 8ml of juice that would usually have the wick brown and the coil with gunk deposits.
> View attachment 131270



AFAIK that if you want the SS to wick faster, you have make it a very tight wrap from the start. There shouldn't be an open space in the center. I say this under correction, but I'm sure that is what I read somewhere.

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## Christos (7/5/18)

zadiac said:


> AFAIK that if you want the SS to wick faster, you have make it a very tight wrap from the start. There shouldn't be an open space in the center. I say this under correction, but I'm sure that is what I read somewhere.


Yea I need to try a tighter wick but it's a little difficult to get it really tight and still fit a 2.5mm ID coil. I suspect this will improve with time and effort added to rolling.

Something that I was hoping for as well:
Good to the last drop...

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## Silver (7/5/18)

@Christos - this sounds good - i liked your comment about the burn in the throat!
That sounds appealing!

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## Christos (7/5/18)

Silver said:


> @Christos - this sounds good - i liked your comment about the burn in the throat!
> That sounds appealing!


I think the real test is a long term test. I'm going to attempt a wash and dry burn later this evening and see how that goes.
So far I'm impressed with squonking and mesh and I do see maybe another 3 devices in the near future with mesh as a wick.

I would like to use my most gunky juice on a mesh wick but I need to set that up in my entheon.
I fell down a flight of stairs so mobility and willingness to do anything except sit in my chair and work are at an all time low


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## Silver (7/5/18)

Christos said:


> I think the real test is a long term test. I'm going to attempt a wash and dry burn later this evening and see how that goes.
> So far I'm impressed with squonking and mesh and I do see maybe another 3 devices in the near future with mesh as a wick.
> 
> I would like to use my most gunky juice on a mesh wick but I need to set that up in my entheon.
> I fell down a flight of stairs so mobility and willingness to do anything except sit in my chair and work are at an all time low



Sorry to hear about your fall @Christos !
Hope you get better soon
Good luck for your further mesh research

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## aktorsyl (7/5/18)

Christos said:


> I think the real test is a long term test. I'm going to attempt a wash and dry burn later this evening and see how that goes.
> So far I'm impressed with squonking and mesh and I do see maybe another 3 devices in the near future with mesh as a wick.
> 
> I would like to use my most gunky juice on a mesh wick but I need to set that up in my entheon.
> I fell down a flight of stairs so mobility and willingness to do anything except sit in my chair and work are at an all time low


For the sake of science, I should look around in my steeping cupboard to see if I have any of my cupcake mixes left. It has yellow cake AND sucralose. Coil gunkers of note.

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## Christos (7/5/18)

Firstly, rewicking is a breeze. Rinse, dry burn and off we go.
5 minutes flat.
I am using the same juice so I didn't find it necessary to ultrasonic and the atty was not very dirty at all. Might be time to change the coil but I am going to leave it for now.


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## Christos (7/5/18)

Entheon getting some mesh too but this is from an offcut so probably the last atty for a while.
The cotton shredding juice goes in here. 
3x28 awg Ni80 claptoned with 38Awg Ni80. 2.5mm ID if anyone was wondering.


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## Christos (7/5/18)

Something else that seems to be a by product of mesh wicks is no oversquonking. 
You squonk your bottle and the juice gets sucked back in effortelessly.
My biggest leaking issue isn't really squonking juice out the holes but when there is excess juice that heats up and falls out when the atty is tilted to ones mouth and the viscosity of the juice changes.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Christos (8/5/18)

This is a juice that tastes nasty after 4ml as the wick needs rewicking as the coil is gunked beyond recognition after 4ml.

Frankly I'm shocked you can still see the coil composition after 16ml.

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## Resistance (7/1/19)

Andre said:


> I tried this almost five years ago. From what I remember, stainless steel wicks (like ceramic) do not like bends. Maybe try a slanted coil in the Narda?



As I was reading I was thinking the same thing and was going to finish reading before I said something to @Christos about the bends.
I did some experimenting with SS cable a while back for mtl vaping.

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## Resistance (7/1/19)

Christos said:


> This is a juice that tastes nasty after 4ml as the wick needs rewicking as the coil is gunked beyond recognition after 4ml.
> 
> Frankly I'm shocked you can still see the coil composition after 16ml.
> View attachment 131427


Great experimenting thread..good to see innovation

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