# OBS Engine RTA Wicking Guide



## Kalashnikov

So as requested by @Daniel and a few others i thought il create a guide on how to wick the OBS Engine.

Just a note. I have tested Cotton Bacon/ Dischem Cotton and Rayon. So far the best experience has been off the Rayon as i am a chain vaper and nothing seems to wick faster than Rayon. This is my own personal experience whilst using this tank.

On another note the best flavour i have gotten was from the stock coils that come with the tank. I regret swapping them for claptons

Anyway on with the guide....

*STEP 1*
As with any coil the amount of cotton needed is dependent on the coil diameter. So start of threading your coils. The cotton should be on the loose side when pulling through the coils as cotton expands. Make sure your cotton fills out the coil at least.
Grab some scissors and cut around 1cm after the base of the RTA as below.


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STEP 2
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Press the cotton to form what looks like a bow tie. Then cut the cotton straight in line with the top of the coil.... Do this on all 4 sides.
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STEP 3
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Thin out your wicks slightly using something sharp and pointing... I find a tooth pick does this best... Your wicks should look nice and fluffy .
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STEP 4*

Juice Up those bad boys. Not too much. Just a little so that the cotton joins together.


Clearly i have a heavy hand... But moving along
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STEP 5
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This is the tricky part and i cant capture it whilst trying to do it. Basically you need to lift up and fold your wicks and insert them down the wicking hole. The hole should be sealed but not tightly. It should be loose and not stiff inside the hole ( this does not apply to other activities).

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STEP 6
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All your ends should be resting on the base of the RTA. If it does not reach thats ok. Some people tend to cut it shorter. However if you would like to vape till the end of the tank. This works best.

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Close it all up and enjoy!!

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Reactions: Winner 5 | Thanks 1


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## Akash

@Kalashnikov where do you get the rayon from?


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## Daniel

Great tutorial bru! You have a nack for it ....

Reactions: Agree 1 | Thanks 1


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## Kalashnikov

Akash said:


> @Kalashnikov where do you get the rayon from?


I got it from a friend. No idea where he got it from. I need to also get my hand on the stuff


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## Daniel

Kalashnikov said:


> I got it from a friend. No idea where he got it from. I need to also get my hand on the stuff



I think oom @Rob Fisher bought all the stock in the world ...

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Daniel

Must say , wicking on this little tank is a no brainer .... I normally gauge a tank by how easy it is for me to build and wick on (as I'm a complete fumble bum when it comes to this stuff) , and it was easy as pie .... 

The flavour is definitely on par with that other tank that shall not be named (OK ok suppose you can't compare dual vs single coil) , MINUS the spitback and leaking and other fiddly stuff ....

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## JB1987

I absolutely love this tank, best purchase I've made in a while. So easy to build and wick, it only takes me a few minutes. I've had zero leaking issues and use it daily. Really impressed. Thanks for the tutorial @Kalashnikov .

I tried the twisted coils that came in the package but they were just way too hot for me so went back to my 24g kanthal, 3mm at 0.5ohms wicked with Cotton Bacon. And yes, the flavour is brilliant

Reactions: Like 1


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## Daniel

JB1987 said:


> I absolutely love this tank, best purchase I've made in a while. So easy to build and wick, it only takes me a few minutes. I've had zero leaking issues and use it daily. Really impressed. Thanks for the tutorial @Kalashnikov .
> 
> I tried the twisted coils that came in the package but they were just way too hot for me so went back to my 24g kanthal, 3mm at 0.5ohms wicked with Cotton Bacon. And yes, the flavour is brilliant



Must get me some 24g Kanthral , did 26g and the ramp up time is a bit long @ 40W ..... can you share your build maybe ?


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## JB1987

Daniel said:


> Must get me some 24g Kanthral , did 26g and the ramp up time is a bit long @ 40W ..... can you share your build maybe ?



Definitely, will take some pics when I get home this afternoon. I do 11 wraps on a 3mm rod and run between 40 and 50 watts. It's kind of become my standard build for dual atties as flavour is great and clouds are more than than enough. Plus your battery life is a bit better. I just can't seem to handle very hot vapes, have tried builds frequently and always rebuild after a day.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Caramia

I do either SS dual, 5/6 wraps or parallel Ni80 up to 7 wraps to both come up at around .25 ohms - the flavour is unbeatable! I love this atty, have 3 so far.

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


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## JB1987

Caramia said:


> I do either SS dual, 5/6 wraps or parallel Ni80 up to 7 wraps to both come up at around .25 ohms - the flavour is unbeatable! I love this atty, have 3 so far.



I need to try some Ni80, what gauge do you use if I might ask?


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## Kalashnikov

Have to agree. it has easily become my favourite tank . ANother thing in builds with very thick wire and requiring 50+ Watts. 
It definitely better to lay the wicks ontop then stick in in the holes. It wicks much faster for the higher wattage builds


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## Caramia

JB1987 said:


> I need to try some Ni80, what gauge do you use if I might ask?


26

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Daniel

Also , not sure if I'm doing the coils right but the leads going in to the posts looks soos 'n hond se gat ......

Do you have to do like a slight bend on the bottom ones to make it look neater ? Suppose it doesn't matter if it vapes fine but my OCD kicks in ....

Another question , can you rewick/build without having to dump the tank ?


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## Kalashnikov

Daniel said:


> Also , not sure if I'm doing the coils right but the leads going in to the posts looks soos 'n hond se gat ......
> 
> Do you have to do like a slight bend on the bottom ones to make it look neater ? Suppose it doesn't matter if it vapes fine but my OCD kicks in ....
> 
> Another question , can you rewick/build without having to dump the tank ?


Doubt that you need to bend on a velocity deck. You should just be able to adjust them after they scewed in


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## Daniel

This looks interesting , might try it out ..... ok it's in German with AWFUL doef-doef music but you get the idea .....

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Kalashnikov

Daniel said:


> This looks interesting , might try it out ..... ok it's in German with AWFUL doef-doef music but you get the idea .....



The whole of last week i had a single clapton build. it works quite well. BUt the wicking is too much of a mission for what its worth. Better off with the SM25 for single coil. BUt it does work once you get the wicking right


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## Daniel

Kalashnikov said:


> The whole of last week i had a single clapton build. it works quite well. BUt the wicking is too much of a mission for what its worth. Better off with the SM25 for single coil. BUt it does work once you get the wicking right



I would think the air hitting the coil sideways lends to better flavour , but as you say to get the right amount of wicking is key I suppose.
Being an IT laaighty I'm always looking at battery life for some reason


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## Kalashnikov

Daniel said:


> I would think the air hitting the coil sideways lends to better flavour , but as you say to get the right amount of wicking is key I suppose.
> Being an IT laaighty I'm always looking at battery life for some reason


Same here. the best battery life i got was using the twisted coils that come in the serpent mini. Dual coil they work at 30W! in the Engine. Just make sure you use at least a 3mm coil as you need extra cotton for wicking


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## Daniel

Kalashnikov said:


> Same here. the best battery life i got was using the twisted coils that come in the serpent mini. Dual coil they work at 30W! in the Engine. Just make sure you use at least a 3mm coil as you need extra cotton for wicking



Funny enough I'm using less cotton per coil in the OBS than the SM25 , but the wicking to me is way easier in the OBS just stuff it down the holes and you good to go! Been vaping the 'little engine that could' only today , and it ticks all the boxes : 

- Easy to build Velocity style deck 
- Easy wicking , just stick it in the hole , not too toight  
- Easy draw not too wide not too restricted 
- Easy on the eye as well , it's a pretty little engine

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Tockit

So this happened earlier, SM25 got traded for this baby. the serpent was just too fussy.

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 3


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## Kalashnikov

Tockit said:


> So this happened earlier, SM25 got traded for this baby. the serpent was just too fussy.
> View attachment 78002


looks good on the slice!!

Reactions: Like 1


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## M5000

Fantastic rta indeed, not the best but so simple to use it's almost easier to coil and wick this than using a pre-made coil head. Top airflow so leak-free really great option for a rta beginner. The only thing that I really dislike is the finish of the stainless body, maybe that's just me. 

It's so cheap on all of the chinese sites and in comparison to other tanks would expect it to have been around R400 - R450 here. Seems to be quite underrated. Mine had excessive machine oil and a strange taste and took quite a while and many cleans and soaks to get it right. Wick it similar to above except use jap cotton as I prefer the extra fluff with top and bottom cotton layer removed. Bow-tie and straight trim, super fluff and then gently dab that cotton through the hole to the bottom, cut off any excess that's left once hole is full, not stuffed just airy cotton. Then juice the bottom well and let it wick itself, any cotton that doesn't juice up just trim it so no dead cotton there and good to go. Note, different from above, juice after filling hole with cotton, i find it takes a better form with these holes and prevents any messing the wicking when pushing through the channels.

Anyway what I actually was going to say before I ended up writing that long story, I used to buy Rayon from Vapeclub, still got some so havent bought in a while so unsure if they have stock, but last I checked VapeMob do still stock it so if you looking for some check their site.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## spiv

I have the serpent mini 25 and for the life of me can't get the airlock problem to go away. My Engine, on the other hand, performs amazingly. After every fill I so need to turn it upside down and give it a few shakes to get rid of the excess juice, but a few drops is nothing when the rest of the tank vape is so smooth. I love it.

Reactions: Agree 3


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## Mahir

Akash said:


> @Kalashnikov where do you get the rayon from?



VapeMob sells

Reactions: Thanks 2


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## StompieZA

spiv said:


> I have the serpent mini 25 and for the life of me can't get the airlock problem to go away. My Engine, on the other hand, performs amazingly. After every fill I so need to turn it upside down and give it a few shakes to get rid of the excess juice, but a few drops is nothing when the rest of the tank vape is so smooth. I love it.



Although this is an old post, I had the exact same issue with my Serpent Mini 25 which i owned for over a year but lately i just could not get the airlock issue sorted and kept getting dry hits. Traded the SM for an OBS Engine and have been very happy so far, Flavor is great and no leaking and easy wicking. 

Still want to try out the single coil build as i love single coil but for now the dual coil will do. Single coil just uses so much less battery power.

Rewicked my OBS engine last night for the first time and did it twice and have this weird issue where i can vape but when i pick up the vape again later at times will get like a dry hit, almost like when i fire i get like a mouth full of smoke as if the coils are bone dry, pull a couple of times and then she is operating again. 

Will rewick again tonight cause im doing something wrong it seems lol but im sure ill get the hang of it after reading this thread. 

Cheers.


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## Room Fogger

StompieZA said:


> Although this is an old post, I had the exact same issue with my Serpent Mini 25 which i owned for over a year but lately i just could not get the airlock issue sorted and kept getting dry hits. Traded the SM for an OBS Engine and have been very happy so far, Flavor is great and no leaking and easy wicking.
> 
> Still want to try out the single coil build as i love single coil but for now the dual coil will do. Single coil just uses so much less battery power.
> 
> Rewicked my OBS engine last night for the first time and did it twice and have this weird issue where i can vape but when i pick up the vape again later at times will get like a dry hit, almost like when i fire i get like a mouth full of smoke as if the coils are bone dry, pull a couple of times and then she is operating again.
> 
> Will rewick again tonight cause im doing something wrong it seems lol but im sure ill get the hang of it after reading this thread.
> 
> Cheers.


What cotton are you using, first time ever dry hit on the Skyclone last night, not through the juice control being closed, but was trying out CB Prime.  Seems it is better suited for dripper maybe, but I’m sticking to Royal or Jellyfish, although soft and tears of more easily, less wicking power seems to be better, maybe the tails are too thick for it to wick properly as it swell majorly. I tried it in the Beserker and it actually stuffs up the airflowdue to swelling. Will see if it other cotton makes a difference.

Reactions: Like 1


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## StompieZA

Room Fogger said:


> What cotton are you using, first time ever dry hit on the Skyclone last night, not through the juice control being closed, but was trying out CB Prime.  Seems it is better suited for dripper maybe, but I’m sticking to Royal or Jellyfish, although soft and tears of more easily, less wicking power seems to be better, maybe the tails are too thick for it to wick properly as it swell majorly. I tried it in the Beserker and it actually stuffs up the airflowdue to swelling. Will see if it other cotton makes a difference.



Currently giving Cotton candy (*The Cotton Candy Collection Net wt.07 OZ*) a try...not sold on it yet, have always used Cotton bacon and always worked....maybe its this cotton candy thats the issue im recently having with my dry hits...lol


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## SHiBBY

I've been using Cotton Bacon since the dawn of man in both drippers and tanks and I can guarantee that you should be able to get great performance out of it regardless of the application, BUT (there's a but?), I have learned through many a burnt wick that even if you run the exact same coils in a dripper and tank (for instance, I run VV NI80 fused clapton, 6 wrap, 8mm ID), the strip/roll/thread of cotton used in the tank should be around half the thickness of that of the dripper AND fluffing the ends will make your life way easier. I never get dry hits or burnt wicks anymore. Just awesomeness

Reactions: Like 2


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## StompieZA

Quick update, opened up the OBS and thinned the ends of the wicks and it seems to have resolved the issue, thing is working like a charm! Seems like i put more wick on the one coil

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## StompieZA

Did a single coil build and it works great, flavor is much better. Been using this coil for a couple of weeks now. No pics of the wick but you split the ends and put them in the juice wells. Doubt ill go back to dual build again.












Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L31 using Tapatalk

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


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## Room Fogger

StompieZA said:


> Did a single coil build and it works great, flavor is much better. Been using this coil for a couple of weeks now. No pics of the wick but you split the ends and put them in the juice wells. Doubt ill go back to dual build again.
> 
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> Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L31 using Tapatalk


I my opinion you don’t need a dual coil build with the OBS Engine, a single coil gives you everything that you need, flavour, cloud, and reasonable consumption. And it is very forgiving, an absolute pleasure to build and work on. That is one of the main reasons I will treasure my Nano’s and keep them even if I MTL most of the time. I also need a cloud ever so often! Many happy clouds to you.

Reactions: Like 1


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