Why doesnt mesh wick short out coils?

[bob salter]

Just waiting for an aga t2 and building supplies to arrive. I must confess to being baffled about why the mesh doesnt short out the coils however. Can anyone explain it to me?

Bob

 

[jrob3rts]

The burning process you do beforehand gives it a layer which insulates it. Not sure if it's carbon or oxidisation but it's something.

 

[Tmax]

jrob3rts is right. By torching the mesh, it lays down a layer of carbon (oxidation) on the mesh.

Electrical current is like water, it always finds the path of least resistance, so if it is easier to flow through the Kanthal of your coil it will Happy days!!!!

Of course sometimes it's easier to flow through only part of your coil and then through some of the wick !!! - Hotspots.

It's called a hotspot because now only part of the coil is acting as resistance. If you check it with a meter it will show much lower ohms than the whole coil would be. So that's why we tweak the coil to get the current to flow properly.

If you are using a mech mod then you can actually watch this happen as you fire it and touch the coil, suddenly the whole coil lights up and all coils glow as expected (Of course I'm talking on a dry coil, no juice).

Remember the current flows from Positive to Negative. So that's why hotspots are always at the top !!!!

Hope this helps
T

 

[McAldo]

Just waiting for an aga t2 and building supplies to arrive. I must confess to being baffled about why the mesh doesnt short out the coils however. Can anyone explain it to me?

Bob

As pointed out, you need some form of insulation between mesh and coil.
So, either you oxidize the mesh itself, or you oxidise the coil, or put something between coil and mesh (typically a silica tube section, but many don't like this).
One way which is quite popular is to wind a coil around a drill bit, placed where the mesh will go, then fire the empty coil to oxidise it, then roll the unoxidised mesh tight enough to slide sugly into the coil.
This way you can take it out from time to time, clean it by torching and clean the coil by dryburning it.
This method was first described by PetarK, for use with his mod, the Vaper.
It works very well, also because the vaper has an insulator at the wick hole and a non conductive tank.
Personally, I put insulators at the wick hole in other genesis too, and when possible insulators at the top and bottom posts as well (that's actually an idea the gregotch had with the DID, and he uses ceramic tubes. I use silica tube at the wick hole)

Otherwise, they are starting retailing ceramic wicks, but they are brittle, so need to be thick, and few atties can take that diameter without modding