LOL, that's just smart
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The Merlin RTA by Augvape and Roxy
- Thread starter roxynoodle
- Start date
I got my replacement base from STS Friday and have been working with it ever since. The replacement base is a V2 and doesn't leak a smidgen, not a drop. All I get is some condensation, that's all. The AFC ring is tighter than on my V1 base, but still lets a bunch of air thru when closed, so no change there. I just work a Black Colored "Vape Band" around the base so the Closed Air Slots are completely covered by the Vape Band, then take a plastic tooth pic and slide it between the Vape Band and the top of my Presa 100 to adjust air flow. Works pretty good, but still wish the air slots were designed to close off the air completely. My Leaking has STOPPED though with the V2 replacement base, that's the all important aspect for me. I also mounted my V1 base upside down in a SVD2 18650 tube and then placed a 9/16" socket on the bottom of the base
Mine doesn't leak, but does have a bit of airflow when totally closed. I opened mine mostly out of curiosity. As such, I didn't look too closely for where leaks could occur. Could be that I vape at around 12-15w max in this tank and don't get it warm enough to cause enough expansion of the metal to cause an issue.
I did take pics of all the pieces. Perhaps an oring on this lip on the base would assist with any metal on metal seepage from the deck area to the air chamber?
I'll pop it open again later and measure it. Maybe I have the right ring in my collection and can give it try just to see if it's possible.
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and gave it a few good raps with a plastic Inertia Bullet Puller (hammer style), but haven't tried it out yet to see if it still leaks, but I'll get to it. alexm, dave61, rolf 2, Ya'll have been do'in some good R&D on the Merlin base that I now might try IF my V1 base is still a leaker. My Merlin has some of the best flavor I have gotten from any RTA yet (equal to my Taifun and Erlk), that's why I kept on trying to get it up and running to my liking, the flavor is just too good for me to abandon this RTA because of all the other issues. BTW, the 4 set screws in the posts of the V2 deck were so tight that I feel that their screw gun was set for ft.Lbs instead of in.Lbs, I still haven't gotten one of the top set screws out, as I have a very nice set of hardened Allen Wrenches (Metric and SAE) and have to be careful to not strip the soft Allen sockets of these cheap set screws. The QC department should ALL be fired. This could have been a really Sweet RTA, for Everyone, if it weren't for the shitty QC, the Design sure is Top Notch. I'll keep reading and watching ya'lls progress on the base as I want to get many more Merlin's just because they are so flavorful, and that's with my Unflavored mix, I can't imagine what the flavor would be like with the juice that some of you run, it must be Crazy Good.
iVape, is it possible that you are just packing too much wicking into you're coil and muting the flavor ??
stand alone
curius to know what that white part is ? is it silicone ?I sure don't have that in mine.
still playing with mine . the one I just compressed a little more is much better
the one I put some aquarium sealer on and re esembled is even better . but not perfect jet. vaping on them all day to day still getting a little leaking .
very little so and it could be condensation . not sure .
so where did you get the replacement base from ? e mailed rts but no answer . or did you go augvape direct ?
maybe I will order another one even from ft. just to have something to compare to . and if that what looks like an insert / modification they made I could easily make a mold and cast some silicone parts .
dryburned and re wickt both and the flavor is just very very nice !
My replacement base came from STS (SubTankSupply.Com), where I bought my Merlin from. After about 4-5 emails back and forth talking about my problems he/she (I don't really know just who I was corresponding with) emailed me that STS would send out one of their new bases (at the bottom of the emails the name Robert Hall with text and phone numbers are given, that must be the Owner). I believe STS is located in Banner, KY., as that is where my base and before that my Merlin originated from according to USPS Tracking. STS appears to me to be a Top Flight Company to deal with, I got absolutely NO problems or push back from them, just some questions regarding the problems I was having. Shipping was fast and their Customer Service is what, I think, All Vape companies should aspire to have.
So now I have a Merlin V1 RTA and a Merlin V2 base, Good Deal, as now I will have one base all coiled and wicked ready to be swapped out with the old one that needs cleaning. re-coiled and re-wicked. Unscrew the used one and screw in the new one, SWEET !! I think I will get a few more Merlins (now that I see the fixes that dave61, rolf 2 and alexm have come up with), that is if Juicy hasn't bought out the entire supply by now. I have never seen a picture like that before, I mean, when I bought my 5 Lemo's many months ago, I thought that that was a little over the top, but her purchase just laid mine in the weeds . I wouldn't want to be on that old TV show "Supermarket Sweep" and have Her as an opponent, that's for sure.
The Flavor is Top Notch for sure rolf.
alexm, I run my Merlin at 13-15 watts and @ .74Ω to 1.53Ω and my V1 base leaked in the beginning, so the lack of high wattage didn't have any effect on leaking, for me at least.
So now I have a Merlin V1 RTA and a Merlin V2 base, Good Deal, as now I will have one base all coiled and wicked ready to be swapped out with the old one that needs cleaning. re-coiled and re-wicked. Unscrew the used one and screw in the new one, SWEET !! I think I will get a few more Merlins (now that I see the fixes that dave61, rolf 2 and alexm have come up with), that is if Juicy hasn't bought out the entire supply by now
. I have never seen a picture like that before, I mean, when I bought my 5 Lemo's many months ago, I thought that that was a little over the top, but her purchase just laid mine in the weeds . I wouldn't want to be on that old TV show "Supermarket Sweep" and have Her as an opponent, that's for sure.The Flavor is Top Notch for sure rolf.
alexm, I run my Merlin at 13-15 watts and @ .74Ω to 1.53Ω and my V1 base leaked in the beginning, so the lack of high wattage didn't have any effect on leaking, for me at least.
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Try re wicking in a different way
I put my tails from cotton into the cup alone not allowing it into the slot anywhere else stuffing it into the bottom of the cup and making sure no space between the outside ring and cotton
Along with the way you used silicone and this way of wicking I havent had seepage in the last 24 hours
I made sure the holes in the JFC were filled with cotton
thats with a 2.5mm clapton coil
dave
I did try that before and it did not cure the problem . but no harm in trying again just vaped a tank to dry and had to rewick anyhow so I did it.
my coil in this now is 3mm so plenty to fill the cups . we will see .
smered some of that seal dit paste on the press fit seam and rubbed it in it is the consistency of petroleum jelly but is tasteless and food safe.
just ordered another one and at the same time getting a replacement base for the one I got from sts .
they now have bases for sale at 9.00 and spare glass for 6.00 very helpful customer service .
so every thing we did to this tank made it a little better will try more ideas later .
ps they did not charge me for the replacement base for the one I got from them.
Both the bases im working on are the newer bases
I took one old one apart and put it back together the JVC turns real easy and AFC is hard to turn but it doesnt seep lol
I only use Rayon in my attys and had seepage with my silver Merlin v1 base.
Me to but very little.
Im thinking our seepage is flooding?I just did an experiment with two seeping bases First one I just barely let the cotton touch the botom of the cuo and made sure the JFC hole was covered and didnt let any cotton touch the center where airhole is
I took a .61ohms 2.5clapton to 65 watts no dry hits and after 6 hits no seepage this base usually seeps bad after four hits at 20 watts
Second tank with same setup filled cup and made sure JFC hole completely covered also allowed a small bit to touch center of base near the air hole
Four hits at 20 watts seepage
This base seems to seep when the tank gets hot
Then switched the cotton in both bases in revers order the bases see4ped in revers order
Im wondering if those using the top post holes and using less cotton or cellucotton are the ones with seep proof tanks
And could it be the coil and or cotton flooding causing the seepage
I have two bases I took apart and cleaned then back together one seeps the other doesnt
I took a .61ohms 2.5clapton to 65 watts no dry hits and after 6 hits no seepage this base usually seeps bad after four hits at 20 watts
Second tank with same setup filled cup and made sure JFC hole completely covered also allowed a small bit to touch center of base near the air hole
Four hits at 20 watts seepage
This base seems to seep when the tank gets hot
Then switched the cotton in both bases in revers order the bases see4ped in revers order
Im wondering if those using the top post holes and using less cotton or cellucotton are the ones with seep proof tanks
And could it be the coil and or cotton flooding causing the seepage
I have two bases I took apart and cleaned then back together one seeps the other doesnt
My v1 base seeped whenever I turned the tank for filling. If I didn't turn the tank it did not seep, my black v1 will seep if I turn the tank but no where near as bad as the silver one did.
I don't turn it to fill and I don't have any seepage.
My wicks just enter the cups with the overflow in the channel and the wicks are pulled away from the air hole.
I don't turn it to fill and I don't have any seepage.
My wicks just enter the cups with the overflow in the channel and the wicks are pulled away from the air hole.
UncleRJ
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I use the Organic Japanese Cotton Make Up Pad's that I purchased a lifetimes supply of on eBay for $5 delivered.
Not a single problem with wicking or leaking.
Not a single problem with wicking or leaking.
I've not tried it with cotton, but I've tried it with my normal amount of rayon, which is less than I'm using now, and had worse seepage. I think the only way to not have it, is to be one of the lucky peeps and have one that doesn't seep or leak.
Mine has started back at it. I'm kinda just done. No tank I've ever owned has required this much work, much less to have 3 people tear apart their base, only to discover that each one was in one way, shape or form, different.
On my test piece with no seepage I dont have any cotton in the channel just the cup with it pulled away from the center of the base
i wont know if Im on the right track until someone else tries it with the same results
I have thought all along it is the wicking, only time i have had any leak at all i cut my wicks level with the jfc outer control ring and had leaking two builds on the trot.Now i go about half inch past that fold into deck lightly making sure jfc holes are totally clear, air hole clear and the cotton is packed down on the front bit of deck.I check that none has entered the holes a last time when done, Has been perfectly dry ever since.This is on 2 merlins v1 as well.
It seems with these faulty bases less cotton is more
To me it looks as if any cotton is touching the center of the base around the air hole even if its on the edge its actually leaking into the base somehow and seeping around the outer rim
There is no way I can prove this because it only happens when the base is together
Me too! Using rayon, but after I made a new coil, this time ss316L 26g, 4mm id, 10 wraps. Lifted the coil even higher than I did with my Clapton coil. The top of the coil in line with the top of the post. Wicked with rayon, thinned the tails a little, cut the tails a little longer and miraculously no more seeping out of the base.
On my other Merlin, used @dave61 method of tapping with the sockets & it's been about 2 days, no more seeping! Yay! Thanks for all the useful help guys!
Update on the wicking method
No seepage on either base
so I made another coil to test
These are all V1 bases and all seeped bad
This time made a 26ga 2.5mm coil at 1.02ohms at 22watts used the wicking as above with JVC fully open
Amazingly no seepage at all
This wicking method may work for some with V1 bases if you dont want to disassemble your base
I now have four fully operational Merlins
No seepage on either base
so I made another coil to test
These are all V1 bases and all seeped bad
This time made a 26ga 2.5mm coil at 1.02ohms at 22watts used the wicking as above with JVC fully open
Amazingly no seepage at all
This wicking method may work for some with V1 bases if you dont want to disassemble your base
I now have four fully operational Merlins
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Got my Merlin today. Part of my Vape Apocalypse purchase, in addition to the Merlin, I picked up a Serpent Mini, a Kayfun 5 clone from Tobecco, a Vapor Flask Lite and Hohm Wrecker G2. My first time using rebuildables, I have been an Atlantis user with internal battery mods.
Threw the coil that came included in it on the Vapor Flask. Flavor is awesome. Maybe beginners luck, but so far, after a few hours and half a tank, no leaking or condensation. Even left it on the side for a little bit to see if it would leak, so far so good.
Couple of questions. I generally carry my mods in pant pockets. When doing so, leave the juice flow controls open or closed? When screwing the mod on, it seems like the JFC's close, to reopen, it seems like it is the glass that turns, not the knurled part between the AFC and the glass. is this normal?
I know I need to close the JFC when refilling, do I need to close the AFC as well?
Think that is it for now, will continue to update as I get more experience with this. Have not built on the other RTA's yet, this looked like the easiest of the three I purchased, will try the others eventually, and the Hohm Wrecker G2 when it arrives.
And the flavor is awesome. Didn't want to not emphasize that enough!
Threw the coil that came included in it on the Vapor Flask. Flavor is awesome. Maybe beginners luck, but so far, after a few hours and half a tank, no leaking or condensation. Even left it on the side for a little bit to see if it would leak, so far so good.
Couple of questions. I generally carry my mods in pant pockets. When doing so, leave the juice flow controls open or closed? When screwing the mod on, it seems like the JFC's close, to reopen, it seems like it is the glass that turns, not the knurled part between the AFC and the glass. is this normal?
I know I need to close the JFC when refilling, do I need to close the AFC as well?
Think that is it for now, will continue to update as I get more experience with this. Have not built on the other RTA's yet, this looked like the easiest of the three I purchased, will try the others eventually, and the Hohm Wrecker G2 when it arrives.
And the flavor is awesome. Didn't want to not emphasize that enough!
I only close the jfc when refilling. I also close it when I put it in my pocket. When you get that G2 put the Merlin on it, put it in xxx mode, adjust the FSK Curve and get ready for vape heaven.
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congrats on getting a great flavor tank
In a pants pocket I would close the juice control
when turning the juice control the glass and nurled ring turn on mine
As long as you turn it clockwise it wont unscrew the glass and when refilling
I only close the juice control
As you build the merlin you will love the flavor
Lefty
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Hah, sounds like me. I grabbed a VCTwo, a Treebox, two Merlins, a Serpent Mini and a Tobeco Kayfun V5 among other things. So far.
Got mine today
Crazy colors and I'm loving it.
dave !
cotton in one ..rayon in the other ..same thing no difference
JuicyLucy
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Only using cotton in my non-leakers, for what it's worth
I was trying to reason if cellucotton might be wicking faster therefore stopping a flooding situation with the end being seepage
So far just filling the cup with cotton and covering the juice hole and not allowing any cotton to touch the center deck
Results so far no seepage
Many wont be comfortable taking the deck apart so a workaround should be found for them
So far just filling the cup with cotton and covering the juice hole and not allowing any cotton to touch the center deck
Results so far no seepage
Many wont be comfortable taking the deck apart so a workaround should be found for them
I was just wondering if anyone has air bubbles constantly coming out of just one juice flow hole? I did but this was not causing any leaking but i was getting a tiny amount of condensation underneath. No idea if this is related but on my last clean i lost the top o ring.I replaced it with not the spare but one i ordered from orings and more.Now no air bubbles and not even a hint of condensation.Might be a coincidence but thought it worth mentioning.
Here is what i used, good to have spares as well. http://www.oringsandmore.com/metric-buna-o-rings-8-x-1mm-price-for-50-pcs/
Here is what i used, good to have spares as well. http://www.oringsandmore.com/metric-buna-o-rings-8-x-1mm-price-for-50-pcs/
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I can't tell if I just got lucky with one or not but that's the way I've wicked with both rayon and cotton since I got it and good so far.
I have tank number 0008 and even disasimbly didnt stop the seepage but this wicking method worked
So,me tanks leaked some didnt QC was terrible on these tanks
Lefty
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Yeah, mine's 2963. I think you're right it's mostly how close the tolerances are on each particular unit but as with yours perhaps a particular wicking style can mitigate some of it. I have another one one the way, from Subtank Supply this time, we'll see how it goes.
Still up for trade ? Got a black merlin , ran about 4 tanks through it so far but it is not really my cup of tea , not enough airflow , no leaking or any other issues , just need more air , if I had a way to safely roll it and get more I would but it would probably destroy the finish .
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T
thanks for the link!
I tried squeezing and disassembly and still had seepage on the 0008 so tried the wicking method now no seepage at all
I know the JVC on the 0008 is super loose
Just from a guess they are using a hand powered press to press fit these tanks and the operator just doesnt hit it as hard all the time
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I just popped the first coil I put in the Merlin after about a month of use.
Still amazed how easy it is to install a new coil in the sucker.
Naturally, I replaced the cotton wick at the same time.
I have read that this is not the way to do it, but I push the cotton down into the liquid "Wells" until I can see it in the liquid holes.. Then I prime the wick, assemble, fill the tank and start vaping.
Never once have I had a dry hit or a leak on mine.
Still amazed how easy it is to install a new coil in the sucker.
Naturally, I replaced the cotton wick at the same time.
I have read that this is not the way to do it, but I push the cotton down into the liquid "Wells" until I can see it in the liquid holes.. Then I prime the wick, assemble, fill the tank and start vaping.
Never once have I had a dry hit or a leak on mine.
I posted earlier about changing my top o ring so tonight i tried a experiment. It was 97 outside and 72 inside. Been in and out all day and not a drop of condensation anywhere.I put an original o ring in and left the build the juice,everything the same.Within about 30 minutes of in and out of the house a small amount of condensation was forming and one juice flow hole was bubbling.Swapped it back with the new o ring i got and perfect again,no condensation or bubbling.
I am wondering if this could be the problem all along,causing the condensation and leaking.The new o rings work fine on both my tanks,and they are both version one.
I am wondering if this could be the problem all along,causing the condensation and leaking.The new o rings work fine on both my tanks,and they are both version one.
Its very well possible that could be the problem on some tanks
I ordered some of the orings along with some for the base
It does seem the original orings are a little thin and dont fill the channel
I think as an experiment I may fill the top channel with dental floss and try that
My four arnt seeping as of now but I do have four tanks so would like to know for future reference
An excellent vape in the workshop!
An excellent vape in the workshop!
Because I rolled the coil too high for the Merlin, it's sitting on my VT75 as well.
Lower watts... easier on the single cell.
Even though it's so tall, it's my first "murdered out" atty...
... looks wicked af on my Red VT.
In my case, it pays to hold off on buying, as I browse through and read all the different things about this tank from day one, I have to tell you that with so many different tanks on the market never have I seen one with so many issues as this one. yes the few that the tank has performed correctly for I give kudo's to, as lady luck gifted them that, but from a percentage point of view, most do not. Again I say I am glad I held off.
I understand there are many fans with this tank, but the market holds many others that need not so much "Experimentation" to work correctly
Well, I do have seepage, and the first night I left the JFC open and had significant leakage. I have found keeping the JFC closed when not regularly vaping eliminates the leaking, so that is good. Had no leakage last night. Still get some seepage at the bottom, will try the different methods in this thread to eliminate that.
I feel bad for the people having issues because it really is a wonderful tank. I wish Roxy was still here because I am sure she could probably alleviate a lot of the problems.
Indeed, many would have some questions for her no doubt
I replaced all the orings without taking the base apart then tightened the tank top and bottm together as tight as I could without breaking the glass and the base off
This is on my 0008 tank
The JVC has tightened up and no seepage for the last hour in the heat on its side
I know when many of us first got the tanks it was over tightened so its possible it has to be over tightened to stop seepage on the tanks nothing else works on
This is on my 0008 tank
The JVC has tightened up and no seepage for the last hour in the heat on its side
I know when many of us first got the tanks it was over tightened so its possible it has to be over tightened to stop seepage on the tanks nothing else works on