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Build tutorial: Dual core stitched alien coil
- Thread starter s20700134
- Start date
Posting so I can find this again at home and try it.
well yea.... For most that goes without saying. 
3 attempts tonight... 3 miserable failures.... Ihate aliens...
What's giving you trouble?
wrapping the stretched clapton. I clapton the first wire clockwise, decore it, stretch it out so the bends are around 90 degrees, set up my drill with 2 pieces of 26 like in the video, switch my drill to spin opposite and attempt to wrap the alien. It never comes out. Either the alien wraps stack ontop of each other, have space between them, or they are physically standing up off the cores. It looks like something i could make a dragon scale coil out of
I haven't tried it with two cores. I would think they would be too narrow for the decored clapton to wrap properly. Not sure, though.
I use three cores, and a metal keyring to keep them flat. Stopping every couple of inches to slide the keyring forward. Basically breaking the process into small steps.
I've read to keep the decore slightly ahead when wrapping, but I had to keep it at 90° to the cores, or it left spaces. And when it started to space, I stopped and closed the spaces by sliding the decore back with my fingernail. If you let it space for more than 1/4" or so, it is very hard to tighten up.
I practiced with pieces of scrap wire. My first alien was about 1 1/2" long. Making a long strand was like making several short strands, because of the keyring.
I feel like I'm rambling because it's so hard to describe.
I use three cores, and a metal keyring to keep them flat. Stopping every couple of inches to slide the keyring forward. Basically breaking the process into small steps.
I've read to keep the decore slightly ahead when wrapping, but I had to keep it at 90° to the cores, or it left spaces. And when it started to space, I stopped and closed the spaces by sliding the decore back with my fingernail. If you let it space for more than 1/4" or so, it is very hard to tighten up.
I practiced with pieces of scrap wire. My first alien was about 1 1/2" long. Making a long strand was like making several short strands, because of the keyring.
I feel like I'm rambling because it's so hard to describe.
well the key ring thing makes sense. any time I try to clapton 3 cores they always bunch into a triangle. I will try that tonight and see if it helps. simple reason I tried two cores last night was because I can never keep three flat.
I had the same problem with 3 cores. I read it's caused by holding too much tension on the wrap, but I could't hold it any looser without it bunching. I used the ring and gradually I could move it farther and farther away from the wrapping point. Had a little twisting, but just held it with pliers, reversed the drill, and slowly untwisted.
Better luck tonight! Let us know how it goes.
Better luck tonight! Let us know how it goes.
Well done "old school" job. There are some current techniques and tools that make it all a bit easier. Check Raymos's tutorials and/or the "Post your Builds" thread for more info...
Ok, screw this... In the last two days I have gone through an entire spool of 36G nichrome and most of a spool of 28G trying to make freaking aliens.. Totally not cooperating with me so I am throwing in the towel. Looking to buy a pair now.
Yea, im gonna be reaching out to one of them pretty soon...
Well we have progress!! I managed to make about 2 inches of a half way decent looking alien last night. guess part of my issue was when i was wrapping the decored and stretched clapton on I was putting to much tension on it and stretching it flat as well as taking the cores out of laying flat. Still trying to find a way to keep my cores flat though. using a paperclip and a key ring works for about 2 inches, but the first tim I move them further down the cores for some reason they start bunching up on me. But I now know that I can do this! Wahoo!
Great video! Thanks for sharing.
I've built this particular one enough, on the clock, and off, to know that it's safe, as long as you're mod isn't auto firing with an ultrafire ese battery.....or you also have an ECF profile.Folks, never "guestimate" ohms and build on a mech.
Did you make sure the
Initial Clapton should be a gauge(obviously with even numbers, two gauges) smaller. So, if your goal cores are 26, do the initial Clapton with 28.
Aw man that sucks
I think all these VU members make aliens to sell:
b_d builders
CrazyChef
raymo2u
Whiteowl84
aspr
U can add me to the list