Clapton q&a

[otto85]

Ok so ive recently fallen for clapton coils, in less then a week ive blown through 100 foot of 32g trying different builds. I went to buy more and came across a kickass deal for 34g nichrome60. My question is how well does that shit work for the outer wraps

 

[robot zombie]

34g nichrome is just fine. It's very commonly used. I know I've always got some on hand. It's actually a little thicker than what I typically use, but I like to use it for fused 26g.

The lower you go in outer gauge, the better your performance generally is. It's going to depend as much on your core wire and the overall mass of the coils you build, but thinner wire improves flavor and ramp-up time without taking away from the unique properties of the clapton coil. I prefer it over the 30g-32g because I find I can actually cram MORE mass into the coil by using 36+ and adding wraps. Leaves you with a coil that has more surface area, but heats up more readily.

Actually, you might want to get some 32g, though. Give some fused 32/38 a try. OR, you could do something silly like a 38/28 helixed with 46/32

And yeah, 100ft ain't nothing. I blew through that in a couple of hours just getting the technique down. Add another zero to that and you'll be in business. Should last you a good while, even if you're scrapping a lot of wire.

 

[otto85]

34g nichrome is just fine. It's very commonly used. I know I've always got some on hand. It's actually a little thicker than what I typically use, but I like to use it for fused 26g.

The lower you go in outer gauge, the better your performance generally is. It's going to depend as much on your core wire and the overall mass of the coils you build, but thinner wire improves flavor and ramp-up time without taking away from the unique properties of the clapton coil.

And yeah, 100ft ain't nothing. I blew through that in a couple of hours just getting the technique down. Add another zero to that and you'll be in business. Should last you a good while, even if you're scrapping a lot of wire.

Thank you i know nichrome was being used for inner but havent heard of using it for outter and kanthal inner, im still very new to the clapton world fresh from twisted and parallel builds but im liking these better

 

[robot zombie]

Thank you i know nichrome was being used for inner but havent heard of using it for outter and kanthal inner, im still very new to the clapton world fresh from twisted and parallel builds but im liking these better

Bahaha, yeah, claptons can be a huge revelation when you get em working like they're s'posed to.

People use the nichrome inner to get the resistance down, or simply because they prefer the vape on the nichrome for whatever reason. As an outer, the only difference is in the heating capacity and tolerance... ...it also turns those pretty colors you see in coil porn. You just have to be a little careful pulsing it, because it will pop more easily and possibly put a permanent short in the whole coil if you overdo it.

The resistance of the outer wraps is in the double digits, so once you work out the shorts, the outer lead is virtually inactive, electrically. Current passes right from it to the core at the first point of contact.

I know some people like to use nichrome because it's softer and thus a good bit easier to work with.

Like I said, kanthal or nichrome seems to mostly be a matter of preference. Some swear it heats up faster watt for watt, but I personally have not seen that. Seems about the same other than subtle differences in flavor.

 

[otto85]

Good to know about pulsing it ive only used 24g nichrome a few times so i would have gone all out adjusting it lol