Become a Patron!
how do you determine wire size?
- Thread starter mkess
- Start date
Most wire is sized using the AWG at least in the USA. 24ga AWG is popular if winding simple coils.
Here you can find a table telling you the wire diameters in AWG and inches.
http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
Here you can find a table telling you the wire diameters in AWG and inches.
http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
Heaver gauge wire is easier to work with but harder to heat. I use mostly 24 gauge Stainless Steel, Sometimes 26 or 28 gauge for dual coils. I use SS316L because you can use SS in both TC and power mode and it adds no flavor.
BTW, what kind of mod will you be vaping on, Regulated, or mech? I recommend getting an ohm meter for use in building so you'll know for sure what the actual resistance your build has, and if by chance you have a short. A good familiarity with Ohm's law is a must too, especially if using a mechanical mod.
Well I start by determining what kind of vape I want... the determine what kind of build I want. Then decide which combination of wire and twisting will give me what I desire.
Coil building tool like Steam engine helps.
I learned how to answer the questions. By learning what I liked coil wise. The copiing and backward engineering the coil heads I was buying and using. Once I could dupluxate a factory coil head build. I moved on to an RBA. Haven't bought a coil or coil head since.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
Coil building tool like Steam engine helps.
I learned how to answer the questions. By learning what I liked coil wise. The copiing and backward engineering the coil heads I was buying and using. Once I could dupluxate a factory coil head build. I moved on to an RBA. Haven't bought a coil or coil head since.
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
It'll be a regulated mod. Currently using an IPV4S with a crown 1 tank at .25 ohms dual coil, dual parallel I believe, at 63 watts. I'd like to stay in this range with lots of flavor and decent clouds.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
That depends on the resistance you aim for and the amount of wattage you intend to run through it.
Thicker wire will have higher mass (which means it will require higher wattage for optimal performance) and lower resistance.
SS will have lower resistance then Kanthal.
Kanthal is meant for VW only and SS for both VW and TC.
I would start will a roll of 24 and 26 Kanthal.
There is always the possibility of twisting 2 or more strands of a thin wire, that will turn it into a thicker wire with more surface area.
If you intend to make Claptons I would start with 26 for the core and 32 for the wrap and as you advance switch to thinner wire for the wrap and thicker/multiple wire for the core.
Thicker wire will have higher mass (which means it will require higher wattage for optimal performance) and lower resistance.
SS will have lower resistance then Kanthal.
Kanthal is meant for VW only and SS for both VW and TC.
I would start will a roll of 24 and 26 Kanthal.
There is always the possibility of twisting 2 or more strands of a thin wire, that will turn it into a thicker wire with more surface area.
If you intend to make Claptons I would start with 26 for the core and 32 for the wrap and as you advance switch to thinner wire for the wrap and thicker/multiple wire for the core.
http://www.steam-engine.org/ is your best friend.
Honestly with how much I post this in replies to threads just like this I should put it in my signature ya know
Honestly with how much I post this in replies to threads just like this I should put it in my signature ya know
So you are looking for 63W power on a quad coil build? Parallel counts as 2, or 3 or 4 depending on how many wires you use, then dual coil well that's just 2 coils.
So try 28ga. You will need to get the resistance up so you can use less watts to heat it.
http://www.steam-engine.org/coil.asp?p=roundmulti&s=dp&r=0.25&hfnw=63&str=2&awg=28&id=2.25
If you want more flavor, you should learn to build claptons. But that is a later thing. Start with 1 strand core, and when you get that down, try 2 strands for a fused clapton. 3 strands is a royal pain in the................... to work with. I think you can even just buy clapton wire at fasttech. Making your own is more fun.
Last edited:
Depends on what kind of vaping you plan on doing.
For MTL about 27 GA is the largest you will want to go.
26 ga is good up to around 30 watts.
If you want a big coil and low resistance SS or NI80.
Small coil with higher resistance Kanthal.
For MTL about 27 GA is the largest you will want to go.
26 ga is good up to around 30 watts.
If you want a big coil and low resistance SS or NI80.
Small coil with higher resistance Kanthal.
K Bee vapes has a multi pack of kanthal (or SS or Nichrome) on amazon for $26. 10 spools of 10 different gauges. 100ft each. Look them up on amazon. Free shipping. Always thought that would be a sweet deal for starting a wire collection. Especially because the best gauge for you is very subjective. And this way you have several to try out.
I won't buy KBee anymore, got some Kanthal and it was filthy. It was so filthy it turned my fingers black, contacted them and they said. "oh, thanks for letting us know, I'll let my people know". Basically they said "fuck off", we don't give a shit for we just sell Chinese shit wire.
Recommend wire
Atomizer Wick
Pure Atomist
Temco
Haven't actually used their Kanthal. I use their SS316L a bit. Never had any filthiness issues with it.
Just saw that package price and thought it would be a good deal on a starter set. Find a gauge that suits you and buy more of that gauge from another vendor. Or buy an ultrasonic with the savings and viola! No more filth.
Just saw that package price and thought it would be a good deal on a starter set. Find a gauge that suits you and buy more of that gauge from another vendor. Or buy an ultrasonic with the savings and viola! No more filth.
Yeah I've used their SS for a while for my practice wire, got some of their Kanthal and it seriously was the filthiest wire I've ever gotten. It really was disgusting. I contacted them to see how they would handle it, obvious they don't give a shit with the massive blow off.
Try Atomizer Wick for SS, 317L SS, Smelted in Sweden and milled here in the US. Good prices also plus their Kanthal is excellent, it's Sandvic Kanthal (the ones who invented and own the patent on it).
Last edited:
Have been "over" ss for a while. But may try it in the future. Been building alien coils on regulated devices and building for series mechs.
SS is almost unusable for those types of builds (except as a wrapper on the aliens) due to its crazy low resistance.
I do like SS for flavor. And I would like to call myself a flavor junkie. But, realistically I am a closet cloud chaser with a refined palate (there, I said it. Laid it all on the line.)And SS, for me, just isn't a cloud wire. Hard to get surface area up without building crazy low.
I use Kanthal on my =< 25mm devices for series, 30mm devices not a problem with fused Claptons. I prefer 317L due to its slightly higher resistance. For me SS the flavor is much better and with the lower resistance and responsiveness its' a perfect match for my Mech's.