After some time with an eCig you start to notice how much of it can be adjusted. Modifications can clean up the flavor, improve your cloud and give better purity, and building a coil yourself is one of the most common of them. This guide explains why people do it, what you need and how the process goes.
Reasons to build a coil yourself
Builders usually give three:
- The coils last longer, with less trouble from burn-out.
- Flavor from a DIY coil is hard to beat.
- It costs less.
The kit
Gather these before you begin:
- An ohmmeter
- A Re-buildable Atomiser (RBA)
- Resistance wire, which several brands sell
- A screwdriver and/or Allen keys sized for your RBA
- A butane torch if possible, otherwise a lighter
- Wire cutters
- Wicking material
- Scissors
- eJuice
With the kit together, set aside some quiet time for a first attempt.
Building the coil, step by step
Step 1: Work out the resistance
Resistance is the main safety consideration in any build, meaning the ohms your coil has to handle. Your device manual will tell you the figure. Once you have it, work out the number of wraps required. The coil calculator at steam-engine.org helps you get this right. Expect to measure the coil more than once to stay safe: after winding it, and again once the wick and eJuice are in.
Step 2: Wind the wire
Experienced builders get by with less, but a first coil should start from roughly 15cm of wire. Grip one end with tweezers and heat the wire with the torch or lighter until it glows orange. Pass the flame along its length so every part reaches that orange glow several times, then let it cool briefly. This oxidises the wire and makes it easier to handle.
Next, take a small screwdriver of about 3mm diameter and wind the wire around the shaft for the number of wraps you calculated. The wraps should sit close together without overlapping. Measure the ohms, and continue only if the reading is correct.
Step 3: Fit it to the RBA
Follow the RBA’s instructions and trim the coil’s ends so it fits. Loosen the post screws instead of taking them out completely, since they are tiny and easy to lose. With the coil in place, thread the wick and cut it to size, put a small amount of eJuice on each end, and test with the ohmmeter once more. If the reading is off, stop and go back to step one.
Finishing up
When the coil is installed and reads correctly, soak the wick with juice and try it out. If all of this sounds like more work than you want, ready-made replacement coils are the alternative.