Jumping into Mech Mods and RDAs (at a slow and eager to learn pace)

[RonJahn]

Well, the Black Friday deals that kept popping up in my inbox all day got the best of me. I just purchased the HCigar Nemesis Clone mod at a fantastic price.

I have been vaping for about 4 months. I currently have an MVP 2.0 with an Aspire mini attached as my go to device. I love this device, but have become more curious about dripping and would love to get into it.

Like my title says, I want to take my time getting into this, I want to be safe, and am eager to learn as much as possible. In fact, I don't plan on buying anything else until I feel that I have enough information and have learned enough to confidently begin.

I know I will need to start with an ohms reader, but what other supplies/tools/equipment will I need to get?

When it comes to batteries, I am a bit lost. There are just so many to choose from and they all come in different sizes and amps. Where could I get started on learning more, and does anyone have recommendations for a beginner?

Atomizers seem to be a matter of preference and price, but where would you point a beginner to start looking or what atomizers are frequently recommended for the Nemesis?

Like I said, I am eager to learn and want to be as safe as possible. I have watched numerous videos on how to wrap a coil and that seems easy enough after some practice, but when it comes to why coils are being built in a specific way, the number of wraps needed, ect it gets a bit over my head ATM.

Any reading materials, good youtube videos, or any other information that you fine folks can pass along would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[jasonculp]

I recommend you read and study this page: It will give you a basic understanding of why volts, ohms, and watts matter and relate to each other.

Here is one on batteries:

I know I will need to start with an ohms reader, but what other supplies/tools/equipment will I need to get?

You are correct. The first thing you need is a good ohm meter. It is mandatory.

Wire and wick: I bought a spool of 32ga 30ga, 28ga, and 26ga each A-1 Kanthal I get it from Temco. I really only use the 26 and the 28. Wicking i use organic cotton balls from the drug store, and rayon from Sally's beauty supply.

Then use these calculators to help you calculate your coils:

http://www.steam-engine.org/coil.asp

http://coiltoy.ermeso.com/

I would recommend a small precision screwdriver set. These are great for the screws on the RDA and also winding coils on. Small drill bits work great for winding coils too.

You might also consider a coil winding jig, and a micro torch. They just make things easier. Kanthal comes pre-annealed from the factory, but torching it makes it a bit easier to work with. The coil jig wastes a bit of wire, but it is very easy to make pretty coils.

Oops, I forgot you will need some small pliers, tweezers, and clippers to trim wires.

When it comes to batteries, I am a bit lost. There are just so many to choose from and they all come in different sizes and amps. Where could I get started on learning more, and does anyone have recommendations for a beginner?

For batteries, I suggest the 18650 Sony VTC3, VTC4, or VTC5. Be very careful where you buy them, they are highly counterfeited.

Here are 2 very trusted sites:

http://www.vaportalk.com/product-category/ecig-batteries/ecig-mod-batteries/

http://www.fadoravapor.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=16_54

There are many other batteries out there. Many of them will work fine, but when you are first starting out I would recommend sticking with name brand, and trusted suppliers. Don't forget a good charger. I like the Nitecore brand.

Atomizers seem to be a matter of preference and price, but where would you point a beginner to start looking or what atomizers are frequently recommended for the Nemesis?

I don't have enough experience to help you much in the area. I only have 2 types. I use the Tobh clone, and the 454 Big Block clone, both work great. They both are not the best for beginners. The Tobh has to be modified, or build off center for airflow. The 454 uses a ring for grounding and can be hard to build on.

Any reading materials, good youtube videos, or any other information that you fine folks can pass along would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I recommend YouTube and watching RipTrippers and Pbusardo's video. I think they have some beginner videos.

Edited November 29, 2014 by jasonculp

[jasonculp]

I also forgot to mention that you are welcome to come back here and ask questions. There are many great people here that are willing to help. When it comes to mechanical mods, making your own coils, and doing it safely, there are no dumb questions. Mechanical mods are very simple, but, they require a lot of attention from you to use them safely. The reason they work so good, and are so (possibly) dangerous is they have no safety. Improper builds can at best ruin equipment, and at worst cause injury.

I am not trying to talk you out of using them, I just want you to be aware of how careful you need to be!

[Tam]

Jason's words are very wise... and he makes great recommendations too.

[Earthling789]

Jason gets a gold-star

One thing I will point out is the expense of getting started.... A simple RDA/RTA/RBA and a Mech Mod can be fairly cheap, but as Jason pointed out, two or four GOOD batteries, a few spools of Kanthal, wick material, cutters, torch (an old lighter will do in a pinch), cutters, ceramic tweezers, AND OHM METER will add to that cost rather quickly.

You can do it for under $100, but I always want to point out the initial expense... And, I stress "initial", because after you buy all this stuff, you'll only have to keep yourself stocked (a little here, little there)...

[RonJahn]

So an update: I purchased Sony VTC4 18650 batteries, an EFest Ohms meter, and the TOBH atomizer. I also have a small spool of both 26g and 28g Kanthal and some nice organic cotton for wicks. I definitely appreciate you all pointing out the numerous small, but essential items that I wouldn't have thought to purchase.

I have immediately went to work wrapping coils. My first build is a dual coil, 26g, 6 wraps on each side. It reads consistently at .45ohms. This vaper production is unreal compared to the MVP & Nautalis tanks I have been using and the flavors are amazing. It fires nicely and I'm happy with the setup overall.

This thread has been a major help to me. Thanks all!

[Earthling789]

Glad to see you picked up some good equipment, and reliable batteries for sub-ohming...

One thing I don't think anybody has mentioned, but I'll re-iterate if they have... When direct-dripping, you should use a lower Nicotine level. If you use 18mg in your Nautilus, you may consider 6mg or even 3mg in your TOBH. RDA's produce loads more vapor, and hotter vapor. The increase in vapor production means more nicotine delivered, and it is proven that heat increases absorption of Nicotine by the body, so not only do you get more Nicotine per hit, you're also absorbing it faster

My all-day-vapes are 12, 15, and 18mg Nicotine, but when I use my RDA, I use 6mg (sometimes), 3mg (normally), and 0mg (when I just want a flavor).

[RonJahn]

Glad to see you picked up some good equipment, and reliable batteries for sub-ohming...

One thing I don't think anybody has mentioned, but I'll re-iterate if they have... When direct-dripping, you should use a lower Nicotine level. If you use 18mg in your Nautilus, you may consider 6mg or even 3mg in your TOBH. RDA's produce loads more vapor, and hotter vapor. The increase in vapor production means more nicotine delivered, and it is proven that heat increases absorption of Nicotine by the body, so not only do you get more Nicotine per hit, you're also absorbing it faster

My all-day-vapes are 12, 15, and 18mg Nicotine, but when I use my RDA, I use 6mg (sometimes), 3mg (normally), and 0mg (when I just want a flavor).

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Thanks for the info. I have been using 18mg juices in my tanks, but luckily I had a left over bottle from when I first started out that was at 6mg when the equipment arrived. I'll be swinging by a b&m this afternoon for some backup juice and I also have a nice vape mail order coming in with a whole range of lower nic juices. (I dripped a bit of 18mg rootbeer flavor, almost coughed out my lung, and immediately rewicked with the 6 mg. never again lol)

Interesting that the body absorbs more of it when warmed up, I was under the impression it was only because of flavor and excessive throat hit that lower nic was recommended.

[Earthling789]

.

Thanks for the info. I have been using 18mg juices in my tanks, but luckily I had a left over bottle from when I first started out that was at 6mg when the equipment arrived. I'll be swinging by a b&m this afternoon for some backup juice and I also have a nice vape mail order coming in with a whole range of lower nic juices. (I dripped a bit of 18mg rootbeer flavor, almost coughed out my lung, and immediately rewicked with the 6 mg. never again lol)

Interesting that the body absorbs more of it when warmed up, I was under the impression it was only because of flavor and excessive throat hit that lower nic was recommended.

Well, the nicotine does add to throat-hit, but the combination of vapor (volume) and heat intensifying nicotine absorption rates, really are the reason for suggesting lower nic levels... from a chemical/physics/biology stand-point, anyway.

A study performed by the University of Kentucky on Nicotine absorption rates looked at heat and proved that heat increases the absorption rate in the body, exponentially, whether it is a warmed patch or vaporized... the hotter it is, the more pronounced the effect. So, yes, a sub-ohm RDA will be MUCH hotter than your 1.6 Ohm Nautilus, and will have more surface-area (coil/wick) to work with

My daily intake via tank is 2.5ml, maybe 3ml per day... but if I'm dripping, I may go though 2-3x that in a day... so if I'm using 18mg in a tank, I'd need 1/2-1/3 the level of nicotine (to maintain same daily intake level), so I'll use 6mg max... and since I'll absorb it faster, 3mg works even better

Edited December 9, 2014 by Earthling789

[jasonculp]

So an update: I purchased Sony VTC4 18650 batteries, an EFest Ohms meter, and the TOBH atomizer. I also have a small spool of both 26g and 28g Kanthal and some nice organic cotton for wicks. I definitely appreciate you all pointing out the numerous small, but essential items that I wouldn't have thought to purchase.

I have immediately went to work wrapping coils. My first build is a dual coil, 26g, 6 wraps on each side. It reads consistently at .45ohms. This vaper production is unreal compared to the MVP & Nautalis tanks I have been using and the flavors are amazing. It fires nicely and I'm happy with the setup overall.

This thread has been a major help to me. Thanks all!

I have not modified my Tobh. Many people remove the little tab sticking up to do center builds to get better airflow. I just build offset and turn the cap so that the airholes are all open and right in front of the coil. Here are a couple of pictures of when I first started building on it.

This is a horizontal build. I actually build them a little closer to the outside to put them as close to the airflow as possible, and I am also using twisted wire now.

This is the vertical build I used to do. It was my favorite build, until I went with the twisted wire. I am going to do a twisted vertical build pretty quick.

I normally keep my builds right around .4 or so. This is by no means the "right" way to build the Tobh, it has just the way that has worked the best for me!