Arch marks/ battery

[Morix]

Good evening my fellow village people.

I have loomed through the mech forum and the search tab for anything relating to arch marks when it comes to mechanical tubes.

I'm sure some poeple on this forum has experienced battery arching some time in their mechanical use.

I have looked on youtube and on some other pages but everyone says something different on this topic. Apparently all mechs arch no matter which one it is and the lower you build the harder the arch wil be because of the higher draw from the cell.

Questions:

1) How to clean the marks from your batteries?
2) The cause, can it be fixed?
3) The dangers of having arch marks on your battery?
4) Does a multi point fire pin create more arching than one solid pin?

Current setup: VGOD Pro mech2 with 0.13 / vtc5a

Thank you in advance. Any advice is welcome.

 

[JurgensSt]

Also want to know.

 

[Dela Rey Steyn]

The Vgod as far as I know goes Positive side of the battery facing towards the 510 correct? So i'm assuming that you are referring to arcing marks on the negative side of your battery where the switch comes into contact with the battery @Morix ?

 

[Puff the Magic Dragon]

@Morix . The following is info given by "battery Mooch". He is, without doubt, the most respected battery fundi in the vaping community.

"Mooch
13 May 2018 ·
I’m often asked how to remove arcing marks from mechanical mod contacts and batteries. I use 3M’s Scotch-Brite 228 heavy duty pads.

They can’t remove really bad arcing damage but are great for maintaining your contacts and batteries as soon as you see any marks or darkening of copper contacts.

You can also use dishwashing scouring pads, with the sponge on one side, but they don’t work quite as well as these pads.

Since our batteries and a lot of the contacts in our mechs are plated metal you never want to sand or file off arcing marks. It’s important to start removing these marks immediately so they don’t build up.

You usually can’t get rid of the pitting the arcs cause but smoothing the marks down helps keep them from being the high points the next time you use the mech or battery.

The oxidized metal blown out by the arcing has a higher resistance and is quite thin. If this metal is what makes contact first/last when using a mech that will concentrate all the current and just cause more heating and arcing, increasing the damage.

Smoothing down these marks, and cleaning off any oxidized metal, is important for keeping your mech performing as close to new as you can."

If you want to know anything battery related subscribe to Mooch's YouTube channel.

 

[Dela Rey Steyn]

i'll post some pics tonight of what i use in my arsenal to keep arcing marks to a minimum on my mech squonks. Arcing will always happen to a degree where there isn't permanent contact to a battery

 

[Morix]

The Vgod as far as I know goes Positive side of the battery facing towards the 510 correct? So i'm assuming that you are referring to arcing marks on the negative side of your battery where the switch comes into contact with the battery @Morix ?

That is correct sir...

 

[Morix]

@Morix . The following is info given by "battery Mooch". He is, without doubt, the most respected battery fundi in the vaping community.

"Mooch
13 May 2018 ·
I’m often asked how to remove arcing marks from mechanical mod contacts and batteries. I use 3M’s Scotch-Brite 228 heavy duty pads.

They can’t remove really bad arcing damage but are great for maintaining your contacts and batteries as soon as you see any marks or darkening of copper contacts.

You can also use dishwashing scouring pads, with the sponge on one side, but they don’t work quite as well as these pads.

Since our batteries and a lot of the contacts in our mechs are plated metal you never want to sand or file off arcing marks. It’s important to start removing these marks immediately so they don’t build up.

You usually can’t get rid of the pitting the arcs cause but smoothing the marks down helps keep them from being the high points the next time you use the mech or battery.

The oxidized metal blown out by the arcing has a higher resistance and is quite thin. If this metal is what makes contact first/last when using a mech that will concentrate all the current and just cause more heating and arcing, increasing the damage.

Smoothing down these marks, and cleaning off any oxidized metal, is important for keeping your mech performing as close to new as you can."

If you want to know anything battery related subscribe to Mooch's YouTube channel.

View attachment 163218View attachment 163218

I saw this... And thank you @Dela Rey Steyn ill be checking back tonight. So basically ALL mechs will arch.. Even if it has constant contact.. With the broadside admiral i think that has that switch that splits into 3 and touches the rim to complete the circuit... The battery wont get any arching but the rim of the mod wil. And probably on the sides of those 3 split pins...

The reason i opened this so that we could be more educated on this.. I think arching is a big problem if not treated... I honestly dont want to be throwing away batteries everyone 2 to 3 months because of arching.

I hope someone could tell me how long does their arch cells last.. When they replace them.. And what is used to maintain..to get the most life and time out of them before ditching the cell.

Thanx @Dela Rey Steyn

 

[Rob Fisher]

Back in the REO days, we used Deoxit Gold on contacts to combat arching... a little bottle lasts forever... I still use it on the contacts of mechs! Got it from Amazon!

 

[Alex]

Like @Rob Fisher said, or something similar.

 

[Hakhan]

normal pencil eraser does the trick.

 

[Resistance]

The one thing I'm sure of is multi contact pins will definitely create more arching that's why electrical equipment like relays have a stud point of a harder metal to keep arching to a minimum

 

[Dela Rey Steyn]

Dielectric grease is your frie d when it comes to mech mod contacts for sure.

You can use a normal pencil eraser as suggested to get rid of minor arcing marks on a regular basis.

One of my go to tools is a 4-in-1 nail buffing file I "borrowed" from the missus. Not a normal nail file as it too abrasive. Has to be the buffing one with the very fine grit like this one from Sorbet:

If you have a basic mech squonk, you can even place the file between the button contact and the contact on the 510 connector and gently file a flat contact area to minimize arcing, remember arcing happens when there are high points that make contact irregularly.

When using this method it's inportant to use a very fine file or 600-800 grit wet sanding paper. A rough file will cause more arcing points.

I made a video clip but I'm unable to upload it, it's just to show that there is no arcing when this is done properly.

I did this process about 4 months ago on this mod, here is the minute amount or arcing marks on the button contact after 4 months of use:

It was easily removed with a quick rub of the buffing file.

@Silver is there a way to upload a video file?

 

[Dela Rey Steyn]

Sorry if there are lots of spelling mistakes, sent from my phone, and this keyboard and my fingers aren't friends

 

[Silver]

Dielectric grease is your frie d when it comes to mech mod contacts for sure.

You can use a normal pencil eraser as suggested to get rid of minor arcing marks on a regular basis.

One of my go to tools is a 4-in-1 nail buffing file I "borrowed" from the missus. Not a normal nail file as it too abrasive. Has to be the buffing one with the very fine grit like this one from Sorbet:
View attachment 163331
If you have a basic mech squonk, you can even place the file between the button contact and the contact on the 510 connector and gently file a flat contact area to minimize arcing, remember arcing happens when there are high points that make contact irregularly.
View attachment 163332
When using this method it's inportant to use a very fine file or 600-800 grit wet sanding paper. A rough file will cause more arcing points.

I made a video clip but I'm unable to upload it, it's just to show that there is no arcing when this is done properly.

I did this process about 4 months ago on this mod, here is the minute amount or arcing marks on the button contact after 4 months of use:
View attachment 163333
It was easily removed with a quick rub of the buffing file.

@Silver is there a way to upload a video file?

Hi @Dela Rey Steyn
I think you have to upload the video to Youtube, then post the Youtube link.

@Morix, as far as I understand, arcing is something that happens as a natural phenomenon.
When you turn off the lights and operate your mech in the dark, (if you can see the contact point) you will normally see the arcing taking place. It happens more as you go lower on the ohms.

I can second @Rob Fisher 's suggestion of the Deoxit Gold and @Alex 's suggestion of the di-electric grease. I have used both on my Reos for years to good effect. I just put a tiny bit on the Reo positive contact pin every month or two - and then its good. I have no major marks on my batteries. But then again, my coils are usually at 0.4 ohms and up. So I am probably not getting a lot of arcing anyway.

 

[Morix]

so i can put dielectric grease on these contacts. And on the battery ill just use that 4in1 menoover or?

 

[Dela Rey Steyn]

View attachment 163344 View attachment 163345 so i can put dielectric grease on these contacts. And on the battery ill just use that 4in1 menoover or?

yes DG on the contacts, sparingly. try first with an eraser, they don't seem too major. then move to abrasives

 

[Morix]

yes DG on the contacts, sparingly. try first with an eraser, they don't seem too major. then move to abrasives

Okay so the grease goes on the button contacts and in the button.. ( when it came in the packaging brand new it had grease in there already.. I cleaned that out...im guessing that was dielectric) The eraser doesn't work..