Stainless Steel Mesh as a Wick

[Christos]

Doing some testing with SS mesh as a wick because I'm looking for something that's more convenient than rewicking every 8ml.

Some say SS mesh gives superb flavour but I have not seen this catch on here in the many years it's been available.

In the interest of science I have aquired some SS mesh and have started the process of rolling and quenching etc. There are many YouTube videos on how to properly prepare SS mesh so I won't be going into detail.

So far:


So far, the ss mesh is very absorbent and has a capillary action going for it.

Just waiting for the ultrasonic to finish before I test it in a RDA.

I have seen RTAs wicked with SS mesh but I will hold off until my rolling skills improve and if the effort preparing this is all worthwhile.

 

[Raindance]

Doing some testing with SS mesh as a wick because I'm looking for something that's more convenient than rewicking every 8ml.

Some say SS mesh gives superb flavour but I have not seen this catch on here in the many years it's been available.

In the interest of science I have aquired some SS mesh and have started the process of rolling and quenching etc. There are many YouTube videos on how to properly prepare SS mesh so I won't be going into detail.

So far:
View attachment 131105 View attachment 131103 View attachment 131104 View attachment 131107 View attachment 131106

So far, the ss mesh is very absorbent and has a capillary action going for it.

Just waiting for the ultrasonic to finish before I test it in a RDA.

I have seen RTAs wicked with SS mesh but I will hold off until my rolling skills improve and if the effort preparing this is all worthwhile.

Please keep us posted @Christos, interesting thread. Thanks.

Regards

 

[Silver]

Great to see @Christos

Am watching with interest because I would also like a wick that lasts for a long time.
There is that Ceramic ReadyXWick (I think thats what its called) but not available here.

Looking forward to hearing what happens here and thanks for sharing your experience on it

 

[Christos]

Ogenny v2 RDTA with squonk pin first up!

 

[Silver]

That looks great @Christos
Amazing that its metal on metal
Whats the vape like?

 

[Christos]

First Impressions:

Firstly, I didn't think this was going to turn out so well! I was sceptical to begin.
The flavour is surprisingly good as I am using a dessert fruit loop/ sweet milk flavour. (Mad Man)
The flavour seems to be slightly muted in comparison to cotton but it is sharper. I don't know how to explain this all to well but the flavour is definitely crisper and more refined. ITs almost as if its blended better and not as "rough" as cotton.

Secondly, Im thinking dang it, this is not for @Silver! The draw is actually smooth as silk and my concern is you wont be getting your throat hit that you desire. Perhaps with 36mg Nic it will feel like 18mg.

I did make the wick a little less than 4CM as i was struggling to get it through a 2.5mm ID coil and this may have impacted my third point.
Thirdly, The wicking doesn't seem to be all that great i.e. you need to wait a few seconds for the juice to saturate otherwise you get a dry hit however this is nothing like a cotton dry hit! My wick is not as "thick" as i intended but i will continue to play as I think the thickness or amount of rolls plays a vital part in the actual siaking of juice etc.

Final thoughts for this evening: Im frankly impressed and also stumped why this has not gained more popularity.
It is a process to set this wick up but Ill gladly do it if it means a dry burn and an ultrasonic and off we go!

More to follow with more testing and more use!

 

[Silver]

Great to hear @Christos
You are right, I may not be happy with the smoothness
But the crispness appeals to me

When you get a chance please try a fruity menthol and let us know what it does to the menthol and whether it does a dance on your throat

 

[Christos]

Great to hear @Christos
You are right, I may not be happy with the smoothness
But the crispness appeals to me

When you get a chance please try a fruity menthol and let us know what it does to the menthol and whether it does a dance on your throat

Will do but it may be a while.
Almost everything is in need of a rewick and I don't have the motivation.

Just want to get 2 or 3 devices ready for tomorrow and I'll wing it for the week...

 

[Silver]

Dont worry @Christos

I know the feeling too well

My gosh your mods look great!

 

[aktorsyl]

Final thoughts for this evening: Im frankly impressed and also stumped why this has not gained more popularity.

Aren't dry hits on stainless steel rather dangerous with the fumes being directly inhaled? That would probably put a damper on mainstream use.

This does sound really interesting though, also following this thread for updates

 

[Christos]

So attempted to put a wick in my narda.
Mesh is by no means easy to work with.
Resistance is roughly the same but there are "issues" with hot spots.
0.24 ohms coil before and 0.23 after.

 

[Christos]

Aren't dry hits on stainless steel rather dangerous with the fumes being directly inhaled? That would probably put a damper on mainstream use.

This does sound really interesting though, also following this thread for updates

I have no idea
It was more like a hot inhale rather than a dry hit.
Recovery time 3 seconds

 

[Christos]

Some copy paste.
https://vaporreporter.wordpress.com/tag/stainless-steel-wire/


Stainless Steel 304/316 series. Safety rating- 95 (A+). SS has been used in medical procedures for years, though only recently has found its way into vaping coils. This is also the type of steel used in cookware. Why? Because it has a very high melting point (2400-2750 degrees F), and the questionable alloys in the steel (nickel being the biggest of concern) also require a high amount of heat (2200-2300 degrees F) before they begin to leach. I don’t know any mainstream vaping device that can reach those levels. Stainless Steel also brings a few added bonuses to the table. 304, 316, and 317 (welding wire, also known as GPlat in the community) contains enough nickel so where it can be used in a temperature controlled device. The only downside is it can be a bit tough to work with as it’s a little stiffer than any of the other metals on this list save titanium.

 

[Andre]

I tried this almost five years ago. From what I remember, stainless steel wicks (like ceramic) do not like bends. Maybe try a slanted coil in the Narda?

 

[Faiyaz Cheulkar]

How is the mesh not interfering with the flow of current ?? The steel mesh is touching the RDA, that means it's touching the negative terminal.

 

[aktorsyl]

How is the mesh not interfering with the flow of current ?? The steel mesh is touching the RDA, that means it's touching the negative terminal.

It probably has a higher resistance than the coil.

 

[Christos]

I tried this almost five years ago. From what I remember, stainless steel wicks (like ceramic) do not like bends. Maybe try a slanted coil in the Narda?

It does not like bends indeed but you can almost form it in the heating phase to be circular.
Seems to be doing well with a mild bend in the narda.
Quite a favourable vape.

 

[Christos]

How is the mesh not interfering with the flow of current ?? The steel mesh is touching the RDA, that means it's touching the negative terminal.

My understanding is that during the curing process of the SS while preparing it, it's been coated by a fine layer of mineral that make it non conductive.

Playing around with it excessively removes this layer.

 

[Kuhlkatz]

How is the mesh not interfering with the flow of current ?? The steel mesh is touching the RDA, that means it's touching the negative terminal.

@Faiyaz Cheulkar , the trick with mesh is to pre-heat or pre-burn the mesh with a butane torch as well. This forms a thin layer of oxide on the surface, which acts as an 'insulator'.
I have not used mesh recently, but used it in a SMOK RSST tank quite a while ago. Getting rid of hot spots was a real pain in the rear, as a coil wound around the mesh tends to push through the oxide layer in places, which tended to short out the windings. At the time, you had to fire the mod in short burtsts, and 'prod' the mesh using a needle in places where the coil made hot spots, just to allow the coil an/or the mesh to re-oxidize and create a barrier again and not short out, but those were plain spaced coils.

Not sure how @Christos manages this on tightly wound coils, but the claptoning might actually assist in this regard.

 

[Christos]

@Faiyaz Cheulkar , the trick with mesh is to pre-heat or pre-burn the mesh with a butane torch as well. This forms a thin layer of oxide on the surface, which acts as an 'insulator'.
I have not used mesh recently, but used it in a SMOK RSST tank quite a while ago. Getting rid of hot spots was a real pain in the rear, as a coil wound around the mesh tends to push through the oxide layer in places, which tended to short out the windings. At the time, you had to fire the mod in short burtsts, and 'prod' the mesh using a needle in places where the coil made hot spots, just to allow the coil an/or the mesh to re-oxidize and create a barrier again and not short out, but those were plain spaced coils.

Not sure how @Christos manages this on tightly wound coils, but the claptoning might actually assist in this regard.

Beginners luck perhaps
I rolled the wick really tight so it would fit through easily. Once it was in place I rolled it gently the opposite way to expand the mesh inside the coil.
I did have hot spots but nothing unmanageable.

 

[Christos]

How is the mesh not interfering with the flow of current ?? The steel mesh is touching the RDA, that means it's touching the negative terminal.

Also here you can see a short where I played with it to accommodate the bend.
I did move it so no contact was made there.

 

[Kuhlkatz]

Beginners luck perhaps
I rolled the wick really tight so it would fit through easily. Once it was in place I rolled it gently the opposite way to expand the mesh inside the coil.
I did have hot spots but nothing unmanageable.

Hahaha @Christos ... 'Beginners luck' for a seasoned vaper, my rear !
Patience is a virtue, and in this case it seems to have payed off for you.

Doing something like this again would likely have made me switch to fluent sailor in no time flat, especially with me and Murphy being so tight.
Well, I don't like the bugger at all, but he thinks we are besties

 

[Raindance]

@Christos, are you using SS for the coil as well? Using Kanthal or a Kanthal claptoned SS wire may reduce the risk of shorting further as Kanthal forms a rather durable insulating layer rather quickly.

Regards

 

[Christos]

@Christos, are you using SS for the coil as well? Using Kanthal or a Kanthal claptoned SS wire may reduce the risk of shorting further as Kanthal forms a rather durable insulating layer rather quickly.

Regards

I'm using Ni80 for my main coils and SS mesh for my wick.

 

[Christos]

@Silver I dripped some red pill.
The menthol tastes a tad sharper with a more "clean" but stronger burn at the back of the throat.

Also pics of a coil after 8ml of juice that would usually have the wick brown and the coil with gunk deposits.