Do I need to worry about gases when using SS / Ti Coils?

Hardware Coils
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That’s something I definitely had not really considered (oddly enough). Thank you!

When I first started in with stainless, I think I briefly used 15w, then 20w, and both were underpowered to really do any good. So I went to 30w. Of course, that was on a Sigelei Spark 90 (super slow to fire as well), and then on to the Cuboid 150w (same on both counts overall, but slightly more accurate in perceived power).

The habit was already “set” by the time that I got the VT133 (DNA 200 pcb)… It’s funny though (looking back now) that as many times and ways that I’ve retested the same flavors (whether for comparison, or because I’d forgotten, or had my notes lost at…), and especially tested different methodologies in approaches to steeping, etc. that not once did I think to do that with wire.

Just found what worked, and bam! Put it on “auto repeat”. chuckles

I’ll have to try that!
Much appreciated! :beers:

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@Dan_the_Man @dmcst42

Concerning something I read from you regarding the heating of 30ga SS…

I wonder how hot SS would get if I used 30g SS and fired it at the highest temp if it would melt?

Dry coil, unwicked? I don’t know the precise temperature but HOT. No, DAMN HOT. Melt? Probably not, but you can get it hot enough to degrade it to the point of brittleness or even breaking. You won’t get it molten - it will break first.

As for concerns over material gases -

Experimentation for experimentation’s sake is cool and fun, but believe me, you’ll never be able to withstand the sheer heat from a coil that has reached a high enough temperature to release harmful gases. At least not with SS. Not sure what the temps are for Nickel…nor would I care since I consider that a garbage metal for vaping. However, Kanthal is similar in that the temperature is far higher than we could tolerate while vaping. Titanium is too so long as the wicks are wet. However, that metal has an incredibly quick ramp up time, so it’s possible to get a dry coil too hot to be safe. At the same time, I also feel it is far higher than any of us could deal with via inhalation.

I’ve dry-burned Titanium and you really need it only just past the point of glowing before Titanium Dioxide (T1O2) forms on the surface of the coil. This will be a light grey to white, almost powdery substance. There has been debate among those in the vaping community as to the dangers of this substance. I personally have no concerns, as TiO2 does not appear to float away from the metal in a vaping environment. It seems to more adhere to the metal, and I’ve also found anecdotally that removing it from coils is too tedious for me, so if I do cause it to form I’ll just trash the coil and rebuild.

Here’s some info about health effects of TiO2 -

What are the potential health effects of titanium dioxide?

Main Routes of Exposure: Inhalation; skin contact; eye contact.

  • Inhalation: At high concentrations: can irritate the nose and throat.
  • Skin Contact: May cause mild irritation.
  • Eye Contact: May cause slight irritation as a “foreign object”. Tearing, blinking and mild temporary pain may occur as particles are rinsed from the eye by tears.
  • Ingestion: Not harmful.
  • Effects of Long-Term (Chronic) Exposure: Conclusions cannot be drawn from the limited studies available.
  • Carcinogenicity: Possible carcinogen. May cause cancer based on animal information. Has been associated with: lung cancer.

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC): Group 2B - Possibly carcinogenic to humans.
American Conference for Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH): A4 - Not classifiable as a human carcinogen.*Under review by ACGIH.

  • Teratogenicity / Embryotoxicity: Not known to harm the unborn child.
  • Reproductive Toxicity: Not known to be a reproductive hazard.
  • Mutagenicity: Not known to be a mutagen.

All that said, I find Titanium to be a superior material for Temperature Control, and for vaping with a regulated mod that has a Voltage function rather than wattage. In fact, it’s a favorite of mine on NLPWM mods, especially when using a series atomizer. Titanium has a very low resistance. A dual coil build made of 22ga Ti, 3.5mm ID and 6.5 wraps comes in right about 0.07ish ohms. The cool part is, it also has a steep resistance curve compared to other wire used for temp control - meaning as the material heats, its resistance increases more dramatically and far quicker. Given it’s lightning fast ramp time (with a sufficiently powerful mod) it will go from that seemingly unsafe cold resistance to a much safer resistance almost instantly when firing it. The change in resistance is nearly double. So that 0.07 build will go to nearly 0.14 basically as soon as fired, providing enough power is being delivered to raise the temperature.

One last note on temp control with Titanium - this is the cleanest tasting vape I’ve ever had. Back when I first started using it there was an ongoing discussion about cleaning the wire prior to building coils. I found over time the easiest way was a cotton ball and some rubbing alcohol. Just pull off a section and clean until the cotton no longer picks up any grime. And trust me - most of it will have a film on it. The cleanest Ti I’ve ever bought came from Temco.

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I’ve updated the topic title to accomodate :+1:

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Me too. It’s been quite a while since I’ve used it but I do remember it being “clean” as you say. I was always afraid of it though. Maybe I should give it another go since I vape mostly MTL nowadays. Do you recommend 22g for MTL?

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To be honest, I’ve never tried Ti for a MTL build. But right off the cuff, no, I wouldn’t think it would be a good gauge. Reason is, 22ga is a thick piece of wire and needs a good amount of power which runs contrary to what I know about MTL vaping. All my MTL setups have been below 30 watts which I can’t imagine the coil using 22ga Ti that would heat up enough for a good MTL vape.

That said, I have tried other gauges but again, all DL set ups, and nothing but 22ga gave me that wow factor. Just spitballing, I’d say perhaps 26ga would be a good place to start. Maybe someone else has better input.

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Agreed. In fact, you are the person that got me to try it the first time. You were buying it from an etsy jewery shop back then right?

For anyone thinking about Ti for the first time, it is good stuff. But you ABSOLUTELY have to use temp control with it! No ifs, ands, or buts. If you vape it in power mode, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Building Ti coils is challenging if you get the springy stuff. As @SthrnMixer said, I also found Temco to be the best, most consistant wire.

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Fortunately I’ve never had springy Titanium. All the wire I’ve bought has been fairly malleable. And when it is, you can build some beautifully spaced coils…

https://i.imgur.com/Ze1q9gM.jpg

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Super clean build mate looks like the Modfather RDA series deck?

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Indeed it is my friend. That 30mm build deck is like building on a football field too. So roomy :slight_smile:

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Before I used Temco, I was grabbing wire from a shop on etsy. The first order was good stuff, but my second order was really springy wire. Which is funny, because Titanium is very springy. We made these thin parts one time, and I had one warp on me. We tried bending the part the opposite direction to save it, but even bending it a RIDICULOUS amount, it sprang right back where it was. So for Ti wire to not be springy really baffles me.

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Yes. It begs the questions really Grade 1? and annealed?

No answer to Grade 1 when specifically purchasing Grade 1 is troublesome. That would have me questioning everything from the source of purchase. Of course I don’t know how to test it so probably best to move on to a better supplier. No to the annealing question - well maybe it’s possible to anneal it at home. I don’t know. I doubt it would be a simple process like it is with SS or A1 due to the undesired result of Titanium Dioxide formation. And for busy old farts such as myself, probably would just be easier to find a different supplier.

Temco for the win! :wink:

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Love the look of that build

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Thanks. And I’ll head over to that thread and have a nose around.

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Just taking things to extremes…

Titanium build. Ready to be trashed but thought I’d show what happens when it’s fired with too much ooomph.

https://i.imgur.com/bmcqgcr.mp4

Coil after overheating. Wire instantly covered with Titanium Dioxide

https://i.imgur.com/2dhMmqh.jpg

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a little glue and we could have that all back together nicely

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