How to Build a Coil

For beginners

What to Remember

  • If you do dual coils, the ohms of the coil being used will be divided by 2
  • Lower ohms mean higher wattage, and higher ohms mean lower wattage
  • Below 1.0 ohms is a sub-ohm build (direct to lung)
  • Lower ohms means more vapour

How to Choose Wire

  • Kanthal is the standard wire used for building coils and is used in VW
  • Nichrome is a blend between nickel, chromium and Kanthal wire and can only be used in VW or wattage
  • Nickel is a type of wire that is used in nickel temperature control mode
  • Titanium is a type of wire that is used in titanium temperature control mode
  • SS316 is a type of wire that is made of stainless steel, chromium and nickel

Gauges, Jigs & Wraps

  • Higher gauge = thinner wire = higher resistance
  • Lower gauge = high wire = lower resistance
  • More wraps = more surface area = lower resistance = more wattage required
  • Less wraps = less surface area = higher resistance = less wattage required
  • Thicker jig = larger wicking hole = more cotton = bigger clouds
  • Thinner jig = smaller wicking hole = less cotton = less clouds

What You Need

  • Tank (with deck); RDA, RTA or RDTA
  • Wire
  • Cotton
  • Pliers
  • Ceramic tweezers (for removing hot spots and re-forming new builds)
  • Bent tweezers
  • Jig
  • Wire cutters
  • Scissors
  • Screwdriver

How to Build…

  1. Find a deck that works for what you want
    • RDA is a for dripping
    • RTA is a tank that you build
    • RDTA is a dripper with a tank on the bottom or top
  2. Pick a wire that suits what you are looking for
  3. Decide the ohms you want, and determine the number of wraps you will need to achieve this using an ohms calculator
  4. Using your jig, feed your wire through and wrap the wire around the jig that will suit your cloud preference
  5. Attach your coil to the ohm reader and determine the ohms you have built at
    • *WARNING* DO NOT USE A COIL THAT HAS BEEN BUILT LOWER THAN 0.1ohms
  6. Unscrew the screws in your deck; but not all the way out
  7. Depending on your deck (post-less or not) cut your wire to the appropriate length before with a post-less deck, or if you have a deck with posts, insert the wire in and tighten the screws, then cut the wire so it is not touching anything
  8. Heat your coil up, and using the ceramic tweezers compress your coil, and scrape along to remove hotspots
    • You essentially want your coil to be heating from the centre to the outer edges of the coil
    • You want the coils to be heating at the same time
  9. Put the tank onto your tank ensuring that it fits without touching the wire at all, making sure everything fits smoothly
  10. Insert the cotton through the coil, making sure it is not too thick and not too thin. You want the cotton to be able to move through the coil if pulled, without you pulling too hard, you also want the cotton to bunch up slightly on either side of the coil
  11. Cut the tails of the cotton off, leaving just enough to put it in the juice wells, but not over packing it
  12. Feed the cotton into the juice wells using your bent tweezers but don’t jam it in
  13. Put juice on the tops of the wire where the cotton has been fed through and on the exposed cotton- more is better rather than burning it
  14. Put the tank on, and fill the tank
  15. Enjoy your delicious flavour and clouds for days!