Vaping what you need to know
What is vaping:
Vaping is the action of the inhale and exhale of vapor produced by an electronic cigarette. The electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette evolved due to tobacco or more specifically nicotine addiction, with the intention to be another tool in one's arsenal to kick these addictions.
It works by simulating the act of tobacco smoking by producing vapor with the same physical sensation, appearance, and the flavor and nicotine content typically inhaled from tobacco smoke. Like with quitting anything, it’s about slowly cutting back on what you're addicted to. In the case of smoking you have an addition to nicotine and the habit of smoking itself. With an e-cigarette it gives you the ability to cut down on the nicotine gradually separate of the habit of smoking itself.
It works using heat, to vaporize a Propylene Glycol or Glycerin based liquid solution into an aerosol vapor, similar to the way a humidifier vaporizes a solution for inhalation. Fist generation e-cigarettes were mainly designed to simulate smoking implements, such as cigarettes or cigars, in their use and appearance. Fast forward a bit and current generation version are mostly called mods, PV's (personal vaporizer) or APV's (advanced personal vaporizer) have an increased performance, higher capacity batteries, and come in various shapes, sizes and materiel, including metal tubes and boxes.
These devices attempt to deliver the experience of smoking without the adverse health effects usually associated with tobacco smoke. However, concerns have been raised that the use of these devices still carries health risks, and that it could appeal to non-smokers, especially children, due to its novelty, flavorings.
The possible benefits or adverse effects of e-cigarette use are a subject of debate among different health organizations and researchers. Controlled studies are rare and too far between due to the fact of something so new growing at such a rapid rate in popularity. Even state and federal, laws governing the use and sale of e-cigarettes and eliquid are falling behind and are inconsistent region to region, with pending legislation and ongoing debates.
Hardware:
THERE ARE 3 MAIN COMPONENTS TO AN ELECTRONIC VAPOR DEVICE
Batteries:
Rechargeable lithium ion batteries are used in most cases.
The size of the battery determines the amount of vapor produced and how long a battery will last before needing to be recharged. You want to consider a few things when choosing your battery. The first thing and most important is knowing the right amperage battery to use in your mod. Second is how much of a change the battery can hold, this is rated at (mAH), the higher the number the longer it will last.
Mods
Mechanical mods
Mechanical mods are normally found in a cylinder shape just large enough to accommodate a battery. They possess no electronics what so ever and are normally built with high quality metals (stainless steel, Aluminum, Brass & Copper). These quality metals lessen the voltage drop and lend to the making of a good mod. “The Punch”
Regulated mods
These mods do have electronics which regulate the power and voltage. They're normally boxy looking due to holding a single, double and even triple battery, but do come in all shapes and sizes as well. These devices give you a safe, consistent Vape from start to finish.
Temperature Control mods
Temp control mods are the new kid on the block, stirring things up. This device regulates power and voltage like the regulated mods, but takes it a step further, allowing you to control the max temperature of your Atty. In order to do this these devices require you to use ni200 also known as nickel wire. This wire is the key here allowing the chipset to sense the change in temperature and react accordingly.
Control temperature huge at the moment, it allows you to set a Vape temperature and bring out distinct flavors you may have otherwise missed. It’s also nice not having to worry about a dry hit or even worse setting your cotton on fire
Atomizer
Also called
Rebuildable Atomizer (RBA):
Encompasses all variations of
Rebuildable Dripping Atomizer (RDA):
You directly drip e-liquid on the wick/coil, it does not hold a lot of liquid at a time. If you're looking for the best for flavor, clouds, and customization then this is the answer. Coils on these can also be rebuilt to fit the vapor’s preference.
Rebuildable Tank Atomizer (RTA):
This atomizer surrounds and feeds the atomization chamber from a tank filled with e-liquid
Coil Building & Math
Ohm's law “the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the potential difference across the two points.”
We have two constants we know. First the voltage of a fresh 18650 batteries is 4.2 and second we know the resistance of our new coil once it’s done it will be sitting at 1.2ohms. Knowing this we can calculate how many amps this circuit will be pulling and know the right amperage battery for use in this build. The formula goes like this “I”(amps) is equal to 4.2v (voltage) divided by 1.2R (resistance). This will tell us we need a battery that can handle at least 3.5 amps, do not skimp here, it’s not worth the safety risk.
Before we get started here: A note on safety & Tools
It is important to point out when building or rebuilding your own coils, it is absolutely crucial to know the limits of your device, hardware, and batteries. Never build at resistances that will exceed their safe operating capacity. If you do not have an ohms reader, please do not attempt to rebuild your own coils.
Before you get started wrapping coils you will want to figure out how many wraps your coil will need to have to reach the desired resistance. Let's head over to steam-engine.org, by adjusting the variables there like wire size (28ga), coil type (single) target's resistance (1.2 ohms), inner coil diameter (3mm) leg length (5mm) this calculator will tell you exactly how many wraps you need. With these variables set it lets us know we need about 5.42 wraps
Tools:
- An ohms reader
- RDA of your choice
- Resistance Wire: Kanthal or ni200
- 3mm drill bit or my trusty Coil Master
- Small screwdriver or Allen key that fits your RDA’s screws.
- Tweezers (preferably ceramic tipped), needle nose pliers.
- Small wire cutters or nail clippers
- Scissors
- Wicking material: Japanese or organic cotton.
- E-Juice
Wrapping
We will use the 3mm Coil Master here. First insert wire into the hole 1 on the side of the handle leaving approximately 1/2” of wire sticking out of the hole in the handle. Hold the end of the wire against the handle so it cannot slide back out. Pull the loose end of your wire around the shaft. Place the top winding a piece onto the shaft with the pin towards the handle. Turn the top winding piece slowly so it catches the wire and starts
Installing
Next we will want to take the build deck of your RDA and loosen the post screws most of the way. You will then take your coil (still on the Coil Master) and place one lead in your positive post hole and the other in your negative post. Using the screwdriver currently inside your coil, try to position the coil towards the center of your RDA. Once you have it roughly positioned you can tighten your post screws. Be careful not to over tighten or you can cut the wire inside the post and have to make a new coil. Once your coil is mounted securely trim the leads as close to the posts as possible.
Verifying Ohm reading and testing for shorts
Next, you will want to take your RDA and screw it on to your ohms reader and turn it on to be sure there are no shorts. It should measure close to your target's resistance of 1.2 ohms, but it is important to remember it is quite common and normal for coils to have a slight variance in resistance of up to
Test firing and eliminating hot spots (Kanthal only)
This step is done on your mod so go ahead and screw your RDA on. Once your RDA is installed onto your mod you will want to pulse fire your mod until the coil begins to glow. Once your coil begins to glow stop firing your mod and gently squeeze your coil together with your tweezers. Repeat this process until the coil glows evenly starting from the center moving towards the outer wraps. Remember not to hold on to the button pulse it by holding for 2-3 second and releasing.
Wicking your coil
There are many things you can use to wick your coil, but my preference Japanese cotton for its superior flavor and wicking abilities. You will want a piece of material just big enough to snugly fit inside your coil leaving about half an inch on either side. It sometimes helps to wet and twist the end of your wick to get it started. Push it in from one side of the coil and pull, it out the other side. You don’t want it to be to lose, but at the same time it should not knock you mod over by being overly sung. This comes with experience and will get the hang of it in no time.
Once your wick is threaded through the coil take the wick sticking out of each side and trim them so they are just long enough to be folded under your coil and sit on the deck of your RDA. Once your wicks are trimmed and folded under neither you coil you can go ahead and slowly paint on your e-juice, let the wick do its job and suck it up.
You have successfully built your first 1.2ohms single
E-Liquid:
E-Liquid or juice can be a mix of Propylene Glycol (PG) or Vegetable Glycerin (VG) based liquid, mixed with small amounts of nicotine and food grade flavoring.
PG gives more of a “throat hit” sensation and carries the flavor very well. VG is thicker, gives less throat hit, but will produce more vapor. Juices come in all ratios of PG and VG. It is generally categorized in “milligrams” of nicotine. Ranging from 0mg up to 24mg, stronger nicotine will create a stronger throat sensation that is commonly referred to as “throat hit”. Remember the idea here it to cut back and quit nicotine all together, I would suggest starting low, and working your way up to a level that will satisfy your nicotine cravings.
There is a big DIY E-Liquid community out there and I believe everyone should understand how dangerous and scary it can be if not done responsibly.
First and foremost, you have to understand Nicotine is a POISON.
The lethal dose of nicotine for a child is about 10mg and for an adult is 40-60mg. So 10 drops of 24mg/ml strength e-liquid can kill a child. And 20 drops (1ml) of 54mg/ml strength E-Liquid can kill an adult.
If you treat e-liquid with respect then you should have nothing to worry about. Keep your bottles of e-liquid in a locked container and always wash your skin immediately if you spill some onto it. Clean up e-liquid spilt on surfaces. If you get any E-Liquid in your mouth, rinse your mouth out with water.
Safety:
Obviously, the safest thing to do is to quit smoking altogether. There are many questions left to be answered about e-cigarettes, since "Vaping" is a rather new practice.
There are now more promising studies that show that "Vaping" is a much safer practice than smoking tobacco. One thing is certain. E-cigarettes do not contain the 4000 toxic chemical that comes from smoking the traditional cigarette.
A report commissioned by the Public Health of England found e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful to your health than normal cigarettes. When supported by a smoking cessation service, they help most smokers to quit tobacco altogether.
Evolution of vaping graphic used
Vaping is evolving, So what's new?
Technology takes on a life of its own. In a sense, as it’s constantly evolving. Nowadays, any piece of electronics we purchase is pretty much obsolete in 3-6 months and Vaping is no exception if anything it’s making larger strides.
Temperature control
Is the new kid on the block and changing the rules as we know them. These chip sets allow you to monitor and maintain a desired temperature of Nickel or titanium wire. This opened up a new realm of possibilities. By main raining temperature, we can assure we don’t burn our juice and destroy the flavor. Now we can find the optimal temperature and pull every hint of flavor out. Another biggie is the safety of the vapor, by maintaining and assuring temperatures don’t get too high we can assure ourselves there are no chemical changes going on.
The DNA200
Is the latest temperature control chip by Evolve taking things to the next level. This is where the real fun is. Not only does the DNA200 bring with it the standard features of Temperature control, but it allows for lower resistance along with bumping the wattage up to 200 which is a big deal when dealing with nickel wire. No one needs to Vape that hot but this also more flexibility with how you build your coils.
But the fun really is in the DNA200 software called “EScribe”. Yup that's right I said “software”. Right now the software is Windows only, but an OSX version is expected in the future but no date yet. Basically, this software gives you the ability to modify the firmware and just things like adjusting or creating a temperature ramp up curve. This means you can control how fast it takes to get to a desired temperature and with any pauses along the way. It also keeps logs of how often you Vape and how long each pull is. Basically everything is customizable down to what's displayed on screen. I really can’t do this chipset justice until really getting into it, but evolve has even gone to lengths to create an interactive guide or tutorial if you will and well worth a look to get an idea of what is possible.
Many Mod manufactures are currently trickling out DNA200 versions, but as one can imagine the demand is high and might take a while for it to catch up.
Community, legislation & Links:
Vaping is meant as a tool to quit smoking right? So why are
As of April 2, 2015 354 cities and three states include electronic smoking devices as products that are banned from use in smoke free environments. Click here for the latest PDF from ANRF dated July 1st 2015
As of August 26th, 2015 legislature passed a statewide regulation here in California declaring electronic cigarettes as a tobacco product. SB-5 Electronic Cigarettes Senate Bill
I live in Southern California and the vaping community here has been standing there ground and voicing their options and clearly being heard thanks to organized communities like “United
“United Vapers seeks to create awareness about tobacco harm reduction through the use of electronic cigarettes. The right to pursue happiness, for most smokers and former smokers, means being free from the negative effects of smoking. For Vapers, that means being able use the hardware we want and having a wide variety of eliquid flavors available to us.” [Source]
Support your local Vape shops and stand united. We are very lucky to have many good shops out here in Southern California. If you in the Burbank area, check out Caught the Vapors, if you're closer to the studio city area head on in to Studio City Vapors.
Vaping has been a bit out of our niche for some time, but advancements have been moved it closer and closer. Let us know if this is something you're interested in the comments below or check out our Community Forums (Still in beta) and ask anything you like there.
