After a few months, or even years of using a vape pen, some vapers will want to upgrade their vape kit. And many of them will try to make their own vape pen, which can be customized to their liking and save money.
The best mod for rebuildables is the mech mod . Easy to use and easy to maintain, mech mods are always the first choice for many vapers when using rebuildables. Using mech mods also has some dangers, however, if you use good batteries and don't push the device beyond its limits, you should be fine.
Instead of spending money on buying a new mod, one can save a lot by making their own. Additionally, by designing their own mod, they can customize its design to their liking.
Materials needed to make your own mech mod
Mech mods are simple in structure, a battery tube, a 510 connection and a path to draw power from the battery through the connection head. This can be done through a wire or with tube mods, directly through the mod body.
The first thing you need is a body, something to hold the battery. You can use an old battery case or an old tin can, or even a copper tube. Make sure the body you use fits the battery (including the spring), has enough room for the wires, and is flexible enough to allow for additional holes.
The easiest way is to use an aluminum box, which is perfect for this. As for the battery spring, you can reuse the aluminum springs from old toys, or pull out the contacts from old chargers to reuse. However, you should use a copper spring to be safe, because copper springs will melt if they get too hot, and when they melt, the connection is broken. Copper springs can be purchased from any DIY or computer store and can be replaced without too much effort.
You will need a 510 connector. This is the part that attaches to the atomizer, which can be purchased separately from vape shops, or you can reuse 510s from your broken mods. You will also need wire.
The next part you’ll need is a trigger. These can come from old mods, or from vape shops or computer stores. There are many different types of triggers, so pick one that feels right for you.
All you need is a torch, soldering wire, wire cutters, tweezers, and something to easily drill holes into the tin can. If cutting the holes yourself is too difficult, you can mark the area where you want to drill the holes and take it to a hardware store or metal worker and have them cut them for you.
Mech mod making process
Before you start, get organized to see how you’re going to build your machine. Lay out your wires, batteries, connectors, and buttons without soldering them yet so you can start to map out how you’re going to do it. This is also the time to mark where you’ll need to drill holes in the tin.
Drill holes in the tin can, or take it to a professional if you don’t have the tools. Once the holes are drilled, place the button and connector in place but don’t solder yet. This will give you a reference for how long of a wire you’ll need.
Solder a piece of wire to the positive terminal of the battery holder, and attach it to the pin of the 510 connector. The positive terminal of the 510 connector is the middle of the connector, and the side is the negative terminal. After soldering, take another piece of wire and attach it to the negative terminal of the 510 connector. Solder this wire to one point of the push button, push buttons usually have two solder points. Take another piece of wire, solder it to the previous solder point, and then attach it to the copper spring. Make sure the copper spring is placed on a non-conductive object.
Once all the wires are in place, test the connection by inserting the battery and plugging the burner in. If it doesn’t work, check to see if any of the circuit boards have come loose, and reattach them. If the unit works, you can then put the rest of the components back in.
Solder the 510 connector and the button, then the battery holder (both positive and negative). The wires will be difficult to line up properly, so use tweezers to make it easier. You can glue them together, or leave them as they are so they can be easily replaced later if they get damaged.
Once you've soldered everything together, your mech mod is ready to use. Install the battery and attach the atomizer, and you're ready to vape.
Other plans
The above steps are a basic guide to building a mech mod. However, if you have some good schematic and electronics skills, you can add resistors and fuses for added safety. If you think you can do it, you can add a DNA chip. DNA chips can be purchased from Evolv or DIY vape shops. Schematics for DNA boards can be found online.
You can customize the body if you have the skills. You can carve blocks of wood into any shape you like. Some even use rare woods, so you can try that if you want. Some even use 3D printers to print out the body they design. If you don’t have the skills to carve wood or don’t have a 3D printer, you can hire someone to do it for you, just make sure you give them the exact size you want.
Some vapers even buy clones and replace the circuit boards with more advanced ones. Once you start making your own mods, the possibilities are endless. You can even start a business selling your homemade mods.
No need to spend too much money
One can certainly make a decent mod if they know how to use schematics and electronics. The most expensive part is the body of the mod, but unless you’re using rare woods for your mod, you can always reuse old parts. One modder has made some beautiful mech mods from old railway sleepers, and another has used old discarded doors.
You don’t need to spend a fortune on a new mod. Vaping should be fun, don’t feel pressured to save up for the latest mod, make your own if you can.
